''Leutnant'' Fritz Pütter (14 January 1895 – 10 August 1918) ''

Pour le Mérite The (; , ), also informally known as the ''Blue Max'' () after German WWI flying ace Max Immelmann, is an order of merit established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. Separated into two classes, each with their own designs, the was ...

'',

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

, was a German World War I

ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...

fighter pilot credited with victories over eight enemy

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

s and 17 airplanes.The Aerodrome website page on Pütte

Retrieved 23 September 2020

Early life and infantry service

Fritz Pütter was born in Westphalia, the son of Franz Pütter, who was the royal rentmeister. Fritz Pütter was schooled in the ''Realgymnasium'' (i.e., municipal school) of

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

. He moved on to study chemistry at university. When World War I began, Pütter volunteered for service on 24 August 1914. He became a member of a machine gun company and served on the Eastern Front until May 1915. He then underwent officer training and was commissioned on 12 October 1915. He was assigned to Infantry Regiment Nr. 370, and took part in the fighting at Flirey, in France, on the Western Front.''Der Logbuch'' website
/ref>

Flying duties

On 20 May 1916, Pütter began pilot training; this he completed on 9 December 1916 and he was posted to ''Flieger-Abteilung 251'', flying reconnaissance missions between Reims and Verdun in support of the 3rd Army. As was customary in German aviation, his diligence was rewarded with a transfer to flying fighter aircraft. He was assigned to the Royal Prussian '' Jagdstaffel 9'' on 7 March 1917. Hartmuth Baldamus and Hermann Pfeiffer, who were already in the squadron, mentored him. Pütter scored his first victory in

Bloody April Bloody April was the (largely successful) British air support operation during the Battle of Arras (1917), Battle of Arras in April 1917, during which particularly heavy casualties were suffered by the Royal Flying Corps at the hands of the Germ ...

, 1917, shooting down an observation balloon in flames on the 14th. On the same mission, his friend Baldamus was killed in a midair collision with a

Nieuport 17 The Nieuport 17 C.1 (or Nieuport XVII C.1 in contemporary sources) is a French sesquiplane fighter aircraft, fighter designed and manufactured by the Nieuport company during World War I. An improvement over the Nieuport 11, it was a little large ...

. Pütter followed-up this initial success by shooting down four more observation balloons, including two in a single minute on 1 November; he became the second of only ten men to start his career by becoming an ace on balloons. By 27 January 1918, Pütter's victory log showed seven balloons and three enemy fighters. Pütter was transferred to command '' Jagdstaffel 68'' on 3 February 1918. He scored his first victory leading his new unit on 18 March. By the end of that month, he was a triple ace, with 15 kills. April brought another six and May four more. On 31 May, he received Germany's highest award for valor, the ''

''. He had previously been awarded both classes of the

, as well as the Knight's Cross with Swords of the

House Order of Hohenzollern The House Order of Hohenzollern ( or ') was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various versions of the order were crosses an ...

''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918'', p. 183 On 16 July 1918, he was flying a mission with incendiary ammunition aboard his plane. It self-combusted, setting plane and pilot on fire. Pütter managed to land the burning plane and he was rushed to the University Clinic in Bonn. On 10 August, he succumbed to his wounds. Pütter was buried in the main cemetery in Münster.Findagrave website
/ref> A street is named after him there.

Inline citations

References

* ''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918''.

Norman Franks Norman Leslie Robert Franks (1940 – 21 May 2023) was an English militaria writer who specialised in aviation topics. He focused on the pilots and squadrons of World Wars I and II. Biography Franks published his first book in 1976. H ...

, Frank W. Bailey, Russell Guest. Grub Street, 1993. , . {{DEFAULTSORT:Putter, Fritz 1895 births 1918 deaths People from Dülmen Military personnel from the Province of Westphalia German World War I flying aces Prussian Army personnel Luftstreitkräfte personnel German military personnel killed in World War I Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1918 Military personnel from North Rhine-Westphalia Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Germany