A man from Zeebrugge…

…The piece – overall – is a fantastic collection of images presenting seaplanes, airplanes, ships and marine port of Zeebrugge during World War I….

“Kochanemu Alfonsowi Sobiszowi ofiaruje na pamiatke zawsze szczery Wuja Tobolski.
Wrzesnia,d. 1 Kwietnia 1931r”
“For my dear Alfons Sobisz – a gift to remember, yours sincerely, Uncle Tobolski.”
Wrzesnia day 1 April 1931

These words begin a story of one Polish seaplane pilot in Prussian army shown on several pages of this photo album from the period of his service as a member of Marinekorps Flandern in Hydro-Airplane Station located in Zeebrugge.
Along numerous pictures of the events at the Station, the book also includes private photos of the owner and his family from the time before the War.
The piece – overall – is a fantastic collection of images presenting seaplanes, airplanes, ships and marine port of Zeebrugge during World War I.

The most interesting to me are seven handwritten pages, describing some of the photos in the album. Unfortunately some pictures seem to be also missing from it -They might have been a part of another piece like this.

All these notes were written on the YMCA American Expeditionary Force sheets.
I think the album owner at the end of the war was halted by U.S. army and so he included stories and descriptions in the album to be able to keep it as a diary – a souvenir from the war – his private photo book.

Some notes in the album mention the great flying aces like Friedrich Christiansen, Bernhard von Tschirschky und Boegendorff, Admiral Tirpitz, Admiral Schröder, Marshall Paul von Hindenburg and kaiser Wilhelm II.

Officer Cadet – pilot Erich Kästner

Erich Kästner and Karl Meyer. These two German pilots shot down British airship C 17 on 21.04.1917. Postcard on the left illustrates the attack of their seaplanes on C 17.

Officer Cadet – pilot Karl Meyer

“Niemiecki Torpedowiec który przywiózl zdobyty Francuski Hydro-Aeroplan “Courtigsa””
(orginal text: page 6 point 8)

German torpedoboat which brought captured French Hydro-Airplane “Curtiss”
(This French flying boat is FBA type H )

French flying boat FBA brought to Zeebrugge station

“Zdobyta Francuska Lódz – “Courtigsa” D.10. na wodzie”
(orginal text: page 6 point 7)

Captured French boat “Curtiss” D.10. on the water
(This flying boat is a French FBA type H and not the Curtiss boat)

Torpedo bomber seaplane Gotha WD.11 on the sea just before pulling out on land.

“Wystrzal 38cm dziala Baterji Tirpiza z Wendüne”
(orginal text: page 4 point 17)

Gunshot from 38cm gun of Tirpitz Battery in Wenduine
(The 28cm Tirpitz Battery was located at Oostende)

“Niemiecka Lódz podwodna”
(orginal text: page 4 point 18)

German U-boat (type UC II)

British heavy bomber plane Handley Page 0/400 (nr. C3487 from Raf Sqn 214)
shot down on 18 May 1918 at Zeebruge

German heavy bomber Friedrichshafen G.III

German torpedo bomber seaplane Gotha WD.11 towed to the station.

British De Havilland D.H.9 captured and examined by Germans.

German reconnaissance airplane AGO C.I nr. S158 for the II Marine Landfleiger Abteilung at Moorsele

“Podchorazny – pilot K.Meier przy swem ulubionem bojow. hydroplanie (Rumpler C.V No.788)”
(orginal text: page 6 point 11)

Officer Cadet – pilot K.Meier in front of his favorite fighting seaplane (Rumpler C.V No.788) (Probably Karl Meyer)

Captured British seaplane Short Type 184

“Zburzony dom w Lissewegge an 31.III.1915”
(orginal text: page 3 point 23)

Destroyed house at Lissewege on 31.III.1915

General view of the Zeebrugge “Seeflugstation Flandern I”

Damaged Friedrichshafen FF.33 in hydro-seaplane station

Unidentified flying boat during pulling from the water

“Zdobyte Fracnuskie Lódzie Hydro Aeroplanowe Courtig’sa D.3, 84 przez Porucznika Christjanzen an 4.3.1917”
(orginal text: page 7 point 6)

Captured French Hydro-Airplane boats Curtiss D.3, 84 by Lt.z.S Christiansen on 4.3.1917

Gotha WD.11 prepared to start in the harbour mole at Zeebrugge.

