Aerial Gunner Badge with lightning bolts. Very fine bronze-based metal manufacture by Assmann circa 1940, the eagle burnished, the wreath silver-plated, reverse with maker mark "A". Only lightly worn, condition 2.
Iron Cross 1939 2nd Class, with ribbon. Iron Cross 1939 1st Class, reverse on pin with maker mark "26", lightly worn.
Front Flying Clasp for Reconnaissance Crews in Gold, gilt bronze-based metal. Together with the award document for Front Flying Clasp for Reconnaissance Crews in Gold, dated 30 Sept. 1942, extended on reverse: "Award of pendant with mission number “200” for Front Flying Clasp for Reconnaissance Crews in Gold, dated 4.12.194, with signature of Oberst and Geschwader-Kommodore Fliegerverbindungsgeschwader 2.
Front Flying Clasp for Reconnaissance Crews in Gold with pendant "200", gilt zinc alloy, the device burnished, denazified after 1945!
Honor Goblet for Special Achievement in Aerial Warfare, nickel silver version with engraving "Unteroffizier Heinz Breitlauch am 15.10.42", on underside of base stamped "Joh. Wagner & Sohn" and nickel silver - fine silver overlay. Absolutely undamaged, with very fine light patina. Together with matching award document "in recognition of his outstanding bravery and special achievements as reconnaissance airman" dated 15 October 1942.
German Cross in Gold lightweight version by Zimmermann, Pforzheim. Reverse with 4 hollow rivets, interior on pin with maker "20", lightly worn in very fine condition. Together with the large award document, issued 17 October 1943. Also the miniature for civilian wear, 16 mm, on long pin.
Enameled badge for members of 2./(F)/100 for uniform wear, depicting: an eagle with camera over England, in the searchlight beam the English lion, on long pin.
Large badge for members of 2./(F)/100, hand-carved wood, height approximately 17 cm. Together with a very fine photograph showing Breitlauch after his 110th combat mission, holding this plaque in hand, taken on 3 September 1942. This photograph is framed with 4 connected aerial photographs taken by his aircraft at altitude of 8000 meters on 3.9.1942. Overall dimensions 35 x 100 cm.
Together with Breitlauch's flight logbook, maintained from 30.9.1940 to 20.5.1944, total of 551 flights and over 200 recorded combat missions.
Also included the appointment certificate to Feldwebel, dated 3.8.1943.
All documents are folded, partially punched, condition 2/2-. The decorations are all worn, in good condition.
On 20.4.1942 Breitlauch's Ju 88 under command of pilot Oberleutnant Ertel was attacked by a Russian fighter aircraft during a long-range reconnaissance flight. The aerial combat lasted a good half hour and was conducted from high altitude down to ground level. During its final attack, the heavily damaged Russian fighter collided with the German aircraft and tore off a large portion of the vertical stabilizer. The enemy fighter attempted to recover his aircraft but was hit by several bursts from the defensive gunner and exploded. Breitlauch's aircraft, despite failure of the rudder control, was able to reach the home airfield after a 2-hour flight and land safely. Included is a very fine original photograph of the crew (Breitlauch far right) in front of the landed aircraft, the damage clearly visible. Also a piece of the rudder as a souvenir with applied date numerals "20.4.42" and in photocopy the newspaper article from the "Völkischer Beobachter" of 14 June 1942.

From the postwar period also the miniatures in the 1957 pattern: 2 x German Cross in Gold, 2 x Aerial Gunner Badge and Front Flying Clasp for Reconnaissance Crews in Gold with pendant "200". Furthermore the photo album of his comrade in 2./(F)/100 Max Lagoda "Ein Blick in die Vergangenheit - Kriegserinnerungen eines Fernaufklärers aus Russland und dem Orient", in which Breitlauch is also mentioned.
A very fine estate direct from private hands.

524568

Luftwaffe Honor Goblet, extensive group of decorations and documents from the estate of aerial gunner and German Cross in Gold recipient Feldwebel Heinz Breitlauch, 2. Aufklärungsgruppe Ob.d.L., later redesignated 2./(F)/100

The Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistungen im Luftkrieg (Honor Goblet for Special Achievement in the Air War), informally known as the Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe, represents a distinctive element of World War II military decoration systems. Instituted on 27 February 1940 by Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, the Reich Minister of Aviation and Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe, this award was funded by the Friends of the Luftwaffe and the Reich Association of the German Aircraft Industry, demonstrating the close relationship between military honors and civilian organizational support during the Third Reich.

