A superb Killed in Action document grouping to the commanding officer of U-136, Heinrich Zimmermann. Grouping includes:
A certificate (140x200mmm, extremely fine), stating that Zimmermann was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class. It is dated to Wilhelmshaven on August 29, 1940 and signed in blue ink by Counter Admiral and Commander of Securing the North Sea, Eberhard Wolfram (1882–1947), a recipient of the Knight’s Cross.
A certificate (139x199mm, near mint), stating that Zimmermann was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class. It is dated to Swinemünde on October 10, 1939 and signed in blue ink by General Admiral and Navy Group Commander East, Conrad Albrecht (1880–1969).
A certificate (255x354mm, near extremely fine), stating that Zimmermann has been promoted from Senior Lieutenant to Captain-Lieutenant. The document is dated to June 30, 1939 and signed in blue ink by Grand Admiral Erich Raeder (1876–1960), a recipient of the Knight’s Cross.
A certificate (209x297mm, near mint), stating that Zimmermann has been promoted from Senior Ensign to Lieutenant of the Kriegsmarine. The document is dated to January 1, 1936 and signed in blue ink by Reich War Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht, Generalfeldmarschall Werner von Blomberg (1878–1946), a recipient of the Pour le Mérite.
A letter (185x266mm, extremely fine), stating that Zimmermann worked for Felix Graf Luckner on his ship “Mopelia” as his 2nd Officer from April 1930 to October 1931, and that he is leaving due to an illness. The letter is dated to New York on October 8, 1931.
Felix Graf von Luckner (1881–1966), also known as Count Luckner in English speaking countries, was a German naval officer who earned the nickname “Seeteufel” (Sea-Devil). His crew was known as “Die Piraten des Kaisers” (the Emperor’s pirates). Luckner became a hero and legend to both friend and foe during the First World War for his ability to achieve victories without casualties.
A postcard (148x105mm, extremely fine) with a drawing of the German cruiser “Leipzig”. It was sent to Ensign Zimmermann in Ohrdruf (eastern Germany) by his father, Count Luckner, and Luckner’s wife.
A certificate (211x305mm, extremely fine), stating that Zimmermann has been awarded the Minesweeper War Badge. It is dated to Wilhelmshaven on December 15, 1940 and signed in blue ink by Navy Captain and Leader of the Minesweeper Group North, Kurt Böhmer (1892–1944), a recipient of the Knight’s Cross.
A certificate (210x297, near mint), stating that Zimmermann was awarded the U-boat War Badge. It is dated to March 26, 1942 and carries a facsimile of Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz.
A certificate (209x297, extremely fine), stating that Lieutenant Zimmermann has been awarded the Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class. The document is dated to Kiel on October 4, 1937, and signed in blue ink by Captain of the Navy Fritz Lamprecht (1893–1961).
A certificate (209x297mm, extremely fine) for the Sudetenland Medal. It is dated to Kiel on December 20, 1939 and signed in blue ink by Frigate Captain and Chief of the 7th Minesweeper Flotilla, Nicolai Schulz-Carstensen.
A letter (4 pages, 207x294mm, extremely fine) to Zimmermann’s father. It is dated to September 26, 1942. The father is informed, due to his son’s fate being unclear, about the next steps that the Kriegsmarine and he himself will have to take, some under the assumption that Zimmermann has been killed. It is signed by Captain-Lieutenant and Chief of the 6th U-boat Flotilla, Wilhelm Schulz (1906–1986), a recipient of the Knight’s Cross.
A letter (209x119mm, near extremely fine) to Zimmermann’s father, stating that since his son has been declared dead, he receives 250 Reichsmark for the loss of his son’s private items. It is dated to February 13, 1943. The signature is indecipherable.
A large photo (287x219mm, extremely fine), showing a hall with a memorial for naval officers.
A formal reception of a U-boat crew program (210x297, extremely fine condition), including dinners, a visit of the opera, and a day trip to Potsdam.
A special ID (211x148mm, extremely fine), and a Wehrmacht travel ticket (148x104mm, extremely fine) for duty travel to Berlin to attend the U-boat crew reception. They are dated to May 25, 1942. The travel ticket is valid for three people, indicating that Zimmermann might have brought his parents.
The front page of a newspaper (426x597mm, near extremely fine). It is the newspaper “gegen Engeland” (against England), the “German Navy Front Newspaper in Brittany and Normandy), vol. 3, issue 97, dated to Sunday, April 26, 1942. The title story is about the U-boat war and the damage German U-boats have caused. It shows a picture of a U-boat officer, possibly Zimmermann.
A citation (209x295mm, very fine condition) from the Seeamt (Navy Department) of Hamburg. Zimmermann has to appear as a witness on April 19, 1932 to be questioned concerning a collision of the Dutch vessel “Ystroom” with the German ship “Alexandria” of the Hamburg-London Line on February 25, 1932. The document is dated to February 14, 1932.
Footnote: Heinrich “Heinz” Zimmermann was born on January 27, 1907 in Duisburg (western Germany). He worked as a commercial sailor before joining the Reichsmarine in 1932. There, he began to rise through the ranks. Zimmermann was promoted to the highest rank he would ever hold, Captain-Lieutenant, on June 1, 1939. From 1939 to 1940, he served as acting Commander of the 7th Minesweeping Flotilla, then commanding the 3rd Minesweeping Flotilla until 1941. A new chapter in his navy career began in March 1941 when he began receiving U-boat training. On August 30, 1941 Zimmermann took command of U-136. In two patrols, U-136 sank seven ships and damaged another one. On the third patrol, U-136 was sunk on July 11, 1942 by depth charges from French destroyer Léopard, British frigate HMS Spey and British sloop HMS Pelican in the Atlantic near the Azores. All 45 crewmen were lost.