WWII U-Boat Command Signed U-505 Hans Goebeler Ernst Schmidt 1st Edition
$500.00
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WWII Naval History / German U-Boat Operations / Battle of the Atlantic. A scarce double-signed association copy of U-Boat Command and the Battle of the Atlantic by Jak P. Mallmann Showell, published in London by Conway Maritime Press in 1989. First edition, first impression. Hardcover with the original illustrated dust jacket, 224 pages including index, and extensively illustrated with historic photographs, operational diagrams, and technical material.
The half-title is signed and annotated by two German Kriegsmarine U-boat veterans. Ernst Schmidt signed in blue ink, identified himself as an Oberleutnant zur See, and recorded his association with U-139, U-345, U-821, and U-1231. Hans Goebeler signed beneath him and added “N.C.O. Controlroom,” “U-505,” and the personal notation “Smooth Sailing.”
Goebeler was serving aboard U-505 when the submarine was captured by the United States Navy off the coast of West Africa on June 4, 1944. The capture yielded valuable codebooks, documents, and equipment and remains one of the most celebrated American naval intelligence achievements of World War II. U-505 is now preserved at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.
This is considerably more collectible than an ordinary signed copy because both men added their wartime positions and specific U-boat associations rather than signatures alone.
The blue cloth hardcover remains solid and attractive with clean, firmly bound pages. Light handling marks and a small star-shaped mark are present on the endpapers. The original dust jacket shows light edge wear, rubbing, creasing, and minor age-related wear, as clearly photographed, and is housed in a clear protective cover. Please examine all photographs carefully for the exact condition and inscription details. The photographed book is the actual copy offered.
SKU V/2
WWII U-Boat Command Signed U-505 Hans Goebeler Ernst Schmidt 1st Edition
$500.00
The half-title is signed and annotated by two German Kriegsmarine U-boat veterans. Ernst Schmidt signed in blue ink, identified himself as an Oberleutnant zur See, and recorded his association with U-139, U-345, U-821, and U-1231. Hans Goebeler signed beneath him and added “N.C.O. Controlroom,” “U-505,” and the personal notation “Smooth Sailing.”
Goebeler was serving aboard U-505 when the submarine was captured by the United States Navy off the coast of West Africa on June 4, 1944. The capture yielded valuable codebooks, documents, and equipment and remains one of the most celebrated American naval intelligence achievements of World War II. U-505 is now preserved at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.
This is considerably more collectible than an ordinary signed copy because both men added their wartime positions and specific U-boat associations rather than signatures alone.
The blue cloth hardcover remains solid and attractive with clean, firmly bound pages. Light handling marks and a small star-shaped mark are present on the endpapers. The original dust jacket shows light edge wear, rubbing, creasing, and minor age-related wear, as clearly photographed, and is housed in a clear protective cover. Please examine all photographs carefully for the exact condition and inscription details. The photographed book is the actual copy offered.
SKU V/2