Kriegsmarine Schützenschnur

[Norm F]

Nice one Justin. Has the cap eagle been whited out for an e-bay sale?

Best regards,
---Norm

[Trance_Eyes]

Yes Norm it was from Ebay.de so is suspect this to be the case

Cheers
JustinC

[Norm F]

Hi Guys,

This is an important photo for this reference thread. Although the vast majority of wartime KM Schützenschnurs have 14 knots and few have 13, this rare portrait is the only one I've seen showing a Schnur with 17 knots!

Post-war Bundeswehr lanyards also have 17 knots and these are sometimes passed of as KM lanyards, so the presence of a single portrait showing 17 knots certainly complicates things. However, given the rarity, I think you still have to be suspicious of any Kriegsmarine Schnur with 17 knots until proven otherwise.

Best regards,
---Norm

[Norm F]

And some Bundeswehr Schützenschnuren for comparison and contrast.

[km-spain]

Norm, very interesting photo ... now we must be very careful with those 17 knots pieces before sent them back.

[Helbe]

Would like to share this picture in this interesting thread.
I came accross this picture in a Luftwaffe photoalbum and it's the only one showing a member of the Kriegsmarine.

The guys wears a KM lanyard with one acorn and a minesweeper award.
Another pin seems to be above this award but I can't identy it.

Please enjoy:

[Norm F]

Would like to share this picture in this interesting thread.
I came accross this picture in a Luftwaffe photoalbum and it's the only one showing a member of the Kriegsmarine.

The guys wears a KM lanyard with one acorn and a minesweeper award.
Another pin seems to be above this award but I can't identy it.

Please enjoy:

Hi Helbe,

Here's a closeup from your photo.

Best regards,
---Norm

[Norm F]

Hi Guys,

Here's another interesting photo that was just pointed out to me which sold on German eBay.

Aside from the Minesweeper and S-Boat badges, this Funkmaat is wearing a level 4 Schützenschnur which has 17 knots! Very odd, the Schützenschnur awards were discontinued in 1940 and the standard length was 14 knots. This portrait had to be after 1943 since he's wearing a 2nd pattern Schnellboot badge, but then again people could wear non-regulation items for portrait photos.

Only the second photo I've seen with a 17-knot Schützenschnur. Perhaps they were unofficial production later in the war, and were the predecessor to the Bundeswehr Schnuren? The photo doesn't appear fake...

Best regards,
---Norm

[Trance_Eyes]

Hi Norm,

Wow!!! What a great photo and yes very interesting that there is another schnur with 17 knots. So we cannot discount the fact that these are now definite period items. Intersting to see its also level 4, I don't believe I have seen one with the shield beign worn in a period photo with the Anhanger.

Nice work

Best
JustinC

[amiklic1]

Nice photo, indeed. I just love to see such highly decorated person.
It tells so much about his career.

[amiklic1]

Proudly presents:

Hi, I want to show my schutzensnur. Rare variant in blue-silver colour and rare with 13 knots.

Don't look at the insignia, it's just temporary untill I figure out everything, as is the ribbon bar (since Customs returned my long service parade medal for unknown reason back to the seller :-( ).

I still miss the torpedo device, so if anyone has any idea where to buy on, I'll be very grateful.

[amiklic1]

and two more pics:

[Norm F]

Hi A,

Nice unissued Level 4 Schützenschnur there. My Level 1 has the same number of knots as yours (13 counting along one sde and 14 counting along the other). I don't think the number of knots is necessarily rare, but certainly the silver interwoven Schnur for Gun Chiefs and Torpedo Gunners is rare.

Aside from being half a knot less, yours looks like the same construction as Eduardo's unissued Thiele & Steinert example posted earlier in the thread. These were surely early items, possibly pre-war and were discontinued after the first few months of the war, so great for an "early wartime" U-Boat sailor display.

Good luck finding the torpedo Anhängsel. I've only seen one before, on the slightly different Schnur previously on eMedals website, and I haven't seen one in wear.

Best regards,
---Norm

[amiklic1]

Thanks for the info.

That one on eMedals was sold for 1200 US$ (!!).

I got mine for less than 200, and the medallion (it wasn't together, it's very rare and almost impossible to find it with the lanyard) for 120.

I can live without the torpedo device, no worry. if it ever comes, that's nice, but if not it's just one very nice jacket with which I'm very happy.

[Norm F]

Thanks for the info.

That one on eMedals was sold for 1200 US$ (!!).

I got mine for less than 200, and the medallion (it wasn't together, it's very rare and almost impossible to find it with the lanyard) for 120.

I can live without the torpedo device, no worry. if it ever comes, that's nice, but if not it's just one very nice jacket with which I'm very happy.

Well, they were asking $1200 on the site but who knows what it actually sold for. Like you say, you commonly find the gold shields separate - again because they're all unissued.

Your Paradejacke is great , but for display purposes it would be nice to get a gold Anhängsel of any kind -- doesn't have to be a Torpedo -- since the lanyard wouldn't be worn without one.

On this Youtube video of Gunther Prien's return from Scapa Flow in October 1939, you can see a Level 1 Schützenschnur with acorn in wear on a U-Boat sailor at the 1:14 mark.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNwyPxa1HcQ

Best regards,
---Norm