Otto Wieprich

[Luftmensch]

Ach so, now I see. Thies' July catalogue lists three Red Banners...

BELORUSSISCHE SOZIALISTICHE SOWJETREPUBLIC Orden des Roten Arbeitsbanners

ARMENISCHE SOZIALISTICHE SOWJETREPUBLIC Orden des Roten Arbeitsbanners

SOWJETISCHE VOLKSREPUBLIK CHORESM Rotbannerorden

etc. etc.

And yes, Rick, the dates do fall into sequence.

Man, all I was looking for at the time was an Ehrenbecher with SOMETHING else to go with it!

[Stogieman]

Yep, apart from the reinforcement on the markings, this is one of the finest and most interesting aviation groups I've seen in forever........ my only question is: How the heck did you bump into the family????

[Luftmensch]

my only question is: How the heck did you bump into the family????

I'll tell ya...She was a researching demon. There were letters back and forth from several of the aviation guys at the other forum during her 20 year search for service records. Eventually she talked to O'Connor and others at OVER THE FRONT, and expressed a desire to sell her father's group. They gave her Ken's name! He had his eyes open for a Becher for me for years that would have some Weimar artefacts with it--not easy to find. He had her send it direct and we've corresponded ever since. But I never could have afforded this if any one of us knew a damn about Soviet orders!

Whaddya mean reinforcement on the markings...moral reinforcement?

Edited January 3, 2006 by Luftmensch

[Guest Rick Research]

Ech. Thies. Sore subject. (Wince.)

What did that one sell for? There is a lot of, sad to say, SCARY Russian Big Money into such things these days, and in the absence of any "trend" for prices (what never comes up for sale doesn't LEAVE any trail).

There was also a distinction between LABOR Red Banners and "plain old" Red Banners--which were for military valor. That's what you've got. AND a photo of #18 wearing it, which is again yet another "unique" thing about a Nachlass that has so MANY unique things about it that they are almost... routine.

Have you made a nice scan of ALL his awards together in the world's most unlikely

x100 group?

[VtwinVince]

I go away for holidays, come back, and see this group...ach du liebes Bisschen! Luftmensch, that is the most fascinating group I've ever seen, what an amazing career Wieprich had. And that cigarette case is beyond amazing. BTW the Ehrenbecher is an exact duplicate of the one I have from my uncle. Out of interest, do you know what happened to his son?

[Stogieman]

Hi John, with respects to the markings I simply mean we have yet another straight from the family group with no "crown mark" on the back of the badge!

[VtwinVince]

Rick, just to reinforce your dogma, my uncle's private purchase 1918 Juncker badge also has no crown. I'd post pictures if I could.

[Luftmensch]

Hi John, with respects to the markings I simply mean we have yet another straight from the family group with no "crown mark" on the back of the badge!

Hi, Stogie--I'm losing my ability to play devil's advocate with you and Cmdr. Bob now that mine has become a "no crown" household. Can I get a special icon next to my name for making that declaration???

Hi, Rick--Thies...quite a character. But he got, if I remember rightly, over 20,000 EUROS for the Khoresm. By the way Vince asks what happened to son Heinz Wieprich. Is he in your Luftwaffe book?

Hi, Vince--My dream was for an Ehrenbecher with wooden base, Urkunde, and other silver awards from Weimar (don't care for NSFK stuff). I guess I'll settle for the Red Banner!

Rgds

John

[VtwinVince]

I know what you mean, John. I've been lucky enough to rescue the Urkunde for the Ehrenbecher, but no base or box unfortunately. I'm still hoping one day to find the Ehrenpokal my uncle got in October, 1940. He told me that it was presented by Goering personally on the Channel and came in the blue presentation case. It was taken by Americans in 1945 in Bavaria. BTW he commanded the Polizei-Fliegerstaffel at Karlshorst during the "Kapp Putsch". I have some nice aerial photos of Berlin from this period.

[Luftmensch]

Wow, I forgot you had your Uncle's Urkunde! As for the Ehrenpokal, why don't you take out an ad in Military Trader, maybe ask them when they're running a related Luftwaffe article and run it opposite. It would do my head in knowing it's out there...somewhere...

Rgds

John

PS I know a woodworker who has an Ehrenbecher + original base. He's planning to handmake a few copies. I'll let you know.

[VtwinVince]

Thanks, John, I'd love to get a replica wooden base. You're right, it is driving me nuts. I know a collector in Germany has several items belonging to my uncle, including his Soldbuch and several award documents, but he's apparently not entertaining thoughts of selling.

[Stogieman]

Which is a real sore spot to many of us for many reasons........ there's a substantial number of people with the attitude of "I only collect EK2 documents from units that fought in Turkey and I don't care what I destroy as long as I get mine" attitude. Really smokes me..... The flip side is that usually after huge expense to keep a group together, I cannot find even 1 person interested in doing the same at my cost, so they usually end up going at a loss......... apparently, not many people really care.

[Sal Williams]

Boy oh boy oh boy! That was something else! I would like just once to feel the rush that must come from finding a group like this!!!!

[Luftmensch]

Boy oh boy oh boy! That was something else! I would like just once to feel the rush that must come from finding a group like this!!!!

