The Der Dessauer was a competitor at the 1923 Rhön (Wasserkuppe) competition; though it did not win it, pilot Otto Thomsen used its manoeuvrability, particularly in circling, to advantage. On the last day of the contest, 30 August, a crowd of about 30,000 people gathered to observe the dedication of a memorial to those glider pilots who had died on the Wasserkuppe. Despite very gusty conditions, several gliders flew and some crashed; amongst these was Der Dessauer. Violent wing oscillations set in and although Thomsen was able to bring the aircraft down before the wings broke away, the impact very seriously damaged it. The accident was blamed upon resonances caused by the elastic wing struts. Thomsen was not seriously hurt.