230
1939 Orzel incident, prisoner of war model of the Polish submarine Orzel leaving Tallinn.
Estimate:
€150 - €250
Sold
€150
Live Auction
The Eclectic Collector
Size
3 by 11.75in. (7.6 by 29.8cm)
Description
Description: A diorama in a bottle, depicting a submarine, naively carved from bone, flying the Polish ensign, sailing out of Tallinn harbour.
Note: The Polish submarine ORP Orzel was damaged by German minesweepers off Danzig in the early days of Germany's invasion of Poland. She sailed to neutral Estonia, arriving in Tallinn on 14 September. She was arrested by Estonian military authorities at the behest of Germany but daringly escaped, damaging her radio in the process. The crew sailed her through the Baltic and around Denmark without charts or any navigational aid, other than a list of lighthouses. In the North Sea she was attacked by both German and British naval vessels. Forty days after she had originally sailed from Poland, Orzel made landfall, off the east coast of Scotland. She lay on the bottom until emergency repairs were made to the radio, then surfaced to transmit a message in English. A Royal Navy destroyer was despatched to escorted her into port.
Note: The Polish submarine ORP Orzel was damaged by German minesweepers off Danzig in the early days of Germany's invasion of Poland. She sailed to neutral Estonia, arriving in Tallinn on 14 September. She was arrested by Estonian military authorities at the behest of Germany but daringly escaped, damaging her radio in the process. The crew sailed her through the Baltic and around Denmark without charts or any navigational aid, other than a list of lighthouses. In the North Sea she was attacked by both German and British naval vessels. Forty days after she had originally sailed from Poland, Orzel made landfall, off the east coast of Scotland. She lay on the bottom until emergency repairs were made to the radio, then surfaced to transmit a message in English. A Royal Navy destroyer was despatched to escorted her into port.
