Canada, Commonwealth. An RCAF ADHQ 1 Wing Lithophane Regimental Stein

In white porcelain, the base inside with a wonderful lithophane (an etched or molded artwork in very thin translucent porcelain or plastic that can be seen clearly only when back lit with a light source) depicting a semi-nude woman in a very revealing dress, maker marked "Hugo Schmidt, Koblenz" on the bottom, the front bearing the Canadian Armed Forces insignia surmounted by the Queen's crown, inscribed "1 ADHQ" (Air Defence Headquarters) to the upper left, "1 WING" to the upper right and "LAHR-SCHWARZWALD / GERMANY" below the insignia, flanked by the Federal Republic of Germany coat-of-arms and inscribed "ALLEMAGNE.GERMANY / DEUTSCHLAND" on the right side, the left side with the coat-of-arms of Lahr-Schwarzwald and inscribed "LAHR-SCHWARZWALD / GERMANY", both arms surmounted by a three tower castle and framed by ornate leafing, trimmed with rules in gold-coloured paint around the terraced circumference above and below the aforementioned three insignia, the handle with swirls also in gold-coloured paint. The lid is in pewter and displays six floral bursts on the ring, the thumb lift bearing the Royal Canadian Air Force insignia, the lid topped by a miniature Canadair CF-104 Starfighter resting upon a pedestal, the stein measuring 115 mm wide at the base x 225 mm in height, is free of chipping, the colours vibrant on the three insignia. Extremely fine.

Footnote: Canadian Forces Base Lahr was a military operated commercial airport located in Lahr, Germany. It was operated primarily as a French Air Force base, and later as a Canadian Army base, beginning in the late 1960s. The military base was closed in 1994 and converted to civilian use. It is now known as the Flughafen Lahr. The land that became CFB Lahr was previously the site of a German airship hangar until 1918, which was then occupiedby the French Air Force from the early 1950s to 1967. Canada established a presence at Lahr during the late 1960s with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) as part of Canadian Forces Europe command. In the early 1950s, the RCAF had established No. 1 Air Division to meet Canada's NATO air defence commitments in Europe. No. 1 Air Division consisted of twelve fighter squadrons located in four wings. Two wings were located in France (No. 1 Wing and No. 2 Wing) and two were located in West Germany (No. 3 Wing and No. 4 Wing). Eight air division squadrons were replaced by (nuclear) strike aircraft in 1962 in support of Canada's new and controversial nuclear strike role. On February 1, 1968, the RCAF merged with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and Canadian Army to form the unified Canadian Forces. RCAF Station Lahr was renamed Canadian Forces Base Lahr, shortened to CFB Lahr.