Original Wartime Signature on a Postcard of Herbert Ihlefeld. Oberst Herbert Ihlefeld (1 June 1914 † 8 August 1995) was one of the Luftwaffe’s most successful fighter aces and a highly decorated officer. Serving with Jagdgeschwader 77 “Herz As”, he quickly distinguished himself as a front-line pilot and commander. Over the course of his wartime career, he achieved at least 122 confirmed aerial victories, making him one of the leading Experten of the Luftwaffe.
Awards and Decorations
Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) – 13 September 1940, as Oberleutnant and Flugzeugführer, 1./JG 77 “Herz As”.
Oak Leaves to the Knight’s Cross (Eichenlaub) – 27 June 1941, as Hauptmann and Kommandeur of I./JG 77 “Herz As”.
German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) – 9 April 1942.
Swords to the Knight’s Cross (Schwerter) – 24 April 1942, as Hauptmann and Kommandeur of I./JG 77 “Herz As”.
Career Highlights
Began his career as a fighter pilot with Jagdgeschwader 77, quickly rising to become a Gruppenkommandeur.
Distinguished himself during the Battle of Britain and in the Balkans and Eastern Front campaigns.
By 1942, he had been awarded the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, marking him as one of the Luftwaffe’s elite aces.
Credited with at least 122 aerial victories across multiple theaters of war.
Rose to the rank of Oberst, later holding senior command positions in the Luftwaffe.
Item Details
Original wartime signature of Oberst Herbert Ihlefeld.
Signed on a wartime postcard.
Condition: Excellent, clear period autograph.
Collector’s Note
Herbert Ihlefeld stands among the great names of Luftwaffe fighter history, his career spanning the early victories of 1940 through the brutal campaigns of the East. With over 120 aerial victories and the Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern, his autograph remains a highly desirable piece for collectors of Luftwaffe aces and decorated fighter leaders.
Original Postwar Signature on a Postwar Photo of Johannes Steinhoff. Oberstleutnant Johannes Steinhoff (15.09.1913 in Bottendorf † 21.02.1994 in Wachtberg) earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on August 30, 1941 as Oberleutnant und Staffelkapitän of the 4. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 52; the Eichenlaub on September 2, 1942 as Hauptmann und Kommandeur of the II. Gruppe/ Jagdgeschwader 52 and the Schwertern on July 28, 1944 as Oberstleutnant und Kommandeur of the Jagdgeschwader 77. Large size: 18,8x20,5cm.
Johannes Steinhoff achieved 176 victories during the Second World War. He also flew the Me 262!
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.
Original Postwar Signature on a Postwar Photo of Anton "Toni" Hackl. Major Anton Hackl (25.03.1915 † 09.07.1984) earned the Ritterkreuz on May 25, 1942 as Oberleutnant und Staffelkapitän of the 5. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 77 "Herz As" (after 48 earial victories), the Eichenlaub on August 9, 1942 as Hauptmann und Staffelkapitän of the 5. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 77 "Herz as" (after 104 aerial victories) and the Schwertern on July 9, 1944 as Major und Kommandeur of the III. Gruppe/ Jagdgeschwader 11 (after 150 aerial victories).
During the course of over 1000 sorties Hackl achieved a total of 192 aerial victories (including 87 in the West, 32 four-engined bombers) along with another 24 unconfirmed aerial victories. Read more on Anton Hackl (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.
Original Postwar Signature on a Postwar Photo of Anton "Toni" Hackl. Major Anton Hackl (25.03.1915 † 09.07.1984) earned the Ritterkreuz on May 25, 1942 as Oberleutnant und Staffelkapitän of the 5. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 77 "Herz As" (after 48 earial victories), the Eichenlaub on August 9, 1942 as Hauptmann und Staffelkapitän of the 5. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 77 "Herz as" (after 104 aerial victories) and the Schwertern on July 9, 1944 as Major und Kommandeur of the III. Gruppe/ Jagdgeschwader 11 (after 150 aerial victories).
