Rudolf Weber | |
---|---|
Born | 1890 Schäßburg, Austria-Hungary (today Sighișoara, Romania) |
Died | October 1918 Styria, Austria |
Buried | Central Cemetery, Vienna, Austria |
Allegiance | Austro-Hungarian Empire |
Service/ | Infantry; aviation |
Years of service | 1911 - 1918 |
Rank | Oberleutnant (first lieutenant) |
Unit | Infantry Regiment No. 31, Fliegerkompanie 25, Fliegerkompanie 2 |
Commands held | Fliegerkompanie 102G |
Awards | Order of the Iron Crown, Military Merit Cross, Military Merit Medal, German Iron Cross |
Oberleutnant Rudolf Weber (1890-1918) was an Austro-Hungarian World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories. Weber was an experienced infantry officer when World War I began in 1914, and he went into action on the Russian Front. He transferred to aerial service in late 1915. During his 1916 service as an observer, he scored his first victory and suffered a disfiguring wound to his face. Once healed, he trained as a pilot and returned to action, but on the Italian Front. Between 11 August and 26 October 1917, he scored five more victories. In January 1918, he was posted to command Flik 102G, a night bombing squadron. In October 1918, as the Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolved in defeat, Weber led an exodus home from his unit. Along the way, a trigger-happy militiaman shot Weber to death.
Of Saxon heritage, Rudolf Weber was born in 1890 in Segesvar, Transylvania, in modern day Romania. Weber joined the Austro-Hungarian Army in 1911. When the First World War began in 1914, Weber was serving as an officer in the 31st Austro-Hungarian Regiment. He would go into action with the regiment on the Russian Front, winning a Bronze Military Merit Medal. He also received an early promotion to oberleutnant (first lieutenant). [1] [2]
In late 1915, he transferred to aviation service as an aerial observer with Flik 25. He began aerial observer training in late January 1916. He began flying combat in mid-April 1916, during the Brusilov Offensive. At 1930 hours on 12 June 1916, from the rear seat of a Hansa-Brandenburg C.I he scored his first aerial victory, but was wounded in the face by antiaircraft shrapnel. The wound was so disfiguring he would never again allow a photograph of himself. He was awarded the Military Merit Medal, Third Class with War Decoration, as well as the German Iron Cross, Second Class. [1] However, recovering from his jaw wound would entail a lengthy convalescence, during which he decided on pilot training. [2]
Retrained as a pilot, Weber was appointed deputy commander of Flik 2. Flying both single-seat fighter and two-seater reconnaissance aircraft, he fought in the Battles of the Isonzo in northern Italy. Between 11 August and 26 October 1917, he was credited with five more victories. This earned him the Order of the Iron Crown, Third Class with War Decoration and Swords. [1] [2]
In January 1918, Weber was transferred to command another unit on the Italian Front, Flik 102G at Aviano. He led this pioneering night bomber unit equipped with Hansa-Brandenburg and Gotha G.IV aircraft almost until war's end. In late October 1918, he then tried to evacuate the squadron's aircraft from Italy, leading a flight from Aviano to Laibach, (present day Ljubljana, Slovenia). There the aircraft were seized by the war's victors. Weber then led some of his men in a trek for home by commandeering an automobile. At a checkpoint in northern Austria, Weber was accidentally shot and wounded by a militiaman. He died of his wound [1] and was buried in Vienna's Central Cemetery. [3]
Friedrich Hefty, also referred to as Frigyes Hefty, was a World War I Austro-Hungarian flying ace credited with five confirmed and five unconfirmed aerial victories. His early interest in aviation led him to drop out of school in 1913 and become a glider pilot. When World War I began, he served first as an aerial observer, then as a pilot. He scored his first aerial victory as an observer, on 7 October 1915. Once he became a pilot, he claimed nine other victories, four of which were verified. On 22 August 1918, he became one of the first combat pilots to bail out using a parachute. Hefty ended the war with ten awards of the Medal for Bravery.
Julius Kowalczik was a Austro-Hungarian World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories. Though he joined military service as the war began in 1914, he did not transfer to the Austro-Hungarian Aviation Troops until late 1915. Qualified as a fighter pilot in February 1916, he went into action in northern Italy the following month. He would score five aerial victories between 14 October 1916 and 29 June 1917. After surviving being shot down by Italian aces Antonio Amantea and Antonio Riva on 24 August 1917, Kowalczik was reassigned to instructor duty in January 1918. He survived the war, having won two Silver and two Gold Medals for Bravery.
OberleutnantKurt Nachod served during World War I in the Austro-Hungarian Air Force, in which he was credited with downing five enemy aircraft, ranking him 42nd in the list of Austro-Hungarian flying aces. Unusually, all of these victories were gained while acting as an observer.
OberleutnantKarl Patzelt (1893-1918) was an Austro-Hungarian World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories. Entering World War I as an officer in an infantry regiment, he distinguished himself during the first two years of the war. Decorated twice for valor, he was also honored by a rare early promotion in rank. A serious wound inflicted on 16 June 1916 hospitalized him. While recuperating, he transferred to aviation service. Trained and posted as a technical officer for Flik 29J in Romania, he volunteered to fly as an observer with Andreas Dombrowski. On their missions, Patzelt would benefit from Dombrowski's tuition as a pilot, while downing two enemy aircraft with the observer's gun. In October, Patzelt was transferred to the Italian Front to observe at the Battle of Caporetto. By mid-November 1917, he was flying with a fighter squadron, Flik 42J. He would score three more victories before being killed in action on 4 May 1918.
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Karl Urban was an Austro-Hungarian World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.
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FeldwebelAndreas Dombrowski was an Austro-Hungarian World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories scored on three different fronts. He was conscripted into the Austro-Hungarian military in 1915. Dombrowski underwent pilot's training, gaining his license in June 1916. Posted to the Russian Front during the Brusilov Offensive to fly reconnaissance, he was credited with his first victory on 17 August 1916. In September, 1916 he was transferred to the Romanian Front. Still flying a reconnaissance aircraft, he fought four more successful engagements during 1917, becoming an ace. Transferred to the Italian Front in April 1918, he flew an Albatros D.III for his former observer, Karl Patzelt. On 4 May 1918, Dombrowski scored his sixth and final victory, then took a bullet to the face and crashlanded. Once healed, he went to a photographic reconnaissance unit for the rest of the war.
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