Honor Goblets Today

[The Dragon]

Hello,

I saw a few different threads in the Crosses of the Werhmacht section that I thought were a good idea. They were titles Knights Crosses Today and German Crosses Today. I thought it would be a good idea to create something similar on the Honor Goblet.

If you have a citation to the Honor Goblet or an Honor Goblet itself please post it here. A photograph of the recipient would also be good if you have one.

Thank you.

[The Dragon]

Obergefreiten Martin Klein
II. Gruppe, Kampfgeschwader 4 "General Wever".
Awarded the Honor Goblet on the 7th February 1944.

https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/...ein-Martin.htm

[waterloo]

Karl-Heinz Leesmann (3 May 1915 – 25 July 1943) was a Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Karl-Heinz Leesmann was shot down on 25 July 1943, by a B-17 bomber that he was attacking. During his career he was credited with 37 aerial victories, 27 on the Western Front and 10 on the Eastern Front.

[chen]

My little contribution:
Fritz Stendel

[waterloo]

Erich Woitke was a fighter pilot 'ace' serving in the German Luftwaffe during WWII.
Woitke was born 29 January 1912 in Mülheim, near Duisberg. A gifted all-round athlete, he represented Germany in the Decathlon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Erich Woitke served with the fighter unit 1./J 88 of the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War. He recorded his first victory on 27 September 1939, claiming a Republican I-16 “Rata”. He claimed 3 more victories, all “Ratas” before returning to Germany. From the early stages of his career until his death, Woitke was considered outspoken, and anti-authoritarian, and his attitude to authority would lead him into conflict with his superiors on numourous ocassions. He is reputed to have received the German Cross in Gold from Göring in person, only to hurl the award on the floor while making disparaging remarks!
In February 1940, "Oberleutnant" Woitke was made "Staffelkapitän", 6./JG 3, leading the unit through the Battle of France. On 31 May 1940, Woitke shot down a RAF Bristol Blenheim. He next claimed a French Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 near Compigne on 3 June. Operating during the Battle of Britain, Woitke claimed 7 victories. On 1 October 1940, Woitke was appointed "Gruppenkommandeur" II./JG 3.
He was then appointed Gruppenkommandeur II./JG 52 in late November. Woitke recorded his next victory ( his 14th in total) on 14 February 1941, a Spitfire over Maidstone.
Woitke led II./JG 52 east in May 1941 for the invasion of Russia. He claimed 2 victories on 22 June 1941, the opening day of Operation Barbarossa.
The severity of the Russian winter or 1941-42 was such that Luftwaffe opearations were virtually halted. By January the pilots and ground personnel of II./JG 52 were pressed into service as infantry to protect their airfields from the sudden Soviet counter offensive in the Rzhev sector. As commander Woitke was warned of a Soviet incursion on the night of 20 January, and was advised by local army commanders to alert the airfield's defensive positions. He apparently ignored the advice and consequently several pilots and groundcrew were killed and wounded, including the gruppe adjudant Oberleutnant Carl Hartmann.Woitke was therefore court-martialled, removed from command and demoted.
In October 1942, Woitke was back in front line service, with II./JG 27 in Africa. He claimed a USAAF P-39 Aircobra on 9 October over El Daba as victory number 23. in By January 1943 Woitke was serving with Stab.JG 77 in Tunisia. He claimed a Curtiss P-40 on 14 January.
By October 1943, Woitke was part of 2./JG 11 on "Reichsverteidigung" duties. He claimed his 25th kill, a B-17, on 9 October, and then served with with II./JG 300 by early 1944, shooting down a B-24 bomber on 21 February.
In May 1944, Woitke was appointed as Gruppenkommandeur III./JG 1. After the D-Day landings, III./JG 1 were sent to Beauvais as part of the counter to the the Allied aerial operations over the beaches in Normandy. On 18 June Woitke was shot down in aerial combat with P-38 near Pont Laverne, and although he baled out of his Bf 109 G-6 he dislocated both shoulders, hospitalising him until October 1944.
Recovered, Woitke returned to III./JG 1, now based at Anklam. On 24 December 1944, Woitke was shot down and killed in aerial combat near Aachen with Spitfires.
Erich Woitke was credited with 30 victories, 8 on the Russian front, 2 in Africa , and the rest on the western Front, including three heavy bombers. His victory total includes 4 victories claimed in the Spanish Civil War.

