Germany, Luftwaffe. A Soldbuch to Josef Flügge, Honour Goblet and German Cross in Gold Recipient

(Luftwaffe Soldbuch für einen Träger des Deutschen Kreuzes in Gold). Constructed of a grey-blue card stock binding with 24 paginated interior pages filled with handwritten and stamped entries, named to “JOSEF FLÜGGE”, an eventual Hauptmann who served primarily with Kampfgeschwader 27, Kampfgeschwader 100, and Luftflotte Reich, and was the recipient of numerous awards, retaining a certified black-and-white studio portrait of the bearer in the uniform of a Hauptmann, measuring 10 cm (w) x 14.5 cm (h), demonstrating material fatigue consistent with wartime use, a rare and desirable example to a distinguished Luftwaffe serviceman in very fine condition.

Footnote: Josef Flügge was born on 6 May 1909 in Eisborn, Kreis Arnsburg. In a storied wartime career documented in the accompanying Soldbuch, Flügge was attached to combat and staff positions as a fighter specialist with numerous bomber units, including Kampfgeschwader 27 (“Boelcke”), Kampfgeschwader 100 (“Wiking”), Kampfgeschwader 3 (“Blitz”), and Luftflotte Reich. By the end of the war, Flügge had been promoted to Hauptmann, and was the recipient of an impressive array of decorations. The former includes the 1939 Iron Cross II Class (20 May 1940), 1939 Iron Cross I Class (8 July 1940), Luftwaffe Honour Goblet (14 August 1940), Luftwaffe Fighter Clasp in Bronze (10 April 1941), Silver (30 November 1941), Gold (19 October 1942), and with Star Pendant (1 May 1945), in addition to the Pilot and Observer Badge (27 April 1943), German Cross in Gold (25 April 1945), Romanian Crusade Against Communism Medal (21 January 1944), and Romanian Pilot’s Badge (7 February 1944) (note: all dates are retrieved from entries in Flügge’s Soldbuch, with some differing from official documentation).