Leutnant Fritz Höhn (31 May 1896 – 3 October 1918) was a German

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 ...

fighter 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 21 victories. He had worked his way up to being a fighter squadron commander and was eligible for 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 ...

's highest award for heroism, the Blue Max, when he was killed in action on 3 October 1918.

Early life and service

Fritz Höhn was born in

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden form ...

, on 31 May 1896. He began his military service in the elite 7th Guards Infantry Regiment.Franks et al 1993, pp. 130-131.

Aerial service

Höhn began aerial duty as an artillery spotter in two-seated reconnaissance planes, flying for ''Flieger-Abteilung'' (Flier Detachment) 227. He was seconded to ''Jastaschule II'' and graduated as a

fighter pilot A fighter pilot or combat pilot is a Military aviation, military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, Air-to-ground weaponry, air-to-ground combat and sometimes Electronic-warfare aircraft, electronic warfare while in the cockpit of ...

. He joined a fighter squadron, Royal

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

'' Jagdstaffel 21'' on 15 November 1917, just as they received new Pfalz D.IIIs. He shot down a

Breguet 14 The Breguet XIV (in contemporary practice) or Breguet 14 is a French biplane bomber and reconnaissance aircraft of World War I. It was built in very large numbers and production continued for many years after the end of the war. The Breguet 14 w ...

bomber on 1 December 1917 for his first victory. PfalzD

Höhn then had Pfalz no. 4011/17 painted with diagonal stripes to deceive the aim of anyone shooting at him. He also had two rearview mirrors and a

teddy bear A teddy bear, or simply a teddy, is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. The teddy bear was named by Morris Michtom after the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt; it was developed apparently simultaneously in the first deca ...

wired on the rear of the

cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, on the front part of an aircraft, spacecraft, or submersible, from which a pilot controls the vehicle. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the controls th ...

, facing tailwards. However, it is unknown if Höhn and his teddy bear mascot were successful with this particular plane. He did become a

balloon buster Balloon busters were military pilots known for destroying enemy observation balloons. These pilots were noted for their fearlessness, as balloons were stationary targets able to receive heavy defenses, from the ground and the air. Seventy-seven fl ...

for his next win, shooting down a French kite balloon from ''33e Compagnie de Aerostiers'' on 11 April 1918. The next day, he downed a Spad and a balloon. On 20 April, he scored two victories on balloons—one from the ''45e'' and ''75e Compagnies''—making him an ace. In the process, he was severely wounded in the knee. Höhn would be out of action until August. By the time he could return to combat, he had been awarded both classes of 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 ...

and the Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern. Beginning on 20 August 1918, he added two more enemy aircraft and two more observation balloons to his tally by month's end. That made him a double ace, with ten victories, and a balloon ace, with six.

Höhn in command

Towards the end of the month, Höhn had a fleeting assignment as commander of Royal

Prussian Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, the House of Hohenzoll ...

'' Jagdstaffel 81'' that lasted until 3 September.VanWyngarden 2006, p. 76. He shot down a Spad on both 2 and 3 September. For the rest of the month of September 1918, Höhn was the acting commander of Royal Prussian '' Jagdstaffel 60''. While with them, he scored two Spads and four more balloons. He then was given command of Royal Prussian '' Jagdstaffel 41''. He scored each of the first three days of October 1918, running his total to 21. He was killed in action on 3 October 1918. His

Fokker D.VII The Fokker D.VII is a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the '' Fokker-Flugzeugwerke''. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII ...

was downed by a member of French squadron Spa67. Neither his dual rear-view mirrors nor his teddy bear mascot saved him. Höhn's final victory total was ten balloons and eleven airplanes. If he had survived, he would have been eligible for the

's highest honor for valor, the

Pour le Merite Pour is a name which can be used as a surname and a given name: * Kour Pour (born 1987), American artist of Iranian and British descent * Mehdi Niyayesh Pour (born 1992), Iranian footballer * Mojtaba Mobini Pour (born 1991), Iranian footballer * P ...

, upon confirmation of his 20th victory.

References

Sources

* Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank W.; Guest, Russell. ''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918''. Grub Street, 1993. , . * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hohn, Fritz 1896 births 1918 deaths German World War I flying aces Military personnel from Wiesbaden Military personnel from Hesse-Nassau Prussian Army personnel Luftstreitkräfte personnel German military personnel killed in World War I Aviators killed by being shot down