German WWII Luftwaffe Presentation Cigar/Cigarette Box for JG 53-Wait until you see this beauty! This is a wooden case that has 3 separate compartments inside. One is larger, 7 inches long, by 3 ½ inches wide, with the two smaller ones measuring 3 ½ inches square. The larger, longer compartment could be used for cigars possibly? Under the lid of the box is a handsome nickel-silver plate that contains the signatures for commanders Oberst Günther Freiherr von Maltzahn (9 October 1940–4 October 1943) as well as Oberstleutnant Werner Junck (1 April 1938-30 September 1939). There are two more signatures that we are having trouble making out. This box measures 9 ½ inches long by 7 inches wide. It is covered in a terrific leopard wood veneer on the cover. The veneer is lifting in some spots so please be aware. The sides edges of this box are trimmed in a bold shiny nickel-silver buffer. These are hard to describe, so take a look at the photos. The silver clasp on the front gives this a great look. Now let’s take a moment to talk about the Jagdgeschwader 53! This was a Luftwaffe fighter wing that was known as the “Pik As” or the Ace of Spades. You can see this “spade” emblem on the presentation plaque inside the lid. This squadron was involved in the Invasion of France, the Battle of Britain as well as the invasion of the Soviet Union.
This is a very interesting story regarding this squadron. One of the commanders who joined in 1940, whose name is Major von Cramon-Taubadel was married to a Jewish wife. This fact came to the attention of Hermann Göring during the Battle of France. As a result, he ordered that the whole of JG 53 must remove their famous Ace of Spades badge and paint a red band around the noses of their aircraft as a mark of shame. In the Autumn of 1940 Major, von Cramon-Taubadel was removed as the Geschwader Kommodore. Göring then told JG 53 they could reinstate their "Pik-As" badge. They did this, but at the same time, as a mark of protest, all the pilots of JG 53 had the Swastikas painted over on their aircraft. Thus, it is easy to recognize JG 53 109's late in the Battle of Britain as they have no Swastikas on them. This cigar presentation box is a very nice nod to this very interesting squadron and is a beautiful box to beat.