Friedrich Altemeier
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Altemeier was a World War I
fighter ace
credited with 21 victories. Due to his distinguished faithful military service and piloting skills, he became one of the test pilots for Germany's last and best fighter airplane of the war, the Fokker D.VIII
.
before World War I began. He was called up for duty on 2 August 1914.
Altemeier originally served in the infantry in a machine gun company. He was wounded in action on 15 January 1915.
On 11 August 1915, he transferred to aerial service. After training at Posen, he served first with FA 67, then with Royal Prussian Jasta 14
. He then transferred to Royal Saxon Jasta 24 on the Western Front
on 1 December 1916.
fighter emblazoned with the triple rings of the Krupp Works to down a Nieuport 17
.
Four months later, he began to score again, downing a RNAS Sopwith Triplane
on 7 July and a Spad VII five days later. Then, on 17 August, he shot a double and became an ace.
He triumphed four more times in September, with his last in this string coming on the 26th. He was then wounded, and did not score again that year.
On 19 February 1918, he shot down a RAF SE.5a to again begin his winning ways. This was his tenth victory; it made him, in German parlance, an Uberkanone.
He tallied another win in February, followed by three in March. He then went on hiatus until August, when he scored twice. He had two confirmed victories and one unconfirmed in both September and October. His final victory, on 10 November, the day before the armistice, was his 21st and the jasta's 91st and final one. He and his Staffelfuehrer, Heinrich Kroll
, had accounted for half the wins scored by their squadron.
He was awarded the enlisted man's equivalent to the Blue Max
, the Military Merit Cross
, on 11 April 1918. He was also awarded the Silver Wound Badge
, which means he had been wounded at least three times. He also received the Iron Cross
.
Altemeier was one of the few pilots entrusted with the most modern German fighter of World War I, the Fokker E.V (sometimes called the Fokker D.VIII
).
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
fighter ace
Fighter Ace
Fighter Ace was a massively multiplayer online computer game in which one flies World War II fighter and bomber planes in combat against other players and virtual pilots...
credited with 21 victories. Due to his distinguished faithful military service and piloting skills, he became one of the test pilots for Germany's last and best fighter airplane of the war, the Fokker D.VIII
Fokker D.VIII
-See also:-References:* Weyl, A.R. Fokker: The Creative Years. 1988. ISBN 0-851778-17-8....
.
Early military service
Friedrich Altemeier worked for KruppKrupp
The Krupp family , a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, have become famous for their steel production and for their manufacture of ammunition and armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th...
before World War I began. He was called up for duty on 2 August 1914.
Altemeier originally served in the infantry in a machine gun company. He was wounded in action on 15 January 1915.
On 11 August 1915, he transferred to aerial service. After training at Posen, he served first with FA 67, then with Royal Prussian Jasta 14
Jasta 14
Jasta 14 was a hardcore band from Connecticut that existed from 1991 to 1996. Over the years it included members that went on to play in such bands as Hatebreed, Red Sparowes and Orthrelm.-Members:* Jamey Jasta* Mick Barr* Joel Chialastri* Greg Burns...
. He then transferred to Royal Saxon Jasta 24 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...
on 1 December 1916.
Aerial victories
Altermeier was promoted to Vizfeldwebel on 13 February 1917. He opened his score with his new squadron on 3 March 1917. He used a twin-gunned Albatros D.IIIAlbatros D.III
The Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service and the Austro-Hungarian Air Service during World War I. The D.III was flown by many top German aces, including Manfred von Richthofen, Ernst Udet, Erich Löwenhardt, Kurt Wolff, and Karl Emil Schäfer...
fighter emblazoned with the triple rings of the Krupp Works to down a Nieuport 17
Nieuport 17
|-Specifications :-See also:-Bibliography:* Bruce, Jack. "Those Classic Nieuports". Air Enthusiast Quarterly. Number Two, 1976. Bromley, UK:Pilot Press. pp. 137–153....
.
Four months later, he began to score again, downing a RNAS Sopwith Triplane
Sopwith Triplane
The Sopwith Triplane was a British single seat fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War. Pilots nicknamed it the Tripehound or simply the Tripe. The Triplane became operational with the Royal Naval Air Service in early 1917 and was...
on 7 July and a Spad VII five days later. Then, on 17 August, he shot a double and became an ace.
He triumphed four more times in September, with his last in this string coming on the 26th. He was then wounded, and did not score again that year.
On 19 February 1918, he shot down a RAF SE.5a to again begin his winning ways. This was his tenth victory; it made him, in German parlance, an Uberkanone.
He tallied another win in February, followed by three in March. He then went on hiatus until August, when he scored twice. He had two confirmed victories and one unconfirmed in both September and October. His final victory, on 10 November, the day before the armistice, was his 21st and the jasta's 91st and final one. He and his Staffelfuehrer, Heinrich Kroll
Heinrich Kroll
Oberleutnant Henrich Claudius Kroll Pour le Merite, Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Saxony's Albert Order Knight Second Class with Swords, Iron Cross First and Second Class, was a World War I fighter ace credited with 33 victories.-Early life:Kroll was born in the village...
, had accounted for half the wins scored by their squadron.
He was awarded the enlisted man's equivalent to the Blue Max
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....
, the Military Merit Cross
Military Merit Cross
Military Merit Cross is the name for a military decoration in various states, including:* Military Merit Cross * Military Merit Cross * German States:...
, on 11 April 1918. He was also awarded the Silver Wound Badge
Wound Badge
Wound Badge was a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Imperial German Army in World War I, the Reichswehr between the wars, and the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied...
, which means he had been wounded at least three times. He also received 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....
.
Altemeier was one of the few pilots entrusted with the most modern German fighter of World War I, the Fokker E.V (sometimes called the Fokker D.VIII
Fokker D.VIII
-See also:-References:* Weyl, A.R. Fokker: The Creative Years. 1988. ISBN 0-851778-17-8....
).