Description:

WEHRPASS, PHOTO, AND LETTER GROUPING OF K.I.A. U-BOAT SAILOR OTTO LEHR
An exceptional grouping comprised of a wehrpass, photo album and loose photos, and letters associated with the service of U-567 crew member Machinist Otto Lehr, killed with all of his shipmates on December 21, 1941. Included in the grouping is Lehr's wehrpass, issued in Mannheim on Dec. 30, 1936. Lehr was born in Hockenheim in 1919 and fulfilled his R.A.D. duty before joining the Kriegsmarine. It appears that Lehr undertook duty in Narvik before joining the U-boat service. His wehrpass records his death in the last entry: "gefallen", Dec. 21, 1941. Lehr's photo album 12" x 9", contains 53 original images, various sizes, of the sailor, his fellow crewmen, and U-567. Shown is what could be delivery of the vessel at Hamburg with officers and crew in full uniform, with a terrific image of the officers in full dress seated at a table within the vessel, laden with food and beer, casual photos of the crew at leisure, beautifully-composed images of the vessel at sea, other U-boats, port scenes, and a great candid of Capt. Engelbert Endrass receiving a bouquet upon his return to home port. There are also four additional photos of Lehr in uniform. Finally, there is a letter from Lehr to his parents, Oct. 24, 1941: "...the time has come where I must leave you again for a few weeks...don''t worry...nothing will happen with our current commander...I don''t have much time..."; along with a postcard sent to his parents from Pillau, and a letter from Lehr''s father to the father of Capt. Endrass discussing the loss of his son who intended to marry, his admiration for Endrass, and the fact that his other son is missing on the Eastern Front. An excellent, very rare grouping! U-576 attacked convoy HG 76 in the North Atlantic, north-east of the Azores, which was made up of 32 cargo ships and escorted by five destroyers, seven corvettes and one aircraft carrier, sinking the 3,324-ton Norwegian merchant ship Annavore on 21 December 1941. U-567 was herself sunk later the same day at 44°02''N 20°10''W by depth charges dropped by HMS Deptford and Samphire - there were no survivors from her crew of 47.

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April 17, 2018 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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$5,000 $9,999 $500
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$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
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