An Official Press Photo Of Luftwaffe Ace Major Graf

A photo, measuring 181x128mm, extremely fine condition with light scratching of the surface.

It shows Major Graf (second from right) at an official NS Flying Corps event in Berlin where he held a speech. The man to to viewer’s left of Graf is the Deputy Gau Leader of Berlin, Arthur Görlitzer (1893–1945).

Footnote:

Hermann Graf (1912–1988) was a highly decorated Luftwaffe ace during the Second War. He had developed a fascination with flying early in his life, going on his first glider flight at age 12, and getting his glider license while still in school. Graf joined the Luftwaffe in 1935 and initially only flew transport missions. Even after the start of the war he was given patrol duty and instructing future pilots. Only during the attack on Russia in 1941 Graf would finally be able to show his qualities as a fighter pilot. In roughly half a year on the Eastern Front, he claimed 45 aerial victories for which he was awarded the Knight’s Cross in January of 1942. The Oak Leaves followed on May 17 when he achieved his 104th victory, with the Swords following only two days later. By September of the same year, his tally had gone up to 172 victories. This feat won him the Diamonds. At the end of the month he claimed his 200th victory, the first person in aviation history to do so. Since becoming a national hero, he was seen as too valuable to fly combat missions and returned to training pilots and leading a high flying intercept unit, Fighter Wing 50. Only in late 1943 did he return to flying combat missions. In March 1944 he achieved his 212th and final victory, during which he was severely wounded. After recovering, he took command of the Fighter Wing 52, a position he remained in until the end of the war. Graf flew over 830 combat missions and was awarded, among other decorations, the Combined Pilots/Observation Badge in Gold with Diamonds, the Front Flying Clasp for Fighter Pilots in Gold, and he was mentioned five times in the Wehrmachtbericht.