Julius Arigi
Julius Arigi | |
---|---|
Medal for Bravery (1 gold award, 4 silver) | |
Other work | Fighter instructor for Luftwaffe (1938–45) |
Julius Arigi (3 October 1895 – 1 August 1981) was a
Early life
Julius Arigi was born in Děčín (German: Tetschen), Bohemia, to a Sudeten German family.[3] Before joining the military, he was a waiter or an electrician (sources are unclear in that case).[1] He volunteered in October 1913 for Fortress Artillery Regiment No. 1 of the Austro-Hungarian Army.[3]
Aerial service
In March 1914, he transferred to the
Initially during World War I, Arigi was assigned to Fliegerkompanie 6, based in southern Dalmatia, flying Lloyd Type LS 2 and Lohner biplane aircraft in operations against Serbian and Montenegrin forces. On 20 December 1914, Arigi and his observer, Leutnant Levak, crashlanded a Lohner 140 in the Adriatic Sea; fortunately for them, in the shallow water.
In October 1915, Arigi became a prisoner of war when he was forced down due to engine failure during a reconnaissance flight behind enemy lines in Montenegro. He escaped captivity on his sixth try in January 1916, however, by stealing an enemy staff car belonging to Prince Nicholas of Montenegro, and rejoining his unit which later moved to Albania.[3]
While flying on the Albanian front, Arigi sank an Italian steamboat in the port of Valona (now Vlorë).[3][2]
On 22 August 1916, Stabsfeldwebel (Staff Sergeant) Arigi ignored standing orders that an officer had to be aboard to command his plane. He took Feldwebel (Sergeant Major)
Towards the end of 1916, he was transferred to the
He then spent a short time in Fliegerkompanie 41J, but clashed with its commanding officer, Hauptmann
In April, 1918, he was transferred back to Flik 6 on the Albanian front. In his short stay there, he scored 3 more kills while flying an Avatik D1.[4] In summer, 1918, he was again transferred, to Flik 1J at Igalo in Dalmatia, and while there partook in the defence of the Austro-Hungarian Naval base in the Bocche di Cattaro from the British air raids by the Adriatic Group, Royal Air Force.[6] In August 1918 Flik 1J was equipped with two new Avatik D1 fighters, which he used to score his final four victories.[3]
His combat career extended over four years; his last victory was scored on 23 August 1918.[4] He spent the last days of the war as a factory test pilot.[3]
Although Arigi had not served on World War I's premier front (i.e. the Western one) for fighter aviation, his service was especially notable. He had flown mediocre aircraft in fronts notorious for changeable weather; mountainous terrain and over-water flights complicated matters. He had declined a personal offer from his emperor to work as a clerk in Vienna, with an accompanying promotion as a commissioned officer, to remain at the front.[2]
Post World War I
After the war he became a citizen of newly established
In 1935, he partnered with a friend from World War I, fellow ace
He became a Luftwaffe fighter instructor beginning in 1938. Two of his students became some of the most successful aces of World War II: Walter Nowotny (258 victories) and Hans-Joachim Marseille (158 victories).[3] Their ability to repeatedly shoot down multiple enemies on the same sortie can be traced to Arigi's teaching them to close to minimum range before firing. Arigi later noted that while both students were quietly eager, Nowotny was naturally talented but Marseille had to work for mastery.[2]
Arigi died in his sleep of natural causes in Seewalchen am Attersee, Austria on 1 August 1981.[2][7]
References
- ^ a b c Duffy, Michael (22 August 2009). "Who's Who - Julius Arigi". First World War. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
- ^ OCLC 635324511.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84176-376-7.
- ^ a b c "Julius Arigi". The Aerodrome. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
- ISBN 978-1-8912680-1-4.
- ISBN 978-1935881629.
- ^ a b c Arigi, Julius (1895–1981), Offizier und Kampfpilot (in German) – an entry in the Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950 encyclopedia online
Further reading
- Franks, Norman L. R.; Guest, Russell; Alegi, Gregory (1997). Above the War Fronts. London: Grub Street. ISBN 1-898697-56-6.
- Grosz, Peter M.; Haddow, George; Schiemer, Peter (1993). Austro-Hungarian Army Aircraft of World War One. Mountain View: Flying Machines Press. ISBN 978-0-9637110-0-7.