Third Reich Hanna Reitsch Signed Postcard – Item 112533

Scarce period ink signed postcard photograph of Hanna Reitsch. Signature on both side.

Hanna Reitsch the famous female pilot was a test pilot and was the first female pilot to fly helicopter, jet fighter planes and the Junkers JU87 Stuka dive bomber and the Dornier 17 fast bomber projects. For which she received the Iron Cross personally given to her by Hitler in 1941. She flew many of the Germany’s rocket propelled planes and a such became the first and only woman in the world to fly a rocket plane. She crashed landed an ME163 and was badly injured and spent five months in hospital. She received the Iron Cross lst Class being one of only three women to do so. During the last days of the war on 29 April Hitler ordered Reitsch and Von Greim to fly out of Berlin. When she was captured by US forces on 29 April 1945 and asked about her leaving the Fuhrer bunker she said it was the darkest day when we could not die at our Fuhrers side. She was also the only women to receive the Pilot Observer badge in gold with diamonds.