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NOW SOLD!! The Most Historical German Officer’s Dagger War Trophy of WW2. Recovered From The Map Room Aboard U-110. The Most Important Capture of WW2. U110 Commanded by Kptlt Fritz Julius Lemp, Hero Of Germany, For His Attack on Battleship HMS Barham NOW SOLD!! The Most Historical German Officer’s Dagger War Trophy of WW2. Recovered From The Map Room Aboard U-110. The Most Important Capture of WW2. U110 Commanded by Kptlt Fritz Julius Lemp, Hero Of Germany, For His Attack on Battleship HMS Barham NOW SOLD!! The Most Historical German Officer’s Dagger War Trophy of WW2. Recovered From The Map Room Aboard U-110. The Most Important Capture of WW2. U110 Commanded by Kptlt Fritz Julius Lemp, Hero Of Germany, For His Attack on Battleship HMS Barham NOW SOLD!! The Most Historical German Officer’s Dagger War Trophy of WW2. Recovered From The Map Room Aboard U-110. The Most Important Capture of WW2. U110 Commanded by Kptlt Fritz Julius Lemp, Hero Of Germany, For His Attack on Battleship HMS Barham NOW SOLD!! The Most Historical German Officer’s Dagger War Trophy of WW2. Recovered From The Map Room Aboard U-110. The Most Important Capture of WW2. U110 Commanded by Kptlt Fritz Julius Lemp, Hero Of Germany, For His Attack on Battleship HMS Barham NOW SOLD!! The Most Historical German Officer’s Dagger War Trophy of WW2. Recovered From The Map Room Aboard U-110. The Most Important Capture of WW2. U110 Commanded by Kptlt Fritz Julius Lemp, Hero Of Germany, For His Attack on Battleship HMS Barham NOW SOLD!! The Most Historical German Officer’s Dagger War Trophy of WW2. Recovered From The Map Room Aboard U-110. The Most Important Capture of WW2. U110 Commanded by Kptlt Fritz Julius Lemp, Hero Of Germany, For His Attack on Battleship HMS Barham

NOW SOLD!! The Most Historical German Officer’s Dagger War Trophy of WW2. Recovered From The Map Room Aboard U-110. The Most Important Capture of WW2. U110 Commanded by Kptlt Fritz Julius Lemp, Hero Of Germany, For His Attack on Battleship HMS Barham

Every single day we try our upmost to acquire, and thus offer to our collectors, interesting and fascinating souvenirs of history going back thousands of years. Today is no exception. We are showing the ‘Operation Primrose’ WW2 Kriegsmarine Dirk from Kptlt. Fritz Julius Lemp’s U-boot Top Secret Code Room Cabin. It was from U110 that the boarding party men from HMS Bulldog, after six hours, recovered an Enigma Machine, and the Kapitan's all too vital super top secret Kriegsmarine code books, the service dagger, the crew’s film of U110 at sea {filmed from the conning tower} and several other vital pieces of secret intelligence. His U-boot dagger was 'retreived' by the Royal Naval engineering officer Lt. Commander who boarded to U110 to ensure it was safe to tow safe haven after its capture {it was however ordered to be scuttled}. U-110 was at sea for approximately two months before its capture on May 9, 1941. Its second patrol, which ended with its capture, lasted from April 15 to May 9.

When the British officer who recovered this trophy was personally decorated with his Distinguished Service Cross by His Majesty King George VIth, the king confirmed to LT Commander Dodds, that his involvement in the ultra top secret action was probably the most important maritime combat success of the entire war. The dagger is in superb condition with a near mint blade with superb full naval etching and all its original frost finish, and small scabbard dent at its base, with more photos of the blade to add tomorrow.

"The Secret Capture"

U-110 was captured by the Royal Navy on May 9 1941. This was perhaps the most important capture of the entire war and was so secret that even the crew of U-110 did not know of it! U-110, under the command of Kptlt. Fritz Julius Lemp, had been attacking a convoy in the Atlantic south of Iceland together with U-201 (Oblt. Adalbert Schnee), when Lemp left his periscope up too long (probably to confirm a kill: he sank two ships totalling 7500 GRT that day) and the escort corvette HMS Aubretia sighted it and rushed to the scene and began depth charging.

