One of three 20 packets of Luftwaffe cigarettes, due to be auctioned by Whytes Auctioneers, Dublin, on 21 April, 2012.  The packets are unopened and, presentationally, in good condition.  Not sure whether I would care to smoke the contents, mind you.  It has been a long time.  While the fags are undoubtedly genuine, provenance is a bit hazy.  It is thought that these cigarettes were brought to Ireland by a Luftwaffe crew forced to land in the Land of the Emergency during what other people call World War II.  How they got to the auction, nobody is quite sure ... Best regards, JR.

Luftwaffe cigarettes.

Two floatplanes Cant-Z-506s of the Aeronautica Militare’s (Italian Air Force) 84th Gruppo SAR (Search-And-Rescue) at Vigna di Valle air harbor, Lake of Bracciano, near Rome, on the Fifties of past century. The aircraft in foreground is a Cant-Z-506B, former maritime bomber converted in rescue plane, but very interesting is the plane in background, a Cant-Z-506C (passenger version of the Cant-Z-506) which has an odd story. The plane is “Jolly”, from the playing card’s figure paint on the fuselage, a seaplane for VIP transport chosen as personal aircraft for the chief of Servizio Informazioni Militare or SIM, the Italian Military Intelligence Service. Provided of armchairs and a little lounge, were usually based at Vigna di Valle. Just before of the Italian armistice, 8 September 1943, was transferred at Kotor (Cattaro in Italian) in Montenegro. After the armistice the “Jolly” was quickly deployed on Apulia and employed by Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force. After the war, “Jolly” was assigned to 84th Gruppo SAR as search-and-rescue plane. After few years was phased out and scrapped following up the decision of Air Force to keep alive an exemplar of the most representative Cant-Z-506B. Victor Sierra

The “Jolly”’s story

Just found in the deepest Egyptian desert by an oil company exploration team. Untouched! DVX