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A rare section of aircraft fabric taken from the plane of one of the most famous First World War fighter pilots is to be sold at auction.
The artifact is from a plane flown by Manfred von Richthofen, known as the Red Baron. The German pilot shot down 80 enemy aircraft in just 20 months of combat the most of any fighter pilot during the war. This figure included 21 planes in the month of April 1917 alone.
The lacquered fabric has the Balkankreuz (Greek Cross) insignia painted on it in black, against a green background, and auctioneers RR Auction said it was likely taken from the rudder area of the aircraft. The Balkankreuz was prevalent on German Air Service aircraft from early 1918 until the end of the war.
The artifact comes via the estate of United States Air Force Col.
Kimbrough Brown, author of the book, Von Richthofen and the Flying Circus. It was presented to Brown directly from the von Richthofen family in gratitude of his book. After Brown passing, his wife sold the fabric and it is accompanied by the original notarized statement that accompanied the transaction.
Von Ricthofen remains one of the most widely-known fighter pilot of all time there are only a handful of documented von Richthofen items known to exist, most are preserved in museums and seldom become available to the public,” says Bobby Livingston, vice president at New Hampshire-based RR Auction.
Other aviation items available at the auction include a handwritten letter from Wilbur Wright to a student pilot, the American flag that flew with Howard Hughes on his world-record breaking Around the World Flight, and a range of original World War II fighter pilot flight jackets.
The Space and Aviation Autograph and Artifact Auction runs from May 17-23. More details can be found online at http://www.rrauction.com.
