'' Leutnant'' Walter Böning was a German 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

Grand Duchy of Oldenburg The Grand Duchy of Oldenburg (, also known as Holstein-Oldenburg) was a grand duchy within the German Confederation, North German Confederation and German Empire that consisted of three widely separated territories: Oldenburg, Eutin and Birke ...

credited with 17 aerial victories. He began his World War I military service as an infantryman. He distinguished himself by winning both the Gold Medal for Bravery and the Second Class Iron Cross. He then transferred to aviation duty, training originally as a

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

pilot before advancing to become a

fighter pilot A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and ...

. Between 6 April 1917 and 30 May 1918, he was credited with 17 aerial victories. On 31 May 1918, he survived a midair collision while being attacked by British fighters. Although he coaxed his damaged machine home, the serious leg wound he had suffered sidelined him through war's end.

Military service

Böning began his military career with distinguished service in Bavaria's 19th Infantry Regiment, being awarded the Golden Bravery Medal on 15 May 1915, as well as winning an

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 ...

Second Class. He then transferred to the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' (German flying service).Franks et al 1993, p. 82. He began pilot training on 10 February 1916. Beginning 25 May 1916, he was posted to ''Flieger-Abteilung'' (Flier Detachment) 6b on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

for artillery cooperation duties. In October 1916, he was awarded the Iron Cross First Class for his services. The following month, he was transferred to a fighter squadron, Royal Prussian '' Jagdstaffel 19''. He scored his first victory on 6 April 1917. Böning became a

balloon buster 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 ...

on 30 April, downing one of the

observation balloon An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War ...

s at

Guyencourt Guyencourt is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Aisne department The following is a list of the 799 Communes of France, communes in the French Departments of Fr ...

. He became an ace on 23 September 1917, when he shot down two Nieuport fighters for victories five and six. These were his final wins for ''Jagdstaffel 9''; he was given command of Royal Bavarian '' Jagdstaffel 76'' on 5 October 1917. Flying his

Albatros D.Va The Albatros D.V is a fighter aircraft built by the Albatros Flugzeugwerke and used by the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. The D.V was the final development of the Albatros D.I family and the last Albatros ...

marked with blue and white diamonds,Franks 2000, p. 83. he scored a victory for his new squadron on 9 December 1917, to run his total to seven. He then ran up ten more wins between 4 February and 30 May 1918. On 31 May 1918, while on combat patrol, he collided with his wingman as they were being attacked by

No. 70 Squadron RAF No.70 or LXX Squadron RAF provides strategic transport. History First World War The squadron was formed on 22 April 1916 at Farnborough, and was equipped with the Sopwith 1½ Strutter. The squadron was posted to France, and in 1917 re-equi ...

. The wingman was shot down and killed; Böning was then severely wounded below the left knee. He managed to disengage and return to base. After safely landing the battered Albatros emblazoned with a large 'B' on its side, Böning was out of the war.

Honors and awards

of 1914, **Second Class (ca 1915) **First Class (October 1916) * Gold Bravery Medal (7 May 1915) * Military Merit Order, Fourth Class with Crown and Swords (Bavaria) * Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern *

Friedrich August Cross The Friedrich-August Cross was a German decoration of the First World War. It was set up on 24 September 1914 by Frederick Augustus II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg, with two classes, for (to quote its citation) "all persons of military or civilian st ...

, Second and First Class (

)

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. , . * Franks, Norman. ''Albatros Aces of World War 1.'' Osprey Publishing, 2000. , . {{DEFAULTSORT:Boning, Walter 1894 births Year of death unknown German World War I flying aces Military personnel of Bavaria People from Oldenburg (state) Military personnel from Lower Saxony Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Luftstreitkräfte personnel