Photographic postcard depicting the Jewish-German pilot Wilhelm Frankl, hand-signed by him. Berlin: W. Sanke, [1916 or 1917].
In the picture, Frankl is seen in the uniform of the German Air Force, wearing the Pour le Mérite decoration on his neck and the Iron Cross on his chest. The postcard is signed at lower recto by Frankl (W. Frankl) and inscribed on verso. Appearing alongside the addressee's address is a stamp of the fourth squadron of the German Air Force.
Wilhelm Frankl (1893-1917) is considered the most famed Jewish fighter pilot of World War I. He started studying aviation immediately after graduating from school and in 1913 earned pilot's license number 49. With the outbreak of World War I, he was recruited to the fourth squadron (Jagdstaffel 4) of the German Air Force and quickly proved to be a brilliant fighter pilot (he is credited with 20 aerial victories throughout the war, three of them on the same day). For his successes, Frankl was awarded the highest order of merit of the German army – the Pour le Mérite and the Iron Cross. On April 8, 1917, during a series of daring combat maneuvers, his aircraft began falling apart in the air and Frankl fell to his death. He was 23 when he died.
Due to his untimely death, Frankl's signatures are extremely rare.
Approx. 8.5X14.5 cm. Good condition.