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NOTE: The Pirate's Lair offer's this page for historical purposes only and not as any political statement. However the historical fact remains that the sailors as individual men and human beings who sailed aboard WWII Germany's ships, and endured the same hardships, trials and travails while at sea as any other sailor in any other navy, in any other war, at any other time in history. By offering this web page The Pirate's Lair is in no way endorsing, attempting to glorify or romanticize what transpired by the WWII German Third Reich regime or it's military but offers this page to our antique collectors and clients alike whose sole interest is the collection, documentation, and preservation of naval restaurantware, dinnerware and tableware made for and used by all sailors and seamen throughout the ages. NOTICE TO COLLECTORS, CLIENTS AND VISITORS: There are NO offensive marks or markings such as swastika's shown, displayed or to be found on this page. While The Pirate's Lair has certain pieces and artifacts of 3rd Reich Kriegsmarine dinnerware in our private collection it is for historical purposes. We fully display and do offer German Naval items of historical interest from the Kaiserliche Marine and Reichsmarine era's (1870 - 1935) as they do not have any offensive markings and are not associated with the WWII German Third Reich.
Kaiserliche Marine, Reichsmarine und Kriegsmarine Porzellan und Keramik (German Navy Porcelain and Ceramic) was used by enlisted crew members and officers aboard surface ships, U-Boats and shore facilities from the late 1880's through 1945. The naval china was heavy duty, thick restaurantware made for industrial use similar to the type produced for the US Navy during the same time period, but a bit more elegant and a larger variety of pieces in the "old world" European style. The aluminum, stainless steel and silverplate was of typical high quality, also similar to the type and quality of items used by the US Navy during the same time periods. It has been surmized that plain white china was used by junior enlisted crewmembers while the red, green and blue gold striped pieces were used by petty officers or officers of various ranks. And that the aluminum and stainless utensils were used by German Navy enlisted crew while the silverplated flatware was used by the Naval Officers.
The above photograph to the right illustrates a collection of the red striped type of german navy china (porzellan or porcelain) produced for the German Kriegsmarine (German Navy) from 1935 to 1945. There were four styles of german china tableware produced for the Kriegsmarine which were plain white, green stripes on white, red stripes on white, and gold/blue stripes on white. It has not been completely documented as to what each of these four different types of china were used for, ie; enlisted, officer, surface or sub surface. However it appears from period photographs that at least the white china was used by German Kriegsmarine crew members aboard U-boats. The photo to the left was taken in the galley of an unknown U-boat where it can be clearly seen that a sailor is eating sausages and broth from a white 9" soup bowl. It is undetermined whether the pictured sailor was enlisted or officer but in almost all cases all submarine crewmembers shared the same galley. Also notice to the left in the photograph some dirty dishes and bowls which have stripes on them. Due to the black and white photograph it cannot be determined what color stripes were used. But it can at least be documented that both white and striped china dinnerware was used simultaneously aboard submarines.
The china produced for the German Kriegsmarine Porzellan included complete place settings for breakfast, lunch and dinner; essentially soup to nuts - nothing skimped on or left out! The china produced for the Kriegsmarine was also the same as produced for civilian use as well as the other branches of the German military. Each china piece had bottom marks identifying manufacturer and a military inspection stamp. Each branch or service had their own stylized military stamps. Besides the manufacturer's bottom marks, most all German Reichsmarine and Kriegsmarine Porzellan (German Navy China) also had miltary inspection stamps on them called the "Waffenamt". From 1919 to 1935/1936 the name of the military ordinance office and stamp was called the "Reichwaffenamt" which consisted of a stylized Imperial German Eagle with a capital M below it. From 1936 to 1945 under the Third Reich the military ordinance mark was called the Waffenamt and consisted of a stylized stick-figure German National Eagle designed for the Kriegsmarine, a Swastika below that, and below that an "M" for Marine or Navy. In most but not all cases the year the item was produced along with a manufacturer's mark or name is also found, particularly on the china. Some of the producers of this Kriegsmarine Porzellan or German Navy China were KPM, Rubers, Koenigszect, Rosenthal, and a collection of others which we will update on the list when we get them.
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