German WWI Sanke Postcard 510 Vizefeldwebel Sebastian Festner Jasta 11 Ace

Original German photographic postcard of Vizefeldwebel Sebastian Festner, card No. 510 in the Berlin aviator portrait series published by Willi Sanke (“Postkartenvertrieb W. Sanke, Berlin N. 37”). The caption reads “Der erfolgreiche Kampfflieger Vizefeldwebel Festner vor dem Start” (The successful combat aviator Vizefeldwebel Festner before takeoff). Festner stands on the airfield in a heavy flying coat and close-fitting flying helmet, pulling on his gloves, beside the fuselage, nose and wheel of his fighter aircraft. The setting is far less formal than the studio portraits that make up much of the series.

Sebastian Festner, a Bavarian born in 1894, was one of the few non-commissioned pilots in Jasta 11 during its most famous period. A Vizefeldwebel (vice sergeant-major) rather than an officer, he flew alongside Manfred von Richthofen, Lothar von Richthofen and Karl Emil Schäfer as the unit gained its reputation in the spring of 1917. During the April 1917 air battles over Arras, Festner added steadily to his score and was credited with 12 aerial victories.

He fell on 25 April 1917, at the height of that fighting. Because his career was so short, and because he flew from the enlisted ranks of an officer-dominated unit, Festner is far less widely known than his Jasta 11 comrades, and period images of him turn up far less often.

Condition is good. The real-photo image is strong and detailed, with light silvering along the edges and light handling wear. The reverse is unused and was never posted, with a small pencil “24” in the stamp box and a penciled collector’s number along the right edge.

For a collector building a complete picture of Jasta 11 in early 1917, Festner’s card adds a view from the enlisted ranks of the unit, and the scarcity of images of him adds to its appeal. The airfield setting, with the pilot dressed for flight beside his machine, gives it more display interest than a plain studio portrait.