PHOTO #30907 Luftwaffe Pilot's Photo Albums/Flight Logs from August '37 through October '43

This grouping of photo albums and log book is extremely interesting to those who collect albums as well as those of us interested in German aircraft during the war. The albums belonged to Feldwebel Ferdinand Rischbeck who was a pilot beginning in August 1937. Rischbeck’s first album is an official Luftwaffe type having a droop tail silver eagle and swastika on the cover with the word “Erinnerungen” in silver which of course means “Memories”. The album is a brown tan swirl color being bound with string at one end. This album measures approximately 11-inches by 7 ½-inches. The album opens with a shot of Rischbeck and his comrades in Luftwaffe sports uniforms. It then begins with photographs of some interesting experimental airplanes with Rischbeck as the pilot. There are also some pictures of the Graf Zeppelin landing as well as flying. The album continues to show many different types of war aircraft as well as Rischbeck posing with his comrades and also with a general who was a Luftwaffe engineer. This general’s name was Gerhard Conrad who later won the Knight’s Cross in August of 1940. Rischbeck seemed to be General Conrad’s personal pilot as Conrad’s name is entered throughout the set of flight books. In this first album the pictures are all glued into place and are separated by traditional onion skin. There are a total of thirty pages in this album representing well over 100 photographs. Many of these airplanes I have never seen before and I’m sure some of them would be new also to the next owner. The second album is a larger type and also is of Luftwaffe issue. It is a leather padded style being 13-inches by about 10 ½-inches. It has a silver Luftwaffe eagle and swastika insignia applied to the center cover and the pages are retained by a silk string at the left. The album starts out showing Rischbeck as a young man and on top showing Rischbeck standing at attention talking to General Conrad. At this point Rischbeck has four birds on his collar as well as tress around it and tress on his shoulder boards indicating full Feldwebel rank. This album continues to show many JU52 photos and also Rischbeck with his comrades. There is even a picture of a Luftwaffe man firing a Luger pistol. There are some pictures of the Storch observer airplane as well as photographs of a twin engine fighter all in camo paint. Most of these photographs have the little clear plastic stick on corners and they are also labeled in white. There are some really good photos of the early fighting in Holland, Belgium and France. About half way through the album the photos are not labeled anymore but the reverse of each picture has written on it the subject matter as well as the date. There are also photographs of General Conrad and in fact one which has his original signature and is dated “War Christmas 1942”. I have not seen an album which showed better photographs of the many different airplanes that were used by the Germans during the war. Some really terrific shots here most of which all of Rischbeck in them or his crew surrounding them. You can literally study these photographs for hours. This man’s entire career is shown in these outstanding pictures. There are about 48 pages in this second album which contains nearly 200 photographs. Within the album is also Rischbeck’s birth certificate which indicates he was born on the 12th of May 1913. Unfortunately Rischbeck was killed in October of 1944. Accompanying the albums there is a typed letter from General Conrad to Rischbeck’s wife signed by Conrad. The envelope that accompanied the letter is also with this correspondence. In addition there is another letter that is handwritten to Frau Rischbeck which is dated December 12, 1944 and comes from a major who most likely was a friend of Rischbeck’s. If these letters were translated it would probably add a lot of interest to this grouping of items. Also accompanying this grouping are four of Rischbeck’s flight books. These begin August 18, 1937 and continue right up to the day before Rischbeck was killed, October 14, 1943. The books are loaded with pen and ink entries which give all the details of Rischbeck’s passengers, the type of plane he was flying, where they were flying, the date, the purpose, the distance, etc. This is an extremely interesting wartime grouping of albums, flight book and personal letters. I am sure that much could be learned additionally about Rischbeck as well as General Gerhard Conrad.

