Leutnant Ernst Hess

HOH Water () is a polar inorganic compound that is at room temperature a tasteless and odorless liquid, which is nearly colorless apart from an inherent hint of blue. It is by far the most studied chemical compound and is described as the "univer ...

IC was a 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 17 confirmed and four unconfirmed aerial victories. Hess was one of a few World War I pilots involved in aviation prewar, as he gained his civil pilot's license on 26 September 1913. He was already enrolled in ''Die Fliegertruppen'' (The Flying Troops) of the

Imperial German Army The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (german: Deutsches Heer), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the l ...

when World War I began. He qualified for his military pilot's license on 21 November 1914, and was launched on his flying career as one of Germany's first

fighter pilot A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and ...

s. He would score his first aerial victory in tandem with

Oswald Boelcke Oswald Boelcke PlM (; 19 May 1891 – 28 October 1916) was a World War I German professional soldier and pioneering flying ace credited with 40 aerial victories. Boelcke is honored as the father of the German fighter air force, and of air ...

on 5 January 1916. He would rotate through four assignments before scoring a dozen victories within July–September 1917 while flying an

Albatros D.V The Albatros D.V is a fighter aircraft built by the Albatros Flugzeugwerke and used by the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. The D.V was the final development of the Albatros D.I family and the last Albatro ...

a for ''

Jagdstaffel 28 Royal Württemberg Jagdstaffel 28, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 28, was a "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. As one of the original German fighter squa ...

''. On 19 September 1917, he was promoted to command of ''

Jagdstaffel 19 Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 19 was a World War I "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) 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 scor ...

''. He had just been appointed to command of a ''Jagdgruppe'' (fighter group) being formed by Germany's First Army when he was killed in combat on 23 December 1917.

Biography

Ernst Hess was born on 8 January 1893 in

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...

in the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

. His education led him into engineering, and he became interested in flying. He trained as a pilot, receiving Pilot's License 535 on 26 September 1913. On 1 October 1913, he joined '' Luftschiffer'' Battalion Nr. 3. On 1 April 1914, he was forwarded to ''

Feldflieger Abteilung Feldflieger Abteilung (''FFA'', Field Flying Company) was the title of the pioneering field aviation units of what became the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (German air service) by October 1916, during World War I. Composition The use of aircraft as a tact ...

'' (Field Flier Detachment) 3 to train as a military pilot. World War I began even as he trained.Franks et al 1993, p. 127. On 21 November 1914, he earned his military pilot's badge. He then joined ''Flieger-Abteilung'' (Flier Detachment) 9 as an ''

Unteroffizier () is a junior non-commissioned officer rank used by the . It is also the collective name for all non-commissioned officers in Austria and Germany. It was formerly a rank in the Imperial Russian Army. Austria , also , is the collective name t ...

'', when they were operating in the vicinities of

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

and

Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, which forms part of the regions of France, region of Hauts-de-France; before the regions of France#Reform and mergers of ...

, France. On 24 June 1915, he was promoted into the officer's ranks as a ''

Leutnant () is the lowest Junior officer rank in the armed forces the German (language), German-speaking of Germany (Bundeswehr), Austrian Armed Forces, and military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") fro ...

''. He moved to

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, D ...

to join ''Flieger-Abteilung'' (Flier Detachment) 62, and its co-located ad hoc fighter detachment, ''Kampfeinsitzerkommando'' (Combat Single-Seater Command) Douai. Hess joined

and

Max Immelmann Max Immelmann (21 September 1890 – 18 June 1916) '' PLM'' was the first German World War I flying ace.Shores, 1983, p. 10. He was a pioneer in fighter aviation and is often mistakenly credited with the first aerial victory using a synchr ...

there. Hess scored a victory for ''Kampfeinsitzerkommando Douai'' (Combat Single-Seater Command Douai) on 5 January 1916 in conjunction with Oswald Boelcke,VanWyngarden 2006, pp. 29-30. and another for ''Fokkerstaffel C'' on 22 June 1916. On 1 July, he transferred yet again, to ''Fokkerstaffel Sivry''. There were other unrecorded reassignments for Hess, then a stint as an original member of one of the first real German fighter squadrons, ''

Jagdstaffel 10 Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 10 was a World War I "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. ''Jasta 10'', in its brief existence, was credited with 118 enemy ...

'', before he was assigned to instructor duty back in Germany. However, Ernst Hess did not hit his stride until assigned to Royal Württemberg ''

'' on 12 June 1917. In July, August, and September 1917, he reeled off a dozen confirmed wins for them, with three others going unconfirmed. Hess shot down an

Airco DH.4 The Aircraft Manufacturing Company Limited (Airco) was an early British aircraft manufacturer. Established during 1912, it grew rapidly during the First World War, referring to itself as the largest aircraft company in the world by 1918. Air ...

from No. 55 Squadron RFC, killing the crew of Lt A. P. Matheson with Second Lieutenant Frank Lambton Oliver, west of Audenarde/Oodenaarde on 13 July 1917. Another of his confirmed victories, on 9 August 1917, was over Australian ace

Cecil Roy Richards Lieutenant Cecil Roy Richards was an Australian 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 require ...

.The Aerodrome website page on Hess http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/hess.php Retrieved 2 January 2010. Hess then transferred to Royal Prussian ''

'' as their ''

Staffelführer ''Staffelführer'' was one of the first paramilitary ranks used by the German ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) in the early years of that group's existence. The later SS rank of ''Staffelführer'' traces its origins to the First World War, where the tit ...

'' and won three victories for them flying an

a before being killed in action by Adjutant De Kergolay of Escadrille N.96 in a

Nieuport Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars. History Beginnings Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in ...

on 23 December 1917. Hess had just been notified of his further promotion to command of a ''jagdgruppe'' (fighter group) being formed by First Army. Ernst Hess was buried in the Südfriedhof (Southern Cemetery) in his native Wiesbaden.

Awards and honors

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia est ...

both Second Class and First Class: Awarded prior to October 1917. *

Royal House Order of Hohenzollern The House Order of Hohenzollern (german: Hausorden von Hohenzollern or ') was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various v ...

: Awarded 5 December 1917.

Sources of information

References

* Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank W.; Guest, Russell (1993). ''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918''. Grub Street. , . * VanWyngarden, Greg (2006). ''Early German Aces of World War I'', Osprey Publishing Ltd. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hess, Ernst 1893 births 1917 deaths Aviators killed by being shot down German military personnel killed in World War I German World War I flying aces Luftstreitkräfte personnel Military personnel from Hesse-Nassau Military personnel from Wiesbaden Prussian Army personnel