Arthur Laumann
Encyclopedia
Leutnant Arthur Laumann was a German World War I flying ace
who scored 28 victories in just over three months. He rose to become Air Attache to Greece and Yugoslavia during World War II
, raising to a final rank of Luftwaffe
Generalmajor.
Second Class on 8 February 1916. On 13 January 1917, he became an Offizier-Stellvertreter (Officer candidate). He was commissioned Leutnant de Reserves on 19 May 1917. On 14 August 1917, he transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte
for pilot training.
fighter planes while commanding Jagdstaffel 66. He made the transition without attending fighter training.
Eight days after joining Jagdstaffel 66, on 27 May 1918, he scored his first triumph in the same dogfight in which his commanding officer, Rudolf Windisch
, was shot down and disappeared.
Laumann scored three victories in June, and became an ace on 1 July. He ran up 12 wins in July, including a triple on the 18th. He also was awarded the Iron Cross
First Class on the 17th. He ended the month as a triple ace.
He shot down another dozen enemy planes in August, including another triple on the 9th. Also during July and August, he briefly commanded Jasta 66.
In mid August, he was transferred to command Jagdstaffel 10 in Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1), the Jagdgeschwader von Richthofen.
The JG 1 commander was Hermann Göring
.
Laumann scored his last four victories with Jasta 10, including his final one on 4 September. On 7 September, he was awarded the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern. The Pour le Merite
, or Blue Max followed on 25 October, and was the final one awarded to any member of JG I.
In 1932 and 1933, he became an advisor to an aviation group. He was appointed SA-Standartenführer, a paramilitary field officer's rank, on 24 August 1932.
From there, he moved to leading a formation of the German Air Sport Formation until 31 March 1935. This led to his entry into the Luftwaffe
as a Major on 1 April 1935 as commander of Air Region Reserve 12 in Cologne
. Also during 1935, he was appointed to squadron command in II Group of JG 132. He held that post until 1 February 1939, when he moved up to command of II Group.
On 4 September 1939, he left his command to become the Air Attache for Yugoslavia
and Greece
, with his home base being the German Embassy in Belgrade
, Yugoslavia. Laumann held this post until 29 May 1941.
After that, he held a series of administrative posts until his retirement on 1 March 1945. He had been promoted to Oberst
(Colonel) on 1 January 1940; he was given a final promotion to Generalmajor (Major General) as he retired.
• Prussian Royal Hohenzollern House Order, Knight’s Cross with Swords: 7 September 1918
• Prussian Iron Cross, 1st Class (1914): 17 July 1918
• Prussian Iron Cross, 2nd Class (1914): 8 February 1916
• War Merit Cross
, 2nd Class with Swords
• Cross of Honor
for Combatants 1914-1918
• German Army Pilot’s Badge – World War I award: 18 May 1918
• Luftwaffe Pilot’s Badge: 15 December 1936
• Italian Order of the Roman Eagle
, Commander with Swords
• Croatian Order of the Iron Trefoil, 1st Class
• Croatian Order of the Crown of King Zvonimir
, 1st Class with Swords
• Royal Yugoslavian Order of the White Eagle, 3rd Class
• Croatian Pilot’s Badge
• “Jagdgeschwader Frhr. V. Richthofen Nr.1 1917/18” War Commemorative Cuff-Title
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...
who scored 28 victories in just over three months. He rose to become Air Attache to Greece and Yugoslavia during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, raising to a final rank of Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
Generalmajor.
Service in World War I artillery
Arthur Laumann joined Field Artillery Regiment Number 83 on 2 August 1914, and was assigned to 40th Artillery Ranging Troop. He was promoted to Gefreiter (Private first class) on 15 February 1915, and to Unteroffizier (Noncommissioned officer) on 1 August 1915. He won an 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 8 February 1916. On 13 January 1917, he became an Offizier-Stellvertreter (Officer candidate). He was commissioned Leutnant de Reserves on 19 May 1917. On 14 August 1917, he transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte
Luftstreitkräfte
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...
for pilot training.
Aerial service in World War I
He took pilot training with the 13th Flying Replacement Battalion until 26 February 1918. By 6 March 1918, he was assigned to FA(A) 265, which was an artillery spotting squadron flying two seated airplanes. After only two months, on 19 May, he was assigned to fly Fokker D.VIIFokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the summer and autumn of 1918. In service, the D.VII quickly proved itself to be a formidable aircraft...
fighter planes while commanding Jagdstaffel 66. He made the transition without attending fighter training.
