Leutnant Franz Brandt (13 February 1893 – 1954) was a German 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 ten confirmed aerial victories, as well as three unconfirmed claims.The Aerodrome website page on Brandt http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/brandt.php Retrieved on 20 April 2010.

Early life

Franz Brandt was born on 13 February 1893 in

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the largest town in population between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district () of Minden-Lübbecke, situated in the cultural region ...

World War I service

Brandt entered the war an artilleryman. In July 1915 he transferred to aviation. His first assignment after training was ''Kampfstaffel'' (Tactical Bomber Squadron) 14, between July and September 1916. In December, he moved on to ''

Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (; ; SS; also stylised with SS runes as ''ᛋᛋ'') was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II. It beg ...

'' (Protection Squadron) 2; he saw some action there, but no results yet. On 2 February 1917, he was reassigned, to '' Jagdstaffel 19''. There he flew an

Albatros D.II The Albatros D.II was a German fighter aircraft used during World War I. After a successful combat career in the early '' Jagdstaffeln'', it was gradually superseded by the Albatros D.III. Design and development Albatros designers Robert Thel ...

.The Aerodrome website page on Jasta 19 http://www.theaerodrome.com/services/germany/jasta/jasta19.php Retrieved on 25 November 2017. He scored his first victory on 4 May, downing a

Spad VII The SPAD S.VII C.1 was the first in a series of single-seat biplane fighter aircraft produced by ''Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés'' (SPAD) during the First World War. Like its successors, the S.VII was renowned as a sturdy and rugge ...

. On 21 August 1917, he took out an enemy

observation balloon An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for gathering intelligence and spotting artillery. The use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World ...

for his second triumph. On 31 December 1917, he changed squadrons again, to '' Jagdstaffel 27''. In his tenure there, he downed enemy fighter planes on 23 January, 7 April, and 17 June 1918. On 27 June 1918, he was appointed to command of '' Jagdstaffel 26''. Between 7 July and 22 September, he shot down four enemy fighters and a two-seater. Brandt ended the war still commanding ''Jagdstaffel 26''.

Decorations and awards

* Royal Order of the House of Hohenzollern *

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 ...

of 1914, 1st and 2nd class

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. , . 1893 births 1954 deaths German World War I flying aces People from Minden Military personnel from the Province of Westphalia Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Military personnel from North Rhine-Westphalia {{wwi-air