Hans Ritter von Adam, born Hans Adam (24 May 1886 – 15 November 1917), was a Bavarian

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 ...

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 ...

, with 21 victories before being killed in action. He enlisted as an infantry private, and rose through the ranks to be commissioned an officer. His valor earned him his nation's highest awards, including one that posthumously raised him to

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

Background

Hans Ritter von Adam was born as Hans Adam on 24 May 1886, in

Bayerisch Eisenstein Bayerisch Eisenstein, until 1951 just Eisenstein ( cs, Bavorská Železná Ruda) is a village and a municipality in the Regen district, in Bavaria, Germany. Geography Bayerisch Eisenstein is part of Bayerischer Wald and borders the first German ...

in the

Lower Bavaria Lower Bavaria (german: Niederbayern, Bavarian: ''Niedabayern'') is one of the seven administrative regions of Bavaria, Germany, located in the east of the state. Geography Lower Bavaria is subdivided into two regions () – Landshut and Donau-W ...

region of the

Kingdom of Bavaria The Kingdom of Bavaria (german: Königreich Bayern; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German E ...

(a town now divided between Germany and the Czech Republic), son of a railway official, Andreas Adam, and his wife Hildegard ''née'' Fischer. Hans Adam entered the Royal Bavarian Army as a one-year volunteer (''Einjährige-Freiwilliger'') on 1 October 1906, serving in the 4th Infantry Regiment in

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...

. He then became a businessman in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

. By the time World War I began, Adam was married, with two children.

Military service

Adam returned to service as a lieutenant in the Bavarian ''

Landwehr ''Landwehr'', or ''Landeswehr'', is a German language term used in referring to certain national army, armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large-scale, low-strength fortif ...

'' (''Leutnant der Landwehr'') when World War I began. He was assigned to the Bavarian 15th Reserve Infantry Regiment. He fought in the

Battle of the Frontiers The Battle of the Frontiers (, , ) comprised battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. The battles resolved the military strategies of the French Chief of Staff ...

and while fighting around the French fortifications in the Nancy-

Épinal Épinal (; german: Spinal) is a commune in northeastern France and the prefecture of the Vosges department. Geography The commune has a land area of . It is situated on the river Moselle, south of Nancy. Épinal station has rail connection ...

region was

wounded in action Wounded in Action (WIA) describes combatants who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during wartime, but have not been killed. Typically, it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing ...

on 2 September 1914. After recuperating, he returned to the front in late 1915, but then chose to enter pilot training (despite his age, which made him much older than most pilot trainees). He received his Observer's Badge on 15 May 1916 and began service as an

aerial observer Aerial may refer to: Music * ''Aerial'' (album), by Kate Bush * ''Aerials'' (song), from the album ''Toxicity'' by System of a Down Bands *Aerial (Canadian band) * Aerial (Scottish band) *Aerial (Swedish band) Performance art *Aerial silk, ...

. He flew as an observer for

Eduard Ritter von Schleich Eduard-Maria Joseph Ritter von Schleich (9 August 1888 – 15 November 1947), born Schleich, was a high scoring Bavarian flying ace of the First World War. He was credited with 35 aerial victories at the end of the war. During the Second World ...

. On 2 March 1917, he joined ''Jasta'' 34 and scored his first three victories in an

Albatros D.III The Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service ('' Luftstreitkräfte'') during World War I. A modified licence model was built by Oeffag for the Austro-Hungarian Air Service ( ''Luftfahrtruppen''). ...

. He then transferred to ''Jasta'' 6 when Oberleutnant

Eduard Ritter von Dostler Oberleutnant Eduard Ritter von Dostler (3 February 1892 – 21 August 1917) '' PlM'', MOMJ was a German World War I fighter ace credited with 26 victories. On three consecutive assignments during World War I, Dostler was entrusted with the combat ...

took command. On 12 July 1917 he shot down and killed ace Lt. A.W.B. Miller (6 victories) of No. 29 Squadron RFC for his fifth victory. Adam continued to score, totaling 12 confirmed victories by the end of August. He rose to become

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 ...

of Jasta 6 on 30 August 1917, after Dostler was shot down. Adam scored again the following day, then ran off seven more victories in September. He scored his 21st and final victory on 6 November 1917.

Death

Adam was shot down and killed on 15 November 1917 near Langemarck in his Albatros D.V. He was fighting enemy aircraft from both No. 29 Squadron RFC and No. 45 Squadron RFC; Captain Kenneth Barbour Montgomery of No.45 Squadron,

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

was the apparent victor. By the time of his death, Adam had already won 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 ...

First Class and the Military Merit Order of Bavaria. However, posthumous awards continued. On 2 February 1918, Adam received the Knight's Cross with Swords of 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 ...

. On 20 May 1919, Bavaria's highest military decoration, the

Military Order of Max Joseph The Military Order of Max Joseph (german: Militär-Max-Joseph-Orden) was the highest military order of the Kingdom of Bavaria. It was founded on 1 January 1806 by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, the first king of Bavaria. The order came in th ...

(''Militär-Max-Joseph-Orden''), was posthumously bestowed on him, with effect from 28 July 1917. On that date, as deputy ''Staffelführer'' of ''Jasta'' 6, while his ''Staffelführer'' chased one bomber, Adam had attacked and broken up the rest of a formation of enemy bombers, and continued the pursuit despite damage to his own aircraft, until his squadron had destroyed the enemy formation. For a commoner, award of the Military Order of Max Joseph carried with it a patent of non-hereditary nobility signified by the title "''Ritter von''", and Hans Adam posthumously became Hans Ritter von Adam. Hans Ritter von Adam was interred in the Waldfriedhof in

, Germany.

Decorations

, 1st and 2nd Class * Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Max Joseph * Knight's Cross with Swords of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern * Military Merit OrderFranks, et al p. 59.

Endnotes

Reference

Norman Franks Norman Leslie Robert Franks (born 1940) is an English militaria writer who specialises in aviation topics. He focuses on the pilots and squadrons of World Wars I and II. Biography He published his first book in 1976. He was an Organisation a ...

; Frank W. Bailey; Russell Guest. ''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918''.