Karl Emil Schäfer (17 December 1891 – 5 June 1917) was a German pilot during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

; he became one of the major German

flying aces A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a 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 ace varies, but is ...

of the war, with 30 confirmed aerial victories.

Early life and infantry service

Schäfer was born in

Krefeld Krefeld ( , ; ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its c ...

and joined the ''Jäger Regiment zu Pferde Nr. 10'' of the Prussian Army for his

One-year volunteer A one-year volunteer, short EF (German language, de: ''Einjährig-Freiwilliger''), was, in a number of national armed forces, a Conscription, conscript who agreed to pay his own costs for the procurement of equipment, food and clothing, in return ...

military service. An engineering student who spoke fluent French and English, he was a fine draughtsman, and was studying in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

when the war broke out, but managed to return to Germany and was assigned to the ''Reserve Jäger Bataillon 7'' in

Bückeburg Bückeburg (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Bückeborg'') is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the border with North Rhine Westphalia. It is located in the district of Schaumburg close to the northern slopes of the Weserbergland ridge. Bückeburg ha ...

. He won the

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 ...

2nd class and was promoted to ''

Vizefeldwebel '' '' (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, occupied Serbia ...

'' during September 1914, before being badly woundedGerman Casualty Rolls / Prussian Roll Nr. 61 of October 27, 1914, p.1884)
/ref> and hospitalised for six months. After returning to the front line he was commissioned as ''Leutnant'' in May 1915.

Flying service

Requesting flying duties Schäfer trained as a pilot and served over the Eastern Front with ''

Kampfgeschwader {{wiktionary Kampfgeschwader are the German-language name for (air force) bomber units. In WW1, they were air squadrons, while in WW2, they were air wings. History First World War During World War I, ''Kampfgeschwader'' were specialized bomber ...

2'' from July 1916 onwards. He moved to the west and now flew with ''Kampfstaffel 11'' of KG 2, where he gained his first victory. With just this single victory, he impudently telegraphed Manfred von Richthofen, who was assembling a "top gun" (''kanone'') squadron at ''

Jasta 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 ''Kampfeinsitzerkommandos'' (or KEKs) 1, 2 and 3 and mobilized on 11 October as part o ...

'', "Can you use me?" Richthofen replied, "You have already been requested." Schäfer was then posted to ''Jasta 11'' on 21 February 1917. In intensive operations during

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 ...

he became a flying ace, being credited with 21 victories and awarded the ''

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 ...

''. While a member of ''Jasta 11'', "Karlchen" (Charlie) became known as the squadron's prankster and recorded many vivid incidents in combat and at play. He flew an

Albatros D.III The Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service () during World War I. A modified licensed version was built by Oeffag for the Austro-Hungarian Air Service (''Luftfahrtruppen''). The D.III was flown ...

with red and black markings. Somehow amidst all this he found time to pen his autobiography, ''Vom Jaeger zum Flieger'' ("From Soldier to Pilot").

Command and death in action

Schäfer was then given command of ''

Jasta 28 Royal Württemberg Jagdstaffel 28, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 28, was a "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. As one of the original German fighter squa ...

'' on 26 April, and after gaining further victories for a total of 30 claims, Schäfer was shot down and killed on 5 June 1917 in combat with No. 20 Squadron. An F.E.2d flown by Lt. Harold Satchell and observer Lt. Thomas Lewis disabled his plane, which broke apart in midair. Both men reported that the Albatros fell in flames.

Max Ritter von Müller Max Ritter von Müller (birth name Max Müller) (1 January 1887 – 9 January 1918) PlM, IC, MOMJ was a German World War I fighter ace credited with 36 victories. He was the highest scoring Bavarian pilot of the war. A prewar pilot, Müller b ...

of ''Jasta 28'' reported seeing it break up, but noted no fire. Photos of the wreckage show no scorching and the wings still attached to the aircraft. His ''Jasta 28'' comrades recovered Schäfer's body, noting that it had no bullet wounds, but that every bone in his body had been broken. His remains were taken back to his hometown Krefeld and were burried on the main cemetary. The funeral was attended by Manfred von Richthofen. Emil

With 29 of his victories flying the

, he was one of the most successful pilots in the type.

Combat record

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * *

External links