That's the funny thing, in my ignorance I didn't feel any rush. Just a s l o w creeping realization of what I had......kind of like a monkey in a cage.....with colored buttons.....and tasty food pellets once I figured it all out.

Tomorrow I'll do a group shot for Rick's 2006 wall calendar...

[Bob Hunter]

This has been a particularly interesting and enlightening thread. Thanks.

[Luftmensch]

Have you made a nice scan of ALL his awards together in the world's most unlikely

x100 group?

Here you go...

Rgds

John

[Guest Rick Research]

THAT is very possibly the most amazingly "impossible" documented group I have ever seen in my life!

[Gerd Becker]

I can say without a doubt, this IS the most amazingly documented group, i have ever seen.

Gerd

[Ed_Haynes]

Yes,a lovely group. The Red Banner makes it an OUTSTANDING group!

[Stogieman]

Yep! STILL one of the finest aviation groups I've ever seen! Who knew such treasures could still be found and I commend you keeping it together. In fact, I recommend having it set in Pure leaded crystal and donated to the Smithsonian so that it never gets broken up! But hey, people think I'm weird anyway.

[Rendsburg]

No words!!!

TT

[Guest Brian von Etzel]

You get my vote for "post of the past 365 days"! Great!

[Luftmensch]

You get my vote for "post of the past 365 days"! Great!

Cheers!

[Luftmensch]

Hallo, Gents!

A few months ago, and quite out of the blue, I got a PM from Heinz Wieprich, Otto's son, who is the youngster in the Luftwaffe uniform in the lower left of this photo group.

His son Nurit had done some searches on the net for "Otto Wieprich" and came across our thread. Heinz registered on GMIC so he could contact me and ask why we were so curious about his father! Understanding our genuine interest in the history of those times he told me "the rest of the story" !

Apparently two sides of the Wieprich family split during the war for reasons you will learn. They have not communicated with each other in over 60 years and are unaware today of each others' existence. I'll be contacting Frau Tolmie (from whom I bought the group) about her step brother's family. I've asked Heinz to respond to any questions you may have on the material, that I may not have covered.

Kind of cool...GMIC bringing the next-of-kin of an old soldier together!!!

I'll tack the email correspondence and some new photos onto the end of this thread over the next couple days.

It started out as an Imperial topic, but most of the new material covers the Weimar/Nazi era, so I'll let out our moderators decide its best placement.

Rgds

John

Edited December 3, 2006 by Luftmensch

[Luftmensch]

[The first substantive email from October 23, `06--unedited or altered in any way--Nurit is translating for his father, Heinz.]

Hello john

Thank you for your Email.

First, I will answer your questions.

Yes, I am Heinz from the picture wearing the Luftwaffe uniforms. And yes my mother was the Russian doctor that Otto married in the east.

I want to tell you the whole story.

After WWI Otto worked a short time as a boxing instructor in the german police, after that he was flying with Straehle in his flying company. In this time, in Hamburg Hagenbeck was a lion that was named: "Otto Pilot". The sign said that this is a present from Otto Wieprich the pilot. Otto won the lion in a bet with the zoo manager. The bet was that he will enter the lion's cage and stay there several minutes, and so he did.

In 1923 he as sent to the east with the "Junkers". The company was named "Deruluft" and in Russian "Dobrolot".

In this time Muslims groups were fighting the Russians. One day came a Russian general, carrying bombs, and told Otto to throw it on the Muslims. On the same time he got a message that two other german pilots had an emergency landing with their plane near the rebels that he had to bomb, so he didn?t take the bombs. He flew to rescue the german pilots. When he flew back with the german crew he flew over the rebels area and he flew low above the rebels few times with full engine. The rebels were frightened and threw there weapons and shouted in fear that "Alla", means god, was coming and telling them to surrender.

For this action he got a medal of the red flag and they made big parties in several cities.

One day in 1924 came few members of the communist party to the children hospital in Tashkent where my mother was the medical manager. They wanted the big dining hall for a party. She refused. She agreed after they told her that it was for the german hero. On the party day, the most honorable people of Tashkent and Otto Wieprich himself came to the hospital. Otto was drunk and not so clean and she was not impressed. Otto spoke only german the other spoke only Russian but my mother as a jewish young woman spoke also Jidish, a language similar to german. T hey talked all day and all night and he told her that he will come back a nd marry her. He returned after a few months and they got married in a big wedding.

After that time the relations between the Russian government and the german pilots and engineers declined and they were deported from Russia in 1925.

All the story was written in a Berlin newspaper as a serialized novel under the title: "Wie wir den russischeu general aus lunden".

My mother was pregnant with me and the communist authorities told her to divorce her husband Otto. She told them that she is pregnant and she wants to join her husband in germany. They didn?t let her, but my mother had a solution, she was an expert in pediatrician and she was the Russian representative in the congress in paris that year.

In june 1925 she crossed the Russian borders and instead of going to Paris she went to Halberstatd in germany to Otto's parents.

I was born soon after.

I will continue next week.

So long,

Heinz.

I am adding some pictures from the time in Tashkent

My mother was born and raised in Vitepsk in White Russia, and studied medicine in the university of Moscow and then she went to Tashkent to work.