Bruno Stolle – Jagdgeschwader 2 “Richthofen” – Wartime Signed – 35 Aerial Victories!

Original wartime signature on a wartime photograph of Bruno Stolle. Hauptmann Bruno Stolle (13.04.1915, Münster/Westphalia † 22.01.2004, Rheinbach) earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 17 March 1943 as Staffelkapitän of 8./Jagdgeschwader 2 “Richthofen.” Flying primarily on the Western Front, Stolle completed a total of 271 combat sorties and achieved 35 aerial victories, all in the west, including five four-engined bombers. He established himself as a highly capable fighter pilot during intensive operations along the Channel Front, where he gained particular recognition for his combat success against RAF aircraft and for his determined attacks on British anti-submarine vessels. At the time of receiving the Knight’s Cross, he had achieved 29 aerial victories. His leadership and combat achievements made him one of the notable fighter aces of JG 2 “Richthofen,” one of the Luftwaffe’s most famous fighter wings.

His known awards included the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse, Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse, the Luftwaffe Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistungen im Luftkrieg (12 September 1941, published in the Ehrenliste on 15 September 1941), the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (29 October 1942), and the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes.

A highly desirable original autograph of Knight’s Cross holder Hauptmann Bruno Stolle, signed in period on an attractive wartime portrait photograph.

Provenance: From the estate of former HJ member Reinhold Brennfleck (1928–2022) from Lauda, Baden, who wrote to numerous Ritterkreuzträger in 1943–1944 requesting signatures and signed photographs, forming an exceptional wartime autograph collection.