Josef Schwendemann
Vizefeldwebel Josef Schwendemann was a World War I flying ace credited with 17 aerial victories.The Aerodrome website page on SchwendemanRetrieved 5 January 2010. Biography See also Aerial victory standards of World War I Josef Schwendemann is believed to have been born in 1888. Initially serving in the trenches early in World War I, and twice being wounded, Schwendemann transferred to ''Die Fliegertruppe'' (The Flying Troupe) in June 1916. He served with ''Schutzstaffel 14'' from February 1917 before being sent to fighter school to become a pilot. He was posted to ''Jagdstaffel 41'' in September. On the 19th, he shot down his first enemy. He would run off a string of 11 more victories by 25 July, the majority being opposing enemy fighters. He was then supplied with a new Fokker D.VII;''Fokker D VII Aces of World War 1, Part 2.''. p. 65 he scored five more victories with it, though details have been lost. On 30 September 1918, he was honored Prussia's highest decoration for valor, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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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 and Bulgaria. ' is a contraction of meaning 'field' and , an archaic word meaning 'usher'. comes from the Old High German , meaning to go back and forth (as in 'wobble'). There are variations on , such as '' Oberstabsfeldwebel'' ('Superior Staff Field Usher'), which is the highest non-commissioned rank in the German army and air force. in different languages The rank is used in several countries: , , , and . In Swiss German the spelling is used. in different countries and armed forces Austria ' was a typical infantry rank of the k.u.k. Austro-Hungarian Army (1867–1918). It might have been comparable to NCO-rank OR8.The abbreviation "OR" stands for ''"Other Ranks / fr: sous-officiers et militaires du rang / ru:други ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jagdstaffel 41
Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 41, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 41, 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 73 aerial victories during the war, including ten observation balloons downed. The squadron's victories came at the expense of ten killed in action, two killed in flying accidents, three wounded in action, and one taken prisoner of war. History Jasta 41 was founded at ''Flieger-Abteilung'' (Flier Detachment) 4, Posen on 18 June 1917. It scored its first aerial victory on 3 September 1917. Commanding officers (''Staffelführer'') * Maxmilian Zeigler gen Stege: until 3 September 1917 * Georg Schlenker: 3 September 1917 * Fritz Höhn: 30 September 1918 * Helmut Brünig: 4 October 1918 Duty stations * Posen * Habsheim Habsheim () is a Communes of France, commune in the Haut-Rhin Departments of France, department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It forms par ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Military Merit Cross (Prussia)
The Military Merit Cross (German: ''Militär-Verdienstkreuz'') was the highest bravery award of the Kingdom of Prussia for non-commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers. It was also known as the Golden Military Merit Cross (''Goldenes Militär-Verdienstkreuz'') to distinguish it from the Military Decoration 1st Class (''Militär-Ehrenzeichen I. Klasse''), a lesser Prussian enlisted bravery decoration which was an identical cross but in silver. The Military Merit Cross came to also be known as the "Pour le Mérite for non-commissioned officers and enlisted men" (''Orden Pour le Mérite für Unteroffiziere und Mannschaften''), after the Pour le Mérite, Prussia's highest military decoration for officers. The Military Merit Cross was founded by King Wilhelm I of Prussia on February 27, 1864. It was originally reserved for those in the rank of '' Feldwebel'' (the then-highest NCO grade) and below, but eligibility was later extended to soldiers in the rank of ''Offizier-Stellvertr ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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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 ace varies, but is usually considered to be five or more. The concept of the "Ace (military), ace" emerged in 1915 during World War I, at the same time as aerial dogfighting. It was a propaganda term intended to provide the home front with a cult of the hero in what was otherwise a Attrition warfare, war of attrition. The individual actions of aces were widely reported and the image was disseminated of the ace as a chivalrous knight reminiscent of a bygone era. For a brief early period when air-to-air combat was just being invented, the exceptionally skilled pilot could shape the battle in the skies. For most of the war, however, the image of the ace had little to do with the reality of air warfare, in which fighters fought in formation an ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Aerial Victory Standards Of World War I
During World War I, the national air services involved developed their own methods of assessing and assigning credit for aerial victories. For various reasons, all belligerents engaged in overclaiming aerial victories to a greater or lesser degree. The accuracy of reported aerial victories varied widely according to definitions and terminology, how strict the standards of verification were defined and upheld, and how well they were able to control for all sorts of cognitive biases in assessing the evidence of aerial victory claims. Introduction As aerial combat was a new phenomenon at the war's outbreak, it drew a lot of attention in the press. The idea of " flying aces" (first coined by the French in 1915) who defeated multiple opponents in the skies quickly became popular, but initially there were no rules for determining who "won" an aerial engagement, or what criteria makes someone an "ace". Former '' Wings'' editor Wayne Ralph (2008) observed: 'In the First World War, the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Fokker D
