Photograph & Signature Set of Werner-Albrecht Freiherr von und zu Gilsa (RK+EL, Suicide!)
€350,00
Offered here is an original wartime autograph on a photographic portrait of General der Infanterie Werner-Albrecht Freiherr von und zu Gilsa, a distinguished officer whose military career spanned both World War I and World War II.
Included alongside the signed photograph is a separate handwritten note addressed to his nephew, also personally signed by von Gilsa. These two authentic period signatures have been mounted onto a vintage orange archival card, accompanied by a contemporary newspaper clipping, forming a visually compelling, one-of-a-kind display that reflects the character of wartime collecting and remembrance.
The grouping is further enhanced by four original photographs that deepen the story:
-
Three portraits of von Gilsa, including a striking World War I–era image, presenting a rare cross-generational perspective of the same man in two global conflicts.
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A graveside photograph honoring his son, a young Luftwaffe pilot killed in action, a solemn testament to the personal cost borne by military families.
General von Gilsa was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes with Oak Leaves, one of Germany’s highest wartime honors for command leadership and bravery. As the war reached its end, he chose death over capture, taking his own life during the collapse of 1945—a tragic and defining conclusion that lends profound historical gravity and rarity to surviving autographs from this period.
Out of stock
Offered here is an original wartime autograph on a photographic portrait of General der Infanterie Werner-Albrecht Freiherr von und zu Gilsa, a distinguished officer whose military career spanned both World War I and World War II.
Included alongside the signed photograph is a separate handwritten note addressed to his nephew, also personally signed by von Gilsa. These two authentic period signatures have been mounted onto a vintage orange archival card, accompanied by a contemporary newspaper clipping, forming a visually compelling, one-of-a-kind display that reflects the character of wartime collecting and remembrance.
The grouping is further enhanced by four original photographs that deepen the story:
-
Three portraits of von Gilsa, including a striking World War I–era image, presenting a rare cross-generational perspective of the same man in two global conflicts.
-
A graveside photograph honoring his son, a young Luftwaffe pilot killed in action, a solemn testament to the personal cost borne by military families.
General von Gilsa was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes with Oak Leaves, one of Germany’s highest wartime honors for command leadership and bravery. As the war reached its end, he chose death over capture, taking his own life during the collapse of 1945—a tragic and defining conclusion that lends profound historical gravity and rarity to surviving autographs from this period.
