''Stabsfeldwebel'' Johann Risztics (alias Janos Risztics) (1895-1973) was an

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

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 seven reliably confirmed aerial victories. After his wounding early in World War I, he switched to aviation duty as a mechanic. He went for pilot training in 1915. Once trained, he shot down seven enemy fighter planes, winning five Medals for Bravery in the process. Postwar, he became a record-setting test pilot for

Junkers Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG (JFM, earlier JCO or JKO in World War I, English: Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works) more commonly Junkers , was a major German aircraft and aircraft engine manufacturer. It was founded there in Dessau, Germ ...

In the beginning

Johann Risztics (alias János Risztics or Ristic) was born on 11 January 1895The Aerodrome websit

Accessed on 20 November 2021 in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

, Hungary to South Slav parents. As World War I began, he joined Hungarian Infantry Regiment No. 44. The regiment went into action in the

Carpathian Mountains The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The range stretches ...

on the Russian Front; Risztics was wounded on 23 November 1914.

Aviation service

Once healed, Risztics joined the Airship Detachment of the Austro-Hungarian Aviation Troops as a mechanic. He subsequently applied for heavier-than-air pilot training and was accepted in July 1915. On 2 December 1915, he was awarded Austrian Pilot Certificate No. 292. Once trained, he returned to the Russian Front in March 1916 to join ''Fliegerkompanie 22''. His service with this general service squadron brought him two awards of the Silver

Medal for Bravery The Medal for Bravery (Serbo-Croatian: ''Медаља за Храброст'', Macedonian: ''Медал за Xраброст'') was a Yugoslav military award created in 1943 for achievements in the line of duty during World War II. It was initial ...

, with the Second Class award in August 1916 followed by the First Class award in December. On 10 February 1917, he was promoted to ''Feldwebel''. In April 1917, he was transferred to ''Fliegerkompanie 42J'' as a fighter pilot on the Italian Front. While fighting in the

Battles of the Isonzo The Battles of the Isonzo (known as the Isonzo Front by historians, sl, soška fronta) were a series of 12 battles between the Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies in World War I mostly on the territory of present-day Slovenia, and the remaind ...

, he used his Hansa-Brandenburg D.I fighter to shoot down an Italian Nieuport fighter on 30 June 1917 for his unit's first victory. During July and August, he shot down two more Nieuports and an Italian SPAD. By the end of the year, he was an ace. During this time, Risztics received his second First Class award of the Silver Medal for Bravery in July. In August, he received the more prestigious Gold Bravery Medal. Risztics formed a strong friendship with fellow pilots Fredrich Hefty and Ferdinand Udvardy, as all three of them won the Gold Medal for Bravery. These three awards prompted the airmen of ''Fliegerkompanie 42J'' to nickname the trio the ''Arany Triumviratus'' (Golden Triumvirate). Re-equipped with an Albatros D.III fighter, Risztics scored two more victories in 1918, on 17 April and 4 May. Also in May, he received a rare second award of the Gold Medal for Bravery. Shortly thereafter, as he began to show signs of

combat fatigue Combat stress reaction (CSR) is acute behavioral disorganization as a direct result of the trauma of war. Also known as "combat fatigue", "battle fatigue", or "battle neurosis", it has some overlap with the diagnosis of acute stress reaction used ...

, he was pulled from combat duty to become an instructor for the remainder of the war.

Post World War I military service

As the Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolved into smaller nations, Risztics elected for Hungarian citizenship. In 1919, in defense of his new nation, he served with the 8th Fighter Squadron, Red Air Force during the ongoing turmoil post World War I.

Civilian test pilot

Risztics next became a

test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testing ...

for

World Record Flights of the W33

In the late 1920s, he was well known for his record flights for the Junkers W 33. On July 5, 1927, Junkers pilots Risztics and Zimmermann achieved a new world record for continuous flight with a W33L of 65hrs and 25 minutes. Risztics and Edzard achieved the next W33 world record on August 3, 1927 with a W33. They flew for a distance of 4660 km a new distance world record, and needed 52hrs and 22 minutes for that flight.

First try of the east-west Atlantic crossing

On August, 14th 1927, Risztics, Edzard and the American journalist

Hubert Renfro Knickerbocker Hubert Renfro Knickerbocker (January 31, 1898 – July 12, 1949) was an American journalist and author. He was nicknamed "Red" from the color of his hair. Early life Knickerbocker was born in Yoakum, Texas. Knickerbocker's father was Rev. Hube ...

on board the Junkers W 33 "Europa", and Koehl, Loose and Huenefeld with the W 33 "Bremen", took off from Germany for the first approach of the crossing. This approach failed due to bad weather and engine troubles of "Europa".

The Challenge 1929-1930

Risztics took part at International Touring Aircraft Contests, the Challenge 1929 and the Challenge 1930. The contest was conceived by the French Aero Club, inspired by the International Light Aircraft Contest in France in 1928. Four Challenges, from 1929 to 1934, were major aviation events in pre-war Europe. The first contest was opened on August 4, 1929 in Paris. It consisted of two parts: technical trials of aircraft and a rally over Europe. Since one of the aims of the Challenge was to generate a progress in aircraft building, it was not only pilots' competition, but technical trials also included a construction evaluation. Fifty-five aircraft entered the Challenge in 1929, from six countries. All planes flew with two-men crews, pilot and passenger or mechanic. Johann Risztics was 8th after the technical trials with his

Junkers A50 The Junkers A50 ''Junior'' was a German sports plane of the 1930s. Development The Junkers A50 was the first sportsplane designed by Hermann Pohlmann in Junkers works. Krzyżan, Marian. ''Międzynarodowe turnieje lotnicze 1929-1934'' nternation ...

. However, just at the beginning of a rally over Europe, on 7 August 1929, he broke

undercarriage Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include: *The landing gear of an aircraft. *The ch ...

and

propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

and was disqualified. He continued the rally off the contest, till

Milano Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city has ...

. The second Challenge took place between July 16 and August 8, 1930 and started in Berlin, Germany. Germany organized the contest, because the German pilot

Fritz Morzik __NOTOC__ Friedrich-Wilhelm Morzik (10 December 1891 – 17 June 1985) was a general in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Morzik was a winner in the first Internat ...

won the previous contest in 1929. Sixty aircraft entered the Challenge in 1930, from six countries. The contest was open on July 16, 1930, at Berlin-Staaken airfield. It consisted of two parts: a rally over Europe and technical trials. Risztics finished the rally on the 16th position and all the contest on the 15th position, flying

ce.

Death

Johann Risztics died in

Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...

, Germany on 7 March 1973.

Citations

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Risztics, Johann 1895 births 1973 deaths Austro-Hungarian World War I flying aces Aviation record holders