'' Offizierstellvertreter'' (Deputy Officer) Erich Schütze was a

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

credited with six aerial victories.The Aerodrome websit

Retrieved 16 September 2020

World War I service

Erich Schütze first came to notice in his first combat assignment with ''Flieger-Abteilung'' (Flier Detachment) 201, when he and his observer were credited with an aerial victory over a Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés, SPAD on 27 May 1917 over Craonne, France. He then left the two-seater

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

unit for a posting to ''Reihenbildzug'' (Special Photographic Unit) 9, to fly long photo recon missions. While serving with this unit in

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, he was credited with destroying an

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

northwest of

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on 7 September 1917. Next to fall was a Sopwith northwest of Brăila, on 28 October. A second balloon fell to Schütze on 20 November 1917. As recognition of his exploits, he received the Golden Military Merit Cross on 20 December 1917. The award was the highest recognition of courage available to an enlisted soldier of the

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.Franks et al 1993, p. 207. Schütze made the transition from ''Armee-Flug-Park'' (Army Flight Park) II to single-seat fighters to join a

fighter squadron A squadron in an air force, or naval or army aviation service, is a unit comprising a number of military aircraft and their aircrews, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, ...

in Macedonia. When posted to '' Jagdstaffel 25'' on 27 April 1918, he was ranked as a ''

vizefeldwebel '' '' (Fw or F, ) is a non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in several countries. The rank originated in Germany, and is also used in Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. The rank has also been used in Russia, Austria-Hungary, occupied Serbia ...

''. On 20 May 1918, he shot down a

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north of

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for his fifth victory. On 23 August 1918, he closed out his victory list by downing a SPAD at Sivestrena. Erich Schütze had confirmed victories over two observation balloons and four enemy fighters scored over three fronts. At some point, Schütze was appointed as '' Offizierstellvertreter'' (deputy officer), but it is unknown if he received a

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Sources of information

References

* Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank W.; Guest, Russell. ''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918''. Grub Street, 1993. , . German World War I flying aces Date of death unknown Year of birth unknown Luftstreitkräfte personnel {{germany-airforce-bio-stub