Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedish ...

Paul Aue 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 ...

from the

Kingdom of Saxony The Kingdom of Saxony (german: Königreich Sachsen), lasting from 1806 to 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. The kingdom was formed from the Electorate of Saxon ...

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 ...

. Partial records of his early aviation career credit him with 10 aerial victories. He would join the nascent ''

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

'' during the 1930s and serve Germany through World War II. He died in a Russian prison camp in 1945.

Early life

Paul Aue was born on 7 October 1891 in Söbringen, Kingdom of Saxony.The Aerodrome website http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/aue.php Retrieved 15 May 2011. He matured into a small man; some sources even call him "diminutive".VanWyngarden 2004, p. 19.Franks et al 2003, p. 14.

World War I

In 1916, Aue served with Kampstaffel 30 of Kampgeschwader 5. Flying a two-seater reconnaissance plane, Aue and his observer managed to down a similar craft, a

Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2 The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was a British single-engine tractor two-seat biplane designed and developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. Most of the roughly 3,500 built were constructed under contract by private companies, including establish ...

c, on 25 October 1916. Aue was then credited with two more victories before being transferred to Jasta 10 that same month.Franks et al. 2003, p. 13. He scored his—and his new squadron's—first victory on 25 March 1917. He struck again on 7 June, wounding a British

Spad VII The SPAD S.VII was the first of a series of highly successful biplane fighter aircraft produced by ''Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés'' (SPAD) during the First World War. Like its successors, the S.VII was renowned as a sturdy and r ...

pilot, and driving pilot and plane into captivity. Aue was

wounded in action Wounded in Action (WIA) describes combatants who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during wartime, but have not been killed. Typically, it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing ...

on 19 September 1917 while piloting a Pfalz D.III. During a dogfight at 3,000 meters with two dozen British

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

planes from Naval 10 Squadron above

Roulers Roeselare (; french: Roulers, ; West Flemish: ''Roeseloare'') is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Roeselare proper and the towns of Beveren, Oekene and Rumbeke. The ...

, France the German sergeant ace was hit by three English bullets, one of them an explosive round. Though he refused to leave his unit, his wounds kept him out of action until February 1918; he would not score another victory until 3 May 1918, when he shot down 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 ...

, killing the pilot and wounding the gunner. It would be his last victory while flying the Pfalz, as Jasta 10 was upgrading to

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 qu ...

s. On 16 June 1918, Aue attacked and destroyed an enemy observation balloon for his seventh confirmed win. He went on to shoot down three more enemy fighter planes, his last victory coming on 4 September 1918.

Between the wars

Paul Aue joined the nascent

during the 1930s.

World War II

On 1 November 1939, Oberst Paul Aue was appointed to command of Blindflugschule 1 of the Luftwaffe. Blindflugschule 1's ("Blind Flying School 1")'s airfield was shared with a formation of

Messerschmitt Me 163 The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet is a rocket-powered interceptor aircraft primarily designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt. It is the only operational rocket-powered fighter aircraft in history as well as th ...

rocket planes. Aue would head the school until 16 April 1945, when the school disbanded.Ransom et al. 2010, p. 35 He was captured by the

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

, and died in a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

camp.

List of aerial victories

Details of Paul Aue's victories are incomplete. An attempt to collate these details and produce a complete victory list appears below. Please include a source/citation for any additions. See also

Aerial victory standards of World War I Aerial may refer to: Music * ''Aerial'' (album), by Kate Bush * ''Aerials'' (song), from the album ''Toxicity'' by System of a Down Bands *Aerial (Canadian band) * Aerial (Scottish band) * Aerial (Swedish band) Performance art * Aerial sil ...

Honors

Paul Aue is known to have earned the following honors:Franks et al 1994, p. 63.

: Silver Military Order of Saint Henry awarded on 24 April 1917
Kingdom of Saxony: Gold Military Order of Saint Henry awarded during July 1918

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 Class
Silver Friedrich August Medal
Paul Aue also may have been awarded two other decorations: Saxon Honor Cross with Crown and Swords
Saxon

War Merit Cross The War Merit Cross (german: Kriegsverdienstkreuz) was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award. A " de-Nazified" version of the War Merit ...

Endnotes

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. , . * Franks, Norman; VanWyngarden, Greg; Weal, John. ''Fokker D VII Aces of World War 1, Part 1: Volume 53 of Aircraft of the Aces: Volume 53 of Osprey Aircraft of the Aces.'' Osprey Publishing, 2003. , . * Gutmann, Jon. ''Spad VII Aces of World War I: Volume 39 of Aircraft of the Aces'' Osprey Publishing, 2001. , . * Gutmann, Jon, and Dempsey, Harry. ''Bristol F2 Fighter Aces of World War I: Volume 79 of Aircraft of the Aces: Volume 79 of Osprey Aircraft of the Aces.'' Osprey Publishing, 2007. , . * Ransom, Steven; Cammann, Hans-Hermann; Laurier, Jim. ''Jagdgeschwader 400: Germany's Elite Rocket Fighters: Volume 37 of Aviation Elite Units.'' Osprey Publishing, 2010. , . * VanWyngarden, Greg. ''Pfalz Scout Aces of World War 1: Volume 71 of Aircraft of the Aces.'' Osprey Publishing, 2006. , . * — ''Richthofen's Circus: Jagdgeschwader, Issue 1: Volume 16 of Aviation Elite Units.'' Osprey Publishing, 2004. , . {{DEFAULTSORT:Aue, Paul 1891 births 1945 deaths German World War I flying aces Military personnel from Dresden People from the Kingdom of Saxony Luftstreitkräfte personnel Luftwaffe personnel of World War II German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union German people who died in Soviet detention