Leutnant Karl Thom (19 May 1893 – 3 March 1945), 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 ...

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 27 victories. He was decorated with both his nation's highest decorations for valor, the Military Merit Cross as an enlisted soldier, and the

Pour le Mérite The (; , ), also informally known as the ''Blue Max'' () after German WWI flying ace Max Immelmann, is an order of merit established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. Separated into two classes, each with their own designs, the was ...

after he was commissioned as an officer. He was one of only four German aces of World War I to achieve this double award.

Early life

Karl Thom was born the son of a field hand. He began his military service by enlisting in 1911 with Hussar Regiment Number 5. He was serving with Mounted Rifle Regiment Number 10 when

began. He was wounded for the first time in November 1914.''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918'', p. 215

Reconnaissance service

Upon his recovery, Thom transferred to the Air Service. His first assignment after training was piloting a two-seater reconnaissance plane for FFA 216. He patrolled in the vicinity of Vosges until he was injured in a crash in May 1916. Upon recovery, he was reassigned to FFA 48. He was captured there when forced down. He was 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 ...

First Class for his subsequent escape. He returned to duty for a brief tour with FFA 234 before transferring again.

Fighter service

Despite being a Prussian, he was assigned to a Saxon fighter unit, Jagdstaffel 21, in May 1917. He joined his new squadron at approximately the same time as its new leader,

Staffelführer ''Staffelführer'' (, " Formation leader") was one of the first paramilitary ranks used by the German ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) in the early years of that group's existence. The later SS rank of ''Staffelführer'' traces its origins to the First ...

Eduard Ritter von Schleich, who took charge on 26 May. 300px, Karl Thom with Fokker D.VII He marked his Albatros airplane's fuselage with a large black capital block 'T' with pronounced serifs to identify himself in the air. The 'T' was in addition to the customary squadron marking of a vertical black stripe and a vertical white stripe just aft of the cockpit; the 'T' itself was on the outside wall of the cockpit. Thom reeled off a string of 11 victories, including a triple win on 18 September, and doubles on 19 and 22 September. October brought changes, as Jasta 21 received Oskar Freiherr von Boenigk as the new commanding officer and Fokker D.VIIs as new airplanes to replace the Albatros D.Vs that had been the squadron's craft. On 11 October, Thom was awarded the Military Merit Cross, Prussia's and Germany's highest decoration for valorous enlisted men. He had previously been awarded the Member's class of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern. Thom scored only once that month, on 29 October. November was a blank. He next scored on 1 December, with one confirmed and one unconfirmed victory. On 23 December, Thom was wounded in action. He took a bullet in the leg while undertaking the usually hazardous duty of attacking an observation balloon. He was not successful in his assault, nor would he ever shoot down one of the gasbags. Thom's return to the victory rolls roughly coincided with Jasta 21's adoption of Fokker D.VIIs, replacing its Albatros D.Vs. Thom shot down five enemy aircraft in June, beginning with his 15th win overall on 11 June. July saw him victorious six more times, and he is sometimes credited with victory over the youngest son of President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

, Quentin Roosevelt on

Bastille Day Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. It is referred to, both legally and commonly, as () in French, though ''la fête nationale'' is also u ...

, 14 July 1918. He capped his career with a triumph each on 1 and 4 August. With 27 victories confirmed, he became the leading ace for Jasta 21. All but four of his victories were against the French. On 11 August, he was severely wounded in the hip and remanded to hospital. He was also commissioned on 11 August 1918. On 1 November, while he was still in the hospital, he was awarded the

, Germany's highest award for commissioned officers. On 6 November, he rejoined Jasta 21. Three days later, he crashed, suffering multiple fractures. Two days after that, the Armistice ended

Post World War I

Karl Thom returned to 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 ...

to serve during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He was Fliegerhorst-Kommandantur A (o) 4/I from July 1944- September 1944 and then Fliegerhorst-Kommandantur E (v) 217/I until October 1944. His death is uncertain. He disappeared under obscure circumstances, on 3 March 1945 in Pillau, East Prussia.

Inline citations

References

* ''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918''.

Norman Franks Norman Leslie Robert Franks (1940 – 21 May 2023) was an English militaria writer who specialised in aviation topics. He focused on the pilots and squadrons of World Wars I and II. Biography Franks published his first book in 1976. H ...

, Frank W. Bailey, Russell Guest. Grub Street, 1993. , . * ''Albatros Aces of World War 1''. Norman Franks. Osprey Publishing, 2000. , . * ''Fokker D VII Aces of World War I''. Norman Franks, Greg VanWyngarden. Osprey Publishing, 2003. , . {{DEFAULTSORT:Thom, Karl 1893 births 1945 deaths People from Iława County Military personnel from West Prussia German World War I flying aces Prussian Army personnel Luftstreitkräfte personnel Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Luftwaffe personnel killed in World War II Missing in action of World War II