German Navy combat diver watches in World War II Rolex, Panerai Luminor

Combat diver watches of the Kriegsmarine

 

Formation of the combat swimmer groups
The decision to form combat diver groups in the German Navy, similar to those existing in the Italian Navy, was made in 1943. The idea originated with Admiral Heye, who wanted to capitalize on the experience of the Italian allies. Six Germans were sent to the Italian school in Valdagno, where the Italian combat diver base in northern Italy was located, under the direction of Borghese and Eugenio Wolk. These German divers were sent by the Abwehr (Intelligence) of the Reich Security Main Office and by the Kriegsmarine (by Wursian and Ritchie Reimann). After the first course, the Navy took the lead in relations with the Italians and also led the intelligence officers who went to the Italian training center in Valdagno and Venice. The intelligence officers came from special units of the Brandenburg Division and from SS commandos of the special unit led by Otto Skorzeny. The first Kriegsmarine men formed the K-Unit (Command for Small Ordnance) as a German naval combat swimmer unit.

The Abwehr wanted to maintain its autonomy as a secret service and founded its own combat diving school under the leadership of Captain Helmers of Otto Skorzeny's special forces. A well-known later deployment of the combat swimmers was the destruction of the Nymwegen Bridge in Holland, captured by the Allies, by naval K-men in September 1944.

The watches of the combat swimmers
Several models of the watches used by the German combat swimmers have been preserved in various collections in Germany, France, and Japan. They are identical to the first models, which came from the Italian importer Panarai, except for some details of the dial or the engravings on the back. This is understandable, as the training and initial instruction of the combat swimmers began in Italy in 1943 with the 'Dezima MAS' ('Mezzi d'Assalto Subacqueo') group. These men already had ten years of experience and many successful missions at the beginning of the war. It was therefore natural that the instructors' equipment would be used for these small units. The men knew that their Italian colleagues used the most modern and effective equipment at the time. Even if the planned mission was different, they could still benefit from their strategy and experience.

A Rolex diver's watch from Italian navigation instrument supplier Panerai, on display at the Naval Technical Museum in La Spezia, was the reference model used during the war. This watch was given to the museum by Admiral Ernesto Notari, who served as a junior officer in the Italian combat diver. This watch features the following features: a Rolex case with lugs for the bracelet, a 30mm diameter movement based on a Cortébert caliber with 15 jewels and a power reserve of approximately 48 hours, a screw-down crown for hand adjustment, and a screw-down caseback hand-engraved with 'X. FLOT. MAS 01'. This appears to be the first watch issued to this '10th Flotilla'. The black dial is marked 'Radiomir Panerai'. The caseback is engraved with 'Montres Rolex, Geneve' on the inside. It is highly likely that all these watches were manufactured by Panarai and delivered to the German Navy during the war, without any signature, in accordance with the secrecy.

Another such watch comes from a French collection but from a collector in England. Description: The same Panerai case as the German-engraved Rolex, black dial, engraving: 'LK 700 EL 1945 Marine Kampfschwimmer'. This refers to the Kriegsmarine's Kampfschwimmer Training Command, stationed in List on Sylt in the North Sea toward the end of the war in January 1945.

There is a documentary film showing German divers, the combat swimmers of von Wursian's unit, attacking the Nymwegen Bridge. It appears that these men are wearing Panarai watches and compasses. The film was made in September 1944 and is the first to show an attack by a combat swimmer group.

An authentic story:
The combat diver and author Martin Grabatsch (Torpedoreiter, Sturmschwimmer...) reports an incident, a deployment of three combat diver in the port of Naples on May 20, 1944, at a time when southern Italy had already been conquered by the Americans and German agents in Naples were carrying out sabotage on shipping deliveries:
'Lieutenant Gerber, the only remaining German in the former eighteen-man sabotage group, took a quick look at his chronometer. Genuine Swiss quality with time, depth, and pressure gauges, and a stopwatch. The latest on the market, worn by all warring nations that have to count seconds and meters.'

The combat diver Gerber subsequently blew up an oil tanker in the port of Naples by planting sticky charges. The Panerai bracelet combination of watch, depth gauge, and compass would fit the equipment described, if not for the watch's stopwatch feature. Is this a mistake, or does this diver's combination exist without being identified by watch enthusiasts yet?

Source: Konrad Knirim in Classic Watches, 4/1999