ID MYSTERY EHRENBECHER "SOLVED"

[Aerowallah]

I say “solved”, gang, because I’ve been holding out on you….a little. I really wanted to learn how familiar these Ehrenbechers were outside Germany, and hoped someone might add to what is largely speculation about them, since most documentation was destroyed in the bombing in WW2.


Whatever Stogieman has against May 31, he scored right out of the gate with his guess of a bombing award. Then Johann (Regulus) and Rammjaeger each scored bullseyes. Most non-German collectors don’t realize there were two types of Army Bechers awarded to aircrew in WW1—the one we’re all familiar with for aerial victories…


"Ehrenbechers für den Sieger im Luftkampfe”


AND one for successful ground attacks…


“Ehrenbechers für erfolgreiche Angriffe aus der Luft”


Nobody knows exactly who was eligible for the latter one, nicknamed “Thor Becher” or “Thor Pokal” in Germany, whether just Luftschiffe crews, or also bomber crews, such as those who flew Gothas.


This Becher came with the Urkunde below signed by Hoeppner and dated, “Berlin, den 16. Januar 1919.”






Only five of these Thor Bechers are known to exist, and only two Urkunden. The London goblet is one of two complete sets. Three of the other four goblets are in museums, most notably the Deutsches Technikmuseum in Berlin, where one is on view.


The inscriptions on the five known cups are:

20.12.1914 Mlawa (outside Warsaw)
20.3.1915 Paris
31.5.1915 London (Urkunde named to C. Volkmann)
4.2.1916 Dünaburg (in Latvia, Urkunde named to G. Jockers)
20./21.3.1917 Modros (Mesopotamia?)


These appear to be the dates of the first successful raid on each city. An earlier attack on Mlawa (in August 1914), for example, had a particularly nasty outcome that the Army would rather forget:

When the Z-5 attacked the railway yards at Mlawa during the day of August 28th, she was little more than a mile high. The artillery peppered her with shrapnel until she limped off badly damaged, to fall inside the enemy lines near Liepovick. While the crew were trying to burn the wreck, they were captured. Later, they were sent to the prison camps in Siberia. In 1917 one of them escaped and returning to Germany reported the details of how most of the others had died of starvation, disease and abuse. Captain Bruener and a companion escaped. They disguised themselves as peasants and walked across Siberia to China where they were shot to death by Russian police while trying to cross the border.
--Capt. Ernst A. Lehmann
(http://www.ch2bc.org/zepplins/zeppelin4.htm)

German historians speculate that with depleted metal stocks at the end of the war and the scarcity of these goblets today, only one was awarded to a Zeppelin officer or NCO for distinguished service during the first successful raid or an entire air campaign against a particular city. If another goblet is discovered duplicating a city then that theory is out the window. To make it even more interesting, Volkmann, the winner of the London goblet and Jockers, the only other winner known by name, served together on the same Zeppelins, but have different cities engraved on their goblets, which some say proves that they must have done something unique on a specific raid(s) to have received differently inscribed goblets.


The London goblet turned up two years ago at a small auction house in Berlin specialising in postage stamps. (It was consigned along with some Zeppelin Post by a family member!) Until then, Jockers was for years the only identifiable recipient. This latest cup was awarded to Feldwebel-Leutnant Carl Volkmann—an engineer or “Schraubenzieher”, aka “screw puller”—he spent a career making sure his Zeppelins’ engines ran smoothly. But why was he singled out of all the crews involved in the Army’s air campaign on London? He flew many raids on the city, including the first historic raid, and on many airships, serving on Z IV, LZ 38, LZ 86, LZ 97, and LZ 113. Hauptmann Linnarz was his commander on the middle three. This is why others speculate that the recipient of this award also had to have a distinguished career in airships overall. According to his Rangliste Volkmann joined the Zeppelin section in 1913 at age 33 and was demobbed in March 1919. He flew a total of 32 combat missions. I have no way of knowing if 32 missions is high or average. But I assume you had to survive them all to get this award.