U-110 survived the first attacks, but then HMS Bulldog and HMS Broadway joined the hunt. U-110 was forced to surface, and HMS Bulldog immediately set course to ram (its commander realised it might be possible to capture U-110, and veered aside at the last moment) which caused Lemp to order "Abandon Ship". Lemp assumed the boat would be sunk, and its confidential material would go down with it. When he was in the water he realised the boat was not sinking, and attempted to swim back to prevent capture. That was the last seen of him. Members of U-110s crew later claimed he was shot in the water by the British boarding party, but that was never confirmed.

The boarding party commanded by Lt David Balme, followed by Lt Commander Dodds, made several journeys between U-110 and HMS Bulldog to collect whatever they could get their hands on inside the boat. This proved to be very fruitful, as U-110 was abandoned in a hurry, and being a Type IXB U-boat, did not sink as rapidly as a Type VIIC would have. It is almost certain that many U-boats were sunk as a result of the material found inside U-110, including from the kapitan's code room an Enigma machine with rotors set, current code books & his kriegsmarine officer's dirk.

The day after the capture, the British Admiralty realised the importance of this, and that if the Germans knew the boat had been captured, they would assume the worst and change their codes and cipher system. The boat was accordingly ordered to be scuttled while being towed to Britain, the surviving crew were taken straight to Iceland to be interned, and everyone involved in the capture sworn to secrecy. 15 of U-110's crew died in the action and 32 were interned.
This amazing and supremely important action was portrayed in the Hollywood movie, U-571, but its name changed and the capture was made, not by the Royal Navy, but by American vessels.

This event was the subject of a British parliamentary motion in 1999 condemning the portrayal of the capture of U-110 and subsequent breaking of German codes as an American success in the film U-571.

KptLt. Lemp had previously achieved great success in his second U boat, U-30, sinking 17 ships and damaging two, including his part in damage and sinking of the British battleship HMS Barham. She was the first U-boat to make use of the French bases in July 1940, and on 14 August 1940 Lemp, aged 26, became the seventh U-boat commander to be awarded the Knights Cross.

The secret was the capture of the Enigma machine by the Royal Navy from U-110. We will have {arriving next week} the Kriegsmarine dagger, made by Carl Eikhorn in 1941, probably of Kptlt. Fritz-Julius Lemp (Knights Cross) taken from the captain's map room of U110 by the RN officer of HMS Bulldog, who was the Lt Commander Chief Engineer of HMS Bulldog, who had to inspect U110 to enable towing after all the ships booty, including the enigma machine and code books, officer's dagger, had been stored aboard HMS Bulldog.

The Captain of Bulldog realised how important the items recovered from U-110 were, so decided not to send an informative radio message about the capture which avoided the Germans learning of the loss, instead sailing to Iceland and then Scotland with the German prisoners kept isolated. Acquiring an Enigma machine was of some help, but the capture of the code books was of immense help to the Government Code and Cypher School in that the codes were still valid until 30 June 1941 enabling six weeks of unfettered and immediate access to the German naval code, their insight making the breaking of future German naval codes much easier.

Kptlt. Lemp’s U-boot’s dirk, and the Lt Commander's RN sword, was sold by the family by a special auction in Bonhams about 20 years ago. Including the letters of provenance, scanned photos of the RN officer holding his sword, and catalogue etc. that we now have. Some of the paperwork and copies of the scanned Admiralty photographs. We will offering with both items.

Lt Commander Dodds Royal Naval officer's sword that is to be offered for sale seperately.

The Lanes Armoury partner's both agree this is probably the most important Kriegsmarine dirk from WW2. And possibly, only the dirk of Kapt. Hans Langsdorff of the Kriegsmarine Pocket Battleship, Graf Spee, could possibly be comparable if it was to appear one day. Before the secret of U110 was revealed, The Graf Spee and the Battle of the River Plate was the previously the most famous engagement of the Royal Navy vs the Kriegsmarine in WW2.

Photo in the gallery of Admiral Donitz and Kapitanlt. Lemp aboard his U-boot, before his last combat mission and the capture by the Royal Navy of his U-boot.

Both sword and dagger with provenance were offered by us for sale separately, but have been acquired by a collector together in order to the keep the integrity of their history together since 1941

Film by a 1941 Pathe News War photographer { link below} of the tragic sinking of British capital ship, the Battleship HMS Barham.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdrISbwy_zI

Every single item from The Lanes Armoury is accompanied by our unique Certificate of Authenticity. Part of our continued dedication to maintain the standards forged by us over the past 100 years of our family’s trading, as Britain’s oldest established, and favourite, armoury and gallery

Code: 25732

SOLD