Ferdinand Schulz
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Ferdinand Schulz Jr. (18 December 1892 – 16 June 1929) was a German aviator and glider pilot who broke a contemporary record by gliding and staying aloft for 14 hours and 7 minutes. He popularized hang-gliding in Germany and was called the ''"Icarus von
Ostpreußen East Prussia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's Free State of Prussia, ...
"''.


Childhood

Schulz was born in Pissau, East Prussia, the eldest child of school teacher Ferdinand and Rosi Scharnick. He studied at a Catholic school in Pissau where his father was the sole teacher. In 1904 he went to
Braunsberg Braniewo () (, , Old Prussian: ''Brus''), is a town in northern Poland, in Warmia, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, with a population of 16,907 as of June 2021. It is the capital of Braniewo County. Braniewo is the second biggest city of ...
, staying with his aunt and attending the grammar school. In 1905 he went to Rössel and in 1911 went to the teacher training college in Thorn.


World War I

In 1914, Ferdinand volunteered for one year to do his military service. On April 1, he was drafted into the 128th Infantry Regiment in
Danzig-Langfuhr Wrzeszcz (pronounced , ; ) is one of the boroughs of the Northern Poland, Polish city of Gdańsk. With a population of more than 65,000 in an area of (population density 6,622), Wrzeszcz is the most populous part of Gdańsk. History The cu ...
. He was assigned to the 3rd battalion. Four months later, on August 1,
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
broke out. Shortly after, he was wounded near Tannenberg and this turned out to be the first of his three wounds. Each time he returned to duty, was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class, with a personal formulation "for bravery in the face of the enemy.". On February 22, 1917, he moved to Schneidemühl. He then attended the Aviation School in Grossenhain, Saxony. On March 9, Schulz first boarded a training aircraft with his instructor. After 46 flights, he was allowed to make his first solo flight. He completed his flight training at the observer school in Schwerin. That same year, Schulz was promoted to the rank of
Unterfeldwebel () was a Military rank, rank of the Wehrmacht from 1935 until 1945. It was also used in the East Germany, East German National People's Army from 1956 to 1990. The equivalent to ''Unterfeldwebel'' in the Bundeswehr of West Germany and later the ...
. At the end of 1917, Ferdinand was transferred to the 2nd Army airfield in Aulony on the Western Front. On January 3, 1918, Schulz and 484 other pilots took off on their first flight to the front. In their first flight, they surprised Allied artillery units that were building a camp behind the forest and were fired upon by them. The shells pierced the wings and fuselage. Another German soldier who saw this was wounded and eventually his engine was hit. The engine began to stop working. Then Schulz raised his plane, turned it around and tried to fly to his army, but had to make an emergency landing in a field. He took the shell that had become stuck in his engine and carried it with him as a talisman. He survived war skirmishes 97 more times which after became a squadron commander with the rank of
lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
, receiving another
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 ...
, this time 1st class.


Post-war era

After the war ended, he returned to Pissau and then began working at a Catholic primary school in Jehlenz. Around this time Schulz began building his first gliders: "FS 1" and "FS 2".