I read one of Linnarz’s action reports from LZ 97. Very few Fahrtberichten, survived WW2. It describes a raid on London in 1916 by which time the city was an organized gauntlet of “ Artillerie...Fesselballons … Drachen … Scheinwerfer … Lichtkegel … Leuchtraketen…”--bad things that sound even worse in German! But one way to survive was to be able to pour on the altitude and speed when needed. But this is only speculation as to why a man whose rank was Obermaschinist on the date engraved would be presented with something so substantial, and not other members of his crew—or even Linnarz, the commander! I picked up a WW1 postcard on eBay showing a Zeppelin crewmember climbing out onto an engine nacelle in the cold slipstream high above London, trying to free a rope that has fouled the propeller causing the Zeppelin to lose altitude. The illustration was of the quality that looked like it had appeared with a genuine news item in a newspaper or illustrated magazine. Had Volkmann done something like this? Volkmann had already won his EK II in 1914, and his EK I in 1916. Intriguingly, Jockers was also a Fahringenieur, or flight engineer. Here's total speculation on my part--was Linnarz and other commanders, who already had their PLMs, House Orders and plenty of medals--asked to submit names including NCOs and temporary officers of those who deserved more than just EK1s for a distinguished career? Especially when Volkmann's expertise with engines kept Linnarz's butt out of the water, a POW cage, or from going down in flames during three years of flying together? Was there already such an award for this class of combatant, or did they feel the need to create a goblet to fill the gap? Interestingly, once the Navy took the Army's airships, Volkmann was taken off combat duties and sent to the Kogenluft from 1917 until the end of the war.


Hoeppner must have really believed in this award to present it to Volkmann and Jockers and who knows how many others a few weeks after the war ended (as proved by the dates on the two Urkunden)--with silver stocks exhausted and fighting breaking out in the streets. I imagine it was cast while the war was still on, or maybe it was delivered much later after the Urkunde was presented? Either way, it doesn’t track with what happened to the “Sieger im Luftkampfe” Ehrenbecher. By the last year of the war that award had gone from Weissmetal (“Scheissmetall”) to conferral document ONLY. Requests after the war by recipients of the document to get a goblet were forwarded to the Reichswehrministerium and, I’m told, were ALWAYS rejected. I assume German corporations were no longer funding these tchotchkes during the tough economic times that followed. So who paid for these, and in 800 instead of plate or base metal? As to silver content, no Zeppelin badges, for example, made from 1919-to the mid-1920s were “800” silver content, but were always plated, right Stogieman?

[I'm over the limit...continued in the thread...]

[VtwinVince]

An absolutely fascinating story about an award which I had no idea existed. I've always been intrigued by the Ehrenbecher, since my uncle won one in "Scheissmetall" in 1918, and actually received the award, a feat he duplicated in 1940. Coincidentally, he trained originally as a pilot on "Grossflugzeuge" and actually flew several Gotha raids on Paris, so he might have qualified for the rare Thorbecher as well. Thanks for all this information, really interesting.

.....a great story and a beautiful award! Thanks for the update. HF

[Aerowallah]

I did learn that Hoeppner and the Kogenluft had been very unhappy when the Kaiser ordered the Army Zeppelin service folded into his favoured service, the Navy, in 1917. While the Army airships flew there had been hot competition between Army and Navy to hit the prestigious targets first. Check Buttlar’s autobiography--his Navy Zeppelin was the first to bomb England, and even though an Army Zeppelin (Linnarz/Volkmann/Jocker’s LZ 38) topped him by reaching London first (becoming front page news around the world), Buttlar doesn’t even mention Army airships once in 300 pages! Every time the Zeppelins reached a new target with a high propaganda value, like London--capital of the country that even tiny Teutons in nursery school had rhymes about Zeppelins burning down--their crews became media heroes, and excellent PR for their branch of the service. It makes me wonder what the significance of targets like Mlawa, Modros and Dünaburg were--probably railway junctions and bridges--but we know the Army blew them up first. How many enemy cities did the Army Zeppelins notch up and engrave on goblets in total?


