Miscellaneous 748
The German Luftwaffe Night Fighter’s Salver and Trophy Cups attributed to Knight’s Cross with Oakleaves recipient Leutnant Rudolf Frank, 3rd Night Fighter Wing, one of the outstanding German Night-Fighter Aces of the Second World War, with 45 confirmed victories, including five in one day, prior to being killed in action on 27 April 1944
A German Second World War Luftwaffe Night Fighter’s Salver, measuring 225mm in diameter with three legs, engraved ‘ABSCHUSSAELEILIGUNGEN FUR RUDOLF FRANK 1-27’ followed by ‘4.7.41 – 21.1.44’, with either side of the engraving the RAF and Soviet wing insignia, and below the insignia of 1/N.J.G.3 being Frank’s Night Fighter Squadron; together with five German Second World War Luftwaffe Trophy Cups, all marked Abschuss with the appropriate kill number with the date of the kill thus: ‘Abschuss 1, 4.7.41 Wellington,’ ‘Abschuss 4, 26.1.42 Whitley’, ‘Abschuss 7, 14.9.42 Wellington’, ‘Abschuss 14, 4.7.43 Halifax’, ‘Abschuss 23, 18.11.43 Lancaster’, and housed in a later Luftwaffe Honour Goblet box named to the recipient, good condition (6)
£1,200-£1,500
Rudolf Frank was born in Karlsruhe-Grünwinkel, in what was then the Republic of Baden in the Weimar Republic, on 19 August 1920, and volunteered for the Luftwaffe following the outbreak of the Second World War. Following night-training, he was posted to NachtJagdGeschwader 3 (NJG III, the 3rd Night Fighter Wing) on 5 February 1941. This unit, based at Stuttgart, was equipped with the C-variant of the Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter, and was paired with Hans-Georg Schierholz as his permanent radio operator. They flew their first operational combat mission on 9 May 1941, without success. Their first victory came on the night of 2-4 July 1941, when they intercepted an R.A.F. Wellington bomber 6 miles north of Oldenburg, and shot it down at 00:54. For this achievement, they were both awarded the Iron Cross Second Class.
By 13 August 1941 Frank had flown over 20 night-fighter missions, and was awarded the Front Flying Cross of the Luftwaffe for Night Fighters in Bronze, and was promoted to Unteroffizier (Sergeant). He was awarded the Iron Cross First Class on 15 April 1942 and, two months later, the Front Flying Cross of the Luftwaffe for Night Fighters in Silver on 18 June of that year. On 30 June 1942, whilst attacking a Wellington bomber on his 64th mission, his aircraft was hit by defensive fire, and he and Schierholz were forced to bail out.
On 28 July 1942 Frank’s group relocated to Rheine in Westphalia, and were re-equipped with the night-fighter variant of the Dornier Do 217. On 14 September 1942 he claimed a Wellington shot down in the vicinity of Osnabrück, but suffering engine problems was forced to make a forced landing himself. He ended 1942 with 7 confirmed victories to his name. Reverting to the Messerschmitt Bf 110, he claimed his first victory in 1943 on 3 March, when he shot down a Short Stirling out of Delmenhorst. After five more victories in the first half of the year, he claimed his 14th victory when he shot down a Halifax bomber north of Antwerp on 4 July 1943, and for his services was awarded the Luftwaffe Honour Goblet on 9 August 1943.
Converting to the Junkers Ju 88, he claimed a further three victories in August 1943, and having completed his 100th mission was awarded the Front Flying Cross of the Luftwaffe for Night Fighters in Gold on 18 August 1943. He claimed his 20th victory on 24 September 1943, and having added two more victories in quick succession was awarded the German Cross in Gold on 17 October 1943. He was shot down again over Berlin by an R.A.F. intruder night-fighter on Christmas Eve 1943, but managed to bail out unharmed, and finished the year with 26 confirmed victories.
Frank claimed his first victory of 1944, his 27th in total, on 21 January 1944, when he shot down a Lancaster bomber near Magdeburg, and was promoted to Feldwebel (Staff Sergeant) Reverting once more to the Messerschmitt Bf 110 , the following month he achieved ‘Ace-in-a-Day’ status when, between 1:53 and 5:04 a.m., he shot down five Lancaster bombers on their way to attack Leipzig. He claimed another three victories on the night of 25 March, and then on 30-31 March took part in the Luftwaffe’s most successful night of the entire War, when the night-fighter force was credited with the destruction of 132 enemy aircraft, Frank’s personal contribution being a further three: two Lancasters and a Halifax. For his achievements he was promoted Oberfeldwebel (Senior Staff Sergeant), and was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 April 1944. His 44th victory came on 23 April 1944, when he shot down a Stirling on a minelaying operation over Lolland.
On the night of 26-27 April 1944, Frank and Schierholz, together with air mechanic Feldwebel Heinz Schneider, took off in the Messerschmitt Bf 110 from Vechta. Their mission, Frank’s 183rd of the War, was to intercept incoming bombers heading for the Ruhr. Shortly before 2:00 a.m, they spotted and attacked a Lancaster bomber over Eindhoven. The Lancaster, severely hit by cannon fire, exploded, and became Frank’s 45th victory. Debris from the Lancaster tore off the Messerschmitt’s right wing, and Frank lost control of the aircraft. He gave the order to bail out. Schierholz and Schneider parachuted to safety, but Frank failed to get out in time. He was killed when the aircraft crashed at Heeze, 6 miles southeast of Eindhoven.
Frank was posthumously promoted Leutnant, backdated to 1 April 1944, and is buried in the German War Cemetery at Venray, with his crew attending his funeral. For his outstanding services during the Second War, when he claimed 45 victories, all over the Western Front in the nocturnal defence of the Reich, he was posthumously awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves.
Note: The Luftwaffe Trophy Cups were normally given to Luftwaffe pilots as individual unofficial trophies on the shooting down of enemy aircraft.
www.dnw.co.uk all lots are illustrated on our website and are subject to buyers’ premium at 24% (+VAT where applicable)
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220 |
Page 221 |
Page 222 |
Page 223 |
Page 224
