U-Boat/Kriegsmarine Medical Pouch

[The Devil's Bank]

Taken on board by the Medical Officer (what we would call a First Aider), this is the much needed Medical bag.

When the boat arrived back as base, the Officer would be responsible for replacing any "used" items, and general upkeep.

Ultra rare first aid medical bag/pouch, taken from a U-Boat at the wars end.

I believe these would have been issued to all Kriegsmarine boats.

Still has most of it's contents, if not all.

Complete with British note documenting the contents and who he got it from. (Note: look at the top right of paper which says:

"Issued by the U-Boat Doctor" ??

Got it from a chap who lives and breathes U-Boats..

[HPL2008]

Very nice, but it's not a medical bag for a U-Boat medic as such.

"Sanitätstasche für Seerettungsgerät" translates as "medical bag for marine lifesaving equipment". This bag was to be carried on lifeboats / -rafts.

This is why the bag is weatherproof; it also explains the presence of two tubes of sunscreen ["2 Tuben Lichtschutzsalbe"], which would hardly be needed for administering first aid aboard a sub, but very much so by lifeboat survivors on the open sea.

"Issued by the U-Boat doctor" appears to be a mistranslation of "Ergänzung erfolgt durch den Truppenarzt", which actually means "replacement (of spent contents) undertaken by the medical officer", with no reference to U-Boats or an on-board medical officer as such.

(German WW2-era submarines rarely carried actual medical officers anyway; what medical care was available onboard was usually in the responsibility of personnel with other occupational specialties who had received some additional first aid training. Medical officers were only found on subs going on particularly long patrols.)

[The Devil's Bank]

Was it taken on board a life-raft by escaping submariners?

I know Submariners did have training at basic life saving techniques..

I was told the bag was assigned to the person with the most experience of first Aid.

I'm sure a boat with about 30 + submariners on board, would have basic life saving equipment, including plasters/bandages etc., on board.

It is water proof, it's inside a U-Boat..