HORST MERZ - COMMEMORATIVE ENVELOPE SIGNED CO-SIGNED BY: HANS VON SCHILLER - HFSID 74877

HANS von SCHILLER and HORST MERZ
1971 commemorative envelope honoring Air Force Day at the RAF base in Henlow, England, signed by German Zeppelin pilot Hans von Schiller and Horst Merz, who piloted the Dornier Do-X. Accompanied by seven photos of the Do-X and Zeppelins.
Commemorative envelope signed in blue ink in German, roughly translated "Hans von Schiller/Zeppelin captain" and "Horst Merz/Leader of the Do-X". German-language biographies of signers stamped on verso in blue ink. Color, 6½x4¼ envelope. Commemorative envelope honoring Air Force Day at RAF Henlow, with a color cachet of a Supermarine Southampton 2 flying boat at left edge. Postmarked RAF Henlow, Henlow, England, May 31, 1971 and RAF Post Office Kinloss Forres, Morayshire, England. Two British stamps affixed. Normal postal stamps. Discoloration in bottom right corner (does not touch signature). Otherwise in fine condition. Accompanied by: Seven unsigned photos. Purple and red ink stamps on verso. B/w, various sizes, none over 5¾x4 overall, with some printed on cardstock. Lightly creased and bowed. Otherwise in fine condition. German pilot von SCHILLER (1891-1976) began his piloting career during World War I, where he participated in Zeppelin bombing raids of London. After the war, he captained numerous Zeppelin flights from Germany to the United States and South America and participated in flights to the Arctic and around the world. In all, he logged over a million miles in Zeppelins. After the Hindenburg disaster ended commercial Zeppelin flights in 1937, von Schiller joined the Luftwaffe, where he commanded a Cologne, Germany airbase and an air-sea rescue group in Norway. German pilot MERZ is probably best remembered today as chief pilot of the massive Dornier Do-X flying boat during its epic 10-month flight from Friedrichshafen, Germany to New York City. The Do-X was built in 1929 and, at that time, was the largest, heaviest and most powerful flying boat in the world and was powered by a total of 12 engines, which managed to get the massive plane only 500 meters off the ground. Merz and his crewmates took off on Nov. 3, 1930 and hopped around Europe, enduring a fuel tank fire while moored in Lisbon, Portugal, before landing in New York City on Aug. 27, 1931. The Do-X itself was unfeasible for commercial air transport, especially during the Great Depression, and was destroyed during a bombing raid in 1943.