Death Certificate of Maschinengefreiter Helmut Janzen

This document and photo was made available by Samuel Auer

 
        Typically, when a U-boat sailor died the boat's Flotilla Commander would send a personal letter notifying the next of kin that the boat had not returned from patrol and the sailor was presumed missing.  Later, when more information was known, the Flotilla Commander would send a death certificate to the next of kin on behalf of the Oberbefehlshabers der Kriegsmarine.  A copy of the death certificate could be ordered from the Administrative district.  The certificate below was ordered post war from the Fallingbostel Administrative District.  It is a transcript of the certificate issued by the 7th Unterseebootsflottille Commander, Korvettenkapitän Herbert Sohler on 4 December 1943.

 

Studio portrait photo of Helmut Janzen

 

     
     
 
Certified Copy
     
     
 
Died a hero's death
 
 
for
 
 
Führer, People and Fatherland
 
 
 
 
on 28 April 1943
 
     
     
                                                      the Maschinengefreite  
     
 
Helmut    J  a  n  z  e  n
 
     
     
 
This certificate was issued
 
 
on behalf of
 
 
the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy.
 
     
     
 
Operational location, 4 December 1943
 
     
                                                                             signed in draft  Sohler  
     
                                             (place of the seal)     Korvettenkapitän  
                                                                             and Flottillenchef  
     
     
 
- - - - - -
 
     
 
The correctness of the copy is
 
 
certified:
 
     
 
Fallingbostel, 26 July 1956
 
     
     
 
Administrative District Fallingbostel  
  The Chief Executive of the District  
  On behalf of  
   
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
Click the flag to view the above page from the original German document

 

For comparison - below is the death certificate issued by 7th Flotilla Commander Adolf Piening to the next of kin of U-594 Kommandant Fritz Mumm