Germany, Luftwaffe. An Extensive & Highly Detailed Document & Photo Collection to Major Lothar Lau

A collection to Luftwaffe pilot Major Lothar Lau. It consists of several loose award documents, highlights include a preliminary certificate for the Knight’s Cross, and a certificate for the Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe; a folder containing pilot’s licences, more award documents, and official military messages and orders; a personal photo album with more than 300 photos, most of whom have detailed handwritten dates and descriptions on the back.

The loose document collection contains:

A preliminary certificate for the Knight’s Cross (140x200mm, near mint condition). It is dated to June 23, 1941 and signed in blue crayon by Lieutenant General and Chief of the Luftwaffe Personnel Department Gustav Kastner-Kirdorf (1881–1945), a recipient of the German Cross in Silver, and eventually promoted to General.

A certificate for the Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (209x295mm, extremely fine with folding creases), for Lau’s exceptional bravery and commendable leadership of his fighter squadron. It is dated to October 11, 1941 and carries Göring’s facsimile.

A certificate for the Iron Cross 1st Class (139x199mm, near mint with some discolouration), dated to June 6, 1940, and signed in blue ink by General and Chief of Air Fleet 3 Hugo Sperrle (1885–1953), first commander of the Condor Legium, eventually General Field Marshal, and recipient of the Knight’s Cross.

A certificate for the Iron Cross 2nd Class (139x199mm, near mint with imprint of paperclip), dated to December 1, 1939 and signed by Major General and Commander of the 8th Air Corps Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen (1895–1945), a recipient of the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves and ultimately in the rank of General Field Marshal. He was a distant cousin of First War flying ace Manfred von Richthofen, “the Red Baron”.

A certificate for the Pilot’s Badge (210x297mm, extremely fine, folding crease and light wrinkling), dated to April 29, 1937 and signed in black ink on behalf of the Reich Minister of Aviation. The signature is indecipherable.

A certificate for the Anschluss Medal (209x297mm, near mint), dated to December 16, 1938, carrying the facsimile of Chief of the Presidential Chancellery of the Führer and the Chancellor, Otto Meissner. The medal is officially called “Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 13. März 1938” (Medal to commemorate March 13, 1938), the day Austria was annexed by the German Reich in the so-called “Anschluss”.

A promotion certificate from Oberleutnant to Hauptmann (254x354mm, extremely fine with folding crease and minor discolouration), dated to January 28, 1942, and carrying Göring’s facsimile.

A promotion certificate from Leutnant to Oberleutnant (254x355mm, extremely fine with folding crease and slight wrinkling), dated to December 31, 1938, and carrying Göring’s facsimile (first and last name).

A photo of Lau in uniform (100x137mm, near mint), holding the rank of Oberleutnant, wearing the Knight’s Cross. It is dated to Königsberg , summer 1941.

The folder contains:

A pilot’s licence (105x148mm, 12 p., extremely fine, slightly warped), dated to Königsberg on July 27, 1934, the signature reads “Meuser”.

A military pilot’s licence (104x150mm, 16 p., near mint), dated to Nuremberg on November 26, 1938, and signed by a Lieutenant Colonel, the name could be Hantelmann.

A pilot’s log book (105x147mm, 40 p., near mint) of the NSFK (National Socialist Flyers Corps), dated to May 28, 1944. The signature is indecipherable. It states that Lau passed his glider pilot exam on August 14, 1944.

A picture postcard of Oberleutnant Max Immelmann (1890–1916) (85x137mm, very fine with light scuffing and discolouration), pioneer fighter ace and recipient of the Pour le Mérite, after whom Lau’s Dive Bomber Wing was named (Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 “Immelmann”).

A certificate for the Wehrmacht Long Service award 4th Class (4 years of service) (210x297mm, near mint), dated to Munich on December 15, 1937, and signed in blue ink by Major General and Higher Aviation Commander 5, Ludwig Wolff (1886–1950), eventually General and recipient of the Knight’s Cross of the War Merit Cross with Swords.

