Kriegsmarine Researchers: Can we ID Him?

[JSlavick]

I think there must be a VERY finite number of men who #1: were senior enlisted rank, #2: Earned the DKiG, #3: Served on U-boats AND #4: Served on an auxiliary cruiser. Is there a list available of all KM enlisted men who earned the DKiG? I could then cross-reference that with U-crews and then cross-reference against my Auxiliary Cruiser crew list.

Can anyone help with the first list--the KM DKiG recipients?

Joe

[Gordon Williamson]

I have a list of all the U-Boat DKiG winners. I have it sorted by U-Boat number rather than by name to make searching at the U-Boot Archiv easier but I am sure I can pull together the list by name. I have a considerable number of photos of identified U-Boat DKiG winners so will check and see if this guy is amongst them.

[Gordon Williamson]

I have a photo of him on file. Obermaschinist Philipp Lender of U-518, awarded DKiG 7.7.44. Also later awarded the U-Bootsfrontspange in Bronze.

K.I.A. 22.4.45

[Laurence Strong]

I have a photo of him on file. Obermaschinist Philipp Lender of U-518, awarded DKiG 7.7.44. Also later awarded the U-Bootsfrontspange in Bronze.

K.I.A. 22.4.45

Cool :cheers:

[JSlavick]

Gordon! Wow! What great info. That is fantastic. This will go along way in filling in yet another information gap in my crew list! Wow. Thanks for the information.

Terrible to see his date of death so late in the war. Do you have any other specifics?

Is it possible to post your file photo of him?

Much appreciation,

Joe

[Gordon Williamson]

Here is the photo I have of him on file, obviously from a later period.

Pretty sure it is the same guy - distinctive wavy hair, the shape of his ear and the shape of his top lip. The top of his Hilfskreuzer badge is just visible. Note the ribbons he wears on the bar below the U-Boat Clasp (- EK2, Long Service and "Flower Wars") match the full size awards worn on the other photo.

Interestingly, there was another guy named Lender, this time Willi Lender, who served on "Atlantis" but he never won the DK. Wonder if they were related in any way.

[JSlavick]

Gordon; et al.... What do you think? Is it a match?

Joe

[JSlavick]

A bit more comparisions....I would say Match! What say you?

[Gordon Williamson]

Joe,

I would say an absolute match. Ears in particular are almost as unique as fingerprints and these two match to a "tee".

Quite apart from which, as you said at the start, there would be a tiny number of guys who "fit the bill" in terms of rank, previous service on HSK, then U-Boats, with the same additional other decorations, AND won the DKiG.

Interesting to see how much the guy has aged. appearance wise, in the months between the two photos being taken, but life on a "Frontboot" in the late stages of the war would do that to a man.