Eight days after joining Jagdstaffel 66, on 27 May 1918, he scored his first triumph in the same dogfight in which his commanding officer, Rudolf Windisch
Rudolf Windisch
Leutnant Rudolf Friedrich Otto Windisch was a World War I fighter ace credited with 22 victories.-Early life and service:Rudolf Friedrich Otto Windisch was born in Dresden, Germany, the son of Bruno Windisch, who owned a pastry shop. During his childhood, Rudolf was very interested in aviation...
, was shot down and disappeared.
Laumann scored three victories in June, and became an ace on 1 July. He ran up 12 wins in July, including a triple on the 18th. He also was awarded the Iron Cross
Iron 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....
First Class on the 17th. He ended the month as a triple ace.
He shot down another dozen enemy planes in August, including another triple on the 9th. Also during July and August, he briefly commanded Jasta 66.
In mid August, he was transferred to command Jagdstaffel 10 in Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1), the Jagdgeschwader von Richthofen.
The JG 1 commander was Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
.
Laumann scored his last four victories with Jasta 10, including his final one on 4 September. On 7 September, he was awarded the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern. 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....
, or Blue Max followed on 25 October, and was the final one awarded to any member of JG I.
Service after World War I
After the armistice, he was transferred to the Signals Battalion of Military District Command VI until August 1919. From there he was returned to the 83rd Field Artillery Regiment and placed on indefinite leave. He was mustered out on 31 December 1920.In 1932 and 1933, he became an advisor to an aviation group. He was appointed SA-Standartenführer, a paramilitary field officer's rank, on 24 August 1932.
From there, he moved to leading a formation of the German Air Sport Formation until 31 March 1935. This led to his entry into the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
as a Major on 1 April 1935 as commander of Air Region Reserve 12 in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
. Also during 1935, he was appointed to squadron command in II Group of JG 132. He held that post until 1 February 1939, when he moved up to command of II Group.
On 4 September 1939, he left his command to become the Air Attache for Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, with his home base being the German Embassy in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Yugoslavia. Laumann held this post until 29 May 1941.
After that, he held a series of administrative posts until his retirement on 1 March 1945. He had been promoted to Oberst
Oberst
Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
(Colonel) on 1 January 1940; he was given a final promotion to Generalmajor (Major General) as he retired.
Awards and decorations
• Prussian Pour le Mérite Order: 25 October 1918, Leutnant der Reserve, Leader of Jagdstaffel 10• Prussian Royal Hohenzollern House Order, Knight’s Cross with Swords: 7 September 1918
• Prussian Iron Cross, 1st Class (1914): 17 July 1918
• Prussian Iron Cross, 2nd Class (1914): 8 February 1916
• War Merit Cross
War Merit Cross
The War Merit Cross was a decoration of Nazi Germany during the Second World War, which could be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel...
, 2nd Class with Swords
• Cross of Honor
Cross of Honor
The Cross of Honor, also known as the Honor Cross or, popularly, the Hindenburg Cross, was a commemorative medal inaugurated on July 13, 1934 by Reichspräsident Paul von Hindenburg for those soldiers of Imperial Germany who fought in World War I...
for Combatants 1914-1918
• German Army Pilot’s Badge – World War I award: 18 May 1918
• Luftwaffe Pilot’s Badge: 15 December 1936
• Italian Order of the Roman Eagle
Order of the Roman Eagle
The Fascist Order of the Roman Eagle founded in 1942 with civil and military divisions, was abolished in Italy in 1944; although it continued to be awarded by Benito Mussolini in the short-lived Italian Social Republic until 1945. An organisation of the same name was founded by Romano Mussolini in...
, Commander with Swords
• Croatian Order of the Iron Trefoil, 1st Class
• Croatian Order of the Crown of King Zvonimir
Order of the Crown of King Zvonimir
The Order of the Crown of King Zvonimir was order awarded by the Independent State of Croatia . It is established as a "visible sign of decoration for merits done, in peace or in war, for Croatian people and Independent State of Croatia" It was established by Croatian leader Ante Pavelić on May...
, 1st Class with Swords
• Royal Yugoslavian Order of the White Eagle, 3rd Class
• Croatian Pilot’s Badge
• “Jagdgeschwader Frhr. V. Richthofen Nr.1 1917/18” War Commemorative Cuff-Title