Willi Eduard Gabriel was a German 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 eleven aerial victories.

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...

removed Gabriel from combat duty for shooting four enemy airplanes contrary to orders.The Aerodrome website http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/gabriel.php Retrieved on 15 April 2010.

Early life

Willi Gabriel was one of twins born on 31 December 1893 in

Bromberg Bydgoszcz is a city in northern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Kuyavia. Straddling the confluence of the Vistula River and its left-bank tributary, the Brda, the strategic location of Bydgoszcz has made it an inland ...

, German Empire (present-day Poland). Gabriel built his own airplanes prior to World War I.

World War I service

Willi Gabriel was called up for military service when the war began. Early in 1915, he began a series of assignments to artillery cooperation units, often in company with his twin brother Walter. The twins served together until Walter was shot down and captured on 19 August 1917. Willi was eventually stationed in Schutzstaffel 15, where he and his observer shot down a Spad on 22 March 1918. Wilhelm Reinhard then requested Gabriel's assignment to Jagdgruppe 1, and Gabriel was posted to

Jagdstaffel 11 Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 11 ("No 11 Fighter Squadron"; commonly abbreviated to Jasta 11) was founded on 28 September 1916 from elements of 4 Armee's ''Kampfeinsitzerkommandos'' (or KEKs) 1, 2 and 3 and mobilized on 11 October as part o ...

on 15 April as a fighter pilot. He scored on 19 May, then six times in June, including two

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 ...

then came to command JG 1, much to Gabriel's displeasure. On 18 July 1918, Gabriel flew a solo mission without permission and shot down three French airplanes. Upon his return, he was grounded. However, he disobeyed Göring's orders, took off, and shot down a fourth Frenchman. Upon his return from this sortie, he was banished from combat despite his success. In August 1918, he was posted out of Jasta 11 and away from combat duty despite his previously having won 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.

Post World War I

In 1938, Gabriel flew Fokker Dr.I in two movies, ''DIII 88'' and ''Pour le Mérite''. He returned to duty during World War II, rising to the rank of Hauptmann.

Legacy

The Fokker D-VII built by Cole Palen, which flew in the Rhinebeck Aerodrome shows of the 1960s and 1970s, was painted in the scheme of Willi Gabriel, in tribute to him.

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. , . 1893 births 1968 deaths Military personnel from Bydgoszcz Military personnel from the Province of Posen German World War I flying aces Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class German military personnel of World War II {{wwi-air