First Lieutenant Karl John Schoen (20 October 1894 – 29 October 1918) was a 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 aerial victories while flying 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 Béc ...

for the USAAS during World War I. As such, he was one of the first American aces flying for his home country.

Early life

Karl John Schoen was the son of John and Effie Morgan Johnston Schoen. He graduated from

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

and enlisted on 22 April 1917.

Aerial service

Schoen joined the

139th Aero Squadron The 139th Aero Squadron was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I. The squadron was assigned as a day pursuit (fighter) squadron as part of the 2d Pursuit Group, First United States Army. ...

on 13 February 1918. Beginning 18 September, he shot down six enemy airplanes in cooperation with such other 139th pilots as

Harold H. George Harold Huston George (14 September 1892 – 29 April 1942) was a general officer in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He began his military career before World War I when he enlisted as a private in the 3rd New York Infantry ...

and Robert Opie Lindsay. He scored his final two victories on 29 October 1918, and was shot down moments later.

Circumstances of his death

Unlike the combat death of most World War I aces, the circumstances of Schoen's are well known. A ground observer of the battle, Lieutenant Leser of the Coast Artillery, wrote a letter to Schoen's mother the day of his death, giving a vivid account of both the death and the atmosphere of a World War I dogfight. "My Dear Mrs. Schoen: I want to extend my most sincere sympathy in your great sorrow over the death of your brave boy, and also give you a full description of the plucky fight he put up.... "On the afternoon of Oct. 29, I was in an advanced ammunition dump getting powder when three German planes came over, bent on destroying it.... "I...turned my attention to the other American machine, which...was piloted by your son. First he would be on top and then the boche—both planes maneuvering for the most advantageous position, but as the minutes sped by one could tell he was putting up a losing but game fight. They drove him down until barely 300 yards separated him from the ground. The odds were against him—four machine guns and two men against one machine gun and one man in a much smaller plane.... "He was so near the ground that he could have landed and have been alive today, but to quit... was not in him; instead of quitting he pulled hard on the steering lever and his little machine bounded straight up under his adversary. "...his machine gun must have jammed, for I saw him pull his pistol and fire several shots, one or more being effective, as the German observer dropped limp in his seat, and I thought for a moment that he would come out victorious but a sudden burst from the boche's machine gun broke your son's arm, and losing control, his machine started into a fatal nosedive and as it did I saw your boy fire several more shots with his pistol at the then departing boche, and when we picked him up he still had the automatic clasped tightly in his right hand, brave boy that he was, fighting till the last...."''The Indianapolis Star'', November 27, 1918, as posted a
theaerodrome.com
Retrieved on 26 June 2010. He is buried in France at a AbMC Cemetery in Francehttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55960262/karl-john-schoen Karl John Schoen at Find a grave} Karl John Schoen left behind a widow, Mrs. Maurine Schoen, and a 10-month-old daughter. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in 1919.

References

Bibliography

* ''American Aces of World War I.'' Norman Franks, Harry Dempsey. Osprey Publishing, 2001. , . {{DEFAULTSORT:Schoen, Karl American military personnel killed in World War I American World War I flying aces Aviators from Indiana Aviators killed by being shot down People from Indianapolis Purdue University alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) 1894 births 1918 deaths

Early life

Aerial service

Circumstances of his death

See also

References

Bibliography