125 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes verliehen an den Jagdflieger Oberleutnant Heinrich Krafft, 1. / J.G. 51.
Iron core with silver casing. Silver hallmark ‘800’ (micro 800) on the back below the eyelet. The jump ring also stamped with ‘800’. On the long original band. Slight age-related signs of wear and corrosion.
Example from the production of the company Steinhauer & Lück, Lüdenscheid (A - Type).
Heinrich Krafft was born on 13 August 1914 in Bilin/Bohemia. Since 1940 he was with the 1. / J. G. 51 and became its commander in May 1942. He scored his first victory on 21 May 1940. After his 46th aerial victory, he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 18 March 1942 and by this time had already made over 300 enemy flights.
On 14 December 1942, Captain Krafft was shot down by Russian anti-aircraft fire near Bjeloi. He survived the crash, but was beaten to death by Bolshevik soldiers as a war crime. Captain Krafft achieved a total of 78 aerial victories. 74 of these were on the Eastern Front and 4 in the West.
A very beautiful and original piece, especially interesting for a fighter pilot.