Leutnant () is the lowest Junior officer rank in the armed forces the German-speaking of Germany (Bundeswehr), Austrian Armed Forces, and military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High Ge ...

'' Hermann Pfeiffer (24 July 1890 – 20 May 1917) IC was a German

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

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.The Aerodrome website http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/pfeiffer.php Retrieved on 15 April 2010.

World War I military service

Pfeiffer joined the German army on 1 October 1913. He rose to

Unteroffizier () is a junior non-commissioned officer rank used by the . It is also the collective name for all non-commissioned officers in Austria and Germany. It was formerly a rank in the Imperial Russian Army. Austria , also , is the collective name to ...

in the ''114th Bavarian Infantry Regiment''. He won 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 es ...

Second Class in May 1915. He then transferred to aviation, and in July, he began pilot training. Once qualified, he was posted to ''Feldflieger Abteilung 110'', where he was promoted to

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, occup ...

on 11 July 1916. Later that month, he transferred to ''Feldflieger Abteilung 10'', to fly single-seated Fokker fighters. He came under the command of

Kurt Student Kurt Arthur Benno Student (12 May 1890 – 1 July 1978) was a German general in the Luftwaffe during World War II. An early pioneer of airborne forces, Student was in overall command of developing a paratrooper force to be known as the '' Fallsch ...

. Pfeiffer shot down a Caudron on 6 August 1916. Four days later, he received the Iron Cross First Class as a consequence. On 24 August, 2 and 26 September, he shot down a Caudron apiece. On 7 October, ''Feldflieger Abteilung 10'' morphed into ''

Jagdstaffel 9 Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 9 was a "hunting group" (fighter squadron) of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. Although the squadron, and the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', were short-lived, they had great ...

''. Pfeiffer continued to shoot down enemy planes, tallying seven more between 10 November 1916 and 14 May 1917. During this stretch, he also received two decorations from his native

Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden i ...

, as well as being commissioned on 21 November 1916. On 20 May 1917, Hermann Pfeiffer died during the test flight of a captured

Nieuport Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars. History Beginnings Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in ...

fighter.

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. , . 1890 births 1917 deaths People from Konstanz (district) People from the Grand Duchy of Baden Prussian Army personnel Military personnel of the Grand Duchy of Baden Luftstreitkräfte personnel Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class German military personnel killed in World War I Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1917 Military personnel from Baden-Württemberg {{germany-mil-bio-stub