WARTIME KNIGHTS CROSS WINNER PORTRAIT PHOTO & SIGNATURE - JOHANN SCHALK - 15 VICTORIES

$ 95.32

Category:

Ask a Question

    Description WARTIME KNIGHTS CROSS WINNER PORTRAIT PHOTO & SIGNATURE – JOHANN SCHALK – 15 VICTORIES Wartime portrait photo & signature. 9x13cm. Johann (Hans) Schalk (1903–1987) was an Austrian-born Luftwaffe officer and flying ace during Second World War, credited with 15 aerial victories in 163 missions. Early Career: Joined the Austrian Army in 1922 and became a trained pilot in 1928. Commanded Austrian fighter units before the Anschluss, after which he was integrated into the German Luftwaffe. Helped form and lead several early Luftwaffe fighter and destroyer units. World War II Service: Claimed his first victory during the Battle of France, adding more during the Battle of Britain. Became one of the first “destroyer” (heavy fighter) pilots awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross (1940). Also received the Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe, being its first recipient. Command Roles: Served as commander of Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 (NJG 3) from 1941 to 1943, helping develop Germany’s night-fighter force. Later became a senior fighter command officer (Jagdfliegerführer 2). Overall: Schalk was a pioneering Luftwaffe officer and commander, notable less for his victory total and more for his leadership in both heavy fighter and night-fighter operations.

Related products

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

3rd Party Cookies

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.

Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance