Very extensive Kriegsmarine estate U 509, Leutnant (Ing) Willi Plenge, from World War 2.

Beautiful U-boat estate with many documents including the birth certificate of Willi Plenge.

Directly from the family's possession.

The last document is a letter of reply from the British Naval Command in Hamburg to a research request from the father in 1947, which shows that the father did not give up hope that the son had survived for a long time.

As the estate is very extensive, here are just a few things:

Birth certificate, school leaving certificate, large-format class photos, 2 HJ sports competition certificates, 2 DLRG achievement books, 1 DLRG pin, achievement book through life, declaration of commitment to the navy, approx. 50 field post letters, over 50 postcards (ships, Lorient, Bordeaux), some used, artist relief map of Mürwik naval school, photo sets: Bordeaux, 2 x Oostende, Zoppot, Danzig, Bergen.

Promotion certificate to engineer, large format graduation photo officer's course, award certificate minesweeper badge, award certificate submarine warfare badge, award certificate EK II, certificate Heldentod Für Führer, Volk...., 2x depth steer diploma, certificate to toastoffizier (very rare to unique), 3 x crew letter XII/39.

3 pairs of epaulettes, portepee for dagger, small parts,

Visor cap lieutenant / captain lieutenant, unworn. Without maker. Wreath and cockade embroidered. Another wreath made of metal threads and a cap eagle hand-embroidered of metal are included and were probably intended to be attached to the cap. But this did not happen. A button for the chin strap has come off. Chin strap made of patent leather, torn at the buttonhole.

Side cap for officers with cloth cockade for enlisted men. Cap eagle of metal threads is detached and enclosed loose.

U 509 was a type IX/C boat. Stationed as a training boat with the 4th U-flotilla in Kiel and as a front boat with the 2nd U-flotilla in Lorient. On 4 undertakings it sank 5 ships with 29,091 GRT. On 15.07.1943 it was sunk by two American carrier planes. All 54 crew members were killed.