Kriegsmarine Nice group

[Richard Sysum]

Hello Everyone

Just thought I would post this group I bought from Dave B.All came to me in a tea ration tin, collected from from kriegsmarine pows by a man from Kings Shropshire Light Infantry.

[Guest Rick Research]

The U-boat guys will love this-- any idea which submarine the crew badge belonged to?

[joe campbell]

great group!!

what is the hexagonal, black object in the

lower right hand corner?

joe

[Gordon Williamson]

The U-boat guys will love this-- any idea which submarine the crew badge belonged to?

Rick,

Its U-318. The crew badge is a representation of the character Kuttel Daddeldu, a sailor "hero" created by the lyricist/humorist Joachim Ringelnatz (1883-1934) in a poem he wrote in 1924.

The image on the crew badge is probably based on a "self portrait" of Ringelnatz on stage performing the poem as the character.

[Guest Rick Research]

Ah! A lucky mascot for the submarine! I didn't realize U-boats operated out of Narvik.

[Richard Sysum]

Hello Everyone

The story behind this is.Dave B bought this from a old boy who was in the KSLI he was in Flensberg when Donitz was arrested on 24/5/45.He was told to look after a few PoWs for a while he then exchanged cigs and choc for some of there awards.The old boy is 88 and can tell us no more.there is a dog tag which I hope to research and a name on the back of the u-boat clasp but I cannot read it.The only slight puzzle is that U318 surrendered in Norway.the crewman must have transfered to another boat or gone for training in Germany.

There seems to be items from 3 men an officer,an Obermaat and a marine artillery man

Best Regards Richard..

Merry Christmas to All..

[Simon Orchard]

U-318, now there's a boat with a shadow over it's head.

This a story almost unknown outside Norway and until recently only known by a very few here.

On the 6th May 1945 U-318 and U-992 landed a party (ca.40) of men from Marine Einsatz Kommando 35 under Kptlt. Wolfgang W?rdemann (DKiG, earlier in the war as kommandant of the M301) at the tiny hamlet of Hopseidet in the far North of Norway (not too far from the North cape). The reason seems to be, the Germans suspected allied (Norwegian) activity there, perhaps to company strength. No one is exactly sure but at any rate although there had been a larger Norwegian military presence there by the 6th it was down to 3 soldiers and 13 local civillian fishermen, unarmed, on lookout duty though technically under military command.

What happened next is unclear, it will certainly remain so, but the outcome was tragic. As the Germans approached the settlement there was firing. The Norwegians made a run for it but 6 of the fishermen were caught by a group under the command of a Lt.Ewald L?bben. All 6 were later found shot dead, after the war both L?bben and W?rdemann were put on trial, twice, in Germany for war crimes but on both occasions were found not guilty due to insufficient evidence. The defendants claimed they opened fire on the 6 unarmed fishermen in self defence. There's also an account from some of the other civillians hiding in their homes that one German soldier threw a hand grenade into a house were women and children were hiding, but it didn't go off, and that a woman was raped.

Background note: The Germans had evacuated the Northernmost part of Norway from late '44, Finnmark county and North Troms, this included the forced evacuation of the civillian population and the almost total destruction of all buildings (except a few remote settlements and some churches) in a scorched earth operation to deny the allies the ability to follow them. Many people chose to stay and made for the hills living in makeshift shelters throught the winter of 4445. Although soviet forces had not advanced much further then Kirkenes, Norwegian troops from the UK did move further westwards and South during '45 often on long ski patrols.

[Richard Sysum]

Hello Everyone

A little update on my research.I contacted the u-boat archive and they found Friedrich Sell (name on dogtag) he is listed as a Funk-maat and he was a member of U318 the same boat as the cap emblem.I also think the collar tabs may have been his and the tellermutze insignia and probable the u-boat badges but this is only guess work I will never know..

Best Regards Richard..