Another historian suggested that there might have been post-war politics involved. Maybe the New Army wanted to remind everyone of its accomplishments--of which mastering the technology to fly as far as London or targets in the East, bomb `em, and bring `em back alive was high on the list. (People forget--listen to the news reports after the terrorist bombing in London last week. You would think there never was a blitz in 1915-1917.) Also, Zeppelin was an old Cavalry man, like most of the Army airship commanders, whereas Navy commanders had all got their feet wet as cadets. Maybe the Army was dusting off its laurels for its Zeppelin section which had been big news with the public but was out of sight, out of mind for two years now. Germans fed on turnips for years, and now suffering occupation, probably enjoyed reflecting on some past successes. Or, maybe, the Army was looking ahead to win public support for its claim on any funds for aviation--especially once the heat was off, and now that the Navy's number one patron, the Kaiser, was history! If the next war was going to be won by strategic bombing, who did it better?


That’s all I know! Any other information / speculation might add to our understanding of this piece which, at the moment, raises more questions than it answers.

Rgds
Aerowallah

Thanks for your time, research and efforts to bring this to light. My "gut call" was bombing as the inference of Thor would lead me to think "Death from Above".... A spectacular piece and one I was not familiar with at all. Although again, the "gut-call" based on the photos that we had some sort of period piece was pretty straight-forward...... So, are the examples shown all in museums, or is one of these babies gathering dust on your shelf?? Hmmmm, I think it should be sent to me immediately for evaluation, inspection and serious fondling. It will be returned after I wipe away my drool.

[Aerowallah]

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Rgds
Aerowallah
CEO, Thor Enterprises

You have Volkmann's Auszug aus der Kriegsrangliste?

I'm curious about his career--

Obermaschinist in 1915 would be senior naval engineering Warrant Officer, but he is not in the Deckoffiziere listed in the 1914 naval Rank List.

I've never encountered the army rank Feldwebelleutnant for naval personnel before. Warrant and Petty officers with 18+ years service (1914-18 counting double as "10" for active duty personnel) were discharged as "Leutnant der Marine aD."

An extraodrinary (and beautiful, too boot) set. I love documented treasures!!!

Rick

[Aerowallah]

Hi, Rick--

Yes, I have his Rangliste in storage, but my notes say these were his ranks in the Army (he never was in the Navy):

Aug., 1914 - Vertragsmachinist
Sept. 1914 - ueberzaehliger Obermaschinist
1915 - Obermaschinist
1916 - Fahringenieur
1917 - Feldwebel-Leutnant

Rgds

WOW!!!!

A CONTRACT EMPLOYEE!!!

That is a category I have only seen for medical personnel with "instant" higher ranks, and a tiny, inexplicable number of merchant marine officers!

What on earth was he doing in civil life that qualified him as an AIRSHIP engineeer-- unless he was a CIVIL airship line engineer?

Amazing, astonishing in a number of different ways.

I was trying to track him down after 1919... no luck.

The 1928 M.O.V. Directory article listing all naval airship flight officers (including construction officials) does not show him--

presumably the subtle distinction (sniff!) that he was DISCHARGED as an officer, but did not serve as one (? backdated seniority as quite common).

It would be very interesting to know what ever happened to him!

[Aerowallah]

Good questions, Rick, all I can add is that in their eyes, Feldwebel-Leutnant was not an officer in any real sense, but a temporary class of ersatz officer unfortunately required by gross depletion of the Officer Corps. He was still probably a bourgeois or peasant in their eyes--not a gentleman, or able to "give satisfaction" to another officer in a duel. Volkmann was born in 1880, so when he flew his first Zeppelin in 1913 he already had a full career going. Try checking some Army registers...