Georg Zeumer (7 March 1890 – 17 June 1917) 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 pilot known primarily as the man who taught the

Red Baron Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a sec ...

to fly. Zeumer served in the famed Jasta Boelcke (Jasta 2), which produced a number of German World War I aces. He shot down four confirmed planes before dying in combat in 1917.

Early life

Georg Zeumer was born in

Mikołów Mikołów (, ) is a town in Silesia, in southern Poland, near the city of Katowice. Outer town of the Metropolis GZM, a metropolis with a population of over 2 million, and is within a greater Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area populated by abou ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, on 7 March 1890, to a family of factory owners.''Georg Zeumer.'' (n.d.). Gmina Mikołów. https://mikolow.eu/en/hero/georg-zeumer-2/

Military service

Zeumer reportedly already had a pilot's license when

broke out in mid-1914.The Aerodrome Forum. (2004, 16 March – 1 April). ''Informations about Olt. Georg Zeumer?'' nline forum thread The Aerodrome. http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14620 He joined the German flying service in August, and served with ''

Feldflieger Abteilung Feldflieger Abteilung (''FFA'', Field Flying Detachment) was the title of the pioneering field aviation units of (The Air Forces of the German Empire) formed in 1912, which became the ( German air service) on 8 October 1916, during the First World ...

'' 4 (Field Flyer Detachment 4, or FFA 4).Feldflieger-Abteilung 4. (4 March 2020). In ''Wikipedia.'' https://pl.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Feldflieger-Abteilung_4&oldid=58971381 By November 1914, he had been 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 ...

and the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of St. Henry.Franks, N. (2004). ''Jasta Boelcke: The history of Jasta 2, 1916-1918.'' Grub Street. At some point he also received an Ehrenbecher, or "honor cup", one of many engraved silver goblets given as awards to German airmen.
The History of Ehrenbecher Cups.
' (n.d.). Indy Squadron Dispatch. From May to August 1915, Zeumer flew on the Eastern Front with Feldflieger Abteilung 69 (FFA 69), where he befriended

Manfred von Richthofen Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (; 2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of th ...

, better known as the Red Baron. Richthofen, then an

observer An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment. Observer may also refer to: Fiction * ''Observer'' (novel), a 2023 science fiction novel by Robert Lanza and Nancy Kress * ''Observer'' (video game), a cyberpunk horr ...

with no victories to his credit, would go on to become the highest-scoring ace of World War I. Zeumer was Richthofen's first pilot, and in August 1915, the two men flew a Gotha G.I in

Ostend Ostend ( ; ; ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke, Raversijde, Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the la ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, as part of the Brieftauben-Ableitung-Ostende (BAO) unit. Zeumer was with Richthofen during the latter's first aerial combat, in which they tried unsuccessfully to down an Allied reconnaissance place. Richthofen wrote of the experience: Richthofen, M. (1969). ''The Red Baron.'' (P. Kilduff, Trans.). (S. Ulanoff, Ed.). Doubleday & Company. (Original work published 1917) Despite this spat, Richthofen and Zeumer had a close relationship, with Richthofen referring to Zeumer as "my good friend" and writing that Zeumer "flew with rare skill." When Richthofen decided to move from being an observer to a pilot, it was Zeumer who taught him how to fly. In early 1916, both men served with bombing unit

Kampfgeschwader {{wiktionary Kampfgeschwader are the German-language name for (air force) bomber units. In WW1, they were air squadrons, while in WW2, they were air wings. History First World War During World War I, ''Kampfgeschwader'' were specialized bomber ...

2. Zeumer achieved four confirmed victories there, the first of which was a French Nieuport Scout over Douaumont on 11 April 1916. In June 1916, Zeumer was shot down by the French. Although only slightly injured by the crash, he broke his right thigh in a car accident while being transported out,Richthofen, K. (2001). ''Mother of eagles: The war diary of Baroness von Richthofen'' (S. Hayes Fischer, Trans.). Schiffer Publishing Ltd. (Original work published 1937) under what Richthofen described as "quite stupid circumstances." At some point Zeumer was promoted to

Oberleutnant (English: First Lieutenant) is a senior lieutenant Officer (armed forces), officer rank in the German (language), German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. In Austria, ''Oberle ...

, the highest lieutenant officer rank in the German armed forces. In May 1917, he joined Jasta Boelcke, a fighting unit founded by famed German ace

Oswald Boelcke Oswald Boelcke PlM (; 19 May 1891 – 28 October 1916) was a World War I German professional soldier and pioneering flying ace credited with 40 aerial victories. Boelcke is honored as the father of the German fighter air force, and of air ...

Personal life

Following the accident that injured his leg in mid-1916, Zeumer developed diabetes. Because his thigh did not heal properly, he was left with one leg nine centimeters shorter than the other, and had to use a walking stick. Zeumer's comrades nicknamed him "the lunger" because he suffered from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, which in those days was fatal. Knowing his days were numbered, Zeumer gained a reputation for being a reckless flier. This attitude earned him the nickname "Black Cat," and he had a black cat insignia painted on his plane.

Death

Oblt. Georg Zeumer was killed on 17 June 1917, while attacking a British R.E.8 two-seater near

Honnecourt-sur-Escaut Honnecourt-sur-Escaut (, literally '' Honnecourt on Escaut'') is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 647 communes of the Nord departmen ...

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. The plane was crewed by Lt. Douglas and Lt. E. O. Houghton of the 59 Squadron. Houghton's combat report reads: Manfred von Richthofen mentioned Zeumer's death in a letter later published in ''Ein Heldenleben'', a 1920 compilation of his autobiography ('' The Red Fighter Pilot'') and related writings. Historian Norman Franks quotes the passage in his book ''Jasta Boelcke'':

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeumer, Georg 1890 births 1917 deaths Aviators killed by being shot down German military personnel killed in World War I Luftstreitkräfte personnel People from Mikołów Military personnel from the Province of Silesia Recipients of the Iron Cross