A certificate for the Sudetenland Medal with Clasp (210x148mm, extremely fine with folding crease), dated to Dresden on October 1, 1939, signed in pencil by Lieutenant Colonel and Wing Commander of Dive Bomber Wing 77, dive bomber pioneer Günter Schwartzkopff (1898–1940), posthumously promoted to Major General and awarded the Knight’s Cross.

The award is commonly known as the Sudetenland Medal. However, its official name is 1 October 1938 Commemorative Medal (Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938), as it commemorated the annexation of the Sudetenland, a part of the Czech Republic, by the German Reich. It was awarded to those that made an outstanding contribution to this process.

A preliminary certificate for the Iron Cross 2nd Class (209x296mm, near mint), dated to November 28, 1939, and signed in blue crayon on behalf of Major General Wolfram von Richthofen by Lieutenant Colonel and Adjutant Teichmann.

It comes with a reproduction photo of Richthofen (89x130mm).

A preliminary certificate for the Front Flying Clasp for Fighter Pilots in Gold (149x209mm, near mint). It is dated to April 23, 1941, and signed in pencil by Lieutenant Colonel and Wing Commander of Dive Bomber Wing 2, Oskar Dinort (1901–1965). He also signed the next certificate for a Wound Badge in Black (211x297mm, near mint), dated to June 1, 1940.

Dinort, eventually in the rank of Major General, was the first dive bomber pilot to be awarded the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves.

A reproduction photo (89x134mm) of him has been added.

A certificate for the Honour Badge of Air Fleet 2 (211x297mm, very fine with the bottom left corner missing), dated to November 28, 1941 and signed in blue ink by General Field Marshal Albert Kesselring (1885–1960), recipient of the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds.

The document comes with a photo that doesn’t seem to be related to it, showing Lau talking to a family. It is dated to Normand, sommer 1940.

A preliminary certificate for the Romanian medal “Crusade against Communism” (211x148mm, extremely fine with folding creases). The document is dated to February 3, 1943 and signed in pencil by General Konrad Zander (1883–1947).

A letter of appreciation (148x208mm, near mint), thanking Lau for his contribution in a particular battle. It is dated to September 24, 1943 and signed in blue ink by General and Chief of Air Fleet 4, Otto Deßloch (1889–1977), recipient of the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves.

A troop ID card (104x150mm, extremely fine with folding crease) for Ensign Lau, dated to Dresden on June 26, 1935.

A Glider Pilot ID card (150x105mm, near mint) by the German Air Sports Association, dated to July 16, 1929.

Two ID cards (149x102mm, near mint), enabling Lau to  enter all factories of the aviation industry. One card is specifically for the “dummy rooms”, where dummies of planes in development were shown.

Two membership cards (75x104mm and 106x73mm, mint) of two flying clubs.

An official instruction letter (210x165mm, extremely fine with folding creases), stating that aviation student Lau will have to forfeit one week’s worth of “Taschengeld” (allowance, meaning pay) for unauthorised entering and damaging of a plane. The signature is difficult to decipher, but it could be Ködiger or Rödiger.

A recommendation letter (210x298mm, extremely fine with some fraying at the top), dated to February 15, 1934, stating that Lau was an SS aspirant in an SS Motor unit between Mai and September 1933, but transferred to an aviation unit at his own request. His conduct was always exemplary. The document is signed by an SS Scharführer, the signature is indecipherable, and by SS Truppführer Heinrich Schwarz.

A document from the Glider School Rossitten (208x297mm, extremely fine with folding creases), stating that Lau passed his gliding exams. It is dated to September 14, 1933.

A boating certificate (210x296mm, extremely fine with folding creases), stating that Lau passed his sailing exam and is eligible to sail any service sailing boat of the Luftwaffe up to 50 square metres. It is dated to August 29, 1942, the signature is indecipherable.

An official letter (210x295mm, extremely fine with folding creases), stating that Lau is redeployed to join the Reich Ministry of Aviation. It is dated to January 30, 1944, the signature is indecipherable.

