Orders, Decorations and Medals

An Iron Cross group to Oberfähnrich Manfred Spörk, Luftwaffe

Germany, Third Reich, Iron Cross 1939, 2nd Class; Pilot’s Badge, unmarked, pin-backed; Hitler Youth Achievement Badge, bronze, numbered, ‘54738’, pin-backed; Hitler Youth Shooting Badge, enamelled, pin-backed; Cloth ‘Wings’, very fine (5) £200-250

Manfred Spörk was born in 1924. He volunteered for service in the airforce in December 1941 and was trained as a fighter pilot. During October-November 1943 he served with 7./J.G.-1 based at Leeuwarden in the Netherlands for defence against allied bombing raids on Germany. On 11 November 1943 his unit was involved in an action against an American daylight raid against the German towns of Münster and Wesel, carried out by a total of 347 B-17 bombers and escorted by 401 P-47 and P-38 fighters. Spörk shot down one of the escorts (a P-47) and though two are claimed in his Wehrpaß, only one is confirmed. On 29 November 1943 he was killed together with his squadron C.O. Lt. 1st Class Heinrich Klöpper and Sergeant Hermann Brackhagen. Due to miscalculating the altitude of the clouds they crashed into the ground S.W. of Meppel in the Netherlands. Spörk had made a total of 11 operations.

Sold with recipient’s Wehrpaß which bears his photograph, together with inserts; Iron Cross 2nd Class award document, dated 29 November 1943; two photographs of the recipient as a flier; and a covering slip to his father, dated 22 March 1944, which would have accompanied a commemorative death scroll (not included in lot).