Germany, Luftwaffe. The Photo Album and Service Books of Unteroffizier Erich Müller, Kampfgeschwader 27

(Luftwaffe Konvolut). A superb group of items from the estate of Unteroffizier Erich Müller, an aerial gunner who served with Kampfgeschwader 27 "Boelcke" during the Second World War, consisting of:

1. A Luftwaffe Flugbuch (Flight Book), constructed of a card stock binding with non-paginated interior pages filled with handwritten entries, named to Müller as a Grefreiter and opened on 27 August 1940, with details of flights placing Müller aboard a variety of aircraft, including the Focke-Wulf Fw 58 Weihe, Dornier Do 17, Heinkel He 111, including many combat operations over the Eastern Front, frequently in the vicinity of Leningrad, measuring 20.5 cm (w) x 14.5 cm (h), a superb first-hand log of a bomber crewman during the Second World War, in extremely fine condition.

2. Three Luftwaffe Leistungsbücher (Performance Books), each constructed of paper stock with paginated interior pages, all named to Müller as an Unteroffizier, aerial gunner, and member of III. Gruppe, Kampfgeschwader 27, numbers sequentially from 1-3, featuring handwritten entries beginning on 15 December 1943 and concluding on 18 March 1944, with detailed descriptions of operational sorties and notes on his performances, all measuring 14.5 cm (w) x 20 cm (h), in overall extremely fine condition.

3. A private wartime photo album, constructed of a card stock binding with a faux maroon leather liner, the spine perforated with four eyelets reinforced with metal grommets through which is looped a drawstring which maintains the album’s structural integrity, the cover pinned with a silvered Luftwaffe eagle clutching a mobile swastika and bearing a silvered inscription of “MEINE DIENSTZEIT” (“MY SERVICE TIME”), the interior content consisting of 20 black card stock pages separated by wax paper dividers to protect the images, the latter consisting of 81 black-and-white photos depicting Müller in uniform alongside other Luftwaffe personnel, with scenes of leisure activities and parties in barracks featuring Enlisted, NCO, and Officer ranks mingling, followed by several images of downed aircraft burning, and notably concluding with photos (presumably captured by Müller) taken from Luftwaffe bomber gun turrets, the album unmarked and measuring 26 cm (l) x 18 cm (h), a fascinating account of an aerial gunner’s wartime career, in extremely fine condition.