An official letter (210x148mm, extremely fine with folding crease), stating that Lau has been promoted from Captain to Major. It is dated to February 8, 1944. The signature is indecipherable.

A letter (296x211mm, fair with several big rips). It came with a case holding an 8 litre bottle of champagne, a present from the General Field Marshal (Göring) for a deserving squadron involved in the England campaign.

A certificate for the Sports Badge in Bronze (143x222mm, very fine condition with creases and damage to the spine), dated to July 25, 1932, and three certificates for the Sports Badge in Silver (142x220mm, extremely fine with folding creases). The first is dated to May 22, 1934, the second to December 5, 1935 (this must be a mistake and should mean 1934), and the third to July 15, 1935.

The seven “commandments” for soldiers on holiday (208x149mm, near mint), reminding soldiers not to unwittingly reveal any military secrets that the enemy could obtain.

A propaganda book (148x209mm, 24 p., near mint) about the “Wahrung der Ehre”, the preservation of honour, a soldier’s highest good.

A booklet (169x243mm, 4 p., near mint condition) about the Balkan campaign of the 12th Army. It shows a picture with facsimile of Knight’s Cross recipient General Field Marshal Wilhelm List (1880–1971), the Commander of the 12th Army.

The next page shows a map of Bulgaria and Greece with campaign movements.

The last page has a quote by Hitler: “For the German soldier nothing is impossible!”

15 photos (between 80x57mm and 81x124mm, mint), some show Lau, some show famous Generals, of which some include Lau. There are pictures of Major General Oskar Dinort, Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves recipient Major General Hubertus Hitschhold (1912–1966), Pour le Mérite and Knight’s Cross recipient General Alfred Keller (1882–1974) (eventually Generaloberst), General Field Marshal and Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds recipient Albert Kesselring (1885–1960), Colonel General Erhard Milch (1892–1972), eventually General Field Marshal and Knight’s Cross recipient, Senior Lieutenant and Knight’s Cross winner Günther Schmid, and Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring.

A mission log book (210x147mm, extremely fine with minor scuffing and discolouration. Entries start on November 9, 1936, and finish on August 22, 1944 for a total flight time of almost 387 hours and ca. 75,000 kms.

The photo album contains over 300 photos, most of them with detailed descriptions on the back, all in mint condition. They show Lau in uniform and his comrades, both before and during the war, planes during missions and on the ground, reconnaissance pictures, Kriegsmarine ships, and sights like mountain peaks, Mont St. Michel, and several famous buildings in Paris. All pictures were taken between 1935 and 1944.

Footnote:

Lothar Lau was born on January 30, 1913 in Königsberg, Eastern Prussia (today Kaliningrad, Russia). At a young age he discovered a passion for gliding, which would set the course for his wartime career.

Lau joined the Reichswehr in 1933 and transferred to the Luftwaffe in 1935 to become a pilot.

During the Second World War he took part in the Poland Campaign. When redeployed to the Western Front, he was made a squadron leader, with which he successfully held his ground, despite high casualties of the Luftwaffe, during attacks on Britain.

The Balkan Campaign of April and May 1941, and the more than 100 missions in which Lau participated, was his most successful time of the war. He stood out during the Battle of Crete: his reconnaissance mission was responsible for spotting the enemy fleet. He personally sunk 12,500 GRT and damaged another 28,500 on May 21 and May 22. For his actions during the Balkan Campaign Lau received the Knight’s Cross.

After a brief spell of training pilots at a flight school Lau became a staff officer in 1942 for over two years. He finally went back to flying front missions in August 1944.

On January 22, 1945, after more than 500 missions, he was shot down over modern day Poland by the Red Army and became a Russian POW until 1950.

After his return to Germany Lau joined the Bundeswehr, the German post-war army, in 1956. He went on to serve with the NATO in France, and retired in 1971 in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Lau died on September 4, 1981, in Würzburg, Bavaria. He was 68 years old.