Hilfskreuzer 'Pinguin' Crewmember's Wehrpass & Misc Papers

Another new item - a Wehrpass and some paperwork for Mechanikergefreiten (T) Alfonso Romahn who served aboard the Hilfskreuzer 'Pinguin' (Schiff 33 / HSK 5 / Raider F) from the 1st May 1940 until she was sunk by HMS Cornwall on 8th May 1941, with Romahn being initially reported as Missing as a result of this engagement.

Romahn was born in Schoenebeck which is loacated on the Elbe River just south of Magdeburg and north of Bernburg.
The Auxiliary Cruiser Badge was awarded posthumously and was entered in to the Wehrpass at the Wehrbezirkskommando in Bernburg before it was forwarded onto the family. There is a chance the EK II entry on the awards page has been falsely added but if so I'm happy to overlook that for the sake of the overall group. The paperwork includes a newspaper entry for his death, the Sterbeurkunde reporting the details of his death in the Indian Ocean, a letter, two 1943 dated newspapers with features about the Pinguin, 2 photos and some misc papers.

 

In terms of ships sunk/captured (28) Pinguin was the most successful Auxiliary Cruiser of the war, and in terms of tonnage sunk/captured (133,000 tons) she was 2nd, just 5,000 tons or so behind the Atlantis.

Translation of the letter to Alfonso's stepfather attached below...

"Dear Mr. Heinrichs,

to my deepest regrets I have to inform you that the ship onto which your son, the Mechanikergefreite Alfons Rohman, had been detailed, has sunk during an operation against the enemy and that your son is not recorded on the list of those saved that has found its way here. Thus, sadly it has to be assumed with certainty that he has met with a Hero's Death for our Fatherland.

In case we receive additional news, you will be notified immediately.

Your son had belonged to a crew whose members had achieved the most outstanding merits in the Greater German Reich's struggle for liberty through their long and most successful cruises in the waters overseas and whose achievements shall be a particularly glorious chapter in history. The names of these heroes shall remain unforgotten in the Navy and be cherished highly.

May the thought that your son had laid his life on the line for Germany's liberty and greatness be a consolation for you.

In heartfelt sympathy,

Your

[signed: S. Sorge]

Kapitän zur See
and Chief of the Staff of the
2nd Admiral of the Baltic Sea Station"

 

On the 8th May 1941 Pinguin had a crew of 402 and was carrying 225 PoW's when she was intercepted by HMS Cornwall in the Indian Ocean. After initially landing the first shots, Pinguin was overcome by HMS Cornwall's superior firepower and when one of Cornwall's 6" shells hit Pinguin in the hold where she had her arsenal of mines the resulting explosion blew Pinguin to bits. HMS Cornwall only picked up 60 surviving crewmembers & 22 PoW's.

Wehrpasses/Soldbucher to members of the Mwerchant Raiders are quite scarce, especially ones relating to Pinguin, so I was very pleased to be able to land this set.