August Vochtel
August Vochtel (born September 19, 1894 in Stipshausen ; † June 3, 1977 in Neuwied ) was a train driver at the Deutsche Reichsbahn and later at the Association of Southwest German Railways . In this role he saved around 700 people in a train fire in the Kaiser Wilhelm Tunnel on the Moselle route near Cochem in 1948 , for which he was honored several times.
Life
Born as the fourth of ten children, Vochtel first learned the blacksmith's trade in his parents' business. During the First World War he served on the Army Field Railways on the Eastern Front. After the end of the war he came to the railroad , in 1925 he passed the train driver's examination. After that, however, he continued to work in track construction and in the workshop, as fewer train drivers were needed due to the decline in traffic. Only after 1933 was August Vochtel permanently employed as a train driver.
The accident
On November 22, 1948, a scheduled change of locomotives for the D 21 from Paris Gare de l'Est via Luxembourg to Koblenz Hauptbahnhof took place in Trier main train station . Since the driver of the intended locomotive was seriously injured, August Vochtel had to step in at short notice. The electrical lighting on the locomotive turned out to be defective. In the cab therefore were carbide lamps used.
While driving through the Kaiser Wilhelm Tunnel, a mixture of coal and air evaporated in the driver's cab, presumably triggered by a carbide lamp. The cab caught fire. August Vochtel fled to the outside of the driver's cab with burning clothes. From there he tried - albeit unsuccessfully - to get through the window to the driver's brake valve . He suffered severe burns on his left arm and face. Finally, despite his life-threatening injuries, he climbed the circuit along the boiler to the front buffer beam and there carefully opened the tap on the air line with his foot. With the braking that was triggered, the train came to a stop about 300 meters in front of the station entrance, outdoors. The train driver took the seriously injured locomotive driver on foot to the Cochem train station, from where he was driven to the local hospital in an ambulance.
consequences
The left arm was initially due to be amputated , but was eventually saved. The eyesight was reduced as a result of the accident. Vochtel remained burn scars on his hands, arms and face. He could not be released from hospital until July 25, 1949. August Vochtel was retired because of the serious permanent injuries.
Honors
The French military governor Marie-Pierre Kœnig awarded Vochtel a medal for bravery and Federal President Theodor Heuss on December 23, 1952, the Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany .
Vochtel's heroic deed was processed several times in short stories and school books.
literature
- Railway Journal February 2007
- Joachim Braun: A fateful tunnel journey . In: Lokmagazin No. 195 (1995), pp. 509-513 [evaluation of the accident file].
- Joachim Braun: A fatal tunnel journey in Cochem , In: Heimatjahrbuch Kreis Cochem-Zell 1997, p. 121 f.
- Alfons Friderichs : Personalities of the Cochem-Zell district , "Vochtel, August", Kliomedia, Trier 2004, ISBN 3-89890-084-3 , pp. 369-370.
- Alwin Mortzfeld, Kurt Siebrandt: Train driver Vochtel fights against death . In: It's about minutes. From selfless acts of salvation . Verlag Ensslin & Laiblin, Reutlingen 1952. (Small Ensslin Books, No. 21)
Web links
- History of the Kaiser Wilhelm Tunnel (html, accessed on February 6, 2011)
- August Vochtel, a 55-year-old train driver on the Trier-Koblenz line, received a badge from representatives of the French military government, DerSpiegel May 26, 1949 (html, accessed on February 18, 2019)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Vochtel, August |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German engine driver |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 19, 1894 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Stipshausen |
| DATE OF DEATH | 3rd June 1977 |
| Place of death | Neuwied |