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Balloon Buster
Balloon busters were military pilots known for destroying enemy observation balloons. These pilots were noted for their fearlessness, as balloons were stationary targets able to receive heavy defenses, from the ground and the air. Seventy-seven flying aces in World War I were each credited with destroying five or more balloons, and thus were balloon aces. The crucial role of observation balloons An observation balloon was both a vulnerable and a valuable target: the balloon was moored in a stationary position and was lifted by flammable hydrogen gas, whose use was necessitated by the scarcity of helium reserves among European powers. The artillery observer, suspended in the wicker basket beneath, typically had a wireless transmitter, binoculars and/or a long-range camera. His job was to observe actions on the front-line and behind it, to spot enemy troop movements or unusual activity of any sort, and to call down artillery fire onto any worthwhile targets. Balloon observers we ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Angriff Auf Feindlichen Fesselballon 1918 '', a Nazi newspaper
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Angriff may refer to: * '' Angriff!'', a collectible miniatures game * "Angriff", a song by Front Line Assembly off their album '' Improvised Electronic Device'' * ''Der Angriff'' (film), a 1988 West German television movie * ''Der Angriff ''Der Angriff'' (in English "The Attack") is a discontinued German language newspaper founded in 1927 by the Berlin Gau of the Nazi Party. The last edition was published on 24 April 1945. History The newspaper was set up by Joseph Goebbels, wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Interplane Strut
In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in compression or tension as the need arises, and/or wires, which act only in tension. In general, bracing allows a stronger, lighter structure than one which is unbraced, but external bracing in particular adds drag which slows down the aircraft and raises considerably more design issues than internal bracing. Another disadvantage of bracing wires is that they require routine checking and adjustment, or rigging, even when located internally. During the early years of aviation, bracing was a universal feature of all forms of aeroplane, including the monoplanes and biplanes which were then equally common. Today, bracing in the form of lift struts is still used for some light commercial designs where a high wing and light weight are more imp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oskar Hennrich
Oskar Hennrich was a German World War I flying ace credited with 20 aerial victories. He was a notable balloon buster, as thirteen of his wins were destructions of observation balloons. He was the leading ace of his squadron, and ended his service with the rank of Vizefeldwebel.The Aerodrome website http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/hennrich.php Retrieved on 16 April 2010. Aerial service Hennrich's first assignment was as an aerial gunner with ''Kampfgeschwader'' (Tactical Bomber Wing) II, from 20 April 1916 to 20 February 1917. He then trained as a pilot, and was assigned to ''Flieger-Abteilung (Artillerie)'' (Flier Detachment (Artillery)) 273 on 10 October 1917. He moved on to ''Jagdstaffel 46'' (Fighter Squadron 46) on 6 May 1918. On 14 May 1918 he scored his first victory flying a Fokker D.VII with his initial 'H' on the fuselage; he shot down an observation balloon west of Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Cze ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karl Schlegel (aviator)
Karl Paul Schlegel (7 May 1893 – 27 October 1918) was a German World War I flying ace credited with 22 victories. Schlegel was shot down by French ace Petar Marinovich. He was the last German ace to be killed in World War I. Prewar life Karl Paul Schlegel was born in Wechselburg, the Kingdom of Saxony on 7 May 1893. He began attending military school in 1907. On 1 April 1912, he began active duty in the Royal Sachensburg Machine Gun Section #19 as a Gefreiter. He would later be serving with the 8th Cavalry Division when World War I began. World War I service Schlegel served in both France and Russia as a cavalry sergeant in the early days of World War I. He won the Second Class Iron Cross during 1914. In April 1915, he was also awarded his native Saxony's Silver Military Order of St. Henry. That summer, he was the first noncommissioned officer in his division to win the First Class Iron Cross. However, he was tired of service in the trenches and volunteered for aeri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Luke
Frank Luke Jr. (May 19, 1897 – September 29, 1918) was an American fighter ace credited with 19 aerial victories, ranking him second among United States Army Air Service pilots after Captain Eddie Rickenbacker during World War I. Luke was the first airman to receive the Medal of Honor and first USAAS ace in a day. Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, a United States Air Force pilot training installation since World War II, is named in his honor. Early life and career Luke was born May 19, 1897, in Phoenix, Arizona, after his father emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1874 and settled there. Frank was his family's fifth child, and had eight brothers and sisters. He grew up excelling in sports, working in copper mines, and participating in bare-knuckle boxing matches. Following the United States' entry into World War I in April 1917, Frank enlisted in the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps on September 25, 1917, and received pilot training in Texas and California. After ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andrew Beauchamp-Proctor
Andrew Frederick Weatherby (Anthony) Beauchamp-Proctor, (4 September 1894 – 21 June 1921) was a South African airman and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was South Africa's leading ace of the First World War, being credited with 54 aerial victories. Early life Beauchamp-Proctor was born 4 September 1894 in Mossel Bay, Cape Colony, the second son of a school teacher. He attended the oldest school in the country, South African College Schools, Cape Town, where he was a resident of the oldest residence in the country, College House Residence (where his father was warden). He was studying engineering at University of Cape Town when the European war broke out. He took leave from his studies to join the Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles. He served as a signalman in the German South-West Africa campaign. In August 1915, he was demobilised with an honorable discharge. H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heinrich Gontermann
