Three-dimensional bronze representation of two fighting eagles, as also depicted on the honor cup. The 2-piece bronze is mounted on a black octagonal wooden base, with dedication plaque on the front "Dem Sieger im Luftkampf 18. Juli 1918 Leutnant d.R.M.A. Holm". Overall height 26 cm. Condition 2. The base with green felt covering.
Leutnant d.R. Holm was stationed, among other places, at the Seeflugstation Flandern I. His first flights there served primarily for reconnaissance and submarine hunting.
Holm received the honor prize with daily order of the Marine-Flugchef No. 221 of November 21, 1918 for his 1st aerial victory, "Abzeichen und Ehrenpreise der Fliegertruppe 1913 - 1920", p. 537).

Extremely rare, one of the very few originals. This piece is illustrated in the reference book "Flight badges of the Central Powers 1914-1918, Volume II" by Robert S. Pandis - on the back cover.

The honor prize for naval aviators was established by daily order of January 3, 1917. By war's end, German naval aviators shot down approximately 270 aircraft, in addition to 2 airships, 1 destroyer, 3 submarines, 4 motor torpedo boats and other vessels. However, the actual number of honor prizes awarded was certainly well under 100 pieces due to lack of financial resources.

520461

€ 28.500,00

Bronze Eagle Statue for Naval Aviator of the Imperial Navy "Honor Prize for Successful Victors in Aerial Combat" for Leutnant d.R. Holm

The Ehrenpreis der Marineflieger (Honor Prize for Naval Aviators), also known as the Ehrenpreis für Vernichtung eines feindlichen Flugzeugs (Honor Prize for Destruction of an Enemy Aircraft), represents one of the rarest and most sought-after awards of the Imperial German Navy's naval aviation forces during the First World War. This special honor was instituted by daily order dated 3 January 1917 by the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial German Navy) for its naval aviation forces and was deliberately distinct from the decorations of the Army air service.

The Kaiserliche Marine had established its own naval aviation forces during World War I, operating separately from the Army's air service. These units deployed seaplanes, flying boats, and landplanes from coastal stations for reconnaissance, patrol, bombing, and torpedo missions over the North Sea, Baltic, and English Channel. When naval aviators began achieving combat successes, the Navy created its own honor prize that differed from the Army's Ehrenbecher für den Sieger im Luftkampf (Honor Goblet for the Victor in Air Combat) and reflected the distinct operational requirements and achievements of the naval aviation forces.

The Ehrenpreis was awarded to pilots (Flugzeugführer) and observers (Beobachter) of the Imperial German Navy's naval aviation forces for shooting down an enemy aircraft, damaging enemy aircraft sufficiently that it was captured, or sinking or damaging enemy warships to the point of abandonment or capture. The award was typically presented after the first confirmed victory.

The physical design of the Ehrenpreis features a bronze sculpture of two fighting eagles mounted on an octagonal wooden base. The two-piece bronze sculpture reflected the motif that was also used on the related honor goblet. Each piece was individually engraved with the recipient's name and achievement details. The total height measured approximately 24.7 centimeters. Two known forms of the award existed: the bronze eagle sculpture on wooden base, and a silver or nickel-silver variant in goblet form (Ehrenbecher), both featuring the motif of eagles in combat.

Among the documented recipients is Oberleutnant zur See Hans Albrecht Wedel, born 30 November 1888 in Berlin. Wedel became a pilot in the Marinefliegerabteilung in 1913 and on 16 March 1917 was appointed Staffelführer of Torpedostaffel II of I. Seefliegerabteilung based at Zeebrügge. On 1 May 1917, together with his torpedo officer Leutnant der Marineartillerie d.R. Wulf Krüger, he achieved a significant victory by sinking the British merchant ship Gena (2784 BRT) off Suffolk—the largest success of German torpedo aviators to that date. His unit later sank the Kankakee (3718 BRT) on 14 June 1917, the largest ship sunk by German naval aviators in World War I. Wedel died on 30 September 1917 in Zeebrügge when his aircraft caught fire during landing. Other documented recipients include Flugzeugführer Leutnant Hermann Becker (awarded 26 July 1918) and pilot Otto Heß (awarded for a victory on 18 July 1918, confirmed 21 November 1918).

By war's end, German naval aviators had achieved approximately 270 aircraft victories, plus 2 airships, 1 destroyer, 3 U-boats, 4 speedboats, and other vessels. After World War I and the dissolution of the Kaiserliche Marine following Germany's defeat and the Treaty of Versailles (1919), no further awards were made. The tradition was not continued by the Weimar Republic's Reichsmarine. However, the concept influenced later awards: Hermann Göring's Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe), established 27 February 1940, was explicitly modeled on the World War I Ehrenbecher.

Original examples are extremely rare today, with dealers noting that perhaps only five to six examples have appeared on the market over a period of more than 30 years. In 1940, a Luftwaffe ship was named Hans Albrecht Wedel after the recipient of this specific example, underlining the enduring memory of these early naval aviation aces.