Original Item: One of a Kind. Recently acquired in the United Kingdom, this large table top lighter has great research potential! It is quite substantially made, and we assume it will still function, with the addition of fluid and flint.
The side of the lighter is engraved with an illustration of the U-570 on the side, with boat’s name and captain listed underneath:
(U-boat Drawing)
KAPITÄNLEUTNANT
JOACHIM SCHEPKE
U 19
The rear of the lighter shows an engraved Iron Cross with 1940 in its center, and below this is a hand engraving in Black Letter Typeface:
Günter machte
mich unter der
Nordsee
This literally translates to “Günter made me under the North Sea,” indicating where the U-boat was stationed when this lighter was made by “Günter.”
The lighter measures 4 1/2″ X 3 1/2″ X 1″ and is clearly a table or desk top model. Most likely presented to Kapitänleutnant Schepke in 1940 while the boat was underway. These were usually constructed by the workers in the engine room, who needed to be able to fabricate items of this complexity as part of their duty.
Ready to research and display!