High strength Al-alloys exhibit soft zones along grain boundaries, resulting from precipitate free zones. The preferred microstructure for application of high strength Al-alloys is an unrecrystallized pancake shaped grain structure. This grain shape with soft zones along the grain boundaries causes an anisotropy of mechanical properties. The present work evaluates for two Al-alloys (7475,7075) tensile ductility, HCF strength, fracture toughness, the nucleation and propagation behavior of self-initiated microcracks, and the propagation behavior of large fatigue cracks as a function of the inclined angle of the stress axis to the pancakes (0,30,45,60,90). The lowest ductility was measured for the 60 test direction, the lowest HCF strength was obtained at an angle of 45degrees in case of 7475 and 90degrees in case of 7075. Fracture toughness showed a pronounced orientation dependence, the cracks deviated and followed the grain boundaries when stress was applied at an inclined angle.