Harald Auffarth
Encyclopedia
Eduard Florus Harald Auffarth (also Auffahrt) (?? – 12 October 1946) Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross
, Silver Wound Badge
, Hanseatic Cross
, was a World War I
German
fighter ace
credited with 29 victories. After the war, he ran an aviation training school that covertly supported establishment of the Luftwaffe
.
from Bremen would indicate his birth in Bremen
, Bremerhaven
, or the vicinity; the various kingdoms of the German Empire generally awarded medals only to their subjects. (Germany's supreme award, the Prussian Pour le Merite
, was an exception to this rule.
) could lead to approval of requests for aviation training. After training, the new flier usually served in a reconnaissance unit flying two-seated aircraft. Auffarth served in two of these units. He first served in Feldflieger Abteilung 27. He then transferred to Flieger Abteilung Artillerie 266, which would have entailed the pilot flying while the observer was spotting and correcting artillery fire upon the enemy. Typically, the observer was the senior man in the crew.
Auffarth transferred to flying fighters with Prussian Jagdstaffeln 18 and recorded his first victory with them on 16 September 1917. On the last day of the month, he became an ace. He then transferred to Prussian Jasta 29.
He scored a victory with them on 13 November. He was appointed commanding officer on the 19th, as an Oberleutnant
and would lead the squadron for almost a year. He would eventually score a quarter of his new squadron's victories, flying a succession of Albatroses, Fokker D.VII
s, and a rare Pfalz D.VIII
, all in his personal colour scheme of yellow nose and green fuselage with a stylized eight-pointed comet on the side.
He accumulated victories erratically until his total stood at 20, on 3 September 1918, at which time he was recommended for the Pour le Merite. Along the way, when his tally stood at 14, he won the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern on 11 April 1918.
Becoming Commander of Jagdgruppe Nr. 3, he turned over command of Jasta 29 on 28 September. He then had his finest month as a fighter pilot. He downed an Airco DH.9
on 5 October. He scored two victories on 9 October and three each on 14 and 30 October. It is ironic that this much wounded courageous man fell one victory short of being awarded Germany's highest decoration, the Pour le Merite. He did have two additional victories unconfirmed, either of which would have earned him the coveted Blue Max
.
. He established Fliegerschule Auffarth (Auffarth's Flying School) in Munster in 1924. This was one of ten flying schools that surreptitiously supported covert military aviation training in Germany in violation of the Treaty of Versailles.The school was closed in 1929, just before Germany began training military pilots deep within Russia.
Auffarth returned to service for World War II
. He was stationed in Eschenbach
in May 1943 as an Oberstleutnant
or Lieutenant Colonel
. He died there on 12 October 1946.
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....
, 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...
, Hanseatic Cross
Hanseatic Cross
The Hanseatic Cross was a decoration of the three Hanseatic Cities of Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck, who were member states of the German Empire during World War I...
, was a World War I
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...
German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
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...
credited with 29 victories. After the war, he ran an aviation training school that covertly supported establishment of 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....
.
Early life
Eduard Florus Harald Auffarth's date and place of birth are unknown. However, German youths were generally not accepted for military duty before their 18th birthday. Based on Auffarth's service records, this would seem to indicate a birth date at least prior to 1899, with 1896 or earlier more likely. His later award of a Hanseatic CrossHanseatic Cross
The Hanseatic Cross was a decoration of the three Hanseatic Cities of Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck, who were member states of the German Empire during World War I...
from Bremen would indicate his birth in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
, or the vicinity; the various kingdoms of the German Empire generally awarded medals only to their subjects. (Germany's supreme award, the Prussian 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 an exception to this rule.
World War I Flying Service
A typical career for a German fighter pilot of World War I began with service in a ground unit; wounds and awards for bravery (typically 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....
) could lead to approval of requests for aviation training. After training, the new flier usually served in a reconnaissance unit flying two-seated aircraft. Auffarth served in two of these units. He first served in Feldflieger Abteilung 27. He then transferred to Flieger Abteilung Artillerie 266, which would have entailed the pilot flying while the observer was spotting and correcting artillery fire upon the enemy. Typically, the observer was the senior man in the crew.
Auffarth transferred to flying fighters with Prussian Jagdstaffeln 18 and recorded his first victory with them on 16 September 1917. On the last day of the month, he became an ace. He then transferred to Prussian Jasta 29.
He scored a victory with them on 13 November. He was appointed commanding officer on the 19th, as an Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
and would lead the squadron for almost a year. He would eventually score a quarter of his new squadron's victories, flying a succession of Albatroses, Fokker D.VII
Fokker 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...
s, and a rare Pfalz D.VIII
Pfalz D.VIII
-See also:-Bibliography:* Cowin, H. W. "German and Austrian Aviation of World War I". Osprey Publishing Ltd, 2000. ISBN 1-841-76069-2* Gray, Peter and Thetford, Owen. German Aircraft of the First World War. London:Putnam, 1962....
, all in his personal colour scheme of yellow nose and green fuselage with a stylized eight-pointed comet on the side.
He accumulated victories erratically until his total stood at 20, on 3 September 1918, at which time he was recommended for the Pour le Merite. Along the way, when his tally stood at 14, he won the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern on 11 April 1918.
Becoming Commander of Jagdgruppe Nr. 3, he turned over command of Jasta 29 on 28 September. He then had his finest month as a fighter pilot. He downed an Airco DH.9
Airco DH.9
The Airco DH.9 - also known after 1920 as the de Havilland DH.9 - was a British bomber used in the First World War...
on 5 October. He scored two victories on 9 October and three each on 14 and 30 October. It is ironic that this much wounded courageous man fell one victory short of being awarded Germany's highest decoration, the Pour le Merite. He did have two additional victories unconfirmed, either of which would have earned him the coveted 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....
.
Post World War I
He survived the war despite at least three wounds, which was the minimum required to win the Silver Wound BadgeWound 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...
. He established Fliegerschule Auffarth (Auffarth's Flying School) in Munster in 1924. This was one of ten flying schools that surreptitiously supported covert military aviation training in Germany in violation of the Treaty of Versailles.The school was closed in 1929, just before Germany began training military pilots deep within Russia.
Auffarth returned to service for 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...
. He was stationed in Eschenbach
Eschenbach
- People :* Wolfram von Eschenbach , German knight, poet and Minnesinger* Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach , Austrian writer* Christoph Eschenbach , German pianist and conductor...
in May 1943 as an Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant is a German Army and Air Force rank equal to Lieutenant Colonel, above Major, and below Oberst.There are two paygrade associated to the rank of Oberstleutnant...
or Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
. He died there on 12 October 1946.