{"product_id":"imperial-german-wwi-sanke-postcard-578-oberleutnant-schleich-bavarian-pilot","title":"Imperial German WWI Sanke Postcard 578 Oberleutnant Schleich Bavarian Pilot","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eOriginal Imperial German real photo portrait postcard (\u003cem\u003eSanke-Karte\u003c\/em\u003e) Number 578 from the celebrated Wilhelm Sanke aviator series, depicting Oberleutnant Eduard Ritter von Schleich, the Bavarian fighter pilot known to history as \u003cem\u003eDer schwarze Ritter\u003c\/em\u003e (The Black Knight). The card is one of the most recognizable images of the Sanke series, produced and distributed by Postkartenvertrieb W. Sanke of Berlin North 37 during the latter portion of the First World War as part of the publisher's extended program of personality portrait postcards documenting the leading personalities of the Imperial German air service (\u003cem\u003eLuftstreitkräfte\u003c\/em\u003e).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe postcard measures approximately 3.5 by 5.5 inches (8.9 by 14 centimeters), the standard German real photo postcard format of the period, printed on period card stock with a high-contrast silver gelatin photographic image on the obverse. The obverse caption is printed at the upper left in white serif lettering reading \u003cem\u003eOberleutnant Schleich\u003c\/em\u003e. The lower margin carries the publisher's imprint \u003cem\u003e578 \/ Postkartenvertrieb W. Sanke \/ Berlin N. 37 \/ Nachdruck wird gerichtlich verfolgt\u003c\/em\u003e (Reproduction will be prosecuted). The reverse of the card is the standard Sanke divided-back postcard format with vertical and horizontal printed dividing lines for the address and message panels, and bears a small printed triangular publisher's stock identification mark at the upper right corner in red.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe portrait depicts Schleich at half-length, posed against a neutral studio backdrop, looking just past the camera in three-quarter profile to his right. He is wearing the field-grey officer's \u003cem\u003eSchirmmütze\u003c\/em\u003e with the Reichs cockade above and the Bavarian state cockade below, and a heavy field-grey officer's \u003cem\u003eMantel\u003c\/em\u003e (overcoat) double-breasted with twin rows of brass buttons. The overcoat is fitted with a substantial dark fur collar (sheepskin or astrakhan-style lambswool) turned up against the throat in winter wear configuration, characteristic of the cold-weather flying dress favored by German aviators on the Western Front during the 1917 to 1918 winter campaigns. A 1914 Iron Cross Second Class ribbon is visible in the buttonhole of the left lapel, the only visible decoration in the photograph.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe historical context places the subject among the most distinguished personalities of Imperial German aviation. Eduard Ritter von Schleich (born 9 August 1888 in Munich, died 15 November 1947) entered the Imperial Bavarian service as an infantry officer with the 11th Bavarian Infantry Regiment prior to the war, transferred to the air service in 1915, and qualified as a fighter pilot in 1917. He achieved 35 confirmed aerial victories during the war, served successively with \u003cem\u003eJagdstaffel\u003c\/em\u003e 21 and as commander of \u003cem\u003eJasta\u003c\/em\u003e 32b and later \u003cem\u003eJasta\u003c\/em\u003e 21 and \u003cem\u003eJasta\u003c\/em\u003e 23, and earned the highest decorations available to a Bavarian officer of his rank. He was awarded the Royal Prussian \u003cem\u003eOrden Pour le Mérite\u003c\/em\u003e on 4 December 1917, and the Bavarian Military Order of Max Joseph (\u003cem\u003eMilitär-Max-Joseph-Orden\u003c\/em\u003e), the highest military honor of the Kingdom of Bavaria, which conferred upon him the personal knighthood signified by the title \u003cem\u003eRitter von\u003c\/em\u003e attached to his family name. The nickname \u003cem\u003eDer schwarze Ritter\u003c\/em\u003e derived from his practice of having his Albatros D.V fighter painted entirely black following the loss of a close friend in air combat, a distinctive personal marking that became associated with his unit during the latter portion of his combat service. He continued his military career after the war in the Bavarian \u003cem\u003eReichswehr\u003c\/em\u003e, transferred into the \u003cem\u003eLuftwaffe\u003c\/em\u003e in the 1930s, and ended his service at the rank of \u003cem\u003eGeneralleutnant\u003c\/em\u003e in 1945.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eFor the collector, \u003cem\u003eSanke-Karten\u003c\/em\u003e represent one of the most defined and collected categories of Imperial German aviation ephemera. The Wilhelm Sanke series of personality portrait postcards encompasses approximately 270 individual cards depicting around 132 individual German aviators, produced between roughly 1915 and 1918 as part of the wartime patriotic postcard market. The series documents the leading personalities of the Imperial German air service across the full range of the war's duration, from the early \u003cem\u003ePour le Mérite\u003c\/em\u003e recipients of 1916 such as Boelcke and Immelmann through the later aces of 1917 and 1918 including the Richthofen brothers, Udet, Göring, and Schleich himself. Cards depicting \u003cem\u003ePour le Mérite\u003c\/em\u003e recipients carry particular collector interest within the series, and Schleich's cards are sought both for his individual reputation as the \u003cem\u003eSchwarze Ritter\u003c\/em\u003e and as representative examples of the Bavarian contingent within the otherwise predominantly Prussian aviator corps. The standard reference for the series is Charles Woolley's \u003cem\u003eWorld War I German Aviators: The Sanke Cards\u003c\/em\u003e (Schiffer Publishing, 2003), which documents this card as Number 578 in the established sequence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eCondition is honest and the card is offered with full disclosure of its handling history. The obverse photographic image remains crisp and high-contrast with strong tonal range, and the printed caption and publisher's imprint are clearly legible. Light edge wear and minor surface handling marks are present consistent with a century of storage. The reverse carries substantial period blue colored pencil scribbling across most of its surface, applied at some point after the card left the publisher and likely the work of a child handler in a family album. Underlying pencil writing in cursive is partially visible beneath the scribbling but is not readable. A small circled pencil notation reading \u003cem\u003e10\u003c\/em\u003e and a separate pencil notation reading \u003cem\u003e35\u003c\/em\u003e are present at the upper right, likely period dealer or collection inventory marks. The pencil markings are substantial enough to materially affect the visual appearance of the reverse but do not penetrate to the obverse image, which remains unaffected. The card is structurally sound with no tears, splits, creases, or losses, and has not been mailed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe reverse condition issue is reflected in the offered price, which is set substantially below the level of clean examples of the same card. Collectors prioritizing the obverse photographic image and the subject identification will find this an accessible entry point into the Sanke aviator series, while those requiring pristine reverse condition should pass.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49496093327599,"sku":"40-07","price":148.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/9169\/5855\/files\/40-07_1.jpg?v=1778100627","url":"https:\/\/derrittmeister.com\/products\/imperial-german-wwi-sanke-postcard-578-oberleutnant-schleich-bavarian-pilot","provider":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","version":"1.0","type":"link"}