Heinrich Gontermann (25 February 1896 – 30 October 1917) was a German fighter ace credited with 39 victories during the First World War. Early life Born in Siegen, Southern Westphalia, on 25 February 1896,''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918'', p. 116. Heinrich Gontermann grew into a tall slender man, full of vitality. He abstained from smoking and was only a social drinker. He was a patriotic, religious introvert. Gontermann's father, a cavalry officer, pushed him towards a career in the military. After leaving school, Heinrich enlisted into the 6th Uhlan Cavalry Regiment in Hanau on 14 August 1914. Only days after arriving in his regiment, he was sent into action. Gontermann had a reputation for being aloof, but during his time with the Uhlans he displayed leadership abilities. He was slightly wounded in September 1914, and he was promoted to Feldwebel. Early in the spring of 1915, he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jacques Ehrlich
Sous Lieutenant Jacques Louis Ehrlich (1893-1953) was a French World War I flying ace credited with 19 aerial victories; he was one of the leading balloon busters of the war. Biography Jacques Louis Ehrlich was born in Paris on 25 October 1893.''Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918'', pp. 157 - 158 He enlisted in the French army on 29 May 1913.''Balloon-Busting Aces of World War 1'', p. 15. Three and a half years later, in December 1916, he transferred to aviation. In May 1917, he was brevetted a pilot. Two months later, he was badly wounded while on a trench-strafing mission. He returned to duty in November as a newly promoted sergeant.The Aerodrome websitAccessed 19 December 2009. Beginning on 30 June 1918, he was one of a "wolf pack" of his squadron's pilots dedicated to the highly hazardous pursuit of destroying German observation balloons. From that first victory, through the next two and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Friedrich Ritter Von Röth
Oberleutnant Friedrich Ritter von Röth (29 September 1893 – 31 December 1918) was a German World War I fighter ace with 28 victories. He was the most successful German pilot at the extremely hazardous practice of shooting down enemy observation balloons, and destroyed 20 of them. Röth concentrated on observation balloons because they were large enough targets for him to see and hit with machine gun fire. Distressed by his nation's loss of the war, and by his religious compunctions against killing, he shot himself to death on 31 December 1918. Early life Friedrich Röth was born in Nurnburg, Germany on 29 September 1893. He was the son of a factory owner. He became known by the nickname of "Fritz". He was just graduating college when World War I broke out.''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918'', pp. 192-193 Early service Friedrich Röth served originally in the 8th Bavarian Fi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maurice Boyau
Maurice Jean-Paul Boyau (8 May 1888 – 16 September 1918) was a French rugby union player and a leading French ace of the First World War with 35 victories, and one of the most successful balloon busters. Balloon busting was the dangerous act of bringing down enemy observation balloons; these balloons were densely protected by anti-aircraft artillery and patrol flights.http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/boyau.htm Born in Mustapha, Algeria, on 8 May 1888, Boyau first served in the 144th Infantry Regiment before the war. Boyau was already known to the public when war began in 1914, having led the French rugby team. He served as an Army Service Corps driver for the first year or so of the conflict, then was accepted for pilot training. Biography Sporting career Passionate and endowed for all sports, he particularly practised rugby union at the highest level. He played as a winger or center with US Dax at first (whose stadium is currently named after him, and where a statue w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michel Coiffard
Michel Joseph Callixte Marie Coiffard (16 July 1892 – 29 October 1918) was one of the leading French flying aces of World War I. He was notable for his success as a balloon buster shooting down enemy observation balloons, which were usually heavily defended by anti-aircraft machine guns and artillery and by fighter planes. He scored 34 victories in his career. Life prior to aerial service Coiffard was born in Nantes, Loire-Atlantique, on 16 July 1892 to Jean Coiffard and Mary Josephine Teresa de Laurent. He joined the army on 16 November 1910.''Over the Front'', p. 133. The following year, he served against the Rifs in Morocco. He also served in Tunisia before World War I. He was wounded three times during his service in Africa, and awarded three citations while there. He was serving in an artillery unit when World War I began in 1914. Repeatedly wounded and cited for courage under fire, Coiffard transferred to the infantry as a sergeant on 29 August 1914. On 29 May 1915, he ea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Léon Bourjade
Léon Bourjade (25 May 1889 – 22 October 1924), born Jean-Pierre Léon Bourjade, was a leading French fighter pilot in World War I, notable for being his country's leading balloon-busting ace. He interrupted his theological studies to fight in World War I; post-war, he completed his studies and spent the few remaining years of his life as a missionary in what is now Papua New Guinea. Early life and service Bourjade was born at Montauban, France on 25 May 1889. It was his childhood dream to become a missionary priest. His studies to that end were interrupted by his compulsory military service for France. Upon his release from service, he resumed his studies, but in Switzerland. In 1914 he returned to France to enter the army. He served as an enlisted artilleryman for nearly three years. His initial service was with 23eme Regiment d'Artillerie for the First Battle of the Marne. In 1915, he transferred to the 125e Brigade de Bombardiers, a mortar brigade. While serving with this u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
