Some stories are chilling. Some make you laugh, some make you cry. The story that we are about to discover is a mixture of emotions, a lesson in humility. This story is that of a courageous hero, of an extraordinary yet forgotten pilot. It's that of Ernst Degner.
If you don't know Ernst Degner, don't panic! He is one of those legends that history has swallowed up. Born in 1931, he was a great motorcyclist champion,
50 1962cc world champion. His track record, however, is not what matters most to Ernst.
The crazy story begins at the end of the Second World War. Ernst's father has just died. The rest of his family absolutely must leave Gliwice – his hometown, now located in Poland – in order to avoid the advance of the Russian army towards the West. This is how the young Ernst, accompanied by his sister and his mother, settled in Luckau, not far from Berlin.
Like many other important cities in the region, it will, some time later, be located on the territory of the
German Democratic Republic. To top it all off, his mother died during this difficult transition period.
The story doesn't start off in the best way. But full of good will, Ernst, good at school, decides to study in Potsdam. It was at this time that he met an enthusiast named Daniel Zimmerman. Passionate about mechanics, the latter was in the process of developing a brand new machine.
It was on these 125cc motorcycles that Degner began competing in 1952. The ZPH stood up to the best East German two-wheelers, which led to him being spotted at the end of 1955, and not by just anyone. The famous German engineer
Walter Kaaden, head of MZ.
MZ, at the time, was a reference in the two-stroke field. This is how, in a few years, Degner found himself propelled to the rank of engineer/tester at MZ, in the legendary Zschopau workshops. After triumphing in the national championship,
Degner and M.Z. launched an attack on the 125cc world championships from 1956.
Degner, in 1963. Photo: Mat Oxley
From 1959, Kaaden's avant-garde work paid off. The first victory at the Grand Prix des Nations in Monza caused a stir throughout the GDR. But Degner is not blind. He and his wife observe the way of life of people from Western and Southern Europe, during various trips as part of the world championships.
Thus, Degner sets out to “liberate” his loved ones. In other words, to organize a real escape from East Germany.
Everything happened at the 1961 Swedish Grand Prix. During the race, Degner could still be titled but a mysterious mechanical problem cut his race short. Meanwhile, his family had already set sail towards Dillingen, not far from the French border, in a way that could not be more incredible, which unfortunately cannot be detailed here. In the middle of the night, he takes his modest car and sets off towards Denmark to take the ferry.
Once he arrives in West Germany, he heads south to find his family in safety. An escape worthy of the greatest Hollywood films. They will be regularized a little later by an engineer responsible for the motorcycles. EMC, Dr. Joe Ehrlich.
Meanwhile, the MZ clan is furious. While they were able to play for the world title, the team found itself without a driver. The company's managers are convinced that the latter tampered with his engine so as not to have to finish the race. In East Germany, everything is known quickly.
A few weeks later, MZ filed a complaint; the state accuses him of having abandoned the country by deliberately breaking his machine. Immediately, his license is torn up. The complaint filed with the FIM will not be successful, to the great happiness of Ernst and his family.
The situation is not stable. Degner knows what he meant for the GDR, and that East German thugs have no borders. The perfect opportunity presented itself when Suzuki approached him,
November 1961. Head to Hamamatsu, Japan, for another chapter in a decidedly eventful life.
See you tomorrow for the rest of this ludicrous story.
Cover photo: Joop Van Bilsen / ANEFO
