A German WWI air ace. He was credited with 28 victories, 20 of these being balloons. When war broke out he was in the artillery, but he was seriously wounded early on. He transferred to the Air Service but again had little luck as he was involved in an early crash. He finally got his wings in 1917 and found that he was more suited to downing balloons than fighters. This was a particularly dangerous job as the balloons were vital for assisting the artillery in their range finding, and thus were heavily defended by ground fire and also there was protection in the air. He received the Pour le Merite in 1918.
After the war it appeared that he could not accept the German defeat, nor the anarchy that was occurring on German streets, and he took his own life.
After the war it appeared that he could not accept the German defeat, nor the anarchy that was occurring on German streets, and he took his own life.
A German WWI air ace. He was credited with 28 victories, 20 of these being balloons. When war broke out he was in the artillery, but he was seriously wounded early on. He transferred to the Air Service but again had little luck as he was involved in an early crash. He finally got his wings in 1917 and found that he was more suited to downing balloons than fighters. This was a particularly dangerous job as the balloons were vital for assisting the artillery in their range finding, and thus were heavily defended by ground fire and also there was protection in the air. He received the Pour le Merite in 1918.
After the war it appeared that he could not accept the German defeat, nor the anarchy that was occurring on German streets, and he took his own life.
After the war it appeared that he could not accept the German defeat, nor the anarchy that was occurring on German streets, and he took his own life.
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