History of Ehrenbecher

[AlifRafikKhan]

When the Ehrenbecher (Cup of Honour) was established to reward combat airmen for shooting down enemy aeroplanes, the first two were presented to Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann on Christmas Eve 1915. Boelcke described the scene: 'In the evening we officers exchanged Christmas presents in the officers' mess, where at the same time various awards were distributed. For me there was a very beautiful silver goblet next to other small articles. This goblet, bearing the inscription "Dem Sieger im Luftkampf" [To the Victor in Aerial Combat], had been presented to me by the Chief of Field Aviation [Major Hermann von der Lieth-Thomsen]. Immelmann received the same.' Boelcke had scored six victories and Immelmann seven at the time they received their one-litre silver goblets, which were produced at the direction of Kaiser Wilhelm II by Godet, an exclusive goldsmith in Berlin. Later air unit leaders presented goblets to their men – officers and enlisted alike – on the occasion of their first combat success. Thus in 1916 Boelcke presented an Ehrenbecher to Manfred von Richthofen, who, in turn, bestowed similar goblets to men who served under him...

Source: "The Illustrated Red Baron" by Peter Kilduff