Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 151:
Description
WWII German Luftwaffe Flight & Field Smalls Grouping (7 pieces) – AK39 Armbandkompass wrist compass, Fliegerkarte von Mitteleuropa flight-map section (sheet N32-SW Bremen), AEG Bakelite squeeze-dynamo flashlight, Scho-Ka-Kola "Fliegerschokolade" tin by Hildebrand of Berlin N20, waterproof Bakelite storm-match container, Gold Stern Solingen razor-blade packets with printed Klingentrockner blade-dryer sleeve, and an embroidered Luftwaffe breast eagle Offered here is a well-assembled grouping of personal survival and field kit consistent with the contents of a German Luftwaffe airman’s flight bag or personal effects during the Second World War, circa 1938-1945. No individual recipient is identified with this lot and no separate biography accompanies it; the photographs do not establish that the pieces were carried together by one serviceman, but they represent a cohesive and genuinely evocative array of the small, practical items an aviator or field airman relied upon in the field. Each object answers a specific wartime need. The Armbandkompass 1939, worn on the wrist on its black leather strap, was standard-issue emergency navigation equipment for Luftwaffe aircrew and Fallschirmjaeger, meant to guide a downed or separated airman back toward friendly lines. The accompanying Fliegerkarte section, headed "Vogels…von Mitteleuropa" and identified along its lower margin as sheet N32-SW Bremen, details the road, rail and river network around Stade, Bremen and Verden in northern Germany – precisely the kind of large-scale aeronautical chart issued for dead-reckoning navigation and emergency route-finding. Scho-Ka-Kola, nicknamed "Fliegerschokolade, " was formulated with kola-nut extract and caffeine to sustain alertness on long missions, while the AEG hand-operated dynamo lamp offered emergency light without dependence on batteries, and the screw-top Bakelite match container – its lid stamped with a monogram and packed with wind-resistant storm matches – kept a striking light source dry in the field. The AK39 compass shows a black Bakelite body with numbered dial ring and intact leather wrist strap; its liquid capsule displays age-yellowing and clouding typical of the type, and its fluid retention and accuracy have not been tested. The AEG dynamo flashlight is stamped "AEG" to its black Bakelite housing, retains its pale rubber lamp bezel, and shows edge cracking and chipping consistent with age and handling. The Scho-Ka-Kola tin retains crisp lithographed lettering and its Hildebrand, Kakao- u. Schokoladenfabrik GmbH, Berlin N20 base text describing its cocoa, coffee and kola content, with light edge wear and minor oxidation to the lid. The Bakelite match container is shown open with its complement of storm matches intact and undamaged. Completing the lot are the folded Fliegerkarte map section with expected fold wear; three Gold Stern razor-blade packets marked "D.R. Patent" and "Beste Solinger Arbeit, " together with a printed Klingentrockner blade-drying sleeve, all showing light handling wear; and a cloth Luftwaffe breast eagle, embroidered in silver-grey thread on a dark wool ground, presenting in clean, seemingly unissued condition. Overall the group grades fair to very good, with wear concentrated on the compass capsule and lamp housing as noted, and all paper and cloth items displaying only minor, expected handling. A characterful and photogenic Luftwaffe-era display lot that brings together navigation, emergency light, sustenance and personal necessities exactly as an airman of the period would have carried them.
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