About
German World War I fighter pilot and flying ace who became known and famous for scoring 43 aerial victories which ranked him among the top German aces of the war.
Before fame
He initially trained as a dental assistant and earned a private pilot's license by the summer of 1914 just as World War I began. He enlisted in the German Army and initially served with the 70th Infantry Regiment where he fought on the Western Front and in Russia. His dental background led him into the German air service as a dental assistant, and he soon transitioned into pilot training. He was already trusted as a ferry pilot and instructor at Armee Flugpark 1 by October 1916. He entered fighter combat in June 1917 when he joined Jagdstaffel 5. His career peaked in 1918 after the arrival of the Fokker D.VII.
Trivia
He survived being shot down in flames by deploying a parachute and ended the war with 43 confirmed victories. He received the Pour le Mérite in 1918. He reportedly inspired one of his dental patients Erich Maria Remarque to use the name Paul Bäumer for the protagonist of the classic novel All Quiet on the Western Front.
Family life
He was born and raised in Duisburg, Germany. He died in a test flight crash on July 15, 1927, when he was 31 years old.
Associated with
He and Manfred Von Richthofen were both well-known German flying aces from World War I.
