Description:

PHOTO ALBUM OF K.I.A. U-BOAT SAILOR ERNST GOBEL
Photo album bearing about 210 photos surrounding the U-boat service of Ernst Gobel, lost in action with all of his fellow crewmen aboard U-551 when the vessel was sunk on Mar. 23, 1941 south east of Iceland by the British ASW trawler HMS VISENDA. A 9 3/4" x 11 3/4" overall cloth album contains the images which average about 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" and chronologically depict the doomed sailor's career. Early photos show him as a cadet and with his parents, training on small craft, and learning celestial navigation, plotting, etc. There are multiple images of bombing destruction at a port, likely one in which he was training, and photos of winter training with rifles. Fifty-six images depict Gobel and his brand-new boat at sea while training from Nov. 7-Mar. 1, 1941. Gobel's first patrol would be his last, as the U-boat would be sunk Mar. 23, 1941. The album, likely prepared by a family member, has an official Wehrmacht letter of condolence to Gobel's father, Berlin, June 13, 1941 tipped to the inside front cover. Near fine. Also included are two contemporary military propaganda newspapers.

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February 10, 2015 10:00 AM EST
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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