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 ...
(later
Hauptmann) Willi Gabriel 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 ...
credited with eleven aerial victories.
Hermann Göring removed Gabriel from combat duty for shooting four enemy airplanes contrary to orders.
[The Aerodrome website http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/gabriel.php Retrieved on 15 April 2010.]
Early life
Willi Gabriel was one of twins born on 31 December 1893 in
Bromberg
Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...
, 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 ...
(present day Poland). Gabriel built his own airplanes prior to World War I.
World War I service
He was called up for military service when the war began. Early in 1915, he began a series of assignments to artillery cooperation units, often in company with his twin brother Walter. The twins served together until Walter was shot down and captured on 19 August 1917. Willi Gabriel was eventually stationed in Schutzstaffel 15, where he and his observer shot down a
Spad on 22 March 1918.
Wilhelm Reinhard then requested Gabriel's assignment to Jagdgruppe 1, and Gabriel was posted to
Jagdstaffel 11
Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 11 ("No 11 Fighter Squadron"; commonly abbreviated to Jasta 11) was founded on 28 September 1916 from elements of 4 Armee's “Kampfeinsitzer” or KEKs) 1, 2 and 3 and mobilized on 11 October as part of the Germ ...
on 15 April as a fighter pilot. He scored on 19 May, then six times in June, including two
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.
then came to command JG 1, much to Gabriel's displeasure. On 18 July 1918, Gabriel flew a solo mission without permission and shot down three French airplanes. Upon his return, he was grounded. However, he disobeyed Göring's orders, took off, and shot down a fourth Frenchman. Upon his return from this sortie, he was banished from combat despite his success. In August 1918, he was posted out of Jasta 11 and away from combat duty despite his previously having won the
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.
Post World War I
In 1938, he flew
Fokker Dr.I
The Fokker Dr.I (''Dreidecker'', "triplane" in German), often known simply as the Fokker Triplane, was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918. It became famous as the ...
in two movies,
''DIII 88'' and
''Pour le Mérite''. He returned to duty during World War II, rising to the rank of Hauptmann.
Legacy
The Fokker D-VII built by Cole Palen, which flew in the Rhinebeck Aerodrome shows of the 1960s and 1970s, was painted in the scheme of Willi Gabriel, in tribute to him.
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. , .
1893 births
1968 deaths
Military personnel from Bydgoszcz
Military personnel from the Province of Posen
German World War I flying aces
Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class
German military personnel of World War II
{{wwi-air