Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 387:
Description
WWII German Luftwaffe Leather Flying Gauntlets by Roch & Co., Berliner Lederhandschuhfabrik, Size 8 1/2, with Depot Acceptance Stamps Offered here is a matched pair of original World War II German flying gauntlets, the long-cuffed leather gloves issued to Luftwaffe pilots and flight crew for service in unheated, high-altitude cockpits. Each glove carries an interior ink stamp for "Roch & Co., Berliner Lederhandschuhfabrik" of Berlin, accompanied by additional boxed depot and acceptance stamps and a size designation of 8 1/2, all still legible on the tanned interior leather. No separate published history accompanies this pair; the identifying detail rests entirely in the maker’s mark and the depot stamps preserved in the lining. Gauntlet-style flying gloves of this pattern were standard cold-weather equipment for German airmen throughout the war, cut with an extended cuff to be drawn over the sleeve of a flight jacket or suit and cinched tight against the sub-zero air encountered in unpressurized aircraft at altitude. The same long-cuffed design, secured by dual adjustable strap-and-snap closures at the wrist and again higher on the forearm, was also favored by motorcycle dispatch riders (Kradmelder) and other personnel exposed to wind and weather in open vehicles. Firms such as Roch & Co. operated within the network of German leather-goods manufacturers contracted to supply standardized gloves under wartime military procurement, and surviving examples bearing intact maker and depot stamps are valued by collectors for the verifiable manufacturing detail they preserve, even absent a named recipient. Each glove is fashioned in black-dyed leather that has taken on a warm brown patina at the reverse and interior surfaces where the dye has worn to reveal the natural hide. The long, flared gauntlet cuff on each glove is fitted with a leather adjustment strap secured by a steel D-ring and a domed snap button, allowing the wearer to draw the cuff snugly at both the wrist and the forearm. The interior of one cuff bears the cursive ink stamp "Roch & Co. / Berliner Lederhandschuhfabrik, " flanked by a boxed size stamp reading "8 1/2" and further boxed depot or acceptance stamps in gothic lettering, not fully decipherable in the photographs but consistent in style with wartime German military markings. The leather remains supple overall, showing typical surface creasing, scuffing, and a settled patina concentrated along the cuffs, seams, and knuckle folds consistent with age and genuine flight or field use. The metal D-ring and snap hardware is intact and functional on both gloves, with light oxidation, and the maker’s inscription and size marking remain clearly legible despite the wear to the surrounding leather. A well-marked and visually striking pair, tying the practical form of wartime Luftwaffe flying gauntlets directly to a named Berlin glove manufacturer through clear surviving interior stamps.
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