Erich Loewenhardt

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Erich Loewenhardt
Austro-Hungarian: Military Merit Cross

Erich Loewenhardt (7 April 1897 – 10 August 1918) was a German soldier and military aviator who fought in the

observation balloons
. Shortly after his final victory, he was killed in a collision with another German pilot.

Early life and service

Erich Loewenhardt (other spellings Löwenhardt, Lowenhardt) was born in

Italian Front. However, he fell ill and was invalided from service as unfit for duty.[1]

Aerial service

See also: Aerial victory standards of World War I and List of aerial victories of Erich Loewenhardt

After five months recuperation,

fighter squadron equipped with Albatros fighters, Jagdstaffel 10, in March 1917.[2][3]

Jagdstaffel 10 was one of the four squadrons incorporated into Germany's newly formed first

Recicourt.[2]

On 30 July, scapegoat teenage ace

Staffelfuhrer (Commanding Officer). Following Voss' deadly tutelage, [5] Loewenhardt was an aggressive, skilled fighter whose score grew steadily as he flew Albatros and Pfalz planes.[1] He survived a forced landing on 20 September with a minor wound; the next day, he shot down his fifth victim.[2]

He posted two more claims in October, one of which was confirmed. On 6 November, his aircraft's lower wing was damaged during combat over Winkel Saint Eloi at 0830 hours,[2] a dud antiaircraft shell smashing his left wingtip without exploding. Loewenhardt pulled his craft out of the resulting spin at 15 meters altitude, wheels down, and bounced into a tumbling wreck. He exited the wreckage shaken but otherwise unharmed.[1] On 30 November 1917, he closed out his year with his eighth confirmed victory; he was credited with four balloons and four airplanes.[6]

Loewenhardt scored two more victims in January 1918: a balloon and a

Austro-Hungarian Empire's Military Merit Cross. The Pour le Merite (commonly called the Blue Max) came on 31 May 1918, when Loewenhardt's tally had reached 24.[7]

By now, Loewenhardt was locked into an "ace race" with

The Flying Circus, and when the wing commander's spot came open on 29 June 1918, Oberleutnant Loewenhardt was tapped for temporary command of it. By then, his tally stood at 27. When he surrendered the JG I command on 6 July, it had risen to 34. By the end of July 1918, Loewenhardt's total was 48: 9 balloons and 39 airplanes.[10]

Death in action

On 8 August, the Allied Forces launched the war's final offensive against the Germans. The British

Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a over Chaulnes, France at 1215 hours for his 54th victory. In the aftermath of the combat, he collided with another German pilot, Leutnant Alfred Wenz from Jasta 11.[7] Loewenhardt's Fokker's landing gear slammed the upper right wing on Wenz's D.VII.[1] Both pilots' planes were equipped with parachutes and both pilots bailed out. Erich Loewenhardt's chute failed to open and he fell to his death.[7]

Awards and decorations

Endnotes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Acepilots.com website page on Löwenhardt
  2. ^ a b c d e Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), pp. 158–159.
  3. ^ Franks (2000), p. 29.
  4. ^ Kilduff (2016), p. 107.
  5. ^ Franks & Giblin (1997), p. 116.
  6. ^ Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), p. 159.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), pp. 158–160.
  8. ^ Diggens (2003), p. 97.
  9. ^ Lothar von Richthofen's webpage on The Aerodrome [1].
  10. ^ Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), p. 158.

References

  • Diggens, Barry (2003). September Evening: The Life and Final Combat of the German World War I Ace Werner Voss. London UK: Grub Street.
    ISBN 978-1-904010-47-0
    .
  • ISBN 978-0-948817-73-1
    .
  • Franks, Norman; Giblin, Hal (1997), Under the Guns of the German Aces: Immelmann, Voss, Goring, Lothar von Richthofen: The Complete Record of Their Victories and Victims, London UK: Grub Street Publishing,
    ISBN 978-1-898697-72-5
  • Franks, Norman (2000). Albatros Aces of World War I. Oxford UK: Osprey Publishing.
    ISBN 978-1-85532-960-7
    .
  • Kilduff, Peter (2016). Iron Man Rudolf Berthold: Germany's Indomitable Fighter Ace of World War I. London UK: Grub Street Publishing.
    ISBN 978-1-908117-37-3
    .

External links


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