Stogieman Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 I have recently acquired an astoundingly un-messed with grouping from a family in Germany. Werner von Bake transferred into an aviation unit in 1915 and died as a result of his wounds from an aerial engagement in 1916. He was wounded 16. May. 1916, awarded the EK1 on 17. May and died on 18. May. Here's his award document: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stogieman Posted June 14, 2005 Author Share Posted June 14, 2005 His death notice from the paper in his hometown: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stogieman Posted June 14, 2005 Author Share Posted June 14, 2005 A photo postcard of his grave: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stogieman Posted June 14, 2005 Author Share Posted June 14, 2005 His plane: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stogieman Posted June 14, 2005 Author Share Posted June 14, 2005 More will follow........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hunter Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Very cool, Rick! I'm anxious to see more. jumping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landsknechte Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Excellent find! :coola: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Nice stuff, he could well have been over verdun when he got that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deruelle Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Hi Rick, I love the EK1 document Christophe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rick Research Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Von Bake and his pilot were both mortally wounded in air combat. The pilot managed to get them back to German lines, but too late.Amazing stuff in this group. Amazing. Wait until you see what I have seen! jumping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Huxley Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 (edited) Come on Stogie ... don't keep us waiting ...the suspense is killing me. :speechless-smiley-004:I just noticed the Prussian Observers badge on the front of the grave stone ... can you make a closer scan of it please. Edited June 15, 2005 by Mike Huxley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sal Williams Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Wow Rick! I wanna see more. Ricky R. How did you know about the mortal wounds and getting back across the lines but too late?Best, SalMy BadenZL pics are coming but I gotta figure out how to work all this new forum stuff :wacko: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rick Research Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 Oh THAT information comes from the WW1 German aviation casualties book a certain rambling Californian sent me last year. :coola: MUCH closer scans of gravestone, funeral, etc etc have been and are being made by The Good Twin (that would be ---> me). I am transcribing captions and researching names. :food-smiley-004: (About planes types et cetera I Know Nothing!!!) In one of the group photos, not yet posted here by the Evil Ricky, they are named on back. One was baffling me from weird initial, and today I found him--Otto ZECH, born 21 October Suckowshof, died 7 May 1965 in MurnauArmy 14 March 1905 (originally Inf Rgt 31 but flying 1913 on) to 30 September 1920 and an Oberleutnant when he flew with the ill-fated von Bake--Zech served as a pilot in "Kampfgeschwader 4 der Obersten Heeresleitung" 15 December 1915 to 14 October 1917.Zech went out as a Hauptmann but went into the Luftwaffe in 1935 and ended up as Generalmajor (1 March 1944 #7) as CO of Luftgautruppen I, K?nigsberg and Danzig.Here he is as a Generalmajor ? the essential Biblio Verlag 1992 Band 3 "Die Generale der deutschen Luftwaffe 1935-1945" by Karl Friedrich Hildebrand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stogieman Posted June 16, 2005 Author Share Posted June 16, 2005 One very interesting photo is from his funeral. The first fellow in line....... almost positive this is a young Werner Voss, before his Pilot Badge and before his transfer from KG4 to Jasta 2 and pure fighters! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stogieman Posted June 16, 2005 Author Share Posted June 16, 2005 It's really funny. I have yet to find one of these photo groups that doesn't include the (apparently required) "Lounging On Steps" photograph... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stogieman Posted June 16, 2005 Author Share Posted June 16, 2005 the amazing thing about the "steps" photo is the flyer wearing three (3) (!!!!!) unit patches on his sleeve! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stogieman Posted June 16, 2005 Author Share Posted June 16, 2005 A close-up of his tombstone shows a small observer badge incorporated...... how much you want to bet this has long-since been stolen?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sal Williams Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 (edited) Duh!!!! So I have the same info!!! Ain't I the numbskull :speechless-smiley-004: Ok what was the year he was born by golly?and oh boy what a cool tombstone! I wonder if it is there either?(I am the good poor relation) Edited June 16, 2005 by Sal Williams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerd Becker Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 Fantastic photos, Rick. Can?t wait to see the rest.Gerd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Dunn Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 Nice grouping Rick, does it say where he was buried at? Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stogieman Posted June 16, 2005 Author Share Posted June 16, 2005 A very nice "action" shot! I think the tube/snorkel is for dropping bombs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stogieman Posted June 16, 2005 Author Share Posted June 16, 2005 I will not translate the sign..... it would be an "ungentlemanly" commentary on our Brothers in France...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stogieman Posted June 16, 2005 Author Share Posted June 16, 2005 Here's the Crown Prince inspecting a captured French Plane at von Bake's airfield! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stogieman Posted June 16, 2005 Author Share Posted June 16, 2005 Hi Mike, no, there's no reference to the specific place of his Burial Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rick Research Posted June 16, 2005 Share Posted June 16, 2005 The plane taking off with the schnorkelly thing was captioned "Tilsit Flugplatz" and there are lots of aerial views of the Teutonic Knights castle there (which I think was destroyed by the Soviets purely as erasure of history in 1945) during von Bake's flight training... so perhaps that is some sort of wind and developing "snout" for a camera? That is obviously a horse track stand in the back-- must have made a nice flat "open mile" for landings.The aviation casualty book says where the Feldlazarett was where von Bake and his pilot died, but not where they were buried. From the looks of it, I'd say it was an old French civilian cemetery, though all the crosses that show, packed together, are German (all ranks, all units, no "officer country.")I really like the cemetery shots: Chaplain conducting (literally, arms up and down) his open graveside service-- von Bake's father there by the open hole, shovel in the pile of dirt, soldiers in fatigues waiting to fill it all back in... and special guests. jumping jumping jumping wub.gif :coola: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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