Bidding on 484 lots has ended on 16th November 2014. 83% of all lots sold
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Grouping to the highly decorated pilot Oberfeldwebel Max Röhrl serving with Kampf-Geschwader 53 "Legion Condor". Max Röhrl was born in Regensburg, the city where we are based, in 1921.
Max Röhrl served as a pilot from 1941 until 1972. The certificate to the Pilots Badge is August 1941 dated which means he was a Gefreiter when he got his first aircraft! He had more than 100 flights as a "Kampfflieger" as he was awarded with the Squadron Clasp for bomber pilots in bronze, silver and gold. Röhrl was awarded the Luftwaffe Honor Goblet for outstanding military achievements in October 1943 and the German Cross in Gold for bravery September 1944.
Max Röhrl survived the war and return back to Regensburg. He joined the Bundeswehr in the very first year in 1956 as an Oberfeldwebel and carried on serving as a pilot. His postwar Bundeswehr Wehrpaß proves he became an officer later on and left the Bundeswehr in 1972 as a Major!
His Bundeswehr Wehrpaß is a great document for research. It not only tells you everything about his Bundeswehr service time including the aircrafts he flew, it also tells you quite a lot about his service time during WW2. There is a complete list of his WW2 awards, the dates of awarding and the units he served with:
1939 Iron Cross 2nd Class (6.7.1943), Squadron Clasp for bomber pilots in bronze (30.6.1943), Squadron Clasp for bomber pilots in silver (2.7.1943), 1939 Iron Cross 1st Class (8.8.1943), Squadron Clasp for bomber pilots in gold (16.8.1943), Wound Badge in black (17.10.1943), Luftwaffe Honor Goblet (27.10.1943), German Cross in Gold (10.9.1944).
He was awarded an impressive amount of awards in only 14 months! He must have had nearly 100 flights in just 2-3 months! KG 53 fought in the East in that year!
All awards apart from the German Cross are still there. He might have only received a cloth version of the German Cross in late 1944, which could mean it stayed on his uniform. The Luftwaffe Honor Goblet is in stunning condition. A latewar Alpaka version manufactured by Johann Wagner & Söhne (maker marked). It says FÜR BESONDERE LEISTUNGEN IM LUFTKRIEG and has his name and the date of the awarding engraved: "Feldwebel Max Röhrl am 27.10.1943" A textbook piece in very nice condition. Roughly 23cm in height with a diameter of 10cm. The Iron Cross and the eagles are of excellent detail. There is a nice patina on the goblet.
There is no Squadron Clasp in bronze for two possible reasons. First, they had to be returned once the next higher class had been handed out, second, there is a chance he was never awarded the actual clasp since he received the silver clasp just 4 weeks later.
The silver and gold clasps are late war zinc types. Both in good condition and with most of the finish still there. The gold one is G.H.OSANG Dresden maker marked.
Furthermore there is the 1939 Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class and his well worn Wound Badge in black. Both crosses have a magnetic iron center and are in good condition. The Iron Cross 1st Class is made by Steinhauer & Lück and 4 marked on the pin. The Iron Cross 2nd Class is marked with a 7 or a 1 on the ring.
His zinc Luftwaffe Pilots Badge is attached to a wooden board together with his hand embroidered postwar Bundeswehr Pilots Badges. Röhrl wrote extra information about his 3 Pilots Badges on the reverse. The WW2 Pilots Badge should be complete with hinge and catch but is attached to the board quite strongly. One rivet is damaged so the eagle is loose on one side of the wreath.
Part of the grouping are the 4 most important documents: The certificate to the Iron Cross 1st Class (not folded) with an original ink signature of Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords winner Generalfeldmarschall Robert Ritter von Greim. The certificate to the Pilots Badge (August 1941 dated, folded one time). Furthermore the large size certificate to the Luftwaffe Honor Goblet (folded once, damage to the right top corner) and the large size certificate to the German Cross in Gold. The full size document has been folded once and has 4 holes, two on the bottom and two on the top. Röhrl might have kept this in a folder. It is the correct Luftwaffe pattern with a facsimile signature of Hermann Göring.
While the certificate to the German Cross was kept in a folder, the other certificates seem to have been kept in a frame. He might have had them on the wall since they are sun bleached.
Finally there is a nice March 1943 dated Luftwaffe ID card which comes with a portrait photo of Röhrl as a young Unteroffizier. Furthermore his Luftwaffe pilots license booklet, also with a portrait photo of Röhrl. It was issued in July 1941 and contains quite a few entries. The photo in his Wehrpaß shows Röhrl in his first pattern 1950s Bundeswehr uniform by the way.
A stunning grouping with a lot of room for more research.