German Miscellaneous

[Louis]

The crew of U-552 in the port of Saint-Nazaire. May 5, 1941

The U-552 carried out a total of ten operational patrols, sinking 30 ships and damaging three in a period of 20 months under the command of Commander Erich Topp (1914/2005). Within 16 months he was decorated with the Knight’s Cross, the Oak Leaves and the Swords. U-552, the boat with the Red Devil emblem, was probably photographed more by war reporters than any other U-boat.

On 5 May 1945, she was scuttled in Wilhelmshaven Bay to prevent her capture.

 

[mTk]

"German submarine U-552 was a Type VIIC U-Boat built for the Nazi German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. She was laid down on 1 December 1939 at Blohm & Voss in Hamburg as 'werk' 528, launched on 14 September 1940 and went into service on 4 December 1940. U-552 was nicknamed the Roter Teufel ("Red Devil") after its mascot of a grinning devil which was painted on the conning tower. She was one of the more successful of her class, operating for over three years of continual service and sinking or damaging 30 Allied ships with 164,276 tons sunk and 26,910 tons damaged. She was a member of 21 wolf packs.
U-552 had an unusually long service life, surviving to the end of World War II; after evacuating from her French base during the spring of 1944 she operated on training duties in the Baltic Sea until 2 May 1945, when her crew scuttled her to prevent her falling into enemy hands."
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[Louis]

A guy of luck.

 

[Louis]

It was surely the best strategy that day. N.Africa, Aug 1943.

 

[Louis]

Some German sailors on U-96; photo taken by Lothar-Günther Buchheim (1918/2007, a author, painter and wartime journalist under the Nazi regime) while joining the crew for a single patrol, 1941.
The U-96 was sunk on 30 March 1945 during an American bombing raid on the port of Wilhelmshaven.

 

[Louis]

A funny night.... Engelbert Endrass (1911/1941) commander of U-boat 46 and Erich Topp (1914/2005) commander of U-boat 552, with female company, who are not exactly German, in the Sheherazade Gypsy Cabaret, Paris 1941.

 

[Rico]

Some German sailors on U-96; photo taken by Lothar-Günther Buchheim (1918/2007, a author, painter and wartime journalist under the Nazi regime) while joining the crew for a single patrol, 1941.
The U-96 was sunk on 30 March 1945 during an American bombing raid on the port of Wilhelmshaven.

Lothar-Günther Buchheim wrote the book “Das Boot” , on which the movie is based.

 

[Louis]

Lieutenant Commander Reinhard Hardegen on the bridge of U-123. Hardegen survived the war and died on June 9, 2018 at the age of 105.

 

[Louis]

Rommel with his wife, Lucia Maria “Lucie” Mollin (1894/1971). She is buried next to her husband.

 

[jobu88]

Pz II turret, re-equipped with the 37mm gun from a Pz III and built into a defensive position as part of the Atlantic Wall.
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