List of World War I aces from Poland

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This is a list of World War I flying aces who were born in the territory of the present-day Republic of Poland. Poland was not an independent country during World War I, and pilots born there served in several different air forces. They may therefore also appear in other lists of aces. Some of them also fought in the struggles that echoed through Europe in the aftermath of World War I.

This list is incomplete.

NameAir service(s)VictoriesNotes
Manfred von Richthofen German Luftstreitkräfte 80 victoriesLeading ace of the war. Pour le Mérite plus 22 other awards. [1]
Godwin von Brumowski Austro-Hungarian Luftfahrtruppen 35 victoriesLeading Austro-Hungarian ace. Order of the Iron Crown, Order of Leopold, Medal for Bravery, Military Merit Medal, Iron Cross. [2]
Frank Linke-Crawford Austro-Hungarian Luftfahrtruppen27 victoriesFourth ranking Austro-Hungarian ace. Order of the Iron Crown. [3]
Hans-Georg von der Marwitz German Luftstreitkräfte15 victoriesRoyal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross [4]
Dieter Collin German Luftstreitkräfte13 victoriesIron Cross [5]
Johannes Janzen German Luftstreitkräfte13 victoriesIron Cross [6]
Erich Rüdiger von Wedel German Luftstreitkräfte13 victoriesRoyal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross [7]
Willi Gabriel German Luftstreitkräfte11 victoriesIron Cross [8]
Donat Makijonek Imperial Russian Air Service, Polish Air Force 8 victories Cross of Saint George (2nd, 3rd, and 4th Class Awards), Order of Saint Vladimir, Order of Saint Stanislaus (Imperial House of Romanov), Order of Saint Anne (3rd and 4th Class Awards). [9]
Hans Schilling German Luftstreitkräfte8 victoriesRoyal House Order of Hohenzollern [10]
Alfred Fleischer German Luftstreitkräfte6 victoriesIron Cross First Class. [11]
Mieczysław Garsztka German Luftstreitkräfte, Polish Air Force6 victoriesIron Cross First and Second Class, Virtuti Militari Fifth Class. [12]
Tadeusz GrochowalskiImperial Russian Air Service5 victories [12]
Wiktor Komorowski Imperial Russian Air Service5 victories [12]
Julius Kowalczik Austro-Hungarian Luftfahrtruppen5 victories [13]
Antoni Mroczkowski Imperial Russian Air Service, Polish Air Force5 victoriesServed in Polish-Soviet War. [12]
Stefan PeterAustro-Hungarian Luftfahrtruppen5 victories [12]

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Fritz Rumey

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Fritz Otto Bernert

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Kurt Wüsthoff

Leutnant Kurt Wüsthoff was a German fighter ace credited with 27 listed confirmed victories during World War I. Enlisting prewar at age 16 1/2, after learning to fly during the events leading to the war's start, he was posted as a flight instructor until adjudged old enough for combat. He then flew two-seater reconnaissance craft for a year and a half during 1916 and 1917 before training as a fighter pilot in June 1917. Assigned to Jagdstaffel 4, he shot down 24 enemy airplanes and three observation balloons between 15 June 1917 and 10 March 1918. Promoted to command of his squadron on 10 January 1918, he proved immature and plagued by combat stress reaction. Relieved of his post on 16 March 1918 by Manfred von Richthofen, he returned to combat duty with Jagdstaffel 15 in June, only to be shot down and captured on the 17th. He survived the war and a long convalescence, only to die after crashing while performing aerobatics on 18 July 1926. He died of his injuries five days later.

Eduard Ritter von Dostler

Oberleutnant Eduard Ritter von DostlerPlM, MOMJ was a German World War I fighter ace credited with 26 victories. On three consecutive assignments during World War I, Dostler was entrusted with the combat leadership of German jagdstaffeln.

LeutnantMax Näther HOH, IC, was a German World War I ace fighter pilot noted for the destruction of 26 enemy aircraft. He shot down 10 observation balloons and 16 airplanes, including 10 SPAD S.XIII fighters and a Sopwith Dolphin. He died in action at the border of Germany and Poland after the war's end on 8 January 1919.

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Vizefeldwebel Karl Bohnenkamp was a World War I flying ace credited with 15 aerial victories. He scored his first victory on 21 September 1917 and continued through 28 October 1918. His 15 victories made him the leading ace in his squadron. He was awarded the Military Merit Cross on the latter date.

Jagdstaffel 8 Military unit

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Jagdstaffel 22 Military unit

Royal Saxon Jagdstaffel 22 was a "hunting group" of the Luftstreitkräfte, the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. As one of the original German fighter squadrons, the unit would score 57 verified aerial victories. Their eleven wins over enemy observation balloons made them a balloon buster squadron.

Jagdstaffel 26 Military unit

Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 26 was a "hunting group" of the Luftstreitkräfte, the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. As one of the original German fighter squadrons, the unit would score 177 verified aerial victories, including four observation balloons destroyed. The Jasta would pay a bloody price for its success: five pilots killed in action, nine wounded in action, and one prisoner of war.

Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 33 was a "hunting group" of the Luftstreitkräfte, the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. As one of the original German fighter squadrons, the unit would score a minimum of 46 verified aerial victories.

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OffizierstellvertreterRobert Heibert MMC IC was a German flying ace during World War I. He was credited with 13 confirmed aerial victories; he also had seven unconfirmed claims.

References

Notes
  1. Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), pp. 241–242.
  2. "Godwin Brumowski". The Aerodrome. 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  3. "Frank Linke-Crawford". The Aerodrome. 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  4. Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), pp. 162–163.
  5. Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), p. 94.
  6. Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), p. 137.
  7. The Aerodrome website http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/wedel1.php Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  8. Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), pp. 112–113.
  9. "Donat Aduiovich Makeenok". The Aerodrome. 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  10. Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), pp. 198–199.
  11. Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), p. 107.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "Notable Polish pilots of WWI". Rising of the Aces. 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  13. "Julius Kowalczik". The Aerodrome. 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
Bibliography