Kriegsmarine DD Cap

[bytown]

I purchased this cap from Stockholm Militaria's latest update.

Just getting into Navy items.

Can someone tell me what the number stands for under the name?

Thanks,

Wayne

[bytown]

I think I have answered my own question.

It's the man service number.

Is there anywhere this can be researched?

Wayne

[Waffenreich]

Wayne,

Could you post some more pics of the cap please?

One place to look for KM names is at: http://historisches-marinearchiv.de/...2/ergebnis.php. If you look at the link I provided it lists all guys they have registered with the last name "Kraft". No luck though as none had an "O" as the first initial.

The service number indicates he is assigned to the North Sea Fleet "N" and he is possibly on a Mine Sweeper (I believe the MI is for Mine Sweeper) as I could find no other reference from the 1932 regulations to the end of the war for the "MI" designation.

The one thing I find strange on your tag is that there is no date for entry into the KM. In EVERY tag, embroidered, stenciled other ranks service number I have seen there has been the date. It would look something like "N3534/39MI" indicating he entered in '39.

EM stuff from the Heer, Luftwaffe, and KM is exceptionally difficult to trace, unless you have a very unique name (hence easy to distinguish among others) and he shows up on the German War Graves Commission's website and or the Historisches Marine Archiv. Alot of times I'll do a Google search using a variety of combinations of his rank, name or name and rank etc.. I have had about 20% success with this. Waffen-SS EM/NCOs can be researched at the U.S. National Archives in College Park, MD. I go up there every once in a while, and even there I have mixed results as much of the micro-film material is incomplete.

Tough stuff mate. I know when I have a named item that I can't trace it drives me nuts as it just leaves a void in the context I want to put the item in. Nonetheless I still like it all.

Hope this helped.

vr

Bob

[michiel01]

this site: http://www.dd-wast.de/frame_e.htm is your friend when in need of info.

kindest regards,
Michiel

[bytown]

Wayne,

Could you post some more pics of the cap please?

One place to look for KM names is at: http://historisches-marinearchiv.de/...2/ergebnis.php. If you look at the link I provided it lists all guys they have registered with the last name "Kraft". No luck though as none had an "O" as the first initial.

The service number indicates he is assigned to the North Sea Fleet "N" and he is possibly on a Mine Sweeper (I believe the MI is for Mine Sweeper) as I could find no other reference from the 1932 regulations to the end of the war for the "MI" designation.

The one thing I find strange on your tag is that there is no date for entry into the KM. In EVERY tag, embroidered, stenciled other ranks service number I have seen there has been the date. It would look something like "N3534/39MI" indicating he entered in '39.

EM stuff from the Heer, Luftwaffe, and KM is exceptionally difficult to trace, unless you have a very unique name (hence easy to distinguish among others) and he shows up on the German War Graves Commission's website and or the Historisches Marine Archiv. Alot of times I'll do a Google search using a variety of combinations of his rank, name or name and rank etc.. I have had about 20% success with this. Waffen-SS EM/NCOs can be researched at the U.S. National Archives in College Park, MD. I go up there every once in a while, and even there I have mixed results as much of the micro-film material is incomplete.

Tough stuff mate. I know when I have a named item that I can't trace it drives me nuts as it just leaves a void in the context I want to put the item in. Nonetheless I still like it all.

Hope this helped.

vr

Bob

Thanks Bob.

Cap can be viewed on the Stockholm Militaria site in New Items.

Wayne

[bytown]

Thanks Michiel.

Wayne