During the course of over 1000 sorties Hackl achieved a total of 192 aerial victories (including 87 in the West, 32 four-engined bombers) along with another 24 unconfirmed aerial victories. Read more on Anton Hackl (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.
Original Postwar Signature on a Postwar Photo of Anton "Toni" Hackl. Major Anton Hackl (25.03.1915 † 09.07.1984) earned the Ritterkreuz on May 25, 1942 as Oberleutnant und Staffelkapitän of the 5. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 77 "Herz As" (after 48 earial victories), the Eichenlaub on August 9, 1942 as Hauptmann und Staffelkapitän of the 5. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 77 "Herz as" (after 104 aerial victories) and the Schwertern on July 9, 1944 as Major und Kommandeur of the III. Gruppe/ Jagdgeschwader 11 (after 150 aerial victories).
During the course of over 1000 sorties Hackl achieved a total of 192 aerial victories (including 87 in the West, 32 four-engined bombers) along with another 24 unconfirmed aerial victories. Read more on Anton Hackl (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.
Original Postwar Signature on a Postwar Photo of Anton "Toni" Hackl. Major Anton Hackl (25.03.1915 † 09.07.1984) earned the Ritterkreuz on May 25, 1942 as Oberleutnant und Staffelkapitän of the 5. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 77 "Herz As" (after 48 earial victories), the Eichenlaub on August 9, 1942 as Hauptmann und Staffelkapitän of the 5. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 77 "Herz as" (after 104 aerial victories) and the Schwertern on July 9, 1944 as Major und Kommandeur of the III. Gruppe/ Jagdgeschwader 11 (after 150 aerial victories).
During the course of over 1000 sorties Hackl achieved a total of 192 aerial victories (including 87 in the West, 32 four-engined bombers) along with another 24 unconfirmed aerial victories. Read more on Anton Hackl (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.
Original Postwar Signature on a Postwar Photo of Wolf-Dietrich Huy. Oberleutnant Wolf-Dietrich Huy (02.08.1917 in Freiburg im Breisgau † 13.07.2003 in Gernsbach) earned the Ritterkreuz on July 5, 1941 as Oberleutnant und Staffelkapitän of the 7. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 77 “Herz As”and the Eichenlaub on March 17, 1942 as Oberleutnant und Staffelkapitän of the 7. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 77 “Herz As”. Huy achieved 40 victories, among which 38 on the Eastern Front, in over 500 operational sorties.
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.
Original Postwar Signature on a Postwar Photo of Gordon Mac Gollob. Oberst Gordon Gollob (16.06.1912 in Wien † 07.09.1987 in Sullingen) earned the Ritterkreuzon September 18, 1941 as Hauptmann und Kommandeur of the II. Gruppe/ Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" (after 42 aerial victories). Awarded the Eichenlaub on October 26, 1941 as Hauptmann und Kommandeur of the II. Gruppe/ Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" for 85 aerial victories, the Schwertern on June 23, 1942 as Hauptmann und Führer of the Jagdgeschwader 77 after achieving 107 aerial victories and the Brillanten on August 30, 1942 as as Major und Kommodore of the Jagdgeschwader 77 "Herz As" after achieving 150 aerial victories. He also earned Gemeinsames Flugzeugfuhrer-Beobachter Abzeichen mit Brillianten.
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.
Original Postwar Signature on a Postwar Photo of Armin Köhler. Hauptmann Armin Köhler (31.03.1912 in Thalheim, Zwickau † 28.03.1999 in Gießen, Hessen) earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzeson February 7, 1945 as Hauptmann und Kommandeur of III. Gruppe/ Jagdgeschwader 77.
Awarded for his personal and command achievements. By the end of the war he had flown 515 sorties, achieving a total of 69 aerial victories (including 13 four-engined bombers) of which the vast majority were in the west.
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.
