Original WWII death card (Sterbebild) for Otto Lehr, a crew member of the German submarine U-567.
Service & Fate: Lehr served aboard U-567, a Type VIIC U-boat of the Kriegsmarine. On 21 December 1941, the submarine was sunk in the North Atlantic north-east of the Azores, at position 44.02N, 20.10W, after being attacked with depth charges from the British sloop HMS Deptford. The boat was lost with all 47 crew members.
Item Details:
Original wartime Sterbebild memorial card.
Commemorates a sailor lost at sea with his boat during the height of the Battle of the Atlantic.
Condition: As seen, with light age wear consistent with period pieces.
Historical Context – U-567:
Type: Type VIIC U-boat, the workhorse of the German submarine fleet.
Role: Assigned to the 1st U-boat Flotilla, U-567 operated in the North Atlantic.
Commander: At the time of her loss, U-567 was under Kapitänleutnant Engelbert Endrass, a Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves holder and one of Germany’s notable U-boat aces.
Loss: The sinking marked the end of Endrass’s career and deprived the Kriegsmarine of one of its most promising young commanders.
Collector’s Note: This death card is not only a memorial to Otto Lehr but also directly connected to Kapitänleutnant Endrass, one of the most famous U-boat commanders. With all 47 hands lost, U-567’s sinking reflects the extreme risks of submarine warfare. An evocative and historically significant piece for collectors of Kriegsmarine and U-boat memorabilia.
Verlag Röhr Photo Postcard (Nr. 3591) of Knight’s Cross with Oakleaves Holder Engelbert Endraß, who earned the Ritterkreuz on September 5, 1940 as Oberleutnant zur See and Kommandant of U-46 and the Eichenlaub on June 10, 1941 as Oberleutnant zur See and Kommandant of U-46. He also earned the U-boot Kriegsabzeichen mit Brillianten. As U-Boat commander Kapitänleutnant Engelbert Endraß was 232 days at sea, made 10 combat patrols and sank 22 ships with a total tonnage of 118.528 BRT. Engelbert Endraß was Killed in Action on December 21, 1941 as Kommandant of U-567 when it was sank with all hands lost as a result of depth charges from British escort ships. Good condition. Postcardsize.
