Hauptmann Karl Nikitsch (17 January 1885—7 September 1927) was a professional soldier who served, in succession, the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

and the

First Austrian Republic The First Austrian Republic (), officially the Republic of Austria, was created after the signing of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye on 10 September 1919—the settlement after the end of World War I which ended the Habsburg rump state of ...

. His

First World War 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 ...

service in the Austro-Hungarian

Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops The Austro-Hungarian Aviation Troops or Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops ( or , ) were the air force of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the empire's dissolution in 1918; it saw combat on both the Eastern Front and Italian Front dur ...

was marked by his abilities in organizing, staffing, and commanding flying squadrons. He also became 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 ...

credited with six aerial victories Postwar, he commanded the Austrian Flugpolizei.

Early life

On 17 January 1885, Nikitsch entered the world at Gross-Czakowitz,

, in present day

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

. After primary schooling, he attended a Technical High School for four terms, then Cadet School for a further four terms.

Military career

Infantry service

Upon graduation from Cadet School, he became an officer in the Austro-Hungarian 35th Infantry Regiment.Franks, et al, pp. 194—195. His athletic prowess led to his assignment to teaching some 700 fencing and gymnastics instructors to coach their sport. He also earned himself many Gold Medals in fencing, culminating in his becoming a Junior World Master in 1910.

Aerial service

In the early days of the First World War, Nikitsch was recruited for pilot training. By May 1915, he was capable of flying as Deputy Commander of ''Fliegerkompanie 16'' (Flik 16) out of

Villach Villach (; ; ; ) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the population is 61,887. Together wit ...

on the Italian Front, though primarily on test flights. Transferred to ''Fliegerkompanie 14'' (Flik 14) on the Russian Front in late July 1915, Nikitsch learned to excel in artillery direction missions supporting the Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army. He was awarded the Bronze Military Merit Medal with Swords. In November 1915, he was posted to Strasshof (near Vienna) as commander; there he would assemble, outfit, and train entire squadrons headed to battle. These units included Fliks 24 through 38. However, on 3 July 1916, Nikitsch crashed while on a test flight, leading to a short spell in hospital. In January 1917, Nikitsch was finally granted his request for a combat assignment. He was told to form Flik 39 at Strasshof as his own unit. He had his novices trained, supplied, and organized by March. They were posted to Csíkszereda on the

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n Front. It was a small sloping airstrip with a hazardous drop-off at one end. It soon became apparent that the French and Russian opposition had to be prevented from attacking Flik 39's

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

machines. Nikitsch modified one of his unit's two-seaters into a single-seater escort fighter. In July, fighter craft and pilots from Fliks 29, 31, 33, and 39 were massed to protect the area's recon machines, Nikitsch among them. On 19 July, Nikitsch scored his first aerial victory flying an

Albatros D.III The Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service () during World War I. A modified licensed version was built by Oeffag for the Austro-Hungarian Air Service (''Luftfahrtruppen''). The D.III was flown ...

; his second came four days later. With his favorite mount being a Hansa-Brandenburg D.I, he shot down two

Nieuport Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars. History Beginnings Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in ...

s and a

Farman Farman Aviation Works () was a French aircraft company founded and run by the brothers Richard, Henri, and Maurice Farman. They designed and constructed aircraft and engines from 1908 until 1936; during the French nationalization and rational ...

during August 1917. On 27 November 1917, he scored one final victory, again using an Albatros. As the

Battle of Caporetto The Battle of Kobarid (also known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, the Battle of Caporetto or the Battle of Karfreit) took place on the Italian front of World War I. The battle was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Central P ...

raged, Flik 39 was detailed in support of the Austro-Hungarian 1st Corps. Additionally, on 16 October 1917, Nikitsch was tasked with managing several Austro-Hungarian and German squadrons during the battle. As the Austro-Hungarians advanced some 100 kilometers and communications began to break down, Nikitsch knit the air effort together with repeated recon and courier flights. His success in this earned him 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

Order of the Iron Crown The Order of the Iron Crown () was an order of merit that was established on 5 June 1805 in the Kingdom of Italy by Napoleon Bonaparte under his title of Napoleon I, King of Italy. The order took its name from the ancient Iron Crown of Lombard ...

with War Decorations and Swords. Nikitsch was named to command ''Fliegerkompanie 63J'' in January 1918. A serious crash intervened, sending him to hospital. After a long convalesensce, he would be sent to command an Aviation Training Battalion in

Wiener Neustadt Wiener Neustadt (; Lower_Austria.html" ;"title=".e. Lower Austria">.e. Lower Austria , ) is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administr ...

until war's end.

Postwar

Nikitsch studied law at the

University of Graz The University of Graz (, formerly: ''Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz'') is a public university, public research university located in Graz, Austria. It is the largest and oldest university in Styria, as well as the second-largest and second-old ...

, earning his Doctor of Law degree. He also commanded Austria's covert '' Flugpolizei'', which had been founded using aircraft left over from the war. On 7 September 1927, Nikitsch was test flying a French fighter when it suffered engine failure. He died in the crash.

Endnotes

Bibliography

* * 1885 births 1927 deaths Austro-Hungarian World War I flying aces {{wwi-air