Albert Dossenbach
Encyclopedia
Leutnant Albert Dossenbach was a World War I flying ace
credited with 15 aerial victories.
Second Class. On 20 September 1914, he was promoted to sergeant and awarded the Iron Cross First Class for his valor in capturing a French artillery position. He was commissioned as a leutnant in January 1915.
. He trained in Poznan and in Cologne, and graduated from Jastaschule in June. His first assignment as a pilot was to FA 22, a reconnaissance unit flying on the Western Front
. With Leutnant Hans Schilling as his observer gunner, he began to rack up victories; by 27 September 1916, his tally was eight. However, during the eighth victory, Dossenbach was burned by an engine fire, while Schilling went unharmed. While Dossenbach healed, Schilling was assigned to fly with another pilot, and was killed in December 1916.
The Pour le Merite
was awarded to him on 17 October 1916; it was the first one ever awarded to a two-seater pilot, and one of the few ever for a recon pilot.
Dossenbach scored once more with FA 22 before being sent to the famed Royal Prussian Jasta 2
(Jasta Boelcke) to train as a fighter pilot. Upon graduation, on 22 February 1917, he was appointed to command Royal Prussian Jasta 36. He began the new squadron's victory list by scoring five times during Bloody April
, 1917. One of these triumphs, on 13 April 1917, was over French ace Marcel Nogues
.
On 2 May 1917, he was wounded in the head and arm during a bombing raid; the wound put him in the hospital in Weimar, and removed him from command. Upon recovery, he was supposed to be stationed in Berlin as an inspector; however, he requested return to active duty. As a result, he took command of Royal Prussian Jasta 10 on 24 June 1917. He then turned balloon buster
for his final victory on 27 June 1917.
On 3 July 1917, Dossenbach's plane was set afire during a dogfight with four British machines. One of them holed his gas tank. He departed his flaming plane in midair. His body was found a sizable distance from the wreckage of his plane. He was buried with military honors.
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
credited with 15 aerial victories.
Early service
Dossenbach was a medical student when the war began. He joined the army's Kaiser Wilhelm Fusilier Regiment No. 90 as a one year volunteer on 1 April 1914. Within his first month of his service, he was both promoted and decorated for saving his commanding officer's life. He carried his wounded captain from the battlefield under fire, and was duly rewarded with the Iron CrossIron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
Second Class. On 20 September 1914, he was promoted to sergeant and awarded the Iron Cross First Class for his valor in capturing a French artillery position. He was commissioned as a leutnant in January 1915.
Flying service
In early 1916, he transferred to the LuftstreitkräfteLuftstreitkräfte
The Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte , known before October 1916 as Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches , or simply Die Fliegertruppen, was the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I...
. He trained in Poznan and in Cologne, and graduated from Jastaschule in June. His first assignment as a pilot was to FA 22, a reconnaissance unit flying on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
. With Leutnant Hans Schilling as his observer gunner, he began to rack up victories; by 27 September 1916, his tally was eight. However, during the eighth victory, Dossenbach was burned by an engine fire, while Schilling went unharmed. While Dossenbach healed, Schilling was assigned to fly with another pilot, and was killed in December 1916.
The Pour le Merite
Pour le Mérite
The Pour le Mérite, known informally as the Blue Max , was the Kingdom of Prussia's highest military order for German soldiers until the end of World War I....
was awarded to him on 17 October 1916; it was the first one ever awarded to a two-seater pilot, and one of the few ever for a recon pilot.
Dossenbach scored once more with FA 22 before being sent to the famed Royal Prussian Jasta 2
Jasta 2
Jasta 2 was one of the best-known German Luftstreitkräfte Squadrons in World War I. It was founded by the great aerial tactician Oswald Boelcke, and was the incubator of several notable aviation careers.-Formation:...
(Jasta Boelcke) to train as a fighter pilot. Upon graduation, on 22 February 1917, he was appointed to command Royal Prussian Jasta 36. He began the new squadron's victory list by scoring five times during Bloody April
Bloody April
During the First World War, the month of April 1917 was known as Bloody April by the Royal Flying Corps . The RFC suffered particularly severe losses — about three times as many as the Imperial German Army Air Service over the same period — but continued its primary role in support of the ground...
, 1917. One of these triumphs, on 13 April 1917, was over French ace Marcel Nogues
Marcel Nogues
Sous Lieutenant Marcel Joseph Maurice Nogues was a World War I flying ace credited with thirteen aerial victories. He was an ace over enemy observation balloons, as well as enemy airplanes.-World War I service:...
.
On 2 May 1917, he was wounded in the head and arm during a bombing raid; the wound put him in the hospital in Weimar, and removed him from command. Upon recovery, he was supposed to be stationed in Berlin as an inspector; however, he requested return to active duty. As a result, he took command of Royal Prussian Jasta 10 on 24 June 1917. He then turned balloon buster
Balloon buster
Balloon busters were military pilots known for destroying enemy observation balloons. These pilots were noted for their fearlessness. Seventy-six fighter pilots in World War I were each credited with destroying five or more balloons, and thus were balloon aces....
for his final victory on 27 June 1917.
On 3 July 1917, Dossenbach's plane was set afire during a dogfight with four British machines. One of them holed his gas tank. He departed his flaming plane in midair. His body was found a sizable distance from the wreckage of his plane. He was buried with military honors.
Reference
- German Fighter Aces of World War One. Terry C. Treadwell, Alan C. Wood. Tempus, 2003. ISBN 0-7524-2808-X, 9780752428086
- Albatros Aces of World War 1: Part 1 of Albatros aces of World War I. Norman L. R. Franks. Osprey Publishing, 2000. ISBN 1-85532-960-3, 9781855329607.