Soldbuchs 3
U-Boot Front Spange in Bronze Grouping to Heinz Beckert
Heinz Beckert volunteered for the Marine in 1938, and following early training, served aboard a Mine Sweeper as technical personnel. At the outbreak of WW2, his Mine Sweeper was patrolling in the North Sea, just off the coast of England, in preparation for the German invasion of England. In 1940, after receiving special training, he joined the U-Boot service. He served aboard the U-591, U-612 and U-1019. Together with 46 men aboard the U-1019, he made the longest underwater journey of 66 days. On 9 March 1945, torpedoes from an American Liberator badly damaged the U-1019, while it was in the St. Georges Canal. The technical personnel managed to make enough repairs so that the U-1019 could resume its journey to the Irish Sea, the assigned operations area. After completing their mission, on the return back home they engaged in battle with an allied ship convoy. A ship from the convoy ran over their periscope and cut it off, thus resulting in their capture. They brought the U-Boot to Northern Ireland, 30 May 1945. After his release from a POW Camp in England, Beckert returned to his parents’ home in Chemnitz.
Beckert was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class, 1 April 1940; the Minesweeper Badge, 22 April 1941; the U-Boat Badge, 10 June 1942; the Iron Cross 1st Class, 22 April 1945; and the U-Boot Front Clasp in Bronze, 25 April 1945.
Beckert was promoted to Maschinenmaat, Maschinen Obermaat, February 1943, and lastly to Obermaschinist, March 1944. His promotion entitled him to the Kriegsmarine dagger, which he said was stolen from him in the POW Camp.
I have shown many, though not all, of his Soldbuch pages here. It is literally filled top-to-bottom with entries.
This wonderful grouping consists of Beckert’s Soldbuch, his Mine Sweeper Badge document, his Iron Cross 2nd Class document and his U-Boot Badge document. Also included is my personal correspondence with Beckert during the mid-1990’s. $2200
Beautiful photo of Beckert wearing the Iron Cross 2nd Class ribbon and the U-Boot Badge.
The first page is stamped with a red U, for submarine service.
You can see the tape to the cover and first page.
Front cover of the Kriegsmarine Soldbuch has tape to spine and binder holes to the edge.
Awards:
Iron Cross 2nd Class, 01.04.1940
Mine Sweeper Badge, 22.04.1941
U-Boot Badge, 10.06.1942
Iron Cross 1st Class, 22.04.1945, signed by U-1019 Commander Hans Rinck
U-Boot Front Spange in Bronze, 25.04.1945, signed by U-1019 Commander Hans Rinck.
He listd his father and mother as next of kin. They lived in Chemnitz.
There are 18 !!! pages of clothing and equipment issued. There are ink stamps from Kommando 5 Unterseebootflotille, 2 U-Boot Ausbildung Abteilung, Feldpost Nr. 47571, and more. He received specific U-Boot clothing!
Pay entries were made from July 1941 to May 1945.
At the bottom of the typed glue in is portepee for dagger, dagger and dagger stand!
There are 10 entries for leave. 9 were to go home to Chemnitz and only 1 was in Hamburg, for 4 days while the boat was in port.