Adolf Hitler/Third Reich: Original oil painting by Ernst Fri...

Hammer

£11,000

Adolf Hitler/Third Reich: Original oil painting by Ernst Friedrich that hung in Adolf Hitler's residence at Berchtesgaden. The painting depicts Wawel Cathedral and castle in Krakow, Poland. Krakow was the capital of the German government, a colonial authority under Hans Frank, Hitler's lawyer and friend, who was Governor General of Occupied Poland and lived at the castle. Frank was found guilty of crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg Trials and executed.
The painting came into the possession of Sergeant Herson Whitley of the 3rd Infantry Division in May 1945. A detailed letter of provenance accompanies the painting which states that Sgt. Whitley removed the painting from a wall in his property at Berchtesgaden during his time there. "He obtained it by taking it off a wall in Hitler's retreat in Berchtesgaden at the end of the war. Note there is a crack along the upper corner which my father said occurred during shipping it home from Europe" The Painting has been backed onto board and measures 18ins. x 13ins.
The provenance package includes a signed letter by Sgt. Whitley's daughter attesting to its history, numerous photos of Sgt. Whitley on operations during W.W.II, his war medals including the Bronze Star for Valour and Croix des Guerre, Dog Tags, patches, letters from his time serving in Europe, a copy of his citation for the award of the Bronze star and his Honourable Discharge from the United States Army which establish that he was with, and discharged from the Third Infantry Division, who were one of the first allied units to enter Berlin.
An exceptional piece of Allied/World War Two/3rd Reich memorabilia obtained by a GI who spent almost two years fighting the Nazis in occupied Europe starting in Italy in 1943 and culminating in the fall of Germany. He was decorated for valour by both the United States and France and removed the painting from its place at Berchtesgaden, a position that may well have witnessed many of the infamous decisions that were made by the Nazi high command.