Lot 223

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Description:

HANNA REITSCH
(1912 - 1979) German pilot. Reitsch was the first woman to fly a helicopter, a rocket plane, and a jet fighter. She is also remembered as being a loyal confidante of Adolf Hitler, even landing a small plane in central Berlin in an attempt to extract Hitler only days before the city fell. T.L.S. 2pp. 4to., [n.p.], May 13, 1946 to Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk (1887-1977), Minister of Finance and Leading Minister of the German Reich, the equivalent of a Chancellorship, in the short-lived Flensburg government of President Karl Donitz, and with whom it appears Reitsch had fallen in love. While technically still under Allied arrest, she writes: "...You can imagine how happy I was that this visit to the graves of my loved ones on the anniversary was permitted. So much we had gone through together, you steadfast by my side...May 11, around 10 o'clock we closely passed by you. I could feel my heart pounding up to my temples...after such a long time of imprisonment...While my return had been unbelievably painful for me on the one hand, yet on the other hand, it made me incredibly happy, having been able to be again where my loved ones once lived and now are at rest...The Americans that had protected me were long gone...Even though I am practically left homeless, my fatherland shall remain in my heart...Help us to be true to our fatherland – in life as well as in death...". Sold with a 3 1/2" x 5" photo of the pilot with Luftwaffe Pilots Badge and Iron Cross, inscribed and signed on verso: For Graf Schwerin - Krosigk with all best wishes in the hardest days...Hanna" and an envelope addressed to her correspondent in Nuremberg, also signed by her on the recto. Finally, there is a sympathetic letter to Reitsch by one Rudolf Ferbers, 2pp. 4to., Bonn, June 3, 1946. Four pieces.

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February 10, 2015 10:00 AM EST
Chesapeake City, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000