GERMAN WWII LUFTWAFFE ALLACH PILOT FIGURE, ALBERT KESSELRING.
Recently in Germany the remaining estate of the very well known Luftwaffe Fieldmarshall Albert Kesselring has been sold. Over 56 items, which included his Pilot’s Badge with diamonds, Knights Cross Oak Leaves Swords & Diamonds, Field Marshall’s epaulettes, Allach pilot figure and many many more. Regimentals were fortunate enough to purchase five individual items of his estate including this magnificent rare Allach figure of the Luftwaffe officer standing 36cm in height, the figurine is in absolutely superb condition with excellent clear detail within the construction of all the decorations worn by the officer, standing on its own attached plinth with Luftwaffe eagle and swastika proud to the glaze. SS Allach markings within an octagon to the base with the designer’s name ‘T.Karner’ and model number ‘65’. Field Marshall Albert Kesselring, ( known to his troops as Smiling Albert ) 1885 to 1960 had a highly decorated military career that spanned both World Wars, joining the army at 19 he rose rapidly through the ranks to Leutnant in 1906 to Hauptmann of the General Staff in WWI, Oberstleutnant in the army of the Weimar Republic and Commander of the 4th Artillery Regiment in Dresden in 1931, transferring to the still secret Luftwaffe in 1934, became Chief of the Luftwaffe Administration Office, General Leutnant and Chief of the Luftwaffe General Staff in 1936, General of flying troops in 1937, Supreme Commander of Luft Fleet 1 in 1938, awarded the Knights Cross on the 30th September 1939 for the Battle of France , during the Battle of Britain, he was appointed General Field Marshall on the 19th July 1940, further serving then on the Eastern Front after June 1941 then subsequently in Italy and the Mediterranean as Supreme Commander, awarded the oak leaves to the Knights Cross February 42 and the swords in July 1942, awarded the diamonds in July 1944 for his leadership and tatics role in the Italian campaign, severely wounded in November 1944, he was reappointed Supreme Commander of the South on the 3rd May 1945 and on the 4th May he signed the surrender of Army Group South, taken prisoner by American forces, sentenced to death by a British & Military Court in 1947 in Venice, moving images of which can be seen on YouTube, this was subsequently commuted to life imprisonment, released in 1952 on the grounds of ill health. Kesselring was a first class ground commander and engineered the slow decisive withdrawal right up the leg of Italy, until the situation became untenable and had no alternative but for surrender. A magnificant Allach figure to an historic military figure. Due to the delicate nature we will only offer this under the following conditions, (1) Buyer collects. (2) If the buyer is at a convenient location in either France, Belgium, Holland or Germany we may at some stage be able to hand deliver. (3) We will deliver to a specialist porcelain packing and shipping company within the UK and it would be onward shipped by that company fully insured with all costs to be borne by the purchaser.
