Kriegsmarine Admin crush-style Schirmmütze --- Marinestudienrat

[Richard P]

Richard, which cast off one do you mean?

Kurt

Kurt,

I'm speaking about any of your other crushers that used to be your first love. Since you have fallen for this new one, I thought perhaps to purchase one of your older, lesser loved crushers.

Richard

[Philphoto]

Erich Matern

Interesting, my late Uncle Arthur John Hannah was interrogated by Erich Matern after he was captured in the Skagerak November 1943. He was a crewman on 'Master Standfast' running ball bearings clandestinely from Sweden to England. Arthur was awarded the BEM for his part in the mission after the war.

[Kurt]

WOW! Now that's history... Do you have paperwork you could share? Kurt

[Philphoto]

WOW! Now that's history... Do you have paperwork you could share? Kurt

Not with me. All my Uncles have now passed away, Arthur I met 2 or 3 times when my dad visited him in Hull in the 1960's.. And I had no idea about his war record until after he died and found he was a recipient of the British Empire Medal, awarded by the King himself. All my Uncles, and my Dad were Fishermen before the war, and Naval reservists, but for these ball bearing missions, International Law specified that they became 'civilians' and the ships had to have proper names, and be unarmed.. However I heard a story that they were also carrying arms for the Danish resistance.. after the initial attack on the 'Master Standfast' the rifles were hastily dumped overboard before the German Naval party boarded.. The story is that running with out lights, at night, they saw another ship approaching them and thought it was the Swedish Pilot Boat.. however my Uncle recognised the design and shouted ' Its a Bremen Built Bastard!!' as he was knowlegable about ship design (The German ship was an armed Trawler) the German opened fire without warning badly injuring several of the crew including Capt Holdsworth. My uncle and the survivors spent the next 2 years in a German Prison camp for Merchant Seamen. Like most of his generation they did not talk much about the war (Even my Dad who commanded a Minesweeper 1943-47 never talked of it) Erich Matern was the first Officer to speak to them after they were landed . I think Herr Matern was a bit of an Anglophile, he spoke fluent English hence his involvement and believe he became a teacher post war. Arthur left the sea and became a welder in a Ship Yard.. I would like to meet or speak to Herr Materns descendents, but do not know where he settled after the war.

[compressore]

Pictures

Hi,
as no images were saved in this thread, I will add two as the visor is now in my collection.

Regards
Christian

[stonemint]

Congrats--terrific cap, smart purchase....