Flying career

From October 1025, 1921, Schulz tried to participate as a novice in the 2nd Röhn Competition, but his machine was rejected by the competition committee. However, he made eight flights outside the competition from the Pelz slope. In one of them, he covered the 365-metre route in 46 seconds. Schulz was awarded a consolation prize of 1,000 Deutsch Marks for his "daring flight". By 1924, Schulz had built 10 different gliders according to his own designs, including aircraft with an auxiliary engine. Of the gliders constructed in
Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...
, the most famous were the "FS 5", "FS 9", "FS 10" and "FS 3" - known as the ''Besenstielkiste''. It was very simple in its construction. Made of broom handles, strips, sheet metal, wire and canvas, it gave the impression of being very primitive. On May 11, 1924, during the 2nd Coastal Gliding Competition in
Rossitten Rybachy (, from ''Рыба́к'', "Fisherman", , ) is a rural settlement in Zelenogradsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Curonian Spit. As of 2010 it has about 839 residents. It was formerly known for the Rossitten Bird Ob ...
, Schulz flew the glider "FS 3" for 8 hours and 42 minutes, which was a world record at the time and became a direct impulse for a small group of gliding enthusiasts to establish the Aviation Association in Willenberg near Marienburg. On May 20, 1925, with the support of Schulz himself, the "Westpreußischer Luftfahrt-Verband" was established, with its headquarters in Marienburg. In autumn of 1925, a group of German pilots was invited to the 3rd All-Russian Gliding Competition, which took place from 1 to 10 October in
Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...
. This group also included Ferdinand Schulz, who flew the "Moritz" performance glider. In this glider, on October 2nd Schulz set a new world record in a long-distance flight in Crimea, lasting 12 hours and 6 minutes. Reaching an altitude of 405 m above sea level, he achieved 2nd place in this competition. After returning to
Rossitten Rybachy (, from ''Рыба́к'', "Fisherman", , ) is a rural settlement in Zelenogradsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Curonian Spit. As of 2010 it has about 839 residents. It was formerly known for the Rossitten Bird Ob ...
, he founded the Gliding School. On 3 June 1926, Schulz, together with Heinz Reichardt, spent 9 hours and 21 minutes in the air. It was not until 1937 in
Sylt Sylt (; ; Söl'ring North Frisian: ) is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, with a distinctively shaped shoreline. It belongs to the North Frisian Islands and is the largest island in North Fris ...
that this record was improved by Ernst Jachtmann and Flossdorf in the "RM 4" glider to 13 hours and 59 minutes. On January 1, 1927, Schulz was given a job as a teacher at the primary school in Marienburg-Sandhof. He settled in Marienburg at the "Kurfürsten" inn (today Bar Puchatek located in Plac Gdański 7). He could now personally supervise the expansion of the glider airfield in the Willenberg county, as well as continue to actively participate in international competitions. On May 2, 1927, he took part in the 4th Gliding Competition in
Rossitten Rybachy (, from ''Рыба́к'', "Fisherman", , ) is a rural settlement in Zelenogradsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Curonian Spit. As of 2010 it has about 839 residents. It was formerly known for the Rossitten Bird Ob ...
. He took off in the glider "Westpreußen" - belonging to the "Westpreußischer Luftfahrt-Verband" and built in Marienburg in 1926 especially for Schulz. On the first day, he broke another record - he flew for 14 hours and 7 minutes. Two days later he broke further records: the altitude record in a shuttle flight (it was 560 m above sea level) and the speed record, which was 54.45 km/h. On May 14, 1927 he set a new record of 60.2 km/h. The most interesting flights were made in his home area – in Willenberg. One day in May 1928, a strong north-westerly wind was blowing at a speed of 14 m/sec., which lifted Schulz to a height of 650 m above sea level, he decided to visit Marienburg. The inhabitants of Marienburg looked at him with amazement, when he suddenly appeared over the castle and the city, flying over it at a height of 150 m above sea level. He spent a total of 4 hours and 1 minute in the air over the city. A month before Schulz's 36th birthday, on November 18, 1928, the residents of Marienburg erected a commemorative stone for their distinguished fellow citizen on the edge of the Marienburg-Willenberg glider airfield. It was a granite block with the inscription: "Segelflieger Ferdinand Schulz'' - 1928". Two days later, Schulz obtained the qualifications to perform aerial acrobatics.


Death

On June 16, 1929 Schulz crashed over the city of
Stuhm Sztum () (formerly ) is a town in northern Poland in the Powiśle region, located in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is the capital of Sztum County, with some 10,141 inhabitants (2004). History Signs of settlement dating back to the Roman Empir ...
along with Bruno Kaiser, while taking part in the ceremonial opening of a monument to those who fell in World War I. The pilots were supposed to fly the Marienburg motor plane over the city and drop a memorial wreath on Bismarck Square when the plane's wing strut broke and crashed into the cobblestones of the city. He is buried in Lidzbark Warmiński (Heilsberg). A monument was also erected in Nida,
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
in 1998. On June 16, 2006, on the anniversary of Schulz's tragic death, a commemorative plaque was unveiled and placed in
Malbork Malbork (German: ''Marienburg'') is a town in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. It is the seat of Malbork County and has a population of 36,709 people as of 2024. The town is located on the Nogat river, in the historical region of Pomerelia. Fo ...
on the wall of the pilot's former home.


References


External links


Memorial at Nida flying school

Memorial in Malbork at his former home
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schulz, Ferdinand 1892 births 1929 deaths German aviators