ROMMEL CAPTURED LIQUOR

ROMMEL CAPTURED LIQUOR
A rare war souvenir, a bottle of cognac originally captured by Erwin Rommel's Afrika Corps in North Africa, then recaptured by American soldiers during the invasion of Italy. According to the bottle's history (included), during the Afrika Corps' traversing of North Africa, a vast wine and spirits cellar was uncovered which included over a million and a half liters of top quality scotch, gin, rum and cognac. After Rommel and his troops took their share, the balance, over a million liters, was sent to the Italian port city of Nettuno in the holds of empty Axis cargo ships. On Jan. 22, 1944 the nearby city of Anzio was assaulted by Allied forces, and shortly thereafter the battle-toughened soldiers discovered, much to their glee, over 250,000 gallons of booze still resting in the Nettuno warehouses! The local Delva Distillery stepped in, bottled the liquor in the bottles in which it now rests, and applied descriptive fancy labels. Eventually, the bottles were transferred to Linz and sold privately in 1976 when reproductions of the original labels were made. This particular bottle has leaked, and less than 20 percent of the liquor remains; it should be properly re-corked, as the wax at the top is also slightly loose. A few tiny tears and a scuff to the green label with fanciful scrolling, but otherwise in very good condition. It is NOT sold for consumption, only as a relic, and all local and interstate liquor laws apply. With a copy of the original booklet with history.