Description:

KRIEGSMARINE DAGGER OWNED BY U-BOAT CAPTAIN KARL-FRIEDRICH MERTEN, KNIGHTS CROSS WITH OAK LEAVES RECIPIENT
An extraordinary item with impeccable provenance, the Kriegsmarine dagger owned by German U-boat Capt. Karl-Friedrich Merten (1905–1993). Merten commanded U-68 and was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, sinking of 27 ships for a total of 170,151 gross register tons. This dagger was previously sold by world-recognized expert Lt. Col. Thomas Johnson (Ret.) in 2004 under his catalog reference 21890. The dagger is unchanged since it was sold by Johnson, and we quote his description as follows: "...This dagger, originally the property of U68 Commander Kapitan zur See and KC w/Oak Leaves recipient Karl-Friedrich Merten, was mailed back to the U.S. as war booty by S/Sgt. Early F. Johnson on 9 October 1945. Included with the dagger [and still present] is the original clearance certificate...[noting] 'brass dagger, orange handle marked Alcoso/Merten'....Gilted brass hilt fittings show light surface wear, with portions of gilting remaining in the recesses of eagle & swastika pommel and crossguard...Dark orange celluloid grip is perfect with no cracks or chips, and is complete with tight twisted brass wire wrap...Plated double-edged blade grades excellent++/Near MINT showing only light surface wear, with perfect background frosting in the sailing ship motif etch pattern. Obverse ricasso is personalized with the initials, "KMF", and the blade is complete with red felt blade buffer pad. Gilted brass lightning bolt scabbard shows surface wear with portions of gilting remaining...Reverse [of] scabbard is jeweler engraved above the lightining bolts, "Kapitan Karl F. Merten"..." Included with this one-of-a-kind piece is: the signed Oct. 9, 1945 "bring-back" certificate signed by Johnson's first lieutenent, "G. N. Brock"; copies of Lt. Col. Johnson's description, photo, and a copy of a handwritten letter of provenance describing the dagger; Lt. Col. Johnson's original inventory/price tag attached to the dagger; a voluminous quantity of research on Merten, U-68, her crew, vessels sunk, etc., a period signed photo of Merten upon return from patrol, Lorient, Dec. 6, 1942, two signed photos (one a postcard photo, likely war-date), and copies of 17 pages of typed text from his biography referencing the dagger and how it was apparently "appropriated" by a G.I. A most important and historic dagger that has been absent from the market for nearly 15 years! At the outbreak of World War II, Merten was stationed on the battleship Schleswig-Holstein, participating in the Battle of Westerplatte and Battle of Hel. He transferred to the U-boat service in 1940, at first serving as a watch officer on U-38 before taking command of U-68 in early 1941. Commanding U-68 on five war patrols, patrolling in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Indian Ocean, he was awarded Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 13 June 1942 and the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross on 16 November 1942. On the second patrol, Merten helped rescue the crews of the auxiliary cruiser Atlantis and the refuelling ship Python, which had been sunk by the Royal Navy. In January 1943 Merten became the commander of the 26th U-boat Flotilla and in March 1943, Merten was given command of the 24th U-boat Flotilla. In February 1945, he was posted to Führer Headquarters in Berlin. At the end of the war, he was taken prisoner of war by US forces and released again in late June 1945. After the war, Merten worked in salvaging sunken ships in the Rhine river. In November 1948, Merten was arrested by the French and accused of allegedly wrongful sinking of the French tanker Frimaire in June 1942. He was acquitted and later worked in the shipbuilding industry.

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May 14, 2018 1:00 PM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
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$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000