For sale: Decorations and award documents group of fighter pilot Oberst Werner Mölders (1913 - 1941)!!!

[StefanM]

Up for auction a remarkable collection of decorations and award documents group of fighter pilot Oberst Werner Mölders (1913 - 1941)!!!

Lot 6116:



Hermann Historica´s offering of the virtually complete awards estate of a Diamonds winner is the first opportunity in Germany´s auction history to acquire an original of the highest bravery award of the Second World War, the Knight´s Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds of the Iron Cross. An orders estate of similar interest - the legacy of the fighter pilot Helmut Lent, who was posthumously promoted to Oberst - was purchased by the Federal Government at a Sotheby´s auction in London on 18 July 1966, through the mediation of Adolf Galland, and given to the Rastatt Army Museum. Yet a special historical significance must be attributed to the awards estate of Werner Mölders: Not only was he the first winner of a decoration that was bestowed only 27 times, but he also returned as the most successful fighter pilot from the Spanish Civil War and was decorated with the Spanish Cross with Diamonds. Together with the "Double Badge" with Diamonds, this group of three represents an awards combination unattained except for that Adolf Galland helped acquire. Until recently, the orders and award documents of Oberst Werner Mölders were exhibited in the traditions room of Bomber Wing 74 at the Wilhelm-Frankl-Kaserne in Neuburg on the Danube. On behalf of the family the sale takes place in Munich through the auction house Hermann Historica together with a listing from the estate administrator of Luise Petzolt-Mölders, the widow of Werner Mölders who was killed in an accident in 1941. It would be presumptuous in this setting, in light of the extensive published literature, to go into details of Werner Mölders´s biography. Oberst Mölders was in his day the most popular soldier in Germany, and upon reaching the victory total of Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen he was the greatest flying hero of his nation. His made a significant contribution to the building and development of the fighter arm of the German Luftwaffe, and worldwide by creating the basis for modern aerial combat techniques. Shortly before his death as a result of an airplane crash while en route to Ernst Udet´s funeral, with a total of 115 acknowledged aerial victories Mölders had been appointed by Göring as inspector of fighter, destroyer, ground attack aircraft and armament. Biographies which may be mentioned here as examples are (tr) "Mölders and his Men" published during Mölders´s lifetime by Fritz von Forell, and the most recently published "Werner Mölders" by Kurt Braatz. Oberst Werner Mölders - a Knight´s Cross of the Iron Cross The non-magnetic, glossy black lacquered centre is situated in a silver frame made from two pieces. Within that frame the semicircular eyelets were stamped. The suspension ring is missing. This example is cited in the literature (tr) "Three-Quarter Eyelet Knight´s Cross" from Mölders´s estate, the cross being privately acquired by him during the period between the award of the Oak Leaves and that of the Swords at the end of 1940/beginning of 1941, when its production criteria were not standardised by the LDO and the private purchase of such pieces was not yet forbidden. By examining the extensively preserved photo documentation of Knight´s Cross winner Werner Mölders it is verifiable that he wore his originally awarded piece from the early Juncker series (rounded eyelet) until shortly after the bestowal of the Oak Leaves and then, possibly due to the loss of his Knight´s Cross with Oak Leaves, he acquired the three-quarter eyelet Knight´s Cross together with the Oak Leaves offered in the following lot. Existing clues (Maerz p. 208) that the firm Deschler & Sohn in Munich is the potential origin of this unusually rare variant of the Knight´s Cross seem plausible because of Mölders´s frequent stays there. Werner Mölders continued to wear this Knight´s Cross, even after the awards of the Swords and the Diamonds, up to the time of his death. The contact marks from the sword grips are verifiable at the upper edge of the silver frame. Width 48.2 mm. Weight 27 g.

Condition: I-
Estimate:
€8,000... and the rest!!!

[Gary J]

Such a "named" grouping will be highly prized ...
8,000 euros would be a steal .....

Gary J.

[big ned]

They've also got Sepp Diettrich's RK ribbon, signet ring, shoulder boards and some kind of walking stick (stock) presentation piece that looks like an axe and other bits and bobs, rather more of an expensive estimation on them....37,500 Euro's.

Lot 5829 - German Orders and Collectibles 1919 onwards (Catalogue 2867675) - Hermann Historica - Auction Catalogues - the-saleroom.com - Bid online at real auctions

[Adrian]

Thank you for posting the images of his RK and Oaks/swords/diamonds. I'll add the link to the other thread:

Estate of Werner Mölders to be auctioned.

[FALLSCHIRMJAGER]

Ah,if only i had'nt just spent my money buying up a failing bank!Those are some real fine historical groupings,if only i had the change.Thanks for shareing,

[Adrian]

For interest, the RK pictured above is the rarest RK variant with the three quarter suspension loop. When the 1939 re-institution of the EK was announced, this is the type that was featured for illustration purposes. I'm not sure if it has been attributed to a maker yet but it is always found unmarked.

Note however, that Mölders must've had a couple of RK variants in his possession as he is seen wearing different types. You can see in the top image he is wearing a full loop RK with his oakleaves and in the bottom image he is wearing a three quarter loop RK with his oakleaves and swords.
So he wears a later RK version with the earlier award of his oaks and an early variant RK with the later oaks and swords award.
It also appears to have a wider frame than the thin, delicate RK in post #1 above........?

[Scout]

As far as these things go and considering who Mölders was, 8K does seem like a low estimate.