Excellent Plus, Plus. $1,995.00

PHOTO #29079C Liberated Luftwaffe Photo Album with Added GI Photos

This photo album is a very large format measuring about 14 inches by 14 inches. The album is beautifully bound, similar to a book, and it is also encased within its own cardboard container. On the outside of the container, the capturing G.I.’s have written, “Germany, April 28th, 1945 / We took his airbase.” Obviously the Americans involved with this album liberated the artifact when they captured the Schweinfurt Fliegerhorst (Schweinfurt airbase) in April of 1945. The album, apparently, belonged to the Commander of the airbase. It features about 65 outstanding photographs, all beautifully mounted with headings done in ink for each section. The photographs are quite interesting, as they look like they were prepared by an underling for this Commander and there are sections showing the beautiful town of Schweinfurt with its war memorials, river and even a racetrack. Then there is a section showing the Hitler Youth in the area with a fantastic picture of a Hitler Youth lad blowing a trumpet equipped with a banner having a large white skull on the black-fringed material. Another section shows a glider plane at the airbase and yet another section shows local workers and also members of the Luftwaffe Sport Team active in swimming and other sports. The last section in the album shows the commanders and staff of the airbase greeting a military visitor and lastly, under the date of May 1940, a large Luftwaffe band performs with many good shots of the instruments and uniforms. There are daggers shown in wear as well as great uniform studies. There are also many pictures of the main building at Schweinfurt used on the airbase. After this, which is about the halfway place in the album, the pages are blank and then it picks up with an album obviously started by the liberating G.I.s. The main individual does not name himself, but he is the first one to be pictured and he is shown throughout the last part of the album with his army buddies during training in Texas and then in France on October 31st, 1944. The men with him are all named in the photographs and it looks like the owner who liberated the album was named Sgt. Al Ingersoll. The ablum goes on to show Ingersoll clowing around in parts of Alsace Lorrain and other areas of France. He is seen with other army buddies and fraternizing with women in the area. The end photographs feature the same group entering Bertesgaten where the G.I.s are seen in the mountains posing with captured troops, captured vehicles and posing with fellow G.I.s. There are pictures of Hermann Goering’s house in ruins, the entrance to the tunnel that went up to the Eagle’s Nest, a wrecked Packard that very likely could have been Eva Braun’s personal vehicle, as I know she did drive a Packard. This album has a great war story to tell and it would be interesting to trace some of the people mentioned and pictured to get more facts of their great campaign. A very interesting historical album here.

Excellent Plus. $995.00

PHOTO #29080C Large Format Photo Album Belonging to General Akira Muto

General Akira Muto was the infamous Commander of Sumatra and the Philippines where terror against civilians was the order of the day. He was executed on 23 December 1948 at Sugamo prison in Tokyo, along with Hedeki Tojo, Kenji Doihara called the Tiger of Manchuria, and Iwane Matsui responsible for the rape of Nanking. The album starts out with a very large portrait photo of General Muto in uniform. The pictures are all captioned in Japanese. The next photo is a large print of some Japanese soldiers in the back of a truck, smiling and eating K-rations. At that point, the album goes into Muto’s family and his younger life. In fact, the photo appears to have the entire history of Muto’s life and there are many pictures showing him in school and in sports organizations. There are also photographs of soldiers with Samurai swords and any pictures of relatives, Aunts, friends and important places in Japan. There are at least 200 photographs in this album, many of which are captioned in Japanese. For someone who is a student of Japanese history, this has to be an important artifact. The album is accompanied by various American articles explaining the career of Muto along with his execution and other facts regarding the Japanese Generals who were on trial with Muto.

Excellent Plus. $1495.00

PHOTO #18086 Luftwaffe Photo Album

This album is a sanctioned Luftwaffe type, as it has printed on the padded cover “Meine Dienstzeit” or in English “My Service Time”. Above the printing and to the left is a nicely detailed Luftwaffe droop tail eagle, however, the swastika has been removed from this bird. The job, though, is well done and still looks good. The album is held together with red, white and black string. The album itself measures about 10 inches by 7.5 inches and there are 165 photos contained. The album begins at about 1930 with a career of an NCO. He originally was with the Cavalry Division of the Army and was quite a horseman. There are many pictures showing this NCO riding and jumping as well as posing with his horse. Some of these horsemanship photos are quite interesting. There are also pictures of the NCO with his family as well as in training about 1933. About halfway through the album in 1936, this Cavalry NCO joins the Luftwaffe. There are some shots of swords and 1st model Luftwaffe daggers being worn. This man became a very high NCO in the Luftwaffe, having two stripes on his sleeve which I believe meant that he was the equivalent of a Sergeant Major. He never gave up horses, as there are later photos showing him on horseback. There are also photos of airports and other interesting scenes. The photo album ends about 1937. It is quite interesting and really follows the life of this career high-ranking NCO.

Excellent Plus Plus. $395.00

PHOTO #22408 RAD/LUFTWAFFE Photo Album

This album has a RAD motif on the cover but the RAD section is only a few pages and then it becomes the career of this Luftwafffe NCO. The padded cover is of canvas type construction having a leather rawhide binding. At the center area of the album, there is a wide brown stripe and it has the “My Service Time” “Meine Dienstzeit” silver embossed on the brown surface. Above this is a pinned metal insignia of the RAD which features a mobile swastika positioned over two wheat shafts. The album has all onionskin separators and most of the photos are titled in fine white printing. The first part of the album covers the owner’s career in the RAD and shows some good photographs of encampments and training. About 4 photos in, the album goes to the Luftwaffe portion and, at this time, is dated 1.12.1938 and shows a nice, formal photo of the owner with one bird on his collar tabs. The album progresses through training and lots of scenes with sweethearts, airplanes, friends gathering together, etc. It is quite interesting, though, and even winds up showing the original owner with his Alsatian dog. This is a good album to study and will bring you much pleasure.

Excellent Plus, Plus. $350.00