IN HIS OWN WORDS - Part II, Aviation medals and medallions

The following are all of the aviation class. They were created because of suggestions received from Engineer Gutt of Hameln, with the aim to round out his own collection. No need to mention that I was inspired by purely idealistic ideas. They did not get me riches materially. I did not receive payment; I did not expect any. The joy in creating was dominant, as it had been the case from the beginning.

Action in Crete (K-587)

 Ernst Udet (K-590)

Werner Molders (K-591)

Old Eagles Flying Association (K-592)

Emperor's Maneuvres (K-593)

Otto Lilienthal (K-594)

Convoy Battle in the Arctic Ocean (K-597)

The Accident of Zeppelin 129 (K-598)

Stalingrad and the JU-52 Planes (K-604)

The following medallions commemorate the Anglo-American bomber units that destroyed German cities, which I believed also to belong to the historic events series of "flying accomplishments."

K-605 makes reference to the destruction of the Cathedral of Cologne, but also pays tribute to the suffering of unarmed inhabitants of this city, who were exposed to the terror from the skies, waiting in air raid shelters until bombs changed them to cripples, robbed them of their last belongings, yes, in many cases even took their lives.

The medals listed next speak of the devastating results of those bombings which put into ruins and ashes the monumental buildings of past centuries. I have given special attention to these places of culture.

Bombs on Munich Opera House (K-609)

Bombs on Goethe's birthplace  (K-610)

Bombs on the Leibniz house in Hannover (K-611)

The invasion of 1944 is depicted on medal K-613 with the apocalyptic riders on planes. The German soldier, drafted to the military service in good faith, fighting for the existence of his nation and Europe, is not to blame for the war. Here on our side, as well as over there on the other side, he was obligated to fight. Death laureates the German soldier. The devil tries through trickery to wrest the sword from the soldier's hand. Finally he succeeds. With it ends a heroic but futile battle, burdened with bloodguiltiness, leaving behind chaos and the nation thrown back a hundred years. We should never forget the honorable German soldiers who starved, fought, and suffered for six years, and eventually died for their country.

The words on K-631 are taken from the thirteenth chapter of Revelations, the 16th, 17th, and 18th verses.

16: Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead,

17: So that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.

18: This calls for wisdom; let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is Six Hundred and Sixty Six.

The alphabet shown on the reverse of the medal begins with the figure 100 for "A". Apply the respective numbers of the newly numbered alphabet (100 for A, 101 for B, 102 for C, etc.) to the letters of the name like this; 107 108 119 111 104 117 and add up these figures and the result is 666. Another prophecy received the power of proof with this figure.

Fanaticism on K-632 takes a line of Goethe from his play,"Faust," to characterize the state of the nation:

You did destroy the beautiful world
with a mighty fist - it dies,
it falls into ruins - A demon
smashed it to pieces.