Vizefeldwebel Friedrich Ehmann 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 eight confirmed aerial victories. Possibly, two of his victims were enemy aces: Richard Minifie and

Robert A. Little Robert Alexander Little, (19 July 1895 – 27 May 1918), a World War I fighter pilot, is generally regarded as the most successful Australian flying ace, with an official tally of forty-seven victories. Born in Victoria, he ...

, though it cannot be confirmed. Both survived their respective crashes.

Early life

Friedrich Ehmann's birthplace in the Kingdom of Württemberg can be deduced by its custom of awarding their military medals solely to their own citizens.

World War I

Ehmann first comes to history's notice when he flew for Kest 5 from 22 October to 25 December 1917. During this time, he claimed his first aerial victory, which went unconfirmed. He then transferred to an established fighter squadron, Jasta 47. Ehmann's second confirmed victory was over one of the leading

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty (United Kingdom), Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British ...

aces, Richard Minifie, who had 21 victories. Minifie, who belonged to 1 Naval Squadron, came down unwounded on 17 March 1918, but sat out the remainder of the fighting as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

. On 21 April 1918, Ehmann downed his second enemy ace,

, who was the leading Australian ace of the war, scoring the majority of his wins in a RNAS

Sopwith Triplane The Sopwith Triplane is a British single seat fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War. It has the distinction of being the first military triplane to see operational service. The T ...

, shot down one of Ehmann's squadronmates. When Ehmann, in turn, shot Little down, he crashlanded unhurt behind British lines. Little reported the cause of his downing as a shattered main spar and bullet-riddled controls. Ehmann was awarded Württemberg's Military Merit Order on 18 October 1918. He was also awarded 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 ...

First Class.

List of aerial victories

Post World War I

Ehmann is known to have survived World War I.''Pfalz Aces'', p. 66.

References

* Franks, Norman, Frank W. Bailey, and Russell Guest (1993). ''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914-1918''. Grub Street Publishing. , . * ''Pfalz Scout Aces of World War 1: Volume 71 of Aircraft of the Aces''. Greg Vanwyngarden. Osprey Publishing, 2006. , .

Endnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ehmann, Friedrich German World War I flying aces Year of death unknown Year of birth missing Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Luftstreitkräfte personnel