Leutnant Johannes Max Janzen (21 May 1886 – 18 October 1945) was a 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 thirteen aerial victories. He returned to Germany's military service during World War II, and died in a Russian prison camp on 18 October 1945.

Early life and cavalry service

Janzen was born in either of two locales, depending on the source. He was either born in Fronza, the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

,
Janzen's page on The Aerodrome website. or in

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

. As World War began, on 3 August 1914, Janzen volunteered for duty in ''1st Leib-Husaren-Regiment''. He was promoted to Leutnant der Reserve on 24 February 1916.

Aviation service

Janzen transferred to aviation duty on 4 May 1916. He trained with ''Fliegerersatz-Abteilung'' (Replacement Detachment) 3 until 22 August, then was forwarded to ''Kampfstaffel'' (Tactical Bomber Squadron) 12. He received his pilot's badge on 8 October, with the Second Class

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 ...

following the day after. He was assigned to combat with Royal Bavarian ''

Jagdstaffel 23 Royal Bavarian Jagdstaffel 23 was a "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. As one of the original German fighter squadrons, the unit would score a minimum o ...

'' (Fighter Squadron 23) on 28 November 1916. He scored his first aerial victory with them on 25 February 1917. His First Class Iron Cross was awarded on 29 March. On 16 October, he was transferred to Royal Prussian '' Jagdstaffel 6''. He scored three more victories between 30 November 1917 and 27 March 1918.

Janzen in command

On 28 March 1918, he was appointed to command of Royal Prussian '' Jagdstaffel 4''. He helmed ''Jagdstaffel 4'' without scoring any victories through 3 May 1918. On that day, he was transferred to command of ''Jagdstaffel 6'', whose '' Staffelfuhrer'' Wilhelm Reinhard, had moved up to the wing command of Jagdgeschwader I. The next day, Janzen became an ace by shooting down a Spad. On 9 May, he survived being downed by Captain

Oliver Colin LeBoutillier Oliver Colin LeBoutillier (24 May 1894 – 12 May 1983) was an American aviator and flying ace. Serving with the British Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Air Force in the First World War, LeBoutillier scored 10 aerial victories, witnessed the de ...

; Janzen's plane's controls had been shot away, but he spun harmlessly to the ground. Janzen went on to rack up eight more wins through 7 June 1918. Two days later, his Fokker Dr.1's

synchronization gear A synchronization gear (also known as a gun synchronizer or interrupter gear) was a device enabling a single-engine tractor configuration aircraft to fire its forward-firing armament through the arc of its spinning Propeller (aeronautics), propel ...

failed and Janzen shot off his own propeller while attacking a Spad. He was captured, but escaped in December.

Postwar

Janzen served in ''Flieger Staffel'' (Flying Squadron) 120 of the

Reichswehr ''Reichswehr'' (; ) was the official name of the German armed forces during the Weimar Republic and the first two years of Nazi Germany. After Germany was defeated in World War I, the Imperial German Army () was dissolved in order to be reshaped ...

from January through May 1920. Janzen died while in Russian captivity, on 18 October 1945.
Janzen's page on the Findagrave website.

Sources of information

References

* ''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914 - 1918'' Norman L. R. Franks, et al. Grub Street, 1993. , . {{DEFAULTSORT:Janzen, Johannes 1886 births 1945 deaths People from Kwidzyn County Military personnel from West Prussia German World War I flying aces German military personnel of World War II German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union German people who died in Soviet detention