Leutnant Franz Brandt (13 February 1893 – 1954) was a German 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 ten confirmed aerial victories, as well as three unconfirmed claims.The Aerodrome website page on Brandt http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/brandt.php Retrieved on 20 April 2010.

Early life

Franz Brandt was born on 13 February 1893 in

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the greatest town between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of Detm ...

World War I service

Brandt entered the war an artilleryman. In July 1915 he transferred to aviation. His first assignment after training was ''Kampfstaffel'' (Tactical Bomber Squadron) 14, between July and September 1916. In December, he moved on to ''

Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS; also stylized as ''ᛋᛋ'' with Armanen runes; ; "Protection Squadron") was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe d ...

'' (Protection Squadron) 2; he saw some action there, but no results yet. On 2 February 1917, he was reassigned, to ''

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 ...

''. There he flew an

Albatros D.II The Albatros D.II was a German fighter aircraft used during World War I. After a successful combat career in the early '' Jagdstaffeln'', it was gradually superseded by the Albatros D.III. Design and development Albatros designers Robert Thelen ...

.The Aerodrome website page on Jasta 19 http://www.theaerodrome.com/services/germany/jasta/jasta19.php Retrieved on 25 November 2017. He scored his first victory on 4 May, downing a

Spad VII The SPAD S.VII was the first of a series of highly successful biplane fighter aircraft produced by ''Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés'' (SPAD) during the First World War. Like its successors, the S.VII was renowned as a sturdy and r ...

. On 21 August 1917, he took out an enemy

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 ...

for his second triumph. On 31 December 1917, he changed squadrons again, to ''

Jagdstaffel 27 Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 27 (german: Königliche Preussische Jagdstaffel Nr. 27), commonly abbreviated to ''Jasta'' 27, was a "hunting group" ( fighter squadron) of the '' Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World ...

''. In his tenure there, he downed enemy fighter planes on 23 January, 7 April, and 17 June 1918. On 27 June 1918, he was appointed to command of ''

Jagdstaffel 26 Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 26 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 squadrons, the unit would score 177 verifie ...

''. Between 7 July and 22 September, he shot down four enemy fighters and a two-seater. Brandt ended the war still commanding ''Jagdstaffel 26''.

Decorations and awards

Royal Order of the House 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 ...

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 ...

of 1914, 1st and 2nd class

Sources of information

References

* ''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914 - 1918'' Norman L. R. Franks, et al. Grub Street, 1993. , . 1893 births 1954 deaths German World War I flying aces People from Minden Military personnel from the Province of Westphalia Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Military personnel from North Rhine-Westphalia {{wwi-air