Germany, Luftwaffe. A Lot of Photos Albums and Documents to Hauptmann Karl Sauer, Battle of Britain POW

(Luftwaffe Konvolut - Kriegsgefangener). A fascinating group of photo albums and documents from the estate of Hauptmann Karl Sauer, a Luftwaffe fighter pilot downed over Kent on 12 October 1940, who survived to be taken into Allied captivity, consisting of:

1. A flight book, constructed off an off-white paper stock binding with double-paginated pages running to 100, commencing on 4 June 1937 and issued as book #322, initially issued in Wiener Neustadt before shifting to Luftkriegsschule (Aerial Warfare School) Klotzsche (Dresden), with handwritten entries for flight exercises and training dating until 28 November 1939, detailing hundreds of flights in which Sauer was frequently tasked with leading, logging all flight times and durations, as well as purpose (shooting, pursuit, etc.), measuring 20.5 cm (w) x 14 cm (h), in extremely fine condition.

2. A second flight book, constructed of a blue paper stock binding with non-paginated pages filled with handwritten entries, named to Sauer as an Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier with later elevation to Leutnant, with entries detailing 558 flights dating from 22 April 1938 until 17 April 1940, indicating that Sauer flew various aircraft in training and active service missions, the former including the Heinkel He 72 Kadett, Focke-Wulf Fw 44 Stieglitz, Focke-Wulf Fw 56 Stösser, Focke-Wulf Fw 58 Weihe, Junkers W 34, Junkers Ju 52, Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann, Gotha Go 145, Arado Ar 66, and most notably the Messerschmitt Bf 109, measuring 21 cm (w) x 14.5 cm (h), a comprehensive account of a pilot with a diverse array of aircraft experience, in extremely fine condition.

3. An award document for the Luftwaffe Pilot’s Badge, named to Karl Sauer as a Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier, dated 21 December 1938, issued in Berlin and certified by the handwritten signature of Generalmajor Robert Ritter von Greim (later Generalfeldmarschall; Pour le Mérite (14 October 1918); Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (24 June 1940) with Oak Leaves (2 April 1943) and Swords (28 August 1944), measuring 21 cm (w) x 30 cm (h), in extremely fine condition.

4. A Jagdgeschwader 52 certificate, indicating that the fighter wing remembers the now-captive Sauer on the occasion of its 2500th aerial victory, named to Sauer as an Oberleutnant, certified by the handwritten signature of then-Major Herbert Ihlefeld (later-Oberst; Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (13 September 1940) with Oak Leaves (27 June 1941) and Swords (24 April 1942), measuring 21 cm (w) x 30 cm (h), demonstrating minor creasing, tearing, and damp staining, in very fine condition.

5. A promotion-in-captivity document, elevating Sauer from Oberleutnant to Hauptmann, issued from the headquarters of the Supreme Commander of the Luftwaffe on 20 April 1943 and with a retroactive effective date of 1 April, certified by the facsimile signature of Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, measuring 25.5 cm (w) x 35 cm (h), demonstrating some creasing, tearing, and damp staining, accompanied by a certifying document, in very fine condition.

6. A group of 13 assorted documents from Sauer’s time in Allied captivity, indicating that he was initially captured after crash-landing his damaged plane near Hollinbourne, Kent, was taken into British captivity, later transferred to POW Camp 23 in Monteith, Ontario, Canada, where he received inoculations and dental work (including a root canal), and was ultimately moved to the United States where he departed in 1946, arriving back in the United Kingdom in September, from where he was ultimately released, in overall extremely fine condition.

7. A private pre-war and wartime photo album, constructed of a card stock binding with a faux blue-grey leather exterior liner, the lid pasted with a card stock frame for a second pattern Luftwaffe breast eagle, the interior content consisting of 18 black card stock pages separated by protective wax paper sheets, affixed with 120 black-and-white photographs and period postcards, featuring images of Luftwaffe personnel in and out of uniform, on duty and at leisure, including tourist-style images of occupied Western Europe (notably featuring Paris), measuring 28 cm (w) x 19 cm (h), a fascinating first-hand account of Sauer’s Luftwaffe career, in extremely fine condition.

8. A second private pre-war and wartime photo album, constructed of a card stock binding with a dyed canvas exterior liner, the interior content consisting of 12 card stock pages separated by protective wax paper sheets, affixed with 88 black-and-white photographs and postcards, many depicting family shots unmistakably captured in Austria, supplemented by tourist-style images, and closing with shots of Sauer and other Luftwaffe personnel in uniform, measuring 32 cm (w) x 22 cm (h), notably concealing a fold-out map of central Europe, in overall extremely fine condition.

9. A loose group of 35 photos and postcards, including private wartime images of Sauer in uniform, supplemented by postcards printed in Canada and the United States, depicting German POWs performing elaborate stage plays and music performances to pass the time while in captivity, an interesting account of POW life in overall extremely fine condition.

Footnote: Karl Sauer was born on 24 February 1918 in Langenwang, Styria, Austria-Hungary. He entered Luftwaffe service in 1937, and trained on a large variety of aircraft in qualifying as a fighter pilot, notably receiving the Pilot’s Badge prior to the start of the Second World War. He was assigned to Ergänzungsjagdstaffel 1 (Supplementary Fighter Squadron 1) as a Leutnant at the start of the war, before briefly being transferred to 10. Staffel, Jagdgeschwader 2, from 8 March 1940, where his service included missions over France and the Low Countries during Germany’s spring campaign in the west. He was ultimately reassigned to 2. Gruppe, Jagdgeschwader 52 (the Luftwaffe’s most successful fighter unit), where he participated in fighter combat over the United Kingdom during the Battle of Britain. On the eve of JG 52’s reassignment to the Balkans, Sauer’s plane was damaged during actions over London. He flew the compromised aircraft approximately 37 miles before bailing out near Hollingbourne, Kent. Taken into British captivity, Sauer was shifted around POW camps in England, Canada, and the United States, and notably received a promotion to Hauptmann while in custody. He survived to ultimately be repatriated to Germany after the war.