Original Postwar Signature on a Postwar Photo of Anton "Toni" Hackl. Major Anton Hackl (25.03.1915 † 09.07.1984) earned the Ritterkreuz on May 25, 1942 as Oberleutnant und Staffelkapitän of the 5. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 77 "Herz As" (after 48 earial victories), the Eichenlaub on August 9, 1942 as Hauptmann und Staffelkapitän of the 5. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 77 "Herz as" (after 104 aerial victories) and the Schwertern on July 9, 1944 as Major und Kommandeur of the III. Gruppe/ Jagdgeschwader 11 (after 150 aerial victories).
During the course of over 1000 sorties Hackl achieved a total of 192 aerial victories (including 87 in the West, 32 four-engined bombers) along with another 24 unconfirmed aerial victories. Read more on Anton Hackl (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.
Original Wartime Signature on a Postcard of Herbert Ihlefeld. Oberst Herbert Ihlefeld (01.06.1914 † 08.08.1995) earned the Ritterkreuzon September 13, 1940 as Oberleutnant und Flugzeugführer in the 1. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 77 “Herz As”, the Eichenlaub on June 27, 1941 as Hauptmann und Kommandeur of the I. Gruppe/ Jagdgeschwader 77 “HerzAs”, the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on April 9, 1942 and the Schwertern on April 24, 1942 as Hauptmann und Kommandeur of the I. Gruppe/ Jagdgeschwader 77 “HerzAs”. He’s credited with at least 122 aerial victories! Good condition. Edges have been cut.
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.
Set of 13x photographs of Emil Omert and a period article of a newspaper.
"Emil Omert was born on 15 January 1918 at Ginolfs in the Rhön region of Unterfranken. Omert was posted to II./JG 3 on 1 February 1940. His stay with the unit was short as Oberfeldwebel Omert was soon transferred to 4./JG 2. By the end of 1940, he was serving with 9./JG 77. He gained his first victory on 6 April 1941, when he shot down a Yugoslavian Ikarus fighter during the invasion of the Balkans. He was also to undertake many ground-attack misisons during this campaign. Omert claimed two RAF aircraft shot down during the invasion of Crete. Operating over the Eastern front, Omert shot down five Russian SB-2 twin-engine bombers on 26 June 1941. By the end of 1941, he had 39 victories to his credit. He had also received promotion to officer rank. On 10 February, Omert was appointed Staffelkapitän of 8./JG 77. Leutnant Omert was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 19 March 1942 for 45 victories. He claimed his 50th victory on 12 June. He flew his 500th mission of World War 2 on 22 June. When III./JG 77 relocated to North Africa in October 1942, Omert had 53 victories to his credit. He claimed six victories over North Africa. He was later to claim a further eight victories over Sicily and southern Italy. He was wounded in aerial combat on 13 July 1943. From 29 January till 31 March 1944 he was acting Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 77. On 4 April 1944, Omert was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 77 based in Romania. He claimed three USAAF four-engine bombers shot down in this theatre. Omert was shot down in aerial combat with USAAF four-engine bombers over Finta Mare on 24 April 1944. He baled out of Bf 109 G-6 (W.Nr. 160 826) “Yellow 1”, but was then shot dead while hanging in his parachute.
Emil Omert was credited with 70 victories in over 700 missions, including 125 fighter-bomber and ground attack missions. He recorded 20 victories over the Western front, including four four-engine bombers. In addition he claimed 25 aircraft destroyed on the ground and a Russian high-speed patrol boat sunk." (Source: Luftwaffe.CZ)
Original Scarce Postwar Signature on a Postwar Photo of Gordon Gollob. Oberstleutnant Gordon Gollob (16.06.1912 † 07.09.1987) earned the Ritterkreuz on September 18, 1941 as Hauptmann und Kommandeur of the II. Gruppe/ Jagdgeschwader 3 “Udet”, the Eichenlaub on October 26, 1941 as Major und Kommandeur of the II. Gruppe/ Jagdgeschwader 3 “Udet”, the Schwertern on June 23, 1942 as Hauptmann und Führer of the Jagdgeschwader 77 “Herz As”and the Brillanten on August 30, 1942 as Major und Kommodore of Jagdgeschwader 77 “Herz Az”. Good condition. Measuring: Postcardsize.