The Ehrenpokal filled a critical gap in the Luftwaffe's award system during the most intense period of aerial warfare over Europe, particularly during the Battle of Britain, Eastern Front operations, and strategic bombing campaigns. It was awarded exclusively to flying personnel of the Luftwaffe, including pilots, radio operators (Bordfunker), air gunners (Fliegerschützen), and observers across bomber, fighter, reconnaissance, and dive bomber units. The award criteria were precisely defined: recipients had already been awarded the Iron Cross First Class but their performance was not considered to merit the German Cross in Gold or the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Ehrenpokal thus represented an intermediate honor recognizing exceptional achievement in aerial combat, including multiple aerial victories, successful combat missions, or special merit in bombing and reconnaissance operations. While primarily for aircrew, some isolated awards to non-flying personnel such as paratroopers and anti-aircraft artillery are documented, though these remained rare.

Production of the Ehrenpokal was entrusted to Johann Wagner & Sohn of Berlin, a prestigious firm that had served as court jeweller to the Prussian court. The goblet was manufactured in two distinct material variants that reflect the deteriorating wartime conditions. The early version, produced from 1940 to mid-1942, was crafted from 835 fine silver (Feinsilber) and bore hallmarks including a crescent moon, crown, imperial eagle, and the purity mark “835”. From early to mid-1942 onward, wartime metal shortages necessitated a transition to silver-plated Alpaka, a nickel silver alloy composed of copper, nickel, and zinc, marked “FEINSILBER ALPAKA AUFLAGE” to indicate the fine silver plating over the base metal.

The goblet measured approximately 200 millimeters (about eight inches) in height and 100 millimeters (about four inches) in diameter, with a hammered or pebbled texture across the cup surface. Design elements including eagles, the Iron Cross, and oak leaves were executed in repoussé relief. The obverse depicted two eagles in mortal combat, while the reverse bore an Iron Cross in high relief. Oak leaves and acorns adorned the stem, and the legend “Für Besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg” was formed into the base. A plain band on the stem received the engraving of the recipient's name, rank, and date of award, while the underside of the base was stamped with the manufacturer's mark “Joh. Wagner & Sohn” along with the appropriate material markings.

A striking discrepancy characterizes the production history of the Ehrenpokal. German archives indicate that approximately 58,000 awards were made “on paper,” with recipients' names published in the Ehrenliste der Deutschen Luftwaffe (Honor List of the German Air Force). However, only 13,000 to 15,000 physical goblets were actually manufactured and distributed, of which approximately 4,000 were made of silver. This substantial gap reflects wartime production limitations, metal shortages, and bombing disruptions to the Johann Wagner & Sohn factories in Berlin from 1943 onward. By June 1943, many recipients received only certificates (Urkunden) rather than the physical goblets themselves.

The first official recipient was Oberstleutnant Johann Schalk on 21 August 1940. Among the documented recipients was Feldwebel Heinz Breitlauch, who received the Ehrenpokal on 15 October 1942. Breitlauch served with the 2. Aufklärungsgruppe Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe (2nd Reconnaissance Group of the Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe), later redesignated as 2.(F)/100. This specialized unit performed high-altitude strategic reconnaissance missions from altitudes above 9,000 meters and was reorganized in winter 1942/43 as Versuchsverband ObdL with squadrons 1.-3.(F)/100.

The Ehrenpokal was replaced by the Luftwaffe Honour Roll Clasp (Ehrenblattspange der Luftwaffe), with all previous recipients of the Honor Goblet automatically receiving this new decoration. After World War II, wearing Nazi-era decorations was banned in Germany, and in 1957 the Federal Republic of Germany authorized de-nazified replacement versions of various awards. Some recipients physically “denazified” their Ehrenpokale by removing swastika symbols. Today, authenticated original Ehrenpokale remain highly collectible militaria, with values ranging between 2,500 and 12,000 US dollars depending on material, condition, and documented provenance of the recipient.