Germany, Luftwaffe. A Wartime Signed Photo of Oberleutnant Wolfgang Späte, Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves

(Luftwaffe Porträt mit Unterschrift). A wartime signed portrait of Oberleutnant Wolfgang Späte, depicted in uniform and with the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves clearly visible, with a handwritten signature in blue ink over the image, the reverse in postcard format with a Wehrmacht Feldpost stamp and handwritten recipient’s address, measuring 92 mm (w) x 140 mm (h), in extremely fine condition.

Footnote: A fighter ace who scored 72 victories in the Balkans and on the Eastern Front between April 1941 and April 1942, Späte was specially selected as a test pilot for the Luftwaffe’s revolutionary rocket-powered fighter, the Messerschmitt Me 163 “Komet”. After spending nearly a year perfecting the aircraft, as well as selecting and training other pilots for the program, Späte piloted the Me 163 in its first combat mission on 14 May 1944. Unimpressed with the aircraft in a combat role, Späte spent the remainder of the war flying Me-109 variants, as well as the Me-262 jet fighter, against the Soviets and Western Allies. He survived the war and served with the postwar Bundeswehr between 1956 and 1967.