Messerschmitt Bf 109 Fighter Tail Swastika with Battle Damage and Annotation 20 Inches by 20 Inches

The aluminum tail insignia has uneven edges, having been cut from the rear stabilizer tail fin of a Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter plane, but it is generally square in shape and it measures approximately 20 inches by 20 inches. The base exterior surface is a camouflage gray black composition over which is the black swastika, bordered in white. The section shows lines of rivet holes as well as battle damage, but it remains very impressive. On the reverse side is scratched the annotation “German ME 109 Dusseldorf April 20 1945” (this being a curious historical note, that the tail insignia was taken as a souvenir by an American soldier on Adolf Hitler’s 56th birthday). The insignia was obviously a component of a famed Luftwaffe fighter plane, and it shows expected signs of wear and age, as well as some battle damage, but it remains an impressive artifact of military history and of air combat in the Second World War.