Gordon Williamson Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Jumping the gun a bit on this set I am buying as I won't have it in hand for a week or two yet so these are the sellers pics.Leutnant M?ller served in North Africa with 10 L-Flotille (Landungsflotille). These are the guys that transported the esssential and desperately needed supplies over the Med to Rommel's forces and suffered serious losses in the process. Their vessels were the so-called Marinefahrpr?hme, shallow draft barge type vessels which must have been a real pig to sail on anything but totally calm seas, but reasonably heavily armed. This is a section from one photo of one of M?ller's boats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 His DRL Sports Badge booklet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 Authorisation to wear the Italo-German Medal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 For me the best and most important doc in the set - the extremely rare naval version of the award document for the Afrika cuffband. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 After North Africa he served in the Adriatic and also in the waters around Finland, where he won the EK1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 and the Croat Bravery Medal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 And qualified for the Minesweeper Badge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 The set also comes with his Afrika cuffband. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 And a very nice photo album with several shots of him wearing the Afrika band on tropical and ( as here) dark blue uniform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 A pretty late award of the title is it not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 Although instituted in late 1942, there were considerable problems in getting the things manufactured in significant numbers and certainly as far as the KM was concerned, well into 1943 units were advised not to bother requisitioning supplies of the band for qualifying personnel as they just weren't available. In most cases it was towards the end of 1943 before KM units started getting the cuffbands for award to their people, and after the surrender of German forces in North Africa.So, yes, it seems late when you just look at the date of the award being instituted but in terms of what actually happened, its not all that unusual. Closing date for recommendations for the KM was 15 August 1944 ( strangely, earlier than the Luftwaffe and Army personnel for whom it was 31 October 1944)Incidentally M?ller's Afrika band is not the standard camelhair type but one of several known variants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rick Research Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 :Cat-Scratch: Interesting that his branch went from Marineartillerie to zur See!!!! Typically sloppy wartime suffix dropping-- only once is he referred to as dR with his (MA) branch and not at all as zS. Not in postwar naval Officers Association directories, but then most non-career ex-officers were not members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Williamson Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 Yeah, I noticed that. I'm pretty sure that on one of the late war photos in the album the five pointed star of a line officer is visible above his sleeve rings, so it looks like a genuine change of branch from MA to Line Officer. Maybe at the same time he turned "professional" as opposed to "for the duration" and the d.R. would be dropped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nesredep Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Hello!Amazing Document find,congrats and thanks for showing. All the bestNesredep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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