[waterloo]

Erich Leie was born on 10 September 1916 at Kiel. From August 1939, Leutnant Leie led the Reservestaffel of JG 71, a forerunner of 5./JG 51. On 21 March 1940, Leie transferred to III./JG 2. He claimed his first victory on 14 May, during the French campaign, when he shot down a RAF Blenheim twin-engine bomber. By October 1940, Leie was serving in the Geschwaderstab of JG 2, whose Kommodore was Helmut Wick (56 victories, RK-EL, killed in action 28 November 1940) and the Adjutant was Hauptmann Rudolf Pflanz (52 victories, RK, killed in action 31 July 1942). By the end of 1940, he had 11 victories to his credit. Leie recorded his 12th victory on 22 June 1941, when he shot down a RAF Spitfire fighter between St Omer and Arques. From July 1941, Leie was a member of Walter Oesau’s (127 victories, RK-S, killed in action 11 May 1944) Geschwaderstab in JG 2. He was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 1 August 1941 following 21 victories on the Channel front. By the end of 1941, his victory total had reached 32, including six RAF Spitfires shot down on 23 July to record his 16th through 21st victories and his 30th victory on 8 November, another Spitfire shot down over the Somme Estuary. On 4 May 1942, Oberleutnant Leie was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 2. He participated in the air-battle over Dieppe on 19 August, claiming a RAF Spitfire fighter as his 42nd victory. However, he was shot down and wounded during this engagement. He successfully baled out of his Fw 190 A-3 (W.Nr. 130 326).
Following the death of Oberleutnant Rudolf Busch (40 victories, DKiG) on 17 January 1943, Leie was named Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 51, based on the Eastern front, and was to remain at the helm for almost two years. Three Gruppen of JG 51 (I., III. And IV./JG 51) and I./JG 54 provided the main Fw 190 A presence on the Eastern Front during the early months of 1943. I./JG 51 was being rotated between Lake Ivan, east of Moscow, Vyazma and Orel shoring up the central sector of the Eastern Front. Leie successfully led the Gruppe during the offensive operations leading up to Operation Zitadelle, the Battle of Kursk, during July 1943. With the failure of the Kursk offensive the long slow retreat towards the Reich’s frontiers began. On 6 November 1943, Major Leie shot down four enemy aircraft to record his 97th through 100th victories. He was granted a lengthy spell of leave at the end of March. He returned to front line duty only to be shot down in aerial combat with Russian fighters on 6 July. He baled out of his stricken aircraft over Russian lines but was fortunate in that his parachute was blown back over German lines. By October 1944, Leie’s victory total stood at 114. Promoted Geschwaderkommodore of JG 77 on 29 December 1944, Leie was killed over Czechoslovakia on 7 March 1945, when he collided with a crashing Russian Yak 9 fighter and failed to survive a low level bail-out from his Bf 109 G-14/AS (W.Nr. 786 329) “Black <1+ ”. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Oberstleutnant and recommended for the award of the Eichenlaub.
Erich Leie was credited with 118 victories in over 500 missions. He recorded 76 victories over the East front, including 32 Sturmovik ground attack aircraft. Of his 42 confirmed victories recorded over the Western front, 30 were Spitfire fighters and one was a four-engine-bomber.

[Ralph Arndt]

Great piece of history, thanks for sharing, very nice.

[Gary B]

Well now I know where all the RKT fighter pilot goblets are!! Well done!

My contribution:

Rainer Nossek. RKT Stuka Tank buster

Gary B

[Gary B]

Working off my phone....apologies for upside down.

Gary B

[Gary B]

Helmut Mahlke. Stuka RKT and later General AND Admiral in the Bundeswehr.

Gary B

[Gary B]

No idea why they are posting upside down.

[waterloo]

Stuka, Always with the head down

[Thomas H]

Beautiful Goblets Waterloo, great presentation and information!! Thanks for sharing.

The other shown Goblets and Urkunden are also very nice

Regards, Thomas

[The Dragon]

Unteroffizier Rainer Nossek
Sturzkampfgeschwader.
Awarded the Honor Goblet on the 2nd November 1942.

https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/...sek-Rainer.htm

Posted for Gary B.

[The Dragon]

Hauptmann Helmut Mahlke
Sturzkampfgeschwader.
Awarded the Honor Goblet on the 13th June 1941.

https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/...lke-Helmut.htm

Posted for Gary B.