Some Kriegsmarine postcards.

I wonder did our own side produce as many?
The standard of some of the photos here is very good and the detail speaks for itself, the majority of the postcards images are of the Admiral Scheer.

 

The few above are by the war artist Willrich.

 

A fine study of Admiral Scheer, I can't say that the late war refit looked half as good.



Colour photo from a U Boat , rare in itself.



105 flak guns , probably from Scharnhorst or Gneisenau.

 

An excellent collection. I like the colour photo very much.

 

Unbelievable, they are wonderful, thank you so very much for sharing them with us.

I was told that Germany did not teach anything glorifying the war or what happened to Germany and what they did during the War.

Some of you would know better then me if this is true.

We had some wonderfully skilled young German Technicians installing and operating some new equipment where I worked here in the States. Our company had purchased it from the Germans and it was beautifully made.

I would talk to them from time to time. In talking to them I mentioned how much I enjoy history and I could NEVER agree or approve of the political polices and other things Germany did during the war they did have some outstanding military equipment.

They had the tanks, Type 21 subs, the first to use rockets in warfare over great distances, the Jets, ME 262 etc, and how many great machine guns, guns, rifles and other armorer.

Our town has a great whole sale book store and I can often purchase books on the History of World War Two for a fraction of what they get in real first class book stores.

I told several of the Germans I would bring in some of my WWII History books on the weapons and planes of Germany and they could have them, but I said don't get into any trouble if you can not take them back. I said throw them away but don't get into trouble.

The next day I brought in some books on the German Aircraft of WWII, their subs, tanks etc and the Germans were like kids in a candy store. I don't know they ever had access to all this information before and possibly not in Germany.

Being mechanical technicians they really appreciated the designs and weaponry in the books.

I know there were workers from Holland, Switzerland and Germany. They worked well together and did a great job, but they never sat together at break or lunch times.

 

The lines of their capital ships were very aesthetically pleasing to the eye, although under them some of the designs were very much the product of compromise, I have to say I have developed a "soft spot" for "Admiral Scheer" and his sister ship(s).

 

I have an old Veteran friend of the US Naval Submarine service in WWII. He was assigned to the Pacific Fleet.

When the movie came out Das Boot or The Boat about the German Submarine service he highly recommended and encouraged us all to go see it.

He said it was the most realist movie he had ever seen on the Submarine War.

Joe said that the Americans had it so much better then the Germans Submarines in the way of comforts, food and support. He really respected the German Submariners, of the 40,000 German Submariners only 10,000 survived the war.

 

The card says this is Scharnhorst but it looks more like her sister ship to me. ( Might be wrong).



The portrait post card from Willrich is of an officer on Prien's boat.

 

Robert,

Excellent photographs. Many thanks for sharing.

Regards
Tom

 

Found this one lurking in a folder.

Until relatively recently I had not given the older type S boats a deal of thought , the torpedo tubes looking like items set on rather than being built in as part of the design process.

On the bow the id number either S13 - or S19 , looks more like 19 to me but hard to make it out when enlarged- definition goes after a few increases in size.

 

Great photos, thanks for sharing.

Regards
Peter

 

Glad to Peter, the Germans did the propaganda thing so very well , the clean lines , the sea spray the speed and excitement captured in the photo are really good quality.

 

A few more , Graf Spee , Scharnhorst and Gneisneau.


Scharnhorst in home waters.


Gneisneau at sea , her long graceful "Atlantik bow" cuts through the waves, a very graceful ship which eventually surcomed to the attentions of the RAF.





Graf Spee lost at the River Plate.

 

Robert,

Great photographs.

I like the one with the Graf Spee easing along the Kiel Canal.

Regards
Tom

 

Some more Tom , interestingly these have mostly come from a Berlin based dealership - ( Bartko Reher). Alte Ansichtskarten im Onlineshop

A few more received this morning.





Above is Gneisenau, the less fortunate of the two ...... although having said that she was to escape the fate of her sister.
(The ships below -Admiral Scheer).






The tower is Graf Spee - "Coronel" being a reference to the WW1 battle and the name of the ship.

 

A few more

A gent with a specific interest in S Boats has told me that this photo appears quite frequently different emblems being added to it ...... a fine profile.


Two earlier boats S 12 and 13.




And on the reverse the message home , the "email" or "text" of its day.



"Koln" or "Konigsberg" , built within treaty limitations the design of this class was heavily compromised and the shps were totally unsuitable for use in even the most moderately heavy seas , welds could fail , the ships were unstable and one could have really wanted to be on any other vessel.


Prinz Eugen, the bow flag ( similar to a "party type flag" and easily confused with one) and the flying of three battleflags is odd to say the least but with a substantial number of the crew mustered on decks some formal occasion cannot have been far away , be that past or present.

 

Robert,

Like you say, there were some pretty good propoganda postcards produced.

Thank you for sharing.

Regards
Tom

 

Great collection James.



Ship on the postcard is S-boat tender "Tsingtau"



Atlantik-Pirat Kriegsmarine Forum. :: View topic - Begleitschiffe



Förderverein Museums-Schnellboot e.V.

 

Two more.

 

These are to me the "email" of their day.



How the propaganda artists saw the S Boat.

YouTube - ‪S Boote‬‏