''Leutnant'' Friedrich Theodor Noltenius (8 January 1894 – 12 March 1936) was a German
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 ...
during the First World War, with a total of 21 official victories. From July 1914 to July 1917, he served with distinction as an artilleryman. He transferred to the ''
Luftstreitkräfte
The ''Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte'' (, German Air Force)—known before October 1916 as (Flyer Troops)—was the air arm of the Imperial German Army. In English-language sources it is usually referred to as the Imperial German Air Service, alt ...
'' (Imperial German Air Force) and became a fighter pilot. After his aerial combat career began with a horrifying incident, Noltenius began shooting down 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 ...
s and airplanes on 10 August 1918. His battle claims were sometimes unsuccessfully disputed with other pilots, including his commanding officers. Despite the resulting transfers between units, Noltenius continued his success, being credited with his 21st victory on 4 November 1918. Only the war's end a week later barred him from receiving Germany's highest award for valor, the ''
Pour le Mérite
The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by Frederick the Great, King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Or ...
''.
Noltenius became a medical doctor after the war ended. He married and moved to South America. After his return to Germany in 1933, he died in a flying accident.
Early life and service
Friedrich Theodor Noltenius was born in
Bremen
Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...
on 8 January 1894, the son of a Professor of Medicine. The younger Noltenius graduated from high school in Bremen. The beginning of World War I then interrupted his university medical studies.
Noltenius enlisted in the
Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg (german: Königreich Württemberg ) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which exist ...
's Field Artillery Regiment No. 13 at the outbreak of war, on 4 August 1914. He served on the
Eastern Front from November through December 1914 before transferring to the
Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to:
Military frontiers
*Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...
in France. On 17 November 1915, he was awarded the
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 ...
Second Class. He received the Iron Cross First Class on 10 May 1917. He was
commissioned as an officer in October 1916 and was wounded on 16 April 1917. He was awarded Württemberg's Knight's Cross of the
Military Merit Order on 5 July 1917.
Aerial service
In the beginning
While it is unknown when Noltenius transferred to flying service in the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Air Force), he began
ground school on 3 November 1917. In February 1918, he began actual flight training. By early June, he was flying his first artillery direction missions with ''Flieger-Abteilung (Artillerie) 234'' (Flier Detachment (Artillery) 234). Shortly thereafter, he was sent to fighter training in late June. Upon graduation, he was assigned to Royal Prussian ''
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 Wa ...
'', one of the fighter squadrons of
Bruno Loerzer
Bruno Loerzer (22 January 1891 – 23 August 1960) was a German air force officer during World War I and World War II. Credited with 44 aerial victories during World War I, he was one of Germany's leading flying aces, as well as commander of o ...
's ''
Jagdgeschwader III
''Jagdgeschwader III (Fighter Wing III, or JG III)'' was a fighter wing of the Imperial German Air Service during World War I. It was founded on 2 February 1918, as a permanent consolidation of four established ''jagdstaffeln'' (fighter squadron ...
'' wing.
![Doppeldecker OTT2013 D7N9227 001](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Doppeldecker_OTT2013_D7N9227_001.jpg)
Once he received his assigned
Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII qu ...
, he had his personal insignia painted on it. He chose an elaborate display of red and white, with checkerboards and stripes both encircling the fuselage in a wide band and painted on the upper wing above the cockpit. His sister's name, Hertha, was on the side of the cockpit.
First kill
On 16 July, an exceptionally hot spell of weather settled in—so hot that it sometimes detonated incendiary bullets within aircraft cockpits with fatal results. During a two-day stretch, at least seven German airplanes were lost to ammunition
cooking off
Cooking off (or thermally induced firing) is unfired weapon ammunition exploding prematurely due to heat in the surrounding environment. The term is used both for detonation of ammunition not loaded into a weapon, and unintended firing of a lo ...
. Flying in this killing weather, Noltenius found himself one of three German pilots attacking a French
Breguet 14 Breguet or Bréguet may refer to:
* Breguet (watch), watch manufacturer
**Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747–1823), Swiss watchmaker
**Louis-François-Clement Breguet (1804–1883), French physicist, watchmaker, electrical and telegraph work
* Bréguet ...
on the 18th. As he wrote in his diary:
"Alternately, I was over him or under him and behind him...anyway, at an altitude of 2500 metres I took good aim and pressed the trigger. Then a body broke free of the seat and the observer fell out. It was an abominable sight, and I can only say that I was extremely sorry for the poor devil....
The horror of his machine gunning the observer to death was compounded by his commanding officer, after they landed. According to him, unseen by Noltenius, the French pilot had futilely raised his arms to surrender. Also, Noltenius' combat claim for this victory was denied; the credit was given to another pilot.
A string of victories
On 3 August 1918, Noltenius pushed through drizzly weather to unsuccessfully attack a drenched 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 ...
. Noltenius chalked the failure up to experience. His first victory was over a
Sopwith Dolphin
The Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin was a British fighter aircraft manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It was used by the Royal Flying Corps and its successor, the Royal Air Force, during the World War I, First World War. The Dolphin entered se ...
, on 10 August. His second, ten days later, initiated him into the ranks of
balloon busters
Balloon busters were military pilots known for destroying enemy observation balloons. These pilots were noted for their fearlessness, as balloons were stationary targets able to receive heavy defenses, from the ground and the air. Seventy-seven fl ...
as he destroyed an observation balloon. As his victories continued, on 2 September, he became an ace, scoring his fifth and sixth victories.
