Description:

WOLFRAM V. RICHTHOFEN-SIGNED BATTLE PRESENTATION BOOK CAPTURED BY ALLIES AT THE BERCHTESGADEN
WOLFRAM VON RICHTHOFEN (1895-1945) A relative of the World War I's famed "Red Baron", a Luftwaffe officer who commanded the VIII. Fliegerkorps during the Eastern European and Russian campaigns, promoted to Field Marshal General in 1943 by Hitler. Very rare signed book, the VIII. Fliegerkorps commemorative volume, Wir kampften gegen die Sowjets, Sommer 1941 + Winter 1941/42 ("We Fought Against the Soviets") (Dresden: Dr. Guntz-Druck, 1942), a first Silver Eagle edition, bound in blue cloth. Richthofen pens an A.N.S. to Nicalaus von Below, Hitler's Luftwaffe adjutant, on the frontispiece, in full (trans.): "Sir Lt. Col. von Below, In remembrance of shared worries and joys and in connection with our comradeship, Christmas, 1943." Boldly signed, "Richthofen, Gen.- Feldmarschall." Richthofen and von Below shared a close relationship through the Luftwaffe, and von Below had personally called Richthofen in February 1943 to deliver the news of the aviator's promotion to Field Marshal General. Interestingly, the frontispiece bears an additional inscription: "Berchtesgaden, Germany May 16, 1945, J.D. Porter". As von Below spent much of the war at the Berghof with Hitler, it is likely that this book remained there from 1943 and was liberated by a 101st Airborne soldier when they captured Bechtesgaden in 1945. The volume, over 300 pages in total, contains text, mimeographed news clippings, and dozens of original, full-page color and b/w photographs depicting the Luftwaffe in (victorious) battle against the Soviet Union and in Eastern Europe. The front cover is embossed with a solid silver Nazi eagle, with some fading, and the cover cloth is worn at the corners; however, the book itself is in remarkable condition. A fascinating glimpse into the Luftwaffe's self-perspective before the war turned, and a must-have for any serious collector of WWII or aviation history.

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January 21, 2010 10:00 AM EST
Stamford, CT, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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