German field marshal in WWII. He was convicted of war crimes in 1947 and sentenced to life imprisonment, but was released in 1952 and died eight years later. ALS to Major William G. Bell, U.S. Army, Naples, Italy. Translated from the German, the letter reads, in part: “By reason of a hospitalization of weeks long, the forwarding of the book has been delayed. I hope that a dear young lady-friend will have translated my German text into English in such a way that you can feel what I wanted to say. With an old German warrior greeting: ‘Break your neck and leg,’ I shake hands with you.” Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, in Kesselring’s hand. In fine condition, with scattered light creasing, paper clip impression to upper left corner, light toning, particularly at the folds. R&R COA.