Damaged Hansa-Brandenburg KDW

Bombed coast around Zeebrugge

Templar tower at Nieuport

De Havilland D.H.2 nr. 4732 prototype airplane of captain Robert Maxwell Pike inspected by Germans (Probably Admiral Tirpitz). This prototype airplane was shot down near Zonnebeke on 9.8.1915

“Zburzona wierza wodociagowa we wsi Zeebrügge”
(orginal text: page 5 point 19)

Destroyed water tower in the village Zeebrugge

The citizens of Zeebrugge during evacuation after one of the shelling

British seaplane Short Type 184 in harbour at Zeebrugge

“Wyrzucona Mina Angielska na brzegu Morskim”
(orginal text: page 6 point 10)

English mine ashored on the sea coast

German heavy bomber Gotha.IV

German Torpedoboats at Zeebrugge harbor

“Przewiezienie zwlok 40 Marynarzy niemieckich zatopionych przez Angielskie Torpedowce”
(orginal text: page 4 point 15)

Transporting corpses of 40 German seamen sunk by English torpedoboats

“Uroczysty pogrzeb tychze Marynarzy w Zeebrügge”
(orginal text: page 4 point 15)

Ceremonial funeral those seamen at Zeebrugge
(Admiral Schröder is involved In the funeral ceremony)

“Marszalek Hindenburg w samochodzie”
x – Hindenburg, xx – Admiral Schröder, xxx – Komedant Stacji Porucznik Trzcirski-Begendorf, xxxx – Ppor. Schuler (orginal text: page 7 point 5)

Marshal Hindenburg in the car
x – Hindenburg, xx – Admiral Schröder, xxx – Station Commender Lt.z.S Tschirschky und Boegendorff, xxxx – Sub-Lt. Schuler

“Zwiedzanie przez Marszalka Hindenburga stacji Lotniczy”
x – Hindenburg, xx – Admiral Schröder
(orginal text: page 7 point 4)

Marshall Hindenburg visiting the flying station

“Bezskuteczny pocisk 38 cm z lufy Angielskiego Monitora który upadl przy ostrzeliwaniu Zeebrügge an 10.5.17”
(orginal text: page 4 point 13)

Ineffective shell 38cm from the gun barell of English Monitor which fell at the shelling of Zeebrugge on 10.5.1917 (This was probably HMS Erebus shelling )

“Wybuch pocisku 38cm na brzegu morskiem an 10.5.17”
(orginal text: page 5 point 24)

Explosion of the 38cm shell on the seashore on 10.5.1917
(Probably HMS Erebus)

“50 kilowa bomba Angielska rzucona na Stacje Lotnicza”
(orginal text: page 4 point 14)

50 kg English bomb dropped on the flying station

Mole in Zeebrugge damaged by a British Submarine C3
(On 23 April 1918 British Royal Navy attacked the port in Zeebrugge. This action was remembered as Raid on Zeebrugge)

“Zwiedzanie stacji hydro-aeroplanowej przez cesarza Wilhelma II”
(orginal text: page 2 point 31)

Kaiser Wilhelm II visiting the hydro-airplane station ( After 23 April 1918 and the damaged the mole, kaiser Wilhelm II visited the Zeebrugge station)

Repair works of the Zeebrugge mole after the British raid on the 23 April 1918

HMS Iphigenia at Zeebrugge harbor after 23 April 1918

HMS Intreprid at Zeebrugge harbor after 23 April 1918

HMS Thetis at Zeebrugge harbor after 23 April 1918

German submarine returning from patrol

“Przewozenie na lad jenców z zatopionego Angielskiego Torpedowca”
(orginal text: page 3 point 24)

Transport of prisoners from a sunken English torpedoboat

Probably wrecks of British ships

British HMS Vindictive sunk at harbor

Damaged Church in Zeebrugge

Bombed church in Zeebrugge from the inside

Church in Zeebrugge after firing

German soldiers visiting bombed Zeebrugge

“Zabity Lotnik Angielski pod szczatkami swego samolotu”
(orginal text: page 5 point 21)

English airman killed under the debris of his plane

“Spaleni Lotnicy Francuscy”
(orginal text: page 5 point 20)

Burned French pilots

“Zabity Lotnik Francuski pod szczatkami swego samolotu”
(orginal text: page 5 point 22)

French airman killed under the debris of his plane

British F.E. 2 (Farman Experimental 2) captured after force-landing at the beach of Blankenberge on 24.6.1918

Cabin of the airplane F.E. 2

The F.E. 2 (Farman Experimental 2) from British 38 Sqn

“Hydro-Aeroplan 2 miejscowy nad oblokami”
(orginal text: page 5 point 23)

Two seat Hydro-Airplane above the clouds

Shelling of Zeebrugge

English wracks

View of Snaeskerke from 2000 meters

View of Gistel from 2000 meters

View of Leffinge from 2000 meters

View of Middelkerke from 2000 meters

“Gmach Poczty w Zeebrügge”
(orginal text: page 7 point 1)

Post Office at Zeebrugge

“Schrony na Stacji Lotniczy”
(orginal text: page 7 point 2)

Schelters on the aviation station

“Zbiórka zalogi stacji”
(orginal text: page 7 point 2)

Muster of the station crew

“Przyjemnosci brzegu morskiego “Zaloga stacji kapie sie””
(orginal text: page 6 point 12)

Pleasure of the sea shore “The crew of the station bathes”

Entertainment on the air station at Zeebrugge

Max Köhler, sächsische Orig-Type Seeflugstation Flandern