U-boat Signature Collection

Following nachtjager61's lead, I'll post my collection of signatures. I have been collecting for over 15 years in the u-boat field. I have been fortunate to have developed cherished friendships with many u-boat veterans...some famous and some not.

So without further ado...let's begin with the men of the Kaiserliche Marine...

 

On 5 Sept 1914, Otto Hersing of U 21 became the first u-boat/submarine commander to sink an enemy ship (cruiser HMS Pathfinder) with a torpedo.

 

Hans Rose, commander of U 53, sank 79 ships for nearly 214,000 tons.

 

Hans Walther, commander of U 17 and U 52, sank 40 ships for 86,000 tons.

 

Robert Moraht, commander of U 64, sank 45 ships for 130,000 tons.

 

Heino von Heimburg holds the distinction of sinking four enemy submarines (Italian Medusa, British E7 and E20, and French Ariane.)

 

Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière is the 'ace of aces.' He remarkable total of 194 ships sunk for over 450,000 tons will never be topped. He fired only three torpedoes...the bulk of his victims went down under the guns of U 35 and U 139.

 

A perfect bridge from the Kaiserliche Marine to the Kriegsmarine...Karl Dönitz while commanding UB 68 in Fall 1918.

 

Hi I/ these are simply fantastic-ESPECIALLY this one of de la Periere-who happens to be my mos favorite of all Uboat aces from both wars.

You wouldnt happen to have one of Forstmann would you? He's my 2nd most favorite Uboat ace. Another im intrigued about with Walther Schwieger. If I recall? I think he sank the Lusitania.

 

Thanks for the kind words, Carl. I really like the Arnauld too. It's one of my favorites.

I don't have Forstmann or Schweiger (yes, he sank the Lusitania.) They are on my want list. I would like to find a signed Sanke postcard of Forstmann. My top want is Otto Weddigen...pricey when one shows itself.

 

The first ship sunk by u-boat in the Second World War was the ocean liner Athenia by U 30 under the command of Fritz-Julius Lemp. Lemp was also the commander of U 110 which was captured by the British on 9 May 1941...also the same day Lemp died.



This is a Hitlerjugend 'homemade' card of Lemp. Such cards were common practice among the HJ to make cards of their heroes if an official photo did not exist or could not be afforded financially. A magazine picture was usually glued to a piece of paper or card stock. The photo's black border was added after Lemp's death.

 

great, more pics please Ivan ..........

 

incredible collection, those WWI signed photos must be pretty rare and hard to come by.
those numbers of ships sunk and the tonnage are incredible, especially when you consider the quality of the U-boats of the time

 

WWI u-boat signatures are hard to come by for sure. Depending on the person who signed, they can be expensive. Stumbled across a three of these for practically nothing. Surprisingly, the Hersing was the most expensive of the bunch.

Yes, it is amazing what those men did in those early u-boats. I suggest watching "Der magische Gürtel" aka 'The Log of U 35', a German documentary filmed during one of Arnauld's patrols in the Mediterranean. Excellent film.

 

In WW1, Otto Weddigen captured the attention of the German populace with his sinking of the British cruisers HMS Aboukir, HMS Hogue, and HMS Cressy.

In WW2, another man captivated Germany with his daring raid into Scapa Flow and sinking HMS Royal Oak. Günther Prien made history in and met his death in U 47 on 7 March 1941.



Another 'homemade' card. The toll and stress of nearly two years of war is clear on Prien's face.

 

Engelbert Endrass was first watch officer on U 47 during the Scapa Flow raid. Endrass painted the famous 'Snorting Bull' image on the conning tower of U 47 after the mission. Endrass went on to command U 46 with great success. Endrass was given command of U 567 in October 1941 and died with his crew on 21 Dec 1941 east of the Azores.

'Bertl', as he was known to his closest friends and family, was best friends with Erich Topp, who mourned his dear friend for decades.

 

Erich Topp was commander of the famous 'Red Devil Boat', U 552. Topp also became the third leading ace of the Ubootwaffe with 35 ships sunk for 197,000 tons.



Topp signed this for me in 1999. As you can see, this is a true 'one of a kind' piece. I have 200+ signed photos of Topp. And I still have every one.

Topp and I became friends in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I searched for photos of the 'Master' and would send them to him for a signature and he would kindly oblige. Without a doubt, the finest gentleman that anyone could know. Very giving of his time and assistance. I miss his letters dearly. Topp died 26 Dec 2005 at the age of 91.

 

Otto Kretschmer was the 'tonnage king' of WW2. 'Silent Otto' sank 46 ships for 273,000 tons. Kretschmer was captured by HMS Walker on 17 March 1941 and spent 6 years in captivity at Camp Bowmanville, Canada.

Kretschmer's famous motto was 'One torpedo...one ship.'



Perhaps my favorite photo of Kretschmer....drinking a Beck's with the crew of U 99 after a patrol.

 

sadly I read that Topp had some people to his home talking to them about his experiences and signing autographs and he went to answer the phone and when he came back the people and some things were stolen, have you heard anything about this? I think it was some of his WWII awards, dagger or documents of some sort. If this is true then I cannot understand people who would take advantage of his humble generosity and his hospitality. Have you heard about this or am I wrong about the story?

 

I do have a number of Topp signatures but nowhere near the amount you have. I also have two Kretschmer's, Heinrich Liebe, Gelhaus, Kals, Gysae, Piening, Kretch basically most of the surviving captains to sink over 100,000 tons, My original goal was to collect the survivors with over 100.000 tons and now I have been working on survivors with over 50,000 tons,
Have you ever come across a Herbert Schultz? there are a few I still need so if you have any connections on how I can get the ones I still need please let me know.