Ahh, so you are the lucky guy who bought the Von Mirbach KC document from Bill. Congratulations. I was considering buying it as well but didn't move fast enough. Von Mirbach's 9. Schnellbooteflotille out of Cherbourg was responsible for the death of my uncle and his entire company on their way to Normandy.
WWII Buff: Gotz Freiherr von Mirbach's also participated in that debacle off the southeast coast of the UK, where five LSTs were ambushed by two S-Boat flotillas. The LSTs missed their rendezvous with three RN destroyers and went it alone. There were 800 killed, more than at Utah Beach. I don't know how many ships were sunk. I recently saw some young journalist (that's what they call themselves) trying to bring controversy to the event by declaring that it was kept quiet all these years; that it had been covered up. It was kept quiet until after D-Day, but after that it was reported in Stars and Stripes newspaper. People didn't take an interest in it. They were more interested in what was happening with the landing and the action in France. In a movie called Ike, starring Tom Selleck, who played an admirable role as Eisenhower, showed this incident.
Gentlemen: Thank you once again for your kind remarks. You will notice that my exhibits are streamlined with nothing on the table, leaving the focus on the uniforms and headgear.
Ah yes, the infamous Operation Tiger at Slapton Sands. Von Mirbach's 9.S.Fltl was there too, a sad event that could have been avoided. At least the history books have named the correct Schnellboot units who participated in that one. The books have it wrong for the attack on my uncle's column of LST's, they say it was the 4.S.Fltl., but it wasn't, they were on the other side of the invasion at LaHavre.
Again, nice displays and fantastic uniforms, thanks for showing them.
And I didn't act fast enough when Bill had that Luftwaffe Flak Standard. That got away from me in retrospect. And I just missed another WH cavalry officer tunic named to an RKT and was from one of those Russian Cossack Cavalry units, with the sleeve patch. That would have given me four WH cavalry tunics for a righteous exhibit. But missed by this much. I have a fourth cavalry tunic but it is Waffen-SS, Florian Geyer. I guess I could stretch it.
The Saalwachter Mess uniform is just awesome! You have some great tunics, thanks for all the pictures.
I still have one of them... the piece named to von Borne, DKiS. This was his mess dress jacket and was never upgraded to the Admiral ranks. It has been upgraded to Captain, but not his last rank. After the war got started, and particularly when things started to go wrong, these guys didn't upgrade these because they weren't attending events requiring them. Anyway, my Exhibit Collection is up for sale including the von Borne piece. The admiral jacket was on layaway. For my list, email me at 'dltbgyd2003@hotmail.com'
Very nice collection.
Best regards from France.
Michel
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