Wilhelm "Willy" Neuenhofen (24 April 1897 – 24 January 1936) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

p ilot. His career as a pilot began with the German military in the First World War, where he became a

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 ...

obtaining 15 air victories. On May 26, 1929, Neuenhofen set a world altitude record of 12,739 m (41,795 ft) flying a Junkers W 34 be/b3e He was killed in 1936 whilst on a test flight in a

Junkers Ju 87 The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka (from ''Sturzkampfflugzeug'', "dive bomber") was a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's ...

Sources of information

1897 births 1936 deaths German World War I flying aces Military personnel from Mönchengladbach Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Germany Flight altitude record holders {{Germany-mil-bio-stub