Vizefeldwebel ''Feldwebel '' (Fw or F, ) is a non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in several countries. The rank originated in Germany, and is also used in Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. The rank has also been used in Russia, Austria-Hungary, occupi ...

Max Kahlow (born 11 May 1894, date of death unknown) was a German

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 ...

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 six aerial victories.Max Kahlow
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Biography

Early life

Max Kahlow was born on 11 May 1894 in Bad Schoenfließ,

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 ...

; due to changes in political boundaries, the town is in present-day Poland.

Military service

Kahlow joined the military before World War I began, on 20 April 1913. By 14 March 1916, he was flying on the Eastern Front. In 1917, he moved to

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

. He joined ''Flieger-Abteilung'' (Flier Detachment) 42 in April 1917, and was teamed with

Leutnant () is the lowest Junior officer rank in the armed forces the German (language), German-speaking of Germany (Bundeswehr), Austrian Armed Forces, and military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") fro ...

Paul Philipp as his observer when they scored an aerial victory on 31 May 1917. At some point, Kahlow had returned to Russia, as they shot down a

Nieuport Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars. History Beginnings Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in ...

over Elipicesti.Franks et al 1993, p. 140. In June 1917, Kahlow attended fighter training. On 18 June, he was posted to a Western Front fighter squadron,

Jagdstaffel 34 Royal Bavarian ''Jagdstaffel'' 34, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 34, 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 89 confirmed aerial ...

, for his final war assignment. He scored his second aerial victory on 29 July 1917. On 21 August, his craft was brought down by

anti-aircraft fire Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

, but Kahlow was unwounded. He would score four more confirmed victories during 1918. By the time he was discharged from the military on 15 December 1918, Max Kahlow had earned both the Second and First Class

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 ...

and 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 ...

's Military Merit Cross.

Later life

Max Kahlow would eventually become a

Lufthansa Deutsche Lufthansa AG (), commonly shortened to Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. When combined with its subsidiaries, it is the second- largest airline in Europe in terms of passengers carried. Lufthansa is one of the five founding m ...

pilot.

Sources of information

References

* 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. , . 1894 births Year of death missing German World War I flying aces People from the Province of Brandenburg People from Gryfino County Luftstreitkräfte personnel Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Date of death unknown Recipients of the Military Merit Order (Bavaria) {{Germany-airforce-bio-stub