Oberleutnant Friedrich Ritter von Röth (29 September 1893 – 31 December 1918) was a German World War I fighter ace

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...

 with 28 victories. He was the most successful German pilot at shooting down enemy observation balloons; 20 of his triumphs were against them.

Early service

Friedrich Röth served originally in an artillery regiment. He was seriously wounded early in the war. Once he was again fit for duty, he was commissioned, in May 1915. He transferred to the aerial service, only to be severely injured in a crash. Because of his extended recuperation, he did not win his wings until early 1917. His initial assignment was to a Bavarian artillery spotting unit, FA(A) 296. At some point, he served in Jagdstaffel 34

Jagdstaffel 34

Royal Bavarian Jagdstaffel 34, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 34, was a World War I "hunting group" of the Luftstreitkräfte, which was the forerunner to the Luftwaffe. The unit would score 89 confirmed aerial victories during the war, including three enemy observation balloons...

, but did not down any enemies until he was assigned to Jagdstaffel 23

Jagdstaffel 23

Royal Bavarian Jagdstaffel 23b was a World War I "hunting group" of the Luftstreitkräfte, which was the forerunner to the Luftwaffe. As one of the original German fighter squadrons, the unit would score a minimum of 63 verified aerial victories...

.

Balloon busting ace

Röth did not enjoy any success as a fighter pilot until he decided to concentrate his effort on observation balloons. He was a poor shot, and took up firing upon balloons because they were a large target. He also loaded his guns to maximize his effectiveness against balloons; his left-hand machine gun would be loaded with 80 percent incendiaries and 20 percent armor piercing, and the right-hand gun vice-versa. His decision meant he took upon himself one of the most hazardous duties of World War I fighter aviation. Because balloons flew at a known altitude, antiaircraft guns ringing them were extremely accurate. The balloons were low enough that an attacker was exposed to small arms fire as well. Protective fighters also lurked in the vicinity. The balloons were so well defended because they were an important part of the artillery fire direction systems of World War I.

On 25 January 1918, as a member of Jasta 23, Röth scored his first victories, downing three balloons in eight minutes. He shot down a British observation plane on 26 February and downed another pair of balloons on 21 March. On 1 April, he downed four balloons in ten minutes, to become an Überkanone.

Command

Röth was assigned to command Jagdstaffel 16 on 8 April 1918, just four days after the previous Jastaführer, Heinrich Geigl

Heinrich Geigl

Leutnant Heinrich Georg Geigl was a World War I flying ace credited with thirteen aerial victories.Geigl was an elementary school teacher and a philosophy student in civilian life. Once trained as a pilot, he went through assignments with Kagohl 6 and Kasta 36. On 26 February 1917, he was assigned...

, died in a midair collision with a Sopwith Camel

Sopwith Camel

The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...

. During this assignment, he established a reputation as a modest idealist, pious and courageous. On 29 May 1918, Röth became the only World War I pilot to down five balloons without assistance; there was only one other instance of it happening at all. The attack took 15 minutes.

He would go on to bag three balloons each on 13 August and 10 October, along with seven enemy airplanes on various dates. His most notable victory was over 16-kill Irish ace Sgt. John Cowell, whose 20 Squadron Bristol F.2b he shot down on 30 July 1918, killing Cowell in the process. Röth was also honored with Germany's highest decoration for valor, the Pour le Mérite

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....

, on 8 September 1918. Röth's last victory was on 14 October 1918.

Post-war death

On 31 December 1918, Röth shot himself to death. He was reportedly depressed by Germany's defeat and the subsequent ongoing revolution, as well as troubled by his killings during the war. He was buried in Saint Johannis Friedhof in Nuremberg. His family refused to mark his grave because his suicide was considered a sin.

In 1919, Röth was posthumously awarded the Military Order of Max Joseph

Military Order of Max Joseph

The Military Order of Max Joseph was the highest purely military order of the Kingdom of Bavaria. It was founded on 1 January 1806 by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, the first king of Bavaria...

. This award knighted him, thus changing his name to Friedrich Ritter von Röth; it also entitled him to a lifetime pension. There is a street named after him in his native city.