Walter Blume (aircraft designer)
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Walter Blume | |
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Royal House Order of Hohenzollern; Iron Cross | |
| Other work | Aircraft designer. Jet propulsion pioneer. |
Walter Blume (10 January 1896 – 27 May 1964) was a German fighter ace of World War I. During World War I, he flew with two fighter squadrons,
Post World War I he became a prominent aircraft designer for both Albatros and Arado, being one of the pioneers of jet propulsion design in airplanes.
Early life and World War I service
Walter Blume was born in
He scored his first victory for Jagdstaffel 26 on 10 May 1917. On 14 August, he received the Iron Cross First Class. He became an ace on 24 October 1917, and on 29 November 1917, he received a serious chest wound in combat with No. 48 Squadron RFC's Bristol F.2 Fighters. He was hospitalised for over 3 months.[2]
After a spell with Fliegerersatz-Abteilung (Replacement Detachment) 3, on 5 March 1918, Blume returned to active duty, commanding Jagdstaffel 9.[4] He scored a further 22 victories, all with his new unit. With the exception of double scores on 31 August 1918 and 14 September 1918, he accumulated his successes singly, mostly fighters. Only four of his victories were over two-seater aircraft.[1] He flew in both Albatros fighters and the Fokker D.VII.[citation needed]
Blume was awarded the Knight's Cross of the
He resigned from military service on 15 January 1919.[5]
Post war and World War II
After World War I, he remained in aviation. He trained as an
After the German surrender he was captured by the Soviet Army and taken to the Soviet Union, where for several years he helped develop their fledgling jet aircraft program.[citation needed]
Decorations and awards
- Iron Cross:
- 2nd class (24 July 1916)
- 1st class (14 August 1917)
- Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with swords (1918)
- Pour le Merite(30 September 1918)
Inline citations
- ^ a b The Aerodrome website page for Blume http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/blume.php
- ^ a b c d Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918, p. 75.
- ^ Fokker D.VII Aces of World War I. p. 64.
- ^ Fokker D.VII Aces of World War I. pp. 64–65.
- ^ a b Der Logbuch website https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.flieger-album.de/logbuch.php&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dwww.flieger-album.de/logbuch.php%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us
- ^ http://www.ww1aero.org.au/images/Journal%20Articles/JG3%5B1%5D1965.pdf[permanent dead link]
References
- Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918. ISBN 978-0-948817-73-1.
- Fokker D VII Aces of World War I, Norman Franks, Greg VanWyngarden. Osprey Publishing, 2003. ISBN 978-1-84176-533-4.
Further reading
- Albatros Aces of World War 1, Norman L. R. Franks, Greg VanWyngarden. Osprey Publishing, 2007. ISBN 978-1-84603-179-3.
- World Encyclopedia of Aircraft Manufacturers: From the Pioneers to the Present Day, Bill Gunston. Sutton Pub., 2005. ISBN 0750939818, 9780750939812.
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