Dating: second quarter of the 20th Century
Provenance: Germany
Description: Pilot and Observer Badge in gold, platinum and diamonds; marked SS - Ostubaf. O. Skorzeny" and "585" on the back; vertical pin.
Together with its relevant document dated "16.9.1943" signed facsimile G?ring, and an original of the confirmation by a Colonel-General beside the stamp.
Together with a personal letter from Hermann G?ring, on his personal writing-paper, to Skorzeny, in which he anticipates the ordinance of the decoration along with the small version of the document where he confirms the sending of the bigger version in a second moment.
Moreover, the original, brown leather cover, with gilded impressions, in the middle is an eagle with crossed sticks.
Finally, a picture of Skorzeny in his uniform, with the Knight's cross of the Iron Cross.Otto Skorzeny (1908-1975), a legendary character among the Officers of the Waffen-SS, became worldwide known for his sensational actions, the most famous of which was the release of Benito Mussolini on the Gran Sasso on Sept. 12, 1943. Four days later, he received this honor from G?ring.On July 25, 1943, as soon as he knew about the arrest of Mussolini, Hitler's first thought was that of thinking about a plan for his breakout. Twenty-four hours later, in the evening of July 26, the "special troops" Captain Otto Skorzeny, a 35-year-old Officer specialized in actions of command, arrived at the Fuhrer's headquarters. He should have guided the mission for the release of Mussolini. In the first afternoon of July 27, Skorzeny and Student landed in Rome's airport to go to Frascati, where was the headquarters of Marshall Kesserling, commander of the German Army group in Italy where they were waited by Major Otto Harald Mors, true commander of the operation. The night of the 27th, thanks to the help of SS Klapper and Dollmann, Skorzeny found out that Mussolini was held prisoner in a Carabinieri barracks; the finding turned out to be useless, as that same night the Duce was secretly transported on Ponza Island. After a few weeks, his investigation allow him to locate Mussolini's new prison on the island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. He was about to actuate his plan when the Italian Government moved the prisoner once again, on the Maddalena Island. Skorzeny started his investigations again; disembarked in Sardinia with Student, the two, dressed up as sailors, thanks to a bet ("Do you want to bet that the Duce is dead?") managed to have a greengrocerer take them where Mussolini was hidden, and to see him. Once Hitler's plan was approved, the operation was confirmed to take place on August 28, but Mussolini was taken once again to another secret place.Herbert Kappler, another SS Office, found out that around the Gran Sasso some security measures had just been finished. The news was of interest to Skorzeny, who started his research. The Campo Imperare area, important ski resort, is a vast plateau reachable only by means of a cableway, therefore easily defendable and hard to reach. The plateau was declared Military Area; Major Otto Harald Mors prepared the plan: on September 12, around one p.m., twelve German airplanes took off from the Pratica di Mare Airport. The landing in Campo Imperatore was successful. Immediately, Skorzeni and the paratroopers aimed towards the hotel. The Italian soldiers were so disoriented by the presence of the General of the Carabinieri, Fernando Soleti, whom Skorzeny brought with him to confuse the guards, and when Mussolini himself saw them, he said "Don't shoot, can't you see everything is in order? There's an Italian General!". Skorzeny stepped forward to be the first to see Benito Mussolini, and he actually was the first one to greet the Duce, although he agreed with Student that he would only be a political counselor. More gliders arrived. A radio was positioned on the roof of the hotel, in order to advise Assergi, a town in the valley, also occupied (that's where the cableway took off heading to the plateau) that the Duce was alive and that there were no victims. He received the same answer from the town, although untrue: there, two Italian soldiers lost their lives, the only ones who did their duty.With the second wave of gliders arrived Mors, the real operation commander, forced to turn and to get back in the rear of the formation due to altitude problems.After a few pictures, Mussolini had to leave again with the Captain of Luftwaffe Gerlach on a Storch, an aircraft of short landing and take-off. The airplane could only carry two passengers, but Skorzeny, using his rank (he was part of the SS) or kindly asking to be let onboard, found himself in the plane. The tarmac was too short so Gerlach, a clever pilot, decided to have some soldiers retain the wings of the Storch, until it reached the maximum number of motor revolutions; upon his sign, the plane, released, jumped forward towards the ravine. It disappeared for a few moments, then was clearly visible as it headed upwards towards the sky.In Pratica di Mare, where it landed, Mussolini was embarked on a Heinkel III that took him to Wien then to Munich. On September 14, he met the Fuhrer in Rastemburg.Note: Mors' report, completely supported by the one of General Student, who was assigned the task of freeing Mussolini by Hitler, was acknowledged as authentic and true in all phases ever since the Fifties by the American Intelligence Services. But Hitler gave credit to Skorzeny, and then assigned him similar and hard enterprises that made him be known as "The most dangerous man in Europe"."

excellent