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KOHNKE IS PICTURED SECOND FROM THE RIGHT
LOT 1567
Grouping of World War I German and Turkish Medals and Aviation Badges of Aviator and Father of German Parachuting Richard Kohnke - According to the included unsigned narrative, this grouping was the property of aviator and parachute maker Richard Kohnke. An enlisted observer and pilot in World War I, Kohnke is noted as serving most of the war on the Eastern Front and the Middle East, with a brief stay on the Western Front. It notes that he was wounded in the air twice while serving in Palestine, once from being scalded by a radiator ruptured by ground fire, the second by taking ground fire to both legs. Between the wars he was active in sport aviation and parachuting. In fact, Kohnke is known as the father of German parachuting. In Germany in 1930, Kohnke set a record jump from 7,800 meters with a free fall time of 142 seconds.
During World War II he was involved in the manufacture of parachutes for the Luftwaffe at his factory in Ziegelhausen. In the letter the unnamed narrator notes that his father got to know Kohnke during the Weimar
days as an aviation student, and then maintained a correspondence after leaving Germany for the U.S. in 1930. The narrator personally met Kohnke in 1970 while serving with the U.S. Army in Heidleberg, where he received the contents of this lot. The Turkish decorations consist of the Harp Madalyasi (War Medal, aka the Gallipoli Star, silver finished body with red enamel decoration and pin back, marked “BB&C” on the rear), the Liyakat Madalyasi (Medal of Merit, silver with red and white ribbon), and a set of pilot wings (bronze with silver accents). The German decorations are two silver pilot’s badges (one with a “sunburst” pattern on the rear, the other with a flat back marked “C.E. JUNCKER/BERLIN” over a faint hallmark, the 3rd Class Wound Badge (stamped steel with a hollow back), and two 1914 Iron Crosses (one set for ribbon wear with a black and white ribbon, the other with a pin back and a leatherette case. Also included with the lot is a vintage postcard depicting a group of men near a plane; the decorations they wear appear to date to the 1930s/1940s, and a note indicates that one of the men (2nd from right) is Kohnke.
CONDITION: All are very good, showing minor wear and handling marks.
Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection.
Estimate: 5,000 - 7,500
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