Vizefeldwebel
''Feldwebel '' (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, occup ...
'' Gustav Klaudat was a German
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
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.The Aerodrome websit Retrieved 11 January 2018.
Uhlan
Uhlans (; ; ; ; ) were a type of light cavalry, primarily armed with a lance. While first appearing in the cavalry of Lithuania and then Poland, Uhlans were quickly adopted by the mounted forces of other countries, including France, Russia, Pr ...
regiment during World War I when he transferred to aviation. Although it was customary for German pilots to serve in
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 ...
or artillery direction units as seasoning before becoming fighter pilots, nothing is known of Klaudat's service before he joined a
fighter squadron
A squadron in air force, army aviation, or naval aviation 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, dependi ...
, ''
Jagdstaffel 15
Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 15, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 15, was a "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. The unit would score over 150 aerial victo ...
'', in 1918.Franks et al 1993, p. 144.
Service as a fighter pilot
Klaudat flew a
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 qui ...
painted in the squadron colors of blue tail and red nose. To that he added an overpainted personal marking of a Uhlan lance sporting a black and white banner.
On 20 July 1918, just after his arrival at ''Jasta 15'', Klaudat lent his aircraft to his squadron leader,
Rudolph Berthold
Oskar Gustav Rudolf Berthold (24 March 1891 – 15 March 1920) was a German flying ace of World War I. Between 1916 and 1918, he shot down 44 enemy planes—16 of them while flying one-handed. Berthold's perseverance, bravery, and willingness t ...
, who crashed it. Klaudat had to be supplied with another mount; he received one with a highly prized BMW engine. At 1220 hours on 15 August 1918, he shot down a Caudron R.11 over Conecticourt. Two days later, at 1710 hours, it was the turn of a
Spad XIII
The SPAD S.XIII is a French biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War, developed by '' Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés'' (SPAD) from the earlier and highly successful SPAD S.VII.
During early 1917, the French designer Louis ...
that fell over
Beaurains
Beaurains () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France.
Geography
A suburban town located 3 miles (5 km) south of Arras at the junction of the N17 with the D5 road.
History
The first ...
Jean Bozon-Verduraz
Lieutenant Jean Seraphin Benjamin Emmanuel Bozon-Verduraz was a French flying ace during World War I. A prewar soldier, he was recalled and switched from cavalry to aviation to achieve 11 confirmed aerial victories.
Early life
Jean Seraphin Benja ...
. On 21 August 1918, Klaudat shot down a
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 ...
south of Chaunay at 1650 hours. A week later, 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.
On 13 September, Klaudat shot down two Spad XIIIs on two different sorties for victories four and five. On 16 September 1918, he fought in the dog fight that brought down
Maurice Boyau
Maurice Jean-Paul Boyau (8 May 1888 – 16 September 1918) was a French rugby union player and a leading French ace of the First World War with 35 victories, and one of the most successful balloon busters. Balloon busting was the dangerous act ...
; Klaudat was credited with shooting down Boyau's wingman at midday over St-Hilaire. That was his last victory, although a 1 October combat claim of another Spad XIII would be undecided. On 23 October 1918, Gustav Klaudat was wounded severely enough in the left
humerus
The humerus (; ) is a long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. It connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the radius and ulna, and consists of three sections. The humeral upper extremity consists of a roun ...
, probably by
Eddie Rickenbacker
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker or Eddie Rickenbacker (October 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient.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. , .
* Franks, Norman; VanWyngarden, Greg; Weal, John. ''Fokker D VII Aces of World War 1, Part 1: Volume 53 of Aircraft of the Aces: Osprey Aircraft of the Aces''. Osprey Publishing, 2003. , 9781841765334.
* Gutmann, Jon. ''USAS 1st Pursuit Group: Volume 28 of Aviation Elite Units: Volume 28 of Osprey aviation Elite''. Osprey Publishing, 2008. , 9781846033094.
* — ''SPAD XII/XIII Aces of World War 1: Volume 47 of Aircraft of the Aces: Volume 47 of Osprey Aircraft of the Aces''. Osprey Publishing, 2002. , 9781841763163.
* VanWyngarden, Greg. ''JAGDGESCHWADER, Issue 2: Volume 19 of Aviation Elite Units: Volume 19 of Osprey Aviation Elite''. Osprey Publishing, 2005. , 9781841767277.
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German World War I flying acesLuftstreitkräfte personnelPrussian Army personnelPeople from East PrussiaRecipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 2nd class