U-Boat Awards Certificates Question

[KeithRic]

Hello all,
I recently purchased a small kriegsmarine group from a reliable WAF member. It included documents for the U-Boots-Kriegsabzeichen and U-Boots-Frontspange in Bronze, made out to Matrosengefreiten Friedrich Brinkmann who apparently served on the U-870. What is curious about the documents to me is that both are made out "An Bord" and dated "27.Febr.1945". Basically it struck me as very unusual that the two awards would have been made to the same person on the same day. I'm just curious if this is so, and if anyone has any thoughts about it. Both have the stamp reading "Kriegsmarine. 33. Unterseebootsflottille" and are signed by the "Korvettenkapitän und Flottillenchef." The signature is illegible but would have been that of Ernst Hechler. Any thoughts - or any information of Brinkmann or what might have happened to U-870 immediately prior to that to justify the awards would be welcome. I've checked the obvious on-line sources, but don't have much of a reference library (yet). Thanks, Keith

[stewy]

Hi there, it's not unheard of for two docs to be issued on the same day. I've got a PKA "25" in bronze & a NKS in bronze to the same man both dated the same date. Hope that helps a bit. You'd probably have more luck if this was posted in the docs & paperwork forum. Perhaps one of the "mods" can shift it there. Regards, Stewy

[KeithRic]

Hi there, it's not unheard of for two docs to be issued on the same day. I've got a PKA "25" in bronze & a NKS in bronze to the same man both dated the same date. Hope that helps a bit. You'd probably have more luck if this was posted in the docs & paperwork forum. Perhaps one of the "mods" can shift it there. Regards, Stewy

Thanks Stewy. I wasn't sure where to put the query. In a way it's actually more related to the awards themselves - the circumstances in which they would be given, etc. than being about the actual documents.. But maybe not. If a moderator thinks it should be moved, please do so. Cheers Keith

[Ludwig]

IMO nothing strange with that.

[Brian R]

Dates on award documents can be the day the paperwork was processed, the day the initially proposal was made, or the day the awards were actually approved. It is unusual to see these two awards processed at the same time, but it is not unheard of. You have a nice set and the "Third Type" U-boat citation is quite scarce.

[Martin W]

According to Georg Hogel in "U-Boat Emblems of WWII",the U-870 was destroyed in an air raid on Bremen on March 30 1945.

The U-870 was commissioned on Feb.3 1944 and commanded by KorvKpt Ernst Hechler (RK).

Cheers,Martin.

[KeithRic]

Thanks for the replies gentlemen. I was primarily curious as it seemed that the two awards were basically given for more or less the same thing (I've read the criteria for each, and though I know they are different, each could pretty well cover the other). So I wondered if it was common for them to be given at the same time.
A little more research has shown that U-870 only did one war patrol which lasted 107 days. She left Kiel on October 31, 1944, and returned to Flensburg, February 27, 1945 (the day on which the award forms above were completed). During the patrol she claimed two warships sunk, one warship damaged, and two other ships sunk, a total tonnage 11,844 and came under attack from anti-submarine aircraft of 220 Squadron of the RAF but escaped, and subsequently also evaded two hunter-killer groups of vessels. Perhaps the recipient - Friedrich Brinkmann - did something to distinguish himself during these adventures!? In early March she left Flensburg for her home yard at Bremen - presumably for repair or service - where she was sunk during a bombing raid on the Valentin submarine pens by the 8th Air Force on March 30, 1945.
One final thing: according to the typing under the signature on both documents they were signed by the Korvettenkapitän and Flottillenchef (of the 33rd U-Boat Flotilla). At the time that was the Knight's Cross holder Korvettenkapitän Günter Kuhnke. I find the signature illegible but really can't see Günter Kuhnke in the signatures (which are identical), so I'd guess that they were possibly signed by a subordinate on his behalf. Again I don't know if this was common practice or not. Cheers. Keith

[John R.]

Keith,

Also post these docs on the Photos and Paper forum for their opinion. Lot of expertise there on docs.

John

[Brian R]

That is the signature of Kuhnke.

[Martin W]

That is the signature of Kuhnke.

Yes it is Brian,i agree.

Cheers,Martin.

[Brian R]

As for the awards, there were general criteria, but awarding procedures could vary depending on whether the sailor was wounded or if he distinguished himself (above and beyond) in the eyes of his commander(s). In this case, he likely did something extraordinary on that particular sortie. It is common to see U-Boat badge awards dated the day the sortie ended. I'd be willing to bet that these documents were initiated on that date but processed a bit later. Anything else included in the group? EK documents or SB or WP?

[TorpedoLos]

I second (or third) that opinion. Those absolutely are Kuhnke signatures.

[KeithRic]

Sincere thanks to all those who took the trouble to reply. All very useful and interesting information, and it is great to have the Kuhnke signature confirmed. I never would have guessed it was his. The only other document that was in the group is a hand-drawn one - a sort of "Souvenir" of Christmas 1944 on U-870 "Zur Erinnerung an Weihnachten auf U-870" which I'll picture here. It is made out to Matrosengefreiten Brinkmann "Im Atlantik" ("on the Atlantic") 24.12.1944 and has the signatures of Korvettenkapitän Ernst Hechler (the commander of the U-870) and Johann Friedrich (Hans) Wessels, the Korvettenkapitän and Leitender Ingenieur (Chief Engineer).
Anybody that has bothered to read this far probably already knows that Wessels had served with Gunther Prien on U-47 and took part in the famous raid on Scapa flow. Both Hechler and Wessels were Knight's Cross recipients with distinguished careers, and are the subject of detailed on-line biographies. So, thanks again. To me a lot of the interest in these documents is in piecing together their history and meaning, and you've all been a great help in doing that.

[Martin W]

On the whole,a great set of documents..Pity the awards did not come with the set but I would be perfectly happy having this set of doc's if I was into U-Boat stuff Keith.

Cheers,Martin.

[KeithRic]

On the whole,a great set of documents..Pity the awards did not come with the set but I would be perfectly happy having this set of doc's if I was into U-Boat stuff Keith.

Cheers,Martin.

Actually there was an unmarked Deumer U-Boots-Kriegsabzeichen and a photograph that may or may not be Brinkmann. Sadly no Frontspange, but I'm not complaining!