Honor Roll Clasp of the Kriegsmarine - Estate of Leading Seaman Kurt Graf, Combat Helmsman on Motor Torpedo Boat "S26"

The Ehrentafelspange der Kriegsmarine (Honor Roll Clasp of the Kriegsmarine) ranks among the rarest German military decorations of the Second World War and represents a unique form of recognition for exceptional valor within the German naval forces. As a visible symbol of an already existing honor, this clasp embodied the highest level of recognition below the most prestigious orders of the Third Reich.

The history of this decoration begins on February 23, 1943, when Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz, as Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine, introduced the Ehrentafel der Kriegsmarine (Honor Roll of the Kriegsmarine). This roll of honor served to publicly recognize deserving sailors whose names were entered into a special honor roll. However, it was not until May 13, 1944, that the physical clasp was instituted to make this invisible honor visible. The clasp was manufactured by the firm Otto Klein in Hanau, known for its high-quality production of military decorations.

The award criteria were strictly defined and made the decoration one of the most exclusive in the Kriegsmarine. Recipients had to already possess both classes of the Iron Cross. The clasp was awarded only to personnel of the Kriegsmarine whose names were entered into the Honor Roll—and this occurred exclusively for acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty, but which did not merit the Knight's Cross or German Cross. Acts of valor had to stand out above average performance. Alternatively, elimination of serious disruptions to ship operations affecting combat readiness could also qualify for the award. Even personnel who had fallen in the act of valor were eligible. Importantly, recipients who already held the Knight's Cross or German Cross in Gold were not eligible for the clasp.

The physical design of the clasp followed a precise pattern: the hollow-stamped ornament of gold-plated non-ferrous metal measures approximately 24 x 24 mm and weighs about 2.5 grams. The center features an anchor with a swastika standing on its tip, surrounded by a wreath of oak leaves composed of 15 individual branches measuring 3.5 mm across. The reverse has four round wire pins soldered for attachment to the ribbon. The clasp was attached to the ribbon of the Iron Cross 2nd Class (1939 version) and worn in the second buttonhole of the uniform, not on medal bars or field clasps.

The award was documented by a certificate, and the recipient's name, rank, and unit were published in the Marine Ordinance Gazette (Marineverordnungsblatt). The award was recorded in both the pay book (Soldbuch) and military service record (Wehrpass). Persons who had already been mentioned in the Honor Roll before the institution of the physical clasp in 1944 also received the clasp retroactively.

The rarity of this decoration is remarkable: of the three Honor Roll clasps of the Wehrmacht service branches (Army, Air Force, Navy), the Navy version is the rarest. A total of 29 awards are reliably documented, though it is assumed significantly more were awarded due to chaotic circumstances at war's end. In total, 1,254 soldiers were named in 21 Honor Roll supplements published in the Marine Ordinance Gazette; of these, 149 received the Knight's Cross and 1,081 the German Cross in Gold, leaving 24 soldiers who received neither and were therefore decorated with the Honor Roll Clasp.

After the war, the Order Law of 1957 in the Federal Republic of Germany authorized wearing a denazified version with an anchor without the swastika. Most original clasps that appear on the market today are unworn examples from the stock of the Awards Chancellery (Ordenskanzlei), which was captured by US troops at Schloss Kleßheim in May 1945. The award has been extensively copied and reproduced, making authentication important. Original examples feature hollow-stamped construction with four gilded fasteners with polished ends, while reproductions often show solid construction, blunt fasteners, or a space between anchor and crown.

The estate documented here traces the extraordinary career of Matrosenobergefreiter Kurt Graf (Leading Seaman Kurt Graf), a combat helmsman (Gefechtsrudergänger) on Schnellboot S26. Graf participated in 178 enemy operations that took him to Norway in 1940, the Channel, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, and the eastern Baltic. His decorations included the Iron Cross 2nd Class (June 23, 1940, awarded by Kapitän zur See Hans Bütow), the E-boat War Badge (December 16, 1940), the Iron Cross 1st Class (August 12, 1941, awarded by Vice Admiral Otto Ciliax), the Crimea Shield (March 1, 1943), and the Kuban Shield (December 8, 1944). On October 25, 1944, he received the Honor Roll Clasp of the Kriegsmarine, documented by a certificate bearing the ink signature of Grand Admiral Dönitz. He was named in the Honor Roll dated November 18, 1944. After the war's end, on May 14, 1945, he received the German Cross in Gold.