1933 Count Felix von Luckner signature and personal note on postal card (A

Description: 1933 Count Felix von Luckner signature and personal note on postal card A dashing naval officer during WWI, author, and sailor who earned the epithet the " Sea Devil", and his crew that of the " Emperor's Pirates", for his exploits in command of the sailing commerce raider SMS Seeadier (Sea Eagle) between 1916 and 1917. He sank 14 ships, though he made certain that not a soul was lost, destroying Allied shipping worth millions.German naval officer in World War I, participated in the Battle of Jutland before outfitting a sailing ship, sneaking it through the British blockade disguised as a Norwegian vessel, and raiding Allied commerce in the Atlantic through 1917. He was known as "the Sea Devil"; his crew were called "the Emperor's Pirates." (Luckner was famed for taking prisoners from his prizes, with very little loss of life, a style which made him popular in Allied countries as well as Germany. Luckner was captured three times, and escaped twice. After the war he wrote books and was a popular guest on world tours. The Nazis threatened him with imprisonment if he didn't lapse into silence, and he sat out World War II, moving to Sweden after the war. Felix Nikolaus Alexander Georg Graf von Luckner (9 June 1881, Dresden 13 April 1966, Malmö), sometimes called Count Luckner in English, was a German nobleman, naval officer, author, and sailor who earned the epithet Der Seeteufel (the Sea Devil), and his crew that of Die Piraten des Kaisers (the Emperor's Pirates), for his exploits in command of the sailing commerce raider SMS Seeadler (Sea Eagle) during the First World War. After the war, Luckner became a war hero in Germany and was renowned around the world for his seamanship and chivalrous conduct during the war, which resulted in a minimal loss of life on both sides. The young Luckner had dreams of being a sailor, but his father was determined that he should follow the family tradition and go into the cavalry. After failing his exams at various private schools, at the age of thirteen Luckner ran away to sea, with the promise in his mind that he would not return until he was wearing "the Emperor's naval uniform, and with honour". He signed up, under the assumed name of "Phylax Lüdecke", as an unpaid cabin boy on the Russian sailing ship Niobe travelling between Hamburg (Germany) and Australia. His story might have ended there, because the Russian captain, fearing that the lives of other crew members would be endangered, refused to allow a lifeboat to be launched in order to pick Luckner up when he fell overboard in the middle of the ocean. The chief mate defied the captain (who had threatened him with a harpoon), and launched a lifeboat with the help of volunteers. As a number of albatrosses circled over Luckner, one swooped down and seized his outstretched hand in its beak, but Luckner grabbed the bird in desperation. Although severely pecked, he hung on for his life. The flapping of the bird's huge wings and the circling of the other albatrosses gave the crew of the lifeboat a point to aim at in his rescue American Philatelic Society dealer member American Numismatic Association life member Note: Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding or buying. FREE scheduling, supersized images and templates. Get Vendio Sales Manager. FREE scheduling, supersized images and templates. Get Vendio Sales Manager.

Price: 117.65 USD

Location: Perryville, Arkansas

End Time: 2025-02-10T22:39:03.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD