He joined the 2nd Westphalian Infantry Regiment, and in 1894 was promoted to second lieutenant. He rose through the ranks and became a full colonel in October 1939, and major general in April 1944, shortly before retiring.
Participation in The ‘Great Race’
As a lieutenant he took part in the first touring car rally around the world: the 1908 New York to Paris Race.[1] Koeppen had never driven before. Koeppen's car, the Protos Wettfahrtwagen, was the first to arrive in Paris, beating the next competitor by four days. However he was penalized because he had used a rail-car for part of the journey and skipped Alaska, and thus lost first place.[2] In 1909, his book about the race, Im Auto um die Welt ("The World by Car") was published and it made him a celebrity, or folk hero, in Germany. His fame helped to popularise the toothbrush moustache in Germany, the same style later adopted by Adolf Hitler.[3]
^"Germany Awaits Lieut. Hans Koeppen; From Emperor to Subaltern His Running of the Protos Car Has Aroused Enthusiasm". The New York Times, July 18, 1908.
^Eger, Christopher. "Lt Hans Koeppen and the 1908 Great Race". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help). See url: http://suite101.com/article/lt-hans-koeppen-and-the-1908-great-race-a180018
hans, koeppen, hans, friedrich, wilhelm, hugo, koeppen, july, 1876, minden, july, 1948, berlin, officer, prussian, army, german, reichswehr, participant, first, race, around, world, hans, friedrich, wilhelm, hugo, koeppenborn, 1876, july, 1876minden, kingdom, . Hans Friedrich Wilhelm Hugo Koeppen July 31 1876 in Minden July 10 1948 in Berlin was an officer in the Prussian army the German Reichswehr and a participant in the first car race around the world Hans Friedrich Wilhelm Hugo KoeppenBorn 1876 07 31 July 31 1876Minden Kingdom of PrussiaDiedJuly 10 1948 1948 07 10 aged 71 Berlin GermanyOccupationArmy Officer Contents 1 Military career 2 Participation in The Great Race 3 Gallery 4 ReferencesMilitary career EditHe joined the 2nd Westphalian Infantry Regiment and in 1894 was promoted to second lieutenant He rose through the ranks and became a full colonel in October 1939 and major general in April 1944 shortly before retiring Participation in The Great Race EditAs a lieutenant he took part in the first touring car rally around the world the 1908 New York to Paris Race 1 Koeppen had never driven before Koeppen s car the Protos Wettfahrtwagen was the first to arrive in Paris beating the next competitor by four days However he was penalized because he had used a rail car for part of the journey and skipped Alaska and thus lost first place 2 In 1909 his book about the race Im Auto um die Welt The World by Car was published and it made him a celebrity or folk hero in Germany His fame helped to popularise the toothbrush moustache in Germany the same style later adopted by Adolf Hitler 3 Gallery EditHans Koeppen The Protos race car Deutsches Museum Munich Grid before the 1908 New York to Paris RaceReferences Edit Germany Awaits Lieut Hans Koeppen From Emperor to Subaltern His Running of the Protos Car Has Aroused Enthusiasm The New York Times July 18 1908 Eger Christopher Lt Hans Koeppen and the 1908 Great Race a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Missing or empty url help See url http suite101 com article lt hans koeppen and the 1908 great race a180018 Rich Cohen Becoming Adolf Vanity Fair November 2007 Reprinted in The Best American Essays 2008 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Hans Koeppen amp oldid 1103788854, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