Knight's Cross: Awarded after 42 aerial victories.
Original Wartime Signature on a Postcard of Herbert Ihlefeld. Oberst Herbert Ihlefeld (01.06.1914 † 08.08.1995) earned the Ritterkreuzon September 13, 1940 as Oberleutnant und Flugzeugführer in the 1. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 77 “Herz As”, the Eichenlaub on June 27, 1941 as Hauptmann und Kommandeur of the I. Gruppe/ Jagdgeschwader 77 “HerzAs”, the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on April 9, 1942 and the Schwertern on April 24, 1942 as Hauptmann und Kommandeur of the I. Gruppe/ Jagdgeschwader 77 “HerzAs”. He’s credited with at least 122 aerial victories! Good condition. Measuring: Postcardsize.
Postwar Signature on a Postwar Photo (signed front and back) of Ernst-Wilhelm Reinert. Oberstleutnant Ernst-Wilhelm Reinert (02.02.1919 † 05.09.2007) earned the Deutsches Kreuz in Goldon May 18, 1942 as Unteroffizier in the Jagdgeschwader 77 "Herz As", the Ritterkreuz on July 1, 1942 as Unteroffizier und Flugzeugführer of the 4. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 77 “HerzAs”, the Eichenlaub on October 7, 1942 and the Schwertern on February 1, 1945 as Oberleutnant und Staffelkapitän of the 14. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 27. He's credited with 174 aerial victories! Good condition. Measuring: Postcardsize.
Postwar Signature on a Postwar Photo of Herbert Ihlefeld. Oberst Herbert Ihlefeld (01.06.1914 † 08.08.1995) earned the Ritterkreuzon September 13, 1940 as Oberleutnant und Flugzeugführer in the 1. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 77 "Herz As", the Eichenlaub on June 27, 1941 as Hauptmann und Kommandeur of the I. Gruppe/ Jagdgeschwader 77 “HerzAs”, the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on April 9, 1942 and the Schwertern on April 24, 1942 as Hauptmann und Kommandeur of the I. Gruppe/ Jagdgeschwader 77 “HerzAs”. He's credited with at least 122 aerial victories! Good condition. Measuring: Postcardsize.
Original Scarce Postwar Signature on a Postwar Photocopy of Johann Pichler. Leutnant Johann Pichler (15.12.1912 † 16.02.1995) earned the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on March 18, 1943 as Oberfeldwebel in the 7. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 77 and the Ritterkreuz on August 19, 1944 as Fahnenjunker-Oberfeldwebel und Flugzeugführer in the 7. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 77. Good condition. Measuring: 8,5x12,6cm. Comes with an extra letter.
Knight's Cross: Awarded in recognition of his 75 aerial victories, achieved over about 700 sorties. These included 29 in the East and 16 four-engined bombers. He also sunk several ships near Crete.
Original Postwar Signature on a Postwar Photo of Wolf-Dietrich Huy. Oberleutnant Wolf-Dietrich Huy (02.08.1917 † 13.07.2003) earned the Ritterkreuz on July 5, 1941 as Oberleutnant und Staffelkapitän of the 7. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 77 "Herz As"and the Eichenlaub on March 17, 1942 as Oberleutnant und Staffelkapitän of the 7. Staffel/ Jagdgeschwader 77 "Herz As". Good condition. Measuring: Postcardsize. Huy achieved 40 victories, among which 38 on the Eastern Front, in over 500 operational sorties.
Knight's Cross: Awarded after 9 aerial victories and successful fighter-bomber attacks during the battle of Crete. Here Oberleutnant Huy sank 34000 GRT worth of shipping, including the freighter 'Hellas' (22000 GRT). He also scored direct hits against the battleship 'Warspite', the cruiser 'Fiji' and a destroyer.
