This is an authentic WW2 period Nazi Germany Trench Art of a downed German aircraft. The piece is from a JU-88 Focke Wulfe Bomber downed in Iceland & converted into a pennant, handcrafted from the skin of the leather seat. The pennant measures approximately 17" x 7 1/2"
Description:
The swallowtail pennant is fashioned from a piece of the aircraft leather seat from the crash. It features a hand-drawn Nazi swastika inside a red-ish roundel, stylized maritime anchors, and nautical ropes framing the word "Iceland", written in ornate gothic script. The ink text in the lower-left corner indicates it is a "Piece of German Focke-Wulf bomber Shot down over Reykjavík, Iceland, August 13, 1942".
"Potential" Genesis of the piece:
Allied soldiers stationed in Iceland commonly collected scrap metal, canvas, or fabric from downed enemy planes to create personalized souvenirs documenting their stationing or specific combat actions.
History:
While the inscription notes August 13th, official military logs detail this famous engagement actually took place on the morning of 14 August 1942. On that day, a four-engine Luftwaffe maritime reconnaissance bomber—a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 C-4 Condor (serial number NT+BY) - was intercepted near Reykjavík. It was attacked and successfully shot down by United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) pilots flying a Lockheed P-38F Lightning and a Curtiss P-40C Warhawk.
This historic event marked the very first USAAF aerial victory against the Luftwaffe in the European Theater of Operations during WWII.
