'' Offizierstellvertreter'' Bernhard Ultsch (born 26 March 1898, date of death unknown) was a World War I

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

credited with twelve aerial victories.The Aerodrome website http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/ultsch.php Retrieved on 17 April 2010.

Early life

Bernhard Ultsch was born in

Wunsiedel (; Northern Bavarian: ''Wåuṉsieḏl'' or ''Wousigl'') is the seat of the Upper Franconian district of in northeast Bavaria, Germany. The town is the birthplace of poet Jean Paul. It also became known for its annual Festival and the Rudolf ...

, Bavaria, the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

on 26 March 1898.

Military service

Ultsch volunteered for service in the artillery when World War I began. During his service with them, he won the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

Second Class and a promotion to

Unteroffizier () is a junior non-commissioned officer rank used by the . It is also the collective name for all non-commissioned officers in Austria and Germany. It was formerly a rank in the Imperial Russian Army. Austria , also , is the collective name to ...

. He then transferred to aviation, beginning Fliegerschule 2 at Neustadt on 19 September 1916. His first assignment was to Schutzstaffel 29 to fly two-seaters. There he received his pilot's badge on 18 June 1917, along with his native Bavaria's Military Merit Cross Third Class with Swords. He scored his first three victories there, on 24 and 29 July, and on 4 September. On 9 September, he was reassigned to fly fighters for

Jagdstaffel 39 Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 39, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 39, was a "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. The unit would score 68 aerial victories duri ...

in Italy. He received the Iron Cross First Class on 22 September. During October and November 1917, he scored five more wins. He was also promoted again, to

Vizefeldwebel '' '' (Fw or F, ) is a non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in several countries. The rank originated in Germany, and is also used in Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. The rank has also been used in Russia, Austria-Hungary, occupied Serbia ...

, on 28 October. On 31 December, he was awarded the

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

Silver Bravery Medal. In February 1918, he was transferred back to the Western Front and stationed with

Jagdstaffel 77 Royal Bavarian Jagdstaffel 77, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 77, was a "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. The squadron would score over 28 aerial vict ...

. He had a couple of unconfirmed wins in March, followed by a couple that were confirmed. Then, on 5 May, he was wounded in action, and off duty until 22 August. He came back for two last wins in September 1918. Also during September, he was awarded the Bavarian Military Merit Cross Second Class with Swords.

Sources of information

References

* ''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914 - 1918'' Norman L. R. Franks, et al. Grub Street, 1993. , . {{DEFAULTSORT:Ultsch, Bernhard 1898 births People from Wunsiedel Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class German World War I flying aces Military personnel from the Kingdom of Bavaria Year of death unknown Military personnel from Bavaria Luftstreitkräfte personnel