Salty Spanish Civil War Era Legion Condor Pilot Wing by Meybauer

ARTIFACT: This salty example of a Spanish Legion Condor pilot wing by Meybauer was obviously worn long and hard by the original owner after the Spanish Civil War, during WWII, most likely flying in the skies over Russia (the reward for a good record in Spain!). The Legion Condor was born on November 7, 1936 as a response to Franco's request for firepower assistance in the Spanish Civil War. Second in command of the fledgling yet powerful group was Oberst Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen, a cousin of the "Red Baron". The wing was most obviously damaged, causing the propeller to come off, apparently being lost. Being in the field, the pilot, or a mechanic with some skill, made up a replacement propeller for the eagle's chest and soldered the wing back together. It is interesting to note that effort was made to give the props a 3-D look, with a rounding of the tailing edge of each propeller. If only this wing could speak to let us know which Luftwaffe (obviously) Ace was the original owner of this wing, but sadly this information has been lost to time. The collector I acquired this from mentioned that he purchased it from George Petersen when George was breaking up his Luftwaffe collection, where the wing had resided for many years. George verified this story with me when I showed him the wing recently, and remembered having owned the wing, although he could tell me no further history. The field repair, and the light but obvious wear makes this wing really come to life, knowing it was worn under a flight suit or jacket in the skies over Europe during the Second World War. And that makes for a nice variation of an extremely rare wing.

VINTAGE: Circa Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).

SIZE: Approximately 1-1/4" in height and 3-3/8" in width.

MATERIALS / CONSTRUCTION: Plated and gilt brass, enamel.

ATTACHMENT: Horizontal T-style pin with C catch.

MARKINGS: None.

ITEM NOTES: This is from a Legion Condor wing collection which we will be listing more of over the next few months. VHJJX13 LADGEX10/13 SADGEX11/13

CONDITION: 7 (Very Fine): The wing has some light wear; field repair to propeller (see information above).

GUARANTEE: As with all my items, this piece is guaranteed original.