Lot 2376

Description

Personal, large-format photograph album composed by Gerhard Olle, comprising a total of approx. 362 photographs of various formats. 248 black-and-white photographs from the combat swimmers era 1943/44, including a train journey to Valdagno (Northern Italy), views of the swimming pool, underwater photographs of combat swimmers during training sessions, soldiers and buildings in Valdagno, training in the mountains, sentry duty, a few mountain and panorama photographs, group pictures taken in the snow, sports festival with Italian allies in the stadium of Valdagno, shooting training, journey of the reconnaissance troop to the isle of San Giorgio in Alga in the Venetian Lagoon (training camp 701 of the K-Verband), period of service on the island, decampment of the first combat swimmer unit to the invasion front in Normandy in June 1944, photographs of trainers, excursions to Venice, bomb raid of Allied aircraft on the oil facility Fusina near Venice, swim training in the lagoon, burial of the combat swimmer Werner Bullin (accidentally shot by an Italian policeman during a swim combat), portraits of Admiral Hellmuth Heye and Captain Friedrich Hummel (commander of the combat swimmers of the SS and the Abwehr, respectively), signed photograph of Luis Trenker with Gerhard Olle on the Piazza San Marco, ships in the harbour, photographs of Italian combat swimmers.
114 black-and-white and colour photographs from the post-war period, veteran reunion of the former combat swimmers in the German Army (Bundeswehr) – military base Eckernförde
(combat swimmers of the German Navy) and further meetings until January 2000.
Photograph album with leather binding, bound, front and back cover with embossed Lion of Saint Mark (coat of arms of Venice), the photographs mounted with glue on the 34 carton pages. Dimensions of album approx. 30 x 42 cm.
Copious information material on the combat swimmer Gerhard Olle and the deployment on the bridges of Nijmegen, description of the individual photographs in the album, newspaper clippings in a bound carton cover, film interview with G. Olle and much more enclosed.
Comes with the contemporary books "Agenten unter Wasser" (tr. "Agents under water") and "Sabotage unter Wasser" (tr. "Sabotage under water") by Michael Jung, published by E. S. Mittler & Sohn, on deployments of German combat swimmers in World War II.
From the estate of the combat swimmer of the Kriegsmarine Gerhard Olle deployed in Nijmegen. The attack of the combat swimmers against the bridges of Nijmegen in September 1944 was considered to be the most notable deployment of this secret special unit by both Germans and the Allied forces. Gerhard Olle from Magdeburg, a top swimmer and navy soldier, was taken prisoner after the deployment. Gerhard Olle compiled what is presumably the most extensive and complete photograph collection on the German combat swimmers. The photographs are extremely rare originals; in a hitherto unpublished film interview (approx. 60 minutes, enclosed on tape) he gives an account of his experiences during his time with the "Meereskämpfer" (ocean warriors), the elite unit of the combat swimmers, as one of the few contemporary witnesses.

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