Hilfskreuzer Award Documents.

[harryamb2]

they are out there some where Martin ,keep looking.

[rogge16]

Thank you for posting these, Martin. Very nice! I really wish I had some of my own to contribute here. Hopefully one day.
The signed Rogge photo and card are awesome!

Luke

[martinw]

Thanks Guys.

Here is another Rogge signature Luke.

This is on the inside cover of one of my copies of "Die Kriegsfahrt Des Hilfskreuzers Atlantis".
This particular copy belonged the 1st Officer on the Atlantis,Kaptlt Erich Kuhn.

Regards,Martin.

[rogge16]

Martin: That's really great. How many copies do you own? I was lucky enough to find that copy last year that was also signed by Rogge. I appreciate the help that you and Joe gave me before I bought it.
Thanks for showing.

Luke

[Kevin Grootaers]

This are neat looking documents Martin.

[martinw]

Martin: That's really great. How many copies do you own? I was lucky enough to find that copy last year that was also signed by Rogge. I appreciate the help that you and Joe gave me before I bought it.

Luke

Hi Luke,

i have two copies from the original printing in 1944.I beleive there were only about 400 printed and these were given to the Atlantis crewmen and their families.As you know the original printing included the complete crewlist in the reverse.
In later re-printings the crewlist was ommited,probably for security reasons?
The signed copy i have for Erich Kuhn that i posted above came as part of a grouping for the 1st Officer.I am fortunate to have all of Kuhn's awards also.

Regards,Martin.

[rogge16]

Martin: I hope we get a chance to see the Erich Kuhn grouping sometime. You are indeed very fortunate to have landed that!

Luke

[martinw]

Martin: I hope we get a chance to see the Erich Kuhn grouping sometime. You are indeed very fortunate to have landed that!

Luke

Well,a little off topic Luke,but here is the Kuhn grouping.

It consists of two books,the Atalntis book and the 1938 Crew Grossdeuschland book.Kuhn was an instructor abord the training vessel and highly revered by his "pupils".
His awards include a 1914 EKI,three piece screwback consruction by Meybauer.
EKII 1939 spange by Deumer.
An almost mint tombak Juncker Hilfskreuzer award.
A breast eagle and a postwar Atlantis traditions badge,the shark with a merchant vessel in it's jaws.
A lovely grouping that was sold to me by a friend in Germany who got it from the family,i beleive.
I have included an image from the Atlantis book that shows Kuhn with Rogge and another Atlantis officer.You can see the writing by a family member saying ,"mein grosvater" (my grandfather).

Regards,Martin.

[rogge16]

Thank you, Martin. Awesome grouping and you are so lucky to own it. I would love to get a hold of a traditions badge one of these days.

Luke

[martinw]

I would love to get a hold of a traditions badge one of these days.

Luke

Hi Luke.

i think you will find it very hard to find an original Atlantis traditions badge.

As you know the Atlantis was sunk by HMS Devonshire on the 22 November 1941.
How many of the original badges survivied this sinking?
Very few i would think,and most of the traditions badge i have seen i consider to be postwar and they look very different from the original i have posted below,an image from the Atlantis book.

The Atlantis crewmen held yearly Kameradschaft reunions and the traditions badges,like the one i posted above were handed out at these meetings.
As imentioned,it is a postwar badge.
If you see these traditions badges on dealer sites,who claim they are original i would be very leery.

Here is what an original Atlantis traditions badge looked like.

You can see the difference in design when compared to my postwar example.

Regards,Martin.