11th U-Boat Flottilla cap badge - original or postwar?

[A.H. Thomassen]

Hello friends.

A good friend of mine has this cap badge, presumable indicating the 11th U-Boat Flottilla.

I've no idea on the originality of these kinds of objects, but I've seen the badges pictured on uboat.net http://uboat.net/flotillas/11flo.htm, and the filling colour on originals one based on the drawing shown on uboat.net should be red. Fex like the ones sold by the Morigo-company http://www.nicholasmorigi.com/catalo...d=KRIEGSMARINE

The main differences to the badge of my friend is that his filling is blue, but the one depicted on uboat.net and sold by the Morigo-firm is red. Also they differ in quite much in detailing, especially the conning-tower seems to be made very differently.

I've been given some positive comments from fellow KM-collectors, but would really appreciate any additional comments on this badge; especially concerning whether it is war- or post-war made.


AH

[A.H. Thomassen]

One additional photo of the front of the badge

[A.H. Thomassen]

And last but not least - reverse side of this badge with something which looks like some kind of needle-replacement/re-arranging at some time.

Any comments on this one will be highly appreciated


AH

[A.H. Thomassen]

No thoughts or comments on this one


AH

[R.Beck]

These are faked all the time. I know of no specialist in this area. I do know it's a minefield out there with regard to these

[Leroy]

Very difficult to authenticate. These were not made all at the same place at the same time by the same people. At the last MAX, I saw two very well-known and serious collectors argue over the legitimacy of a flotilla badge, with no conclusion reached. There are certainly many fakes.

[pantherv]

.....

These are faked all the time. I know of no specialist in this area. I do know it's a minefield out there with regard to these

Agreed but it depends on the quality of the enameling as to whether this one is period or not. Personally I like it, it has the same quality is this one below (U-3024). It could be a Flotilla emblem or to a single boat like U-867 . There are other boats with this emblem showing the Polar Bear's head turned the other way (U-302 U-622). Whether this is to do with a Heraldic stance or not, I couldn't say.

Not sure why Uboat.net show in red. Either bad info or I don't know what.

[A.H. Thomassen]

Thanks Gents for your comments on this one, especially as always thanks Peter for your informative comment on this one.

I'm also puzzled why both uboat.net and this morigo-firm "decided" to show this kind of badge in red colour filling?? I've seen in Högels book U-boat emblems of World War II but no definite on what colour the filling of this badge once had, so I have no idea what both uboat.net and this morigo-firm based their depiction on.

With my experience from other fields of interest I do not think that this badge in question is the only one produced - surely must be someone out there who can shed some brighter light on this rather intricate one


AH

[pantherv]

.....

Hi Arne. The fakers also produce the 1 U-Flotilla emblem in red...strange really but again the quality of the enamel (if that's what it is) is not where near the originals.
You might get more responses moving this thread to the Kriegsmarine badges section.