Sous Lieutenant Jacques Louis Ehrlich (1893-1953) was a French 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 19 aerial victories; he was one of the leading

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 ...

of the war.

Biography

Jacques Louis Ehrlich was born in Paris on 25 October 1893.''Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918'', pp. 157 - 158 He enlisted in the French army on 29 May 1913.''Balloon-Busting Aces of World War 1'', p. 15. Three and a half years later, in December 1916, he transferred to aviation. In May 1917, he was brevetted a pilot. Two months later, he was badly wounded while on a trench-strafing mission. He returned to duty in November as a newly promoted sergeant.The Aerodrome websit

Accessed 19 December 2009. Beginning on 30 June 1918, he was one of a "wolf pack" of his squadron's pilots dedicated to the highly hazardous pursuit of destroying German observation balloons. From that first victory, through the next two and a half triumphant months, he shared in the destruction of 15 enemy balloons, and shot down three others solo. On 1 August and on 15 September, he was credited with three victories each; on 17 July, he had two. After the 15 September feat of downing three balloons in two minutes, he was recommended for both the ''

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

'' and the ''

Médaille militaire The ''Médaille militaire'' ( en, Military Medal) is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...

''. Three days later, he was shot down and captured while scoring his last win. After scoring with three low-level gunnery runs, Ehrlich, Paul Petit, and another wingman ran into 11

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 ...

s; in the ensuing melee, it was uncertain whether Ehrlich fell to a Fokker or to ground fire. The day after that, he began his captivity as a newly commissioned ''

Sous lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

''. His total of 18 balloons downed garnered him the sixth spot on the

list. He also shared a victory over an Albatros fighter. This made him the highest scoring Allied Jewish ace of World War I,''SPAD XII/XIII Aces of World War I'', p. 60 one of five notable Jewish aces in France.''Les cahiers du judaïsme'' 21-22 Alliance israélite universelle – 2007"Cinq As juifs se distinguent dont Jacques-Louis Ehrlich – dix-neuf avions et Drachens abattus -, Eugène Weismann, ... Jacques-Louis Ehrlich de l'escadrille 154, quinzième As dans le palmarès des aviateurs, demeure très humble au sujet ..." His score was matched by a Jewish-born German ace, Wilhelm Frankl, who had converted to Catholicism to marry his Austrian bride. Ehrlich died in his native Paris on 10 August 1953.

Honors and awards

Citation for Médaille militaire "Remarkable pursuit pilot who has distinguished himself by his exceptional audacity and tenacity which have earned him twelve victories in one month. He flamed three balloons in a few minutes. One wound. Three citations." Médaille militaire citation, 10 September 1918

Sources of information

References

*''Balloon-Busting Aces of World War 1''. Jon Guttman. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2005. , . * ''Over the Front: The Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918'' Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank. London, UK: Grub Street Publishing, (1993). . * ''SPAD XII/XIII Aces of World War 1 (Aircraft of the Aces)'', Jon Guttman. Oxford UK:Osprey Publishing, 2002. ,

External links

* (fr
List of victories, color profile of his plane
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ehrlich, Jacques 1893 births 1953 deaths French World War I flying aces Military personnel from Paris 19th-century French Jews Recipients of the Médaille militaire (France) Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)