'' Feldwebel'' Andreas Dombrowski (born November 30, 1894, date of death unknown) was an

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

World War I

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

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 In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

, he was credited with his first victory on 17 August 1916. In September, 1916 he was transferred to the Romanian Front. Still flying a

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 '' Oberleutnant'' Karl 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 w ...

. 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.

Biography

Early life

Andreas Domorowski was born in Mahrisch-Ostrau, in the present day

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

, on 30 November 1894. He was of

Sudeten German German Bohemians (german: Deutschböhmen und Deutschmährer, i.e. German Bohemians and German Moravians), later known as Sudeten Germans, were ethnic Germans living in the Czech lands of the Bohemian Crown, which later became an integral part ...

heritage.

Russian Front service

See also Aerial victory standards of World War I In 1915, he was conscripted into the Austro-Hungarian military and volunteered for aerial service as soon as he finished recruit training. He had a natural talent for flying. When he completed pilot's training in June 1916 by earning Austrian Pilot's Certificate No. 382, he was posted to Flik 29. This squadron operated

Hansa-Brandenburg C.I The Hansa-Brandenburg C.I, also known as Type LDD, was a 2-seater armed single-engine reconnaissance biplane designed by Ernst Heinkel, who worked at that time for the parent company in Germany. The C.I had similarities with the earlier B.I (Typ ...

two-seater

craft on the Russian Front. Dombrowski arrived at a time of vigorous aerial activity linked to the Brusilov Offensive. On 17 August 1916, he and his observer were credited with driving down a two-seater

Voisin aircraft Voisin (French for "neighbour") may refer to: Companies *Avions Voisin, the French automobile company :*Voisin Laboratoire, a car manufactured by Avions Voisin *Voisin (aircraft), the French aircraft manufacturer * Voisin, a Lyon-based chocolat ...

in a ten minute fight during which Dombrowski outflew his opponent while his observer manned the machine gun.

Service on the Romanian Front

Flik 29 then transferred to the Romanian Front in late September 1916. There the Austro-Hungarians faced formidable opponents. The Romanian and French pilots were reinforced by Russian squadrons, which were equipped with

Anatra Anatra () was an aircraft manufacturer founded by Artur Antonovich Anatra () at Odessa, Ukraine, then Russian Empire in 1913 which manufactured aircraft until 1917. Artur Anatra had previously helped fund the purchase of the first aircraft to ar ...

reconnaissance airplanes and recent model SPADs. Despite this bitter opposition, Dombrowski excelled at long range reconnaissance and photographic missions, conducted effective artillery direction missions, and bombed the enemy in his Hansa-Brandenburg C.I. He soon became so highly regarded as a pilot that officers vied with one another to fly with him.In Austro-Hungarian two-seater aviation, the observer was an officer who was supposed to direct his pilot like he was a chauffeur. In his normal course of flying, Dombrowski was bound to clash with his enemies. On 5 February 1917, with

flying in the rear seat, the Austro-Hungarian air crew was attacked by an enemy Nieuport. They forced it to land in a ravine in enemy-held territory, west of Comănești. Dombrowski flew on into summer. On 13 June 1917, at 0930 hours, he clashed with an intercepting Nieuport fighter. After a short dogfight, the Nieuport was forced to land northwest of Onești. Eight days later, on 21 June 1917, with Karl Patzelt once again in Domborwski's rear seat, they engaged another Nieuport fighter. This one was shot down to crash in a forest north of Borșani. On 10 July 1917, Dombrowski flew a mission with an observer who usually manned an

observation balloon An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War ...

's gondola. The pair came across a "three-engined large aircraft" and shot it down into enemy territory near Soveja. It was Andreas Dombrowski's fifth aerial victory. Dombrowski's heroic feats had not gone unrewarded. He had received both the Silver and Gold Medals for Bravery; the latter was the highest award available for a

noncommissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

. The Prussians also bestowed a War Merit Medal on him.Not the Nazi War Merit Medal of World War II.

The Italian Front

In April 1918, Dombrowski transferred again, this time to fly fighters with Flik 68J in northern Italy. His commanding officer there was his former observer, Karl Patzelt. They were out on a late morning squadron patrol on 4 May 1918 when they were attacked by two flights of

Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...

s. Dombrowski used his Albatros D.III's machine guns to light a Camel afire in midair. When he returned to the dogfight, he took a bullet to the face that forced him to crashland. Patzelt and another Austro-Hungarian pilot were killed in action during the fight. After his recovery, Dombrowski went to a photo reconnaissance unit, Flik 57Rb, which flew two-seater

Phönix C.I The Phönix C.I, given serial numbers in the Phönix 121 range, was an Austro-Hungarian First World War reconnaissance and general-purpose Biplane built by Phönix and Lloyd. Development The Phönix C.I was the first original design developed ...

s in addition to Hansa-Brandenburg C.Is. He proved to be quite talented in using specialized airborne cameras for photographic mapping. Dombrowski would fly with Flik 57Rb until war's end. He then vanished into obscurity.

Footnotes

Citations

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dombrowski, Andreas Austro-Hungarian World War I flying aces People from Ostrava People from Austrian Silesia 1894 births Year of death missing