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K.I.A. U-513 OFFICER'S TRAINING LOG, AWARDS, AND DEATH

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:1,000.00 USD Estimated At:2,000.00 - 3,000.00 USD
K.I.A. U-513 OFFICER'S TRAINING LOG, AWARDS, AND DEATH
K.I.A. U-513 OFFICER'S TRAINING LOG, AWARDS, AND DEATH NOTIFICATION
Extensive collection of items owned by or pertaining to Leutnant Horst Gottschalk, assigned to the German submarine U-513. The grouping includes Gottschalk's "Logbuch" (training log), kept almost daily by Gottschalk from Nov. 1939 to Apr. 1940, mostly in Kiel and Danzig where he was a cadet assigned to various training posts. The book, 8 1/2" x 12", contains approximately 140 drawings, paintings, diagrams, photographs, maps, and newspaper clippings, some items tipped in and some executed directly on the page, all related to his training, the ships of the Kriegsmarine, and the state of the naval war against Great Britain. Almost all of the drawings and paintings were executed by Gottschalk, who seems to have been a talented amateur artist. His illustrations, mostly in India ink and watercolor, include depictions of training ships, U-boat conning towers, flags, coats of arms, gun turrets, soldiers and sailors on guard duty, small boats, diagrams of docking procedures, maps of various anchorages and sections of the German coast, and some holiday illustrations. Gottschalk's illustrations and many of the tabbed-in photographs also depict a number of prominent Kriegsmarine ships, including his own training ship, the obsolete battleship Schleisen, the cruiser Admiral Hipper, the pocket battleships Deutschland and Admiral Graf Spee, the battleship Scharnhorst, the cruiser Emden, and the submarines U-29 and U-44, among others. The text of the journal describes Gottschalk's experiences while in training aboard the Schleisen, including cruises to Danzing and Hamburg, icebreaker duties, escorting U-boats, and shore leave in Danzig. Most interestingly, he details the Schleisen's role in providing gunnery support for the invasion of Norway, beginning on April 9, 1940. He mentions numerous news reports that have significance for him and his comrades, including the sinking of the Graf Spee in Dec. 1939, the end of the Winter War between Russia and Finland in March 1940, and meetings between Hitler and Mussolini. The collection also includes Gottschalk's Iron Cross, Second Class and his U-boat war badge, both accompanied by their award certificates stamped with Karl Doenitz's signature. The U-513 was sunk by U.S. navy anti-submarine aircraft off the coast of Brazil on July 19, 1943, killing all but seven of her crew, including Gottschalk. Accompanying the logbook are many other letters and documents, several of which are official and personal letters to Gottschalk's parents, notifying them of their son's death. Among these is an A.L.S., 1p. 4to., [n.p..], Aug. 18, 1943,from GUNTHER KUHNKE, commander of the 10th U-boat flotilla, advising Gottschalk's parents that their son is missing and presumed dead. Another A.L.S., 1p. 4to., Camp Papago Park, AZ, Nov. 22, 1944, is written on U.S.-issued stationery for P.O.W.s by FRIEDRICH GUGGENBERGER, captain of the U-513. It details the circumstances of the bots loss and their son's death to Gottschalk's parents. He explains that the boat was attacked by airplanes while surfaced and sank very quickly, that the seven survivors, including himself, were all stationed in the conning tower, and that the 46 men killed, were all below decks. He reassures them that their son's death was quick and painless, and that their cruise up to that point had been their best and most productive. Several sections of this letter have been obliterated by American censors. Also included are Gottschalk's Kriegsmarine identification book, his lifesaving certification and patch, and his commission certificate as a "Leutnant zur See", with a facsimile of Erich Raeder's signature. Accompanying the collection is a modern news article, explaining the P.O.W. escapes from Camp Papago Park that Friedrich Guggenberger participated in. An excellent collection, providing a thorough and personal window into one man's experience in the Kriegsmarine, at a time when it was at its most powerful.