A few posts ago I found a Walther SLD U-Boat flare gun in an auction out east. No-one much bid on it as it was missing the selector switch for the L-R barrel select. Of course I am an idiot who didn’t understand just how unobtainium these things are. Needless to say it’s take me six months and the kindness of Martin from Austria to supply this missing bit.
These pistols were produced for seagoing vessels in the German Kriegsmarine, where the lack of a steady platform meant that the additional handhold needed to be provided. Early versions were manufactured in stainless steel, later ones in anodized aluminium. This example has the eeu code for the manufacturer Lieferungsgemeinschaft Westthüringer Werkzeug u. Metallwarenfabriken GmbH in Wek Sömmerda, Thuringia. With a production run just over 4000, and many of these ending up on the Atlantic floor, they are super rare. This example is missing its selector switch, which I am working on getting 3d printed.
Simple little add here. This is a metal, bakelite and cloth roundel or cockade in the national colours used on enlisted men’s soft caps in all three services. In this case the KM Donald Duck cap below was missing one when I got it, although it had the slots where one would have fitted. An easy cheap fix, unlike most of the rabbit holes I go down.
I have field caps for the Luftwaffe and Heer and have been looking for a KM one for a while. This one came relatively cheap from a trip to Belleville although it is missing its cockade on the front. I will look for one of these in the meantime but I am happy with the look of this. Note, the post-war hats are almost identical except that the inside liner is white in colour.
Ever since that KM Dagger walked into my life a few months ago I have been looking for a good Officer belt and buckle to hang it off. The dagger came with the narrow undress belt but I wanted the broader undress belt. Here it is, lovely.
I just hooked this off a picker down in London, Ontario. It came out of an estate wrapped up in the vehicle flag I will post shortly. It is an Eichhorn manufactured Kriegsmarine dagger in just about perfect condition. All complete including the rare to find belt and a matched pair of very tidy hangers. Much nicer than my other one here.
This is an Arnold tin clockwork submarine. Manufactured in 1938 for the German market it is obviously a U-Boat. Note the swastika on the conning tower. It is missing its key and guy wires but is otherwise functional. Post war the Arnold company made this same toy but with the swastika swapped for an American white star. This was sold to U.S. servicemen for their children. The Arnold company stopped making boats in 1950.
U-Boat KapitänLeutnant Joachim Schepke gives an Arnold company U-29 to Horst Plenk, son of the renowned German skier Toni Plenk. From Signal Magazine 1941.
This is a Junghans stopwatch or torpedo timer. If you look carefully you can see where someone (the owner?) has carefully removed the Kriegsmarine eagle and swastika from the front face, probably so that they could continue to use this after the war when such symbols were banned.
This is a waterproof case for a U-Boat torpedo timer or pocket watch. It’s missing the lining inside but is otherwise in great condition. This came out of an antique store in Barrie, Ontario. Someone commented that this is definitely a reproduction. I am now certain that this is a fantasy piece. There is a NSRL/DRL type eagle attached rather than a KM one as you would expect.
Kiwi Medals 