Karl-Friedrich Merten – Watch Officer “U-38” & Kommandant “U-68” (Eichenlaub)

Original Wartime Signature on a Postcard of Karl-Friedrich Merten. Kapitän zur See Karl-Friedrich Merten (15 August 1905, Posen – 2 May 1993, Waldshut-Tiengen) was one of the Kriegsmarine’s most successful U-boat commanders of the Second World War. Commanding U-68, he conducted five war patrols in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Indian Oceans, sinking 27 ships for a total of 170,151 GRT. His bold leadership and outstanding combat record earned him the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, as well as mention in the official Wehrmachtbericht.

Awards and Decorations

• Wehrmachtbericht Mention – 8 April 1942, for his successes with U-68.

• Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) – 13 June 1942, as Korvettenkapitän and Kommandant of U-68.
  Awarded for his first three patrols, during which U-68 sank 11 ships totaling 63,047 GRT, and for his role in rescuing the crews of the “Python” and “Atlantis” in late 1941.

• Oak Leaves to the Knight’s Cross (Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub) – 16 November 1942, as Korvettenkapitän and Kommandant of U-68.
  Awarded after two more patrols in which U-68 sank 16 ships with 107,128 GRT.

• U-Boat War Badge with Diamonds (U-Boot-Kriegsabzeichen mit Brillanten) – 30 January 1943, as commander of the 26. U-Boat Flotilla.

Career Highlights

• Joined the Reichsmarine in 1926, serving aboard the light cruisers Karlsruhe and Leipzig during Spanish Civil War patrols.

• At the outbreak of WWII, served aboard the battleship Schleswig-Holstein, taking part in the Battle of Westerplatte and the Battle of Hel.

• Transferred to the U-Bootwaffe in 1940; first served as watch officer on U-38.

• Commander of U-68 (1941–42):

  • 1st Patrol (June–August 1941) – broke into the Atlantic.

  • 2nd Patrol (Sept–Dec 1941) – 106 days at sea, involved in the rescue of crews of the Atlantis and Python.

  • 3rd Patrol (Feb–April 1942) – continued successes in the Atlantic.

  • 4th Patrol (May–July 1942) – heavy successes in Caribbean waters.

  • 5th Patrol (Aug–Dec 1942) – Indian Ocean operations, culminating in Oak Leaves award.

• Credited with 27 ships sunk (170,151 GRT).

• Commanded the 26th U-Boat Flotilla (Jan 1943) and later the 24th U-Boat Flotilla (March 1943).

• Posted to the Führer Headquarters in February 1945.

• Captured by US forces in May 1945 and released in June 1945.

• Postwar: worked in ship salvage on the Rhine, later entered the shipbuilding industry, and authored memoirs on U-boat warfare.

Item Details

• Original wartime signature of Karl-Friedrich Merten.

• Signed in blue ink on a wartime postcard.

• Condition: Condition as seen, bit faded.

Collector’s Note

Karl-Friedrich Merten ranks among the elite U-boat commanders of WWII, with over 170,000 GRT sunk and the Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub to his credit. His leadership during the long-range patrols of U-68 in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Indian Oceans, combined with his postwar authorship on U-boat warfare, makes his signature a highly sought-after piece for collectors of Kriegsmarine memorabilia.