''Vizefeldwebel'' Gottfried Ehmann was a German World War I

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

credited with twelve aerial victories. Franks et al 1993, p. 103The Aerodrome website's page on Ehmann http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/ehmann2.php Retrieved on 13 April 2010.

Aerial service

Ehmann was assigned as a gunner/observer in a German two-seater unit, ''Schlachtstaffel 15''. As a ''Flieger'', he and a pilot named Warda had teamed-up for three victories, on 30 October 1917, 21 March, and 24 April 1918. They had also been promoted twice—to ''

Gefreiter Gefreiter (, abbr. Gefr.; plural ''Gefreite'') is a Germany, German, Switzerland, Swiss and Austrian military rank that has existed since the 16th century. It is usually the second rank or grade to which an Enlisted rank, enlisted soldier, airman ...

'' and ''

Unteroffizier () is a junior non-commissioned officer rank used by the . It is also the collective name for all non-commissioned officers in Austria and Germany. It was formerly a rank in the Imperial Russian Army. Austria , also , is the collective name to ...

''—and awarded the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia e ...

Second Class. Ehmann was then paired-off with

Friedrich Huffzky Feldwebel Friedrich Huffzky was a German flying ace during World War I. He was the pilot of the most successful two-seater German fighter crew of the war, scoring nine confirmed aerial victories. World War I service Friedrich Huffzky is known to ...

in a Halberstadt CL.II. Between 4 June and 29 July 1918, the duo scored a string of nine victories, making them the most successful German two-seater team of the war. It also made Ehmann the top German two-seater gunner. These feats were recognized by the award of the Iron Cross First Class, the Golden Military Merit Cross (on 9 August 1918), as well as the Gold and Silver awards of the Württemberg Military Merit Order.

Personal life

Gottfried Ehmann married 19-year-old Luis Catharina Raff on 18 March 1917, at Stuttgart-Degerloch,

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg (german: Königreich Württemberg ) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which exist ...

. They would have one living daughter together. Ehmann would serve in local government in later life, being a member of his local council on two separate occasions between 28 May 1946 and 8 December 1953.http://www.liezen.at/set.php?open=/chronik/459chronikkat.php&letter=E (Translated excerpt via Babelfish) Retrieved on 22 November 2010.

Sources of information

References

* 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:Ehmann, Gottfried 1898 births 1953 deaths German World War I flying aces Luftstreitkräfte personnel Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class