Feodora Schmitt & Lieselotte Weitzel – German Women’s Glider Records, Sylt North Sea – 1937 Press Photo

This original July 9, 1937 press photograph captures a rare and historically significant moment in pre-WWII German aviation—two pioneering women competing for soaring endurance records over the North Sea island of Sylt.

Feodora Schmitt achieved a remarkable 18 hours, 31 minutes in the air on July 2, 1937, before Lieselotte (Linge) Weitzel reclaimed the title with an astonishing 23 hours, 42 minutes of continuous flight. Both records were set using ridge and thermal lift along Sylt’s steep coastline—a gliding paradise where onshore winds allowed pilots to stay aloft for extraordinary durations.

The photograph, distributed by N.E.A. and ACME Newspictures, shows a Wolf Hirth–designed German sailplane banking gracefully over the island’s rugged cliffs and brush-covered dunes, with the North Sea shimmering in the background. The sleek lines of the glider, combined with the isolated, dramatic seascape, make this image a poetic celebration of the romance and challenge of unpowered flight.

Details:

• Date: July 9, 1937 (event July 2–3, 1937)

• Location: Sylt, North Sea, Germany

• Subjects: Feodora Schmitt & Lieselotte (Linge) Weitzel – endurance record flights

• Aircraft: Likely a Wolf Hirth–designed sailplane

• Source/Credit: N.E.A. & ACME Newspictures

• Condition: Excellent contrast, minimal handling wear; original editorial caption on reverse

• Historical Note: Women were rare in competitive aviation during the 1930s, and these record flights were celebrated internationally as feats of skill, endurance, and pioneering spirit.