Roman Oto Kažimir Schmidt or Roman Šmidt (1893-1959) was a
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 ...
of the
Austro-Hungarian Aviation Troops
The Austro-Hungarian Aviation Troops or Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops (german: Kaiserliche und Königliche Luftfahrtruppen or , hu, Császári és Királyi Légjárócsapatok) were the air force of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the e ...
(air force), credited with six aerial victories.
Biography
Early life and artillery service
Roman Schmidt was born on 1 November 1893 in
Varaždin
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,
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
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, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
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. He attended a technical university and completed his education despite being called for his mandatory military service in 1913. As World War I began, he was a
fahnrich (officer candidate) in the 36th Artillery Regiment. He was commissioned and promoted to ''oberleutnant''. He transitioned to aviation as an aerial observer.
Aviation service
His first aerial victory was scored on the Russian front, whilst posted with ''Fliegerkompanen'' 7 (Flik 7, for
Aviation Company 7), and flying a
Hansa-Brandenburg C.I, when he together with pilot Paul Hablitschek on April 13, 1917, shot down a Russian
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 ...
Scout in the vicinity of Bohorodzany. (In accordance with Austro-Hungarian practice as Oberleutenant and officer Schmidt was acting as observer and gunner.) Later that year he was transferred to Flik 13, which was also fighting on the Russian front. On September 8, over Razbita in a twin-seater type
Oeffag C.II, he and Oberleutenant
Miroslav Navratil
Miroslav (Friedrich) Navratil (19 July 1893 – 7 June 1947) was a Croatian soldier, pilot, and general who served in the armies of Austria-Hungary, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and the Independent State of Croatia.
Until the end of World War I
...
downed a Russian Nieuport fighter. On October 4, flying a Lloyd 40.11 twin-seater with the pilot Zugsführer Adolf Wiltsch, they shot down another a single-seat fighter, marking Schmidt's third kill in 1917.
[Grosz, 1993. p 204, 472.]
Schmidt flew with Flik 30J on the Italian front from May 1918. On July 12, whilst flying a
Phönix D.I numbered 128.12, he downed an Italian twin-seater (type SAML) over enemy territory. His fifth kill occurred eleven days later, on July 23, when he shot down an RAF
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 ...
from 139th Squadron over
Godega di Sant'Urbano; both the pilot and the observer perished in the crash.
[Chant, 2002. p 94.] During that period, Flik 30J was based at the San Pietro di Campo airfield.
[Grosz, 1993. p 119.] His sixth and last victory was gained on October 27, 1918, when he shot down an Italian
Caproni Ca.3 heavy bomber in the area around
Belluno.
Post World War I
Schmidt died on 5 April 1959.
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmidt, Roman
1893 births
1959 deaths
Austro-Hungarian World War I flying aces
Croatian aviators
People from Varaždin