Adolf Galland and Erich Hartmann Autographs

Here are two fantastic period autographs for any WW2 Luftwaffe Collector. They are both signed on a cover sheet of the Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung (Berlin Illustrated Newspaper), dated 20th October 1944, Number 43.

The Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung, often abbreviated BIZ, was a weekly illustrated magazine published in Berlin from 1892 to 1945. It was the first mass-market German magazine and pioneered the format of the illustrated news magazine. It was always published on Thursdays but bore the date of the following Sunday.

Adolf Galland and Erich Hartmann can be seen standing next to Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring and appear to be in conversation. Hartmann does look glum and as this is a late war issue, I guess its clear even after his super-human efforts the tide is firmly against Germany.

Adolf Josef Ferdinand Galland (19 March 1912 – 9 February 1996) was a German Luftwaffe general and flying ace who served throughout the Second World War in Europe. He flew 705 combat missions, and fought on the Western Front and in the Defence of the Reich. On four occasions, he survived being shot down, and he was credited with 104 aerial victories, all of them against the Western Allies.

Erich Alfred Hartmann (19 April 1922 – 20 September 1993), nicknamed “Bubi” (“The Kid”) by his German comrades and the “Black Devil” by his Soviet adversaries, was a German fighter pilot during World War II and the most successful fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare. He flew 1,404 combat missions and participated in aerial combat on 825 separate occasions. He was credited with shooting down 352 Allied aircraft—350 Soviet and two American—while serving with the Luftwaffe. During the course of his career, Hartmann was forced to crash-land his fighter 16 times due to either damage received from parts of enemy aircraft he had just shot down or mechanical failure.

To include the period frame it measures 390 mm X 300 mm. Both autographs are very clear and in black ink. The frame is wooden and in nice condition, the back of the frame is fully taped and all very secure.

Two superb autographs from two major Luftwaffe aces, rare to find them period together on a nice composition to include Hermann Göring.