A war-ravaged tailpiece section from one of Germany’s most
formidable World War Two dive bombers could sell for thousands of
pounds at auction.
The relic of
conflict from a Junkers Ju 87 fighter plane – bearing battle damage
from enemy fire – was discovered in a Yorkshire lounge. It is due
to go to under the hammer in Hansons Auctioneers’ Militaria sale on
March 26 with a guide price of £4,000-£5,000.
The item, which
bears the number 494193 and features a swastika, belongs to lifelong
militaria collector Tony Carr, 71, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire.
Tony said: “It’s an important piece of military history which I have been
privileged to own for a number of years. It’s been tucked away,
wrapped in a bedsheet behind a unit in my lounge. It has not been on
display. Occasionally I have pulled it out just to make sure it’s ok.
“I would like
to think the tail section may have come from a plane shot down during
the summer of 1940 during the Battle of Britain. Maybe we will never
know. At the time souvenirs like this were very much prized
possessions, often ‘liberated’ by anti-aircraft crews or aircrew
involved in the actions. Maybe it once hung proudly in the mess of
one of the many fighter stations defending our country.”
The Junkers Ju
87, or Stuka (from Sturzkampfflugzeug) was a German dive bomber and
ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann. It first flew
in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe’s
Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War and served WW2 Axis
forces.
It became the
propaganda symbol of German air power and the so-called Blitzkrieg
victories of 1939-1942. The Stuka’s design included several
innovations, including automatic pull-up dive brakes under both wings
to ensure the aircraft recovered from its attack dive, even if the
pilot blacked out from the g-forces.
The Ju 87
operated with considerable success at the start of World War Two. It
led air assaults in the invasion of Poland in September 1939. Though
sturdy and effective against ground targets, the Stuka was, like many
dive bombers of the period, vulnerable to fighter aircraft. During
the Battle of Britain, its lack of manoeuvrability meant it required
a fighter escort to operate effectively.
An estimated
6,500 Ju 87s of all versions were built between 1936 and August 1944.
Oberst Hans-Ulrich Rudel was the most successful Stuka pilot and the
most highly decorated WW2 German serviceman.
Tony, who has
worked a specialist battlefield guide for the UK’s largest
coach-based battlefield tour company covering the First and Second
World Wars for the past 12 years, started collecting militaria as a
young school boy. He said: “I came across this iconic relic at a
militaria fair. As far as I know it had previously been displayed at
an aviation museum in Cumbria which closed some years ago.
“Collectors
like me are only keepers of what we collect for so long. There comes
a time when you have to pass it on to someone else to act as keeper.
At 71, the time has now come for me to start thinning out my
collection. This also applies to my wife who has collected china for
many years.
“All my life I
have had a passionate interest in the two world wars. Collecting
militaria for me is part of that remembrance process. May the world
never forget.”
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons, said: “When you see this
incredible fragment of war history and examine the holes left by
enemy fire, it sweeps you back more than 80 years to the Battle of
Britain, World War Two and the conflict that raged in the skies above
us. This piece is worthy of a museum.”
The tailpiece
section of a Junkers Ju 87 is due to be sold in a Militaria and
Medals Auction on March 26 at sold at Hansons, Heage Lane, Etwall,
Derbyshire. To find out more, email
[email protected]
