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    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:

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    Guest Rick Research

    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

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    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 by Mike Huxley
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    Guest Rick Research

    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 Murnau

    Army 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.

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    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!

    vonbakegroup22.jpg

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    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) tongue.gif

    Edited by Sal Williams
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    Guest Rick Research

    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:

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