On 3 September, Noltenius claimed another victory, only to find it was also being claimed by his commanding officer,
Hermann Frommherz
Generalmajor (Major General) Hermann Frommherz (10 August 1891 – 30 December 1964) Military Order of St. Henry, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight's Cross of the Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order, began his military career in World War ...
, who took credit for himself. The next day, Noltenius submitted another claim; that victory was also awarded to another pilot. A disgruntled Noltenius requested transfer to another squadron.
Meanwhile, Noltenius turned again to balloon busting. On 14 September, he attacked an observation balloon without knowing it was booby-trapped. The balloon full of high explosives was detonated from the ground during Noltenius's attack. The flaming explosion singed much of the fabric from his plane's wings, and left melted balloon fabric trailing from its spars. While Noltenius managed to fly the battered craft home and land safely, it was scrapped. Having escaped injury by the explosion, he was lightly wounded the next day by a ricocheting bullet.
He was shot down on 22 September by American ace
George Vaughn, but survived. On 29 September, his requested transfer came through, and he shifted to Royal Prussian ''
Jagdstaffel 6
Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 6 was one of the original units of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I.
History
The ''Jasta'' was founded on 25 August 1916 from Fokkerstaffel Sivry, itself an early at ...
''. By this time, Noltenius had successfully shot down another four enemy airplanes and three more balloons, raising his score to 13, with one pending. He shot down another balloon, and a
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 ...
in his new squadron. Then a clash with
Ulrich Neckel
Ulrich Neckel (23 January 1898 – 11 May 1928) Pour le Mérite, Iron Cross First and Second Class, was a World War I fighter ace credited with 30 victories.
Early life and enlistment
Ulrich Neckel was born in Güstrow, part of the Grand Duch ...
, his commanding officer, led to another move, this time to Royal Prussian ''
Jagdstaffel 11
Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 11 ("No 11 Fighter Squadron"; commonly abbreviated to Jasta 11) was founded on 28 September 1916 from elements of 4 Armee's “Kampfeinsitzer” or KEKs) 1, 2 and 3 and mobilized on 11 October as part of the Germ ...
''. He scored three victories for his new squadron on 23 October. Three more single-handed victories, on 28 October, 3 and 4 November, closed out his list of victims—his 21st and last officially credited victory was over 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 ...
bomber of the American
11th Aero Squadron
The 11th Aero Squadron was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I.
The squadron was assigned as a Day Bombardment Squadron, performing long-range bombing attacks on roads and railroads; destru ...
.
![Wrecked Airco de Havilland DH](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Wrecked_Airco_de_Havilland_DH.4_on_nose_and_missing_fabric.jpg)
On 8 November, Noltenius received the
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 ...
. His twentieth victory qualified him for the ''
Pour le Mérite
The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by Frederick the Great, King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Or ...
'', but the Armistice three days later put an end to those awards. He had flown 141 combat sorties by war's end.
Postwar life
After the Armistice ended the war, Germany was in chaos. Revolutionists from both extremes of the political spectrum fought for governance of their nation. Noltenius enrolled in the ''
Freikorps
(, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European military volunteer units, or paramilitary, that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenary or private armies, regar ...
'' for the
German Revolution of 1918-1919
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, fighting against the communist
Spartacus League
The Spartacus League (German: ''Spartakusbund'') was a Marxism, Marxist revolutionary movement organized in Germany during World War I. It was founded in August 1914 as the "International Group" by Rosa Luxemburg, Karl Liebknecht, Clara Zetkin, ...
revolutionists attempting to take over Germany. He then completed his medical studies. Once he qualified as a doctor, he moved his family to South America. He returned to Germany in 1933, and again took up flying.
In 1936, Noltenius was one of the German flying veterans asked by
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
historians to contribute his extensive diaries to the government archives because the ''Jagdeschwader III'' war diary was incomplete. He obliged them. As a result, historians found that the wing's total air victories during its nine months of existence was found to amount to about 370 enemy aircraft destroyed.
![2014SchleswigJagel-8408](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/2014SchleswigJagel-8408.jpg)
Just before 2 PM on 1 March 1936, Friedrich Noltenius took off from
Johannisthal Air Field
The Johannisthal Air Field, located southeast of central Berlin, between Johannisthal and Adlershof, was Germany's first commercial airfield. It opened on 26 September 1909, a few weeks after the world's first airfield at Rheims, France.
Ov ...
near Berlin. He crashed his
Bücker Bü 131 biplane and died en route to hospital.
His legacy
In addition to German historians' use of his diaries in 1936, in later years The League for Aviation Historians would publish English translations from Noltenius's war diaries, accompanied by his military service record ''(Kriegsranglisten-Auszug)''. These items were published in the League's magazine, the Cross and Cockade Journal, Volume 7, Number 4 (Winter 1966), p 307.
References
Sources
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External links
Friedrich Noltenius' record in ''Luftstreitkräfte'' service from TheAerodrome.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Noltenius, Friedrich T.
1894 births
1936 deaths
Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Germany
German World War I flying aces
Luftstreitkräfte personnel
Military personnel from Bremen