Leutnant Walter Höhndorf (1892-1917) was a German pioneer aviator, test pilot, airplane designer and constructor, and

fighter ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

during World War I. He was credited with twelve aerial victories while flying for the Imperial German Air Service. Only one of his victories was achieved with a fighter squadron; the rest were scored while he flew for artillery direction and reconnaissance units.

Early life

Walter Höhndorf was a schoolteacher's sonThe Aerodrome website https://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/hohndorf.php Retrieved on 15 April 2010. who was fascinated with engineering and motors. He learned to fly in Paris in 1913. Upon his return, he qualified for pilot's certificate No. 582 on 3 November at

Johannisthal Air Field The Johannisthal Air Field, located southeast of central Berlin, between Johannisthal (Berlin), Johannisthal and Adlershof, was Germany, Germany's first commercial airfield. It opened on 26 September 1909, a few weeks after the world's first a ...

. He became famous as an early pioneer of aerobatics in his native Germany. He also helped design and produce airplanes at

Teltow Teltow () is a town in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district, in Brandenburg, Germany. Geography Teltow is part of the agglomeration of Berlin. The distance to the Berlin city centre is , while the distance to Potsdam is . The Teltow Canal links th ...

's Union Flugzeugwerke.

World War I

Höhndorf volunteered for aviation upon the outbreak of war. He was commissioned on 15 March 1915. He served most of that year as a test pilot for

Siemens-Schuckert Siemens-Schuckert (or Siemens-Schuckertwerke) was a German electrical engineering company headquartered in Berlin, Erlangen and Nuremberg that was incorporated into the Siemens AG in 1966. Siemens Schuckert was founded in 1903 when Siemens & H ...

. In late 1915, he was assigned to ''Flieger-Abteilung'' (Flier Detachment) 12 to fly a single-seater; he shot down two

Voisin Voisin (French for "neighbour") may refer to: Companies *Avions Voisin, the French automobile company :* Voisin Laboratoire, a car manufactured by Avions Voisin * Voisin (aircraft), the French aircraft manufacturer * Voisin, a Lyon-based chocol ...

s a week apart, on 12 and 19 January 1916. After service with ''Flieger-Abteilung'' (Flier Detachment) 67, he moved on to ''Kampfeinsitzerkommando Vaux'' (Combat Single-Seater Command, Vaux) in April 1916. Between 10 April and 19 July, he shot down seven more French airplanes. He received the ''

Pour le Merite Pour is a name which can be used as a surname and a given name: * Kour Pour (born 1987), American artist of Iranian and British descent * Mehdi Niyayesh Pour (born 1992), Iranian footballer * Mojtaba Mobini Pour (born 1991), Iranian footballer * P ...

'' on 20 July 1916. He scored twice more in July, bringing his total to eleven. On 23 August, he was forwarded to '' Jagdstaffel 1'' (Fighter Squadron 1). He scored his final victory with them, on 17 September 1916. AEG D

After an assignment with '' Jagdstaffel 4'', Höhndorf returned to test pilot duties, as well as instructing at

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...

. On 15 August 1917, he was selected to command '' Jagdstaffel 14''. He died in a flying accident on 5 September 1917 while testing one of his own designs, the AEG D.I.

Sources of information

References

* ''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914 - 1918'' Norman L. R. Franks, ''et al.'' Grub Street, 1993. , . * ''Early German Aces of World War I.'' Greg VanWyngarden, Harry Dempsey. Osprey Publishing, 2006. , . {{DEFAULTSORT:Hohndorf, Walter 1892 births 1917 deaths Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in France German military personnel killed in World War I Luftstreitkräfte personnel People from Potsdam-Mittelmark People from the Province of Brandenburg Prussian Army personnel Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1917