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Erich Topp Multi-signed Print U-boat Kc Winner. Wwii Germany. U-552 Red Devils For Sale
jerrymyr store
Beautiful, signed print of the crew of U-552....The Red Devils, which was commanded by Erich Topp. 17 1/2" by 23 1/2" .
LIMITED TO A WORLDWIDE EDITION OF ONLY 750 SIGNED PRINTS!!!!!
Not numbered.
Nicely signed in non-fading pencil by-
Erich Topp - Captain
Siegfried Koitschka - II Watch Officer, & a KC winner
Paul Steimle - Obermachinist on U-552
Walther Senkspiel...OmaschMt
Helmut Schmidt....MaschOGfr
According to "U-Boat Net"...re Topp......
Ranks--
1 Jul, 1935 Fähnrich zur See
1 Apr, 1937 Leutnant zur See
1 Apr, 1939 Oberleutnant zur See
1 Sep, 1941 Kapitänleutnant
17 Aug, 1942 Korvettenkapitän
1 Dec, 1944 Fregattenkapitän
Decorations--
7 Nov, 1939 U-boat War Badge
20 Jun, 1941 Knights Cross
11 Apr, 1942 Knights Cross with Oak Leaves
11 Apr, 1942 U-boat War Badge with Diamonds
17 Aug, 1942 Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
U-boat Commands--
U-57 5 Jun, 1940 - 15 Sep, 1940 2 patrols (38 days)
U-552 4 Dec, 1940 - 8 Sep, 1942 10 patrols (308 days)
U-3010 23 Mar, 1945 - 26 Apr, 1945 No war patrols
U-2513 27 Apr, 1945 - 8 May, 1945 No war patrols
Erich Topp began his naval career in April 1934. He served six months on the light cruiser Karlsruhe before joining the U-boat force in October 1937. A year later he became watch officer on U-46.
After four patrols with U-46, Topp took over command of U-57. With this boat he sank six ships for a total of 36,862 tons. U-57 sank on 3 September, 1940 after an accident with the Norwegian ship Rona.
Topp was then given command of the VIIC boat U-552, the famous "Red Devil Boat". Topp scored most of his successes in the North Atlantic against convoys and off the North American coast. On his very successful eighth patrol in March/April 1942, he sank eight ships for a total of 45,731 tons.
Oberleutnant Erich Topp and his close friend Bertl Endrass
In September 1942 Topp became commander of the 27th U-boat Flotilla, where new U-boat crews received their tactical training. Topp wrote the Battle Instructions for the new XXI Elektro Boat submarine in 1944, and when the war ended he was commanding one of them, U-2513, which he surrendered in Horten, Norway in May 1945.
After the war Topp worked for some months as a fisherman before he became a successful architect. In March 1958 he rejoined the Navy. He then spent four years in the USA as a staff member of the Military Committee of NATO. Later he served in several staff positions and for a month was commander of U-boats in deputize.
Konteradmiral Erich Topp retired in December 1969. He was decorated in that year with the Große Bundes-Verdienst- kreuz (Great Federal Merit Cross).
From 1970 to 1984 he worked as industrial consultant for, among others, the Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft.
SIEGFRIED KOITSCHKA........same source........
Ranks--
21 Sep, 1937 Seekadett
1 May, 1938 Fähnrich zur See
1 Jul, 1939 Oberfähnrich zur See
1 Aug, 1939 Leutnant zur See
1 Sep, 1941 Oberleutnant zur See
1 Jun, 1944 Kapitänleutnant
Decorations--
8 May, 1941 Iron Cross 2nd Class
8 May, 1941 U-boat War Badge
7 Oct, 1941 Iron Cross 1st Class
19 Nov, 1943 German Cross
27 Jan, 1944 Knights Cross
U-boat Commands--
U-7 16 Jan, 1942 - 7 Oct, 1942 No war patrols
U-616 8 Oct, 1942 - 17 May, 1944 9 patrols (204 days)
Siegfried Koitschka began his naval career in April 1937. After some months on the cruiser Admiral Hipper and in a training unit he transferred to the U-boat force in June 1940.
Six months later he became second watch officer (II WO) on the newly commissioned U-552, the famous "Red Devil Boat". He accompanied the U-boat on her first six patrols under the command of Erich Topp. He left U-552, certainly with a lot of combat experience, in December 1941.
After the commander training course in the 26th Flotilla, he became commander of the school boat U-7. But in December of the same year he took command of his own front boat, the Type VIIC U-boat U-616. After one patrol in the North Atlantic he managed to break through the Straits of Gibraltar in May 1943.
After six patrols in the Mediterranean, where he sank a US destroyer in October 1943 and damaged two ships in May 1944 for a total of more than 17,000 tons (he claimed more sinkings, but they were not confirmed successes), he left Toulon on 30 April for his last patrol.
Two weeks later, east of Cartagena, Spain, one of the longest U-boat hunting operations of the war took place. After torpedoing two ships, Kptlt. Koitschka with U-616 was located by US destroyers on 14 May, 1944. The next three days U-616 was attacked by the destroyer and also British Wellington aircraft before being forced to surface on the 17 May. All the crew survived the scuttling of the U-boat.
Siegfried Koitschka spent more than two years in Allied captivity before he was released in June 1946.
This high quality, heavy paper, semi-glossy print would be a wonderful addition to anyone's WWII collection. Done in a private lab in Germany,with painstaking attention taken regarding quality.Each one of the 750 was printed with "tender loving care", & attention to detail!! You will not be dissappointed with this scarce piece!!!!!
UACC Reg Dealer #200.
Buyer pays $8.95 shipping/insurance. Shipped in a sturdy mailing tube.
For foreign orders...shipping, obviously, is different. Please enquire.
Thank you!!
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This item has been shown 415 times.
Erich Topp Multi-signed Print U-boat Kc Winner. Wwii Germany. U-552 Red Devils: $160
