Josef “Pips” Priller – Jagdgeschwader 26 & 51 (Schwertern) (Strafed the Allied on June 6, 1944 on Sword Beach!) (Wartime Signed)

Original Wartime Signature on a Postcard of Josef “Pips” Priller. Oberst Josef “Pips” Priller (27.06.1915 † 20.05.1961) earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on October 19, 1940 as Oberleutnant und Staffelkapitän with 6. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 51, the Eichenlaub on July 20, 1941 as Oberleutnant und Staffelkapitän of the 1. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 51 and the Schwertern on July 2, 1944 as Oberstleutnant und Kommodore of Jagdgeschwader 26 “Schlageter”. Good condition. Edges have been cut.

On 6 June 1944 (D-Day), Priller, accompanied by his wingman made a single strafing pass attack on Sword Beach in their Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-8s. This act was first brought to the world’s attention by the book, then the film, The Longest Day. Contrary to popular belief, Priller and his wingman (Feldwebel Heinz Wodarczyk) were not the only Luftwaffe forces to attack the beachhead that day. Both Luftwaffe Hauptmann (Captain) Helmut Eberspächer, leading a ground-attack four-plane element of Fw 190s of Schnellkampfgeschwader 10, which downed a quartet of RAF Avro Lancasters at 05:00 over the invasion area, and the Luftwaffe bomber wing Kampfgeschwader 54 made several attacks on the British beachheads on D-Day. (Read more on Josef Priller (Wikipedia))

Provenance: This signature comes from one of the largest postwar signature collection I’ve ever commissioned. This collection was started by a Waffen-SS Veteran, Werner H., in the 1950’s until he passed away.