Leutnant () is the lowest junior officer rank in the armed forces of Germany ( Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High German «locum ...

'' Hermann Habich (15 August 1895 – unknown) was one of the original pilots in the

Imperial German Air Service Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Impe ...

, having earned his brevet two months before World War I began. He is credited with having downed and killed French aviation pioneer Roland Garros. Habich scored seven victories in all, becoming a

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 ...

. He joined the

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

in the 1930s and served in World War II.

Early life

Habich was born in Plättig, the

Grand Duchy of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden () was a German polity on the east bank of the Rhine. It originally existed as a sovereign state from 1806 to 1871 and later as part of the German Empire until 1918. The duchy's 12th-century origins were as a Margravia ...

, 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 ...

on 15 August 1895. He was a pioneer aviator, having gained his license, number 697, before the start of World War I, on 17 March 1914.

Military career

World War I

Habich was one of the early German military pilots, joining

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 ...

47 performing aerial reconnaissance as an

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 ...

in late 1914. He then transferred to Flieger-Abteilung (Artillerie) 215 for artillery reconnaissance and ranging duties. He was awarded the

Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order The Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order () was a military order of merit of the Grand Duchy of Baden. Established 5 October 1805 by Charles Frederick, Elector and later Grand Duke of Baden, the order recognized outstanding military merit amongs ...

by his native Baden on 5 February 1915, followed by 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 ...

; his First Class Iron Cross was awarded 18 March 1916. In August 1916, he was promoted to '' Offizierstellvertreter'' and applied for duty in a fighter squadron. On 8 January 1918, he joined

Jagdstaffel 49 Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 49, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 49, was a ("hunting squadron", i.e. fighter squadron) of the , the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. The squadron scored 28 aerial victories during the war, inclu ...

in France. By this time, as a ''Leutnant'', he was senior enough to sometimes assume command as the deputy commander. He scored his first air-to-air victory on 27 March 1918. By war’s end, he had destroyed five more enemy aircraft and an

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 ...

. Habich is widely credited with being the aviator who shot down and killed French flying ace Roland Garros.

Aerial victories

: Believed to be Roland Garros : Source:

World War II

By the 1930s, Habich worked as a military pilot and flight instructor in the

. He served on the Eastern Front commanding a '' Nachtschlachtgruppe'' in 1944. Later information about Habich, including when he died, is lacking.

Honors and awards

* : **

, 1st and 2nd Classes * : ** Knight of the

References

External links

Rise of Flight website
) has a photograph of Habich posed in front of his airplane.
Rise of Flight website
) also has a modeler's color recreation of Habich's Albatros {{DEFAULTSORT:Habich, Hermann 1895 births Year of death missing People from the Grand Duchy of Baden German World War I flying aces People from Rastatt (district) Military personnel from Baden-Württemberg Luftwaffe personnel of World War II Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class