''Vizefeldwebel'' Hermann Juhnke (born 7 April 1893) 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 five aerial victories.
Juhnke's page at The Aerodrome website

Biography

Hermann Juhnke was born in

Laurenburg Laurenburg is a municipality in the Rhein-Lahn district of Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany. The town, a health resort situated in the lower Lahn River valley, belongs to the Diez Municipal Association. History Laurenburg Castle is fi ...

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 ...

on 7 April 1893. He first served his mandatory military duty with ''Luftschiffer'' (Aeronautical) Battalion Nr. 1 before World War I began. In July 1915, he transferred to heavier-than-air aviation, entering training at ''Fliegerersatz-Abteilung'' (Replacement Detachment) 3 at

Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...

, Germany. After training, he was posted to ''Flieger-Abteilung (Artillerie)'' (Flier Detachment Artillery) 238 in July 1916; they were an artillery cooperation unit. He did well enough with them to rate the Military Merit Cross, which would subsequently be awarded to him.Franks et al 1993, p. 139. He left FA(A) 238 for ''Jastaschule I'' (Fighter School 1) on 30 August 1917. After graduation, he was assigned to 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 41 Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 41, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 41, 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 73 aerial victories duri ...

late in 1917. He also flew with an ad hoc fighter unit, ''Kampfeinsitzerstaffel'' (Combat single-seater squadron) 5. However, Juhnke did not enjoy any success until he joined

Jasta 52 Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 52, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 52, was a "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. The squadron would score over 42 aerial victor ...

on 4 March 1918. His first victory came on 2 May 1918, when he shot down 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 ...

from 43 Squadron over

Locon Locon (; vls, Lockon) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Locon is situated some north of Béthune and west of Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a cit ...

, France. Then, on two separate

sortie A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warfare. ...

s on 5 June 1918, Juhnke shot down two British

fighters Fighter(s) or The Fighter(s) may refer to: Combat and warfare * Combatant, an individual legally entitled to engage in hostilities during an international armed conflict * Fighter aircraft, a warplane designed to destroy or damage enemy warplan ...

, a Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a and a

Bristol F.2 Fighter The Bristol F.2 Fighter is a British First World War two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft developed by Frank Barnwell at the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter, ''"Brisfit"'' or ''"Bif ...

. At 1405 hours on 27 June, he 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 25 Squadron over

Nieppe Nieppe (; nl, Niepkerke) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is in the Lys Plain and a portion of it is in the Lys Valley (Leiedal in Dutch). Population Geography It is situated by the Belgian border. It is located clo ...

Forest. On 16 July 1918, he was belatedly awarded his empire's highest decoration for

enlisted men An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or warrant officers, except in United States mi ...

, the Military Merit Cross. On 8 August 1918, he shot down another SE.5a for his fifth confirmed victory. He would claim another win in September, but it would go unconfirmed. Hermann Juhnke would survive World War I; besides becoming a flying ace and winning the Military Merit Cross, he had been 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 ...

First Cross. The latter decoration could not have taken place without a prior of the Second Class Iron Cross. Juhnke had also been wounded four times, which should have qualified him for a

Wound Badge The Wound Badge (german: Verwundetenabzeichen) was a German military decoration first promulgated by Wilhelm II, German Emperor on 3 March 1918, which was first awarded to soldiers of the German Army who were wounded during World War I. Between th ...

.
The Aerodrome website's medal page Neither of the latter decorations are noted in records.

Endnotes

References

* Norman Franks, 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. , . {{DEFAULTSORT:Juhnke, Hermann 1893 births People from Rhein-Lahn-Kreis Military personnel from Hesse-Nassau Luftstreitkräfte personnel German World War I flying aces Year of death unknown Prussian Army personnel Military personnel from Rhineland-Palatinate