Fokker (; ) was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer that operated from 1912 to 1996. The company was founded by the Dutch aviator Anthony Fokker and became famous during World War I for its fighter aircraft. During its most successful period in the 1920s and 1930s, Fokker dominated the civil aviation market. The company's fortunes declined over the course of the late 20th century; it declared bankruptcy in 1996, and its operations were sold to competitors. History Fokker in Germany At age 20, while studying in Germany, Anthony Fokker built his initial aircraft, the ''Spin'' (Spider)—the first Dutch-built plane to fly in his home country. Taking advantage of better opportunities in Germany, he moved to Berlin, where in 1912, he founded his first company, Fokker Aeroplanbau, later moving to the Görries suburb just southwest of Schwerin (at ), where the current company was founded, as Fokker Aviatik GmbH, on 12 February 1912. World War I Fokker capitalized on having sold several ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Norman Franks
Norman Leslie Robert Franks (1940 – 21 May 2023) was an English militaria writer who specialised in aviation topics. He focused on the pilots and squadrons of World Wars I and II. Biography Franks published his first book in 1976. He was an Organisation and Methods Officer with the Nationwide Building Society in London before he retired. He lived in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, with his wife Heather. They had two sons, Rob and Mike, and five grandchildren. He was a consultant for the Channel 4 television series ''Dogfight: The Mystery of the Red Baron''. His 1995 book on the Red Baron was published and reissued by three publishers. He was also one of the founding members of the Cross and Cockade society for World War I aviation historians, which was formed in 1970, and a member of Over the Front, the league of World War I aviation historians. In total, he authored over 120 books covering military aviation. Published works *Franks, Norman. ''Double Mission: Fighter ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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1918 Deaths
The ceasefire that effectively ended the World War I, First World War took place on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of this year. Also in this year, the Spanish flu pandemic killed 50–100 million people worldwide. In Russia, this year runs with only 352 days. As the result of Julian to Gregorian calendar switch, 13 days needed to be skipped. Wednesday, January 31 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was immediately followed by Thursday, February 14 ''(Gregorian Calendar)''. Events World War I will be abbreviated as "WWI" January * January – 1918 flu pandemic: The "Spanish flu" (influenza) is first observed in Haskell County, Kansas. * January 4 – The Finnish Declaration of Independence is recognized by Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Soviet Russia, Sweden, German Empire, Germany and France. * January 8 – American president Woodrow Wilson presents the Fourteen Points as a basis for peace negotiations to end the war. * January 9 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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1888 Births
Events January * January 3 – The great telescope (with an objective lens of diameter) at Lick Observatory in California is first used. * January 12 – The Schoolhouse Blizzard hits Dakota Territory and the states of Montana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas and Texas, leaving 235 dead, many of them children on their way home from school. * January 13 – The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C. * January 19 – The Battle of the Grapevine Creek, the last major conflict of the Hatfield–McCoy feud in the Southeastern United States. * January 21 – The Amateur Athletic Union is founded by William Buckingham Curtis in the United States. * January 26 – The Lawn Tennis Association is founded in England. February * February 27 – In West Orange, New Jersey, Thomas Edison meets with Eadweard Muybridge, who proposes a scheme for sound film. March * March 8 – The Agriculture College of Utah (later Utah State University) i ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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German World War I Flying Aces
German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also German nationality law **Germanic peoples (Roman era) * German diaspora * German language * German cuisine, traditional foods of Germany People * German (given name) * German (surname) * Germán, a Spanish name Places * German (parish), Isle of Man * German, Albania, or Gërmej * German, Bulgaria * German, Iran * German, North Macedonia * German, New York, U.S. * Agios Germanos, Greece Other uses * German (mythology), a South Slavic mythological being * Germans (band), a Canadian rock band * "German" (song), a 2019 song by No Money Enterprise * ''The German'', a 2008 short film * "The Germans", an episode of ''Fawlty Towers'' * ''The German'', a nickname for Congolese rebel André Kisase Ngandu See also * Germanic (disam ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Luftstreitkräfte Personnel
The ''Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte'' (, German Air Combat Forces)known before October 1916 as (The Imperial German Air Service, lit. "The flying troops of the German Kaiser’s Reich")was the air arm of the Imperial German Army. In English-language sources it is usually referred to as the Imperial German Air Service, although that is not a literal translation of either name. German naval aviation, naval aviators of the were an integral part of the Imperial German Navy (). Both military branches operated aeroplanes, observation balloons and airships. Founding The Imperial German Army created an experimental balloon company inspired by the American balloon corps they had seen while observing the American Civil War, with varying forms of organisation from 1884 to 1901 until a Balloon Battalion was finally formed. The rapid development of aeronautics led to trials of airships and the choice of rigid types built by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin, Zeppelin and List of Schütte-Lanz airships, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |