Heinrich Bongartz
Encyclopedia
Heinrich Bongartz Pour le Merite
, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross
, (31 January 1892 – 23 January 1946) was a German
World War I
fighter pilot
and flying ace
credited with 33 confirmed victories and one unconfirmed. He also served as a night fighter commander in World War II.
). In civilian life, Bongartz was a schoolteacher. He came to the German air service after enlisting in the 16th Infantry Regiment in August 1914 and seeing action near Verdun
. He transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte
in early 1915, to pilot training with FA 5 and was commissioned a Leutnant in March, 1916. Upon graduation in October, he was posted to a reconnaissance unit, KG 5. From there, he had a short lived tour with Kasta 27 before he was assigned to flying fighters in Jasta 36 in April 1917.
, so called such because of the severe losses suffered by the Royal Flying Corps. Bongartz contributed to the British bloodshed by claiming four victories during April; he became an ace on 2 May.
His third, fourth, and sixth through eighth solo victories came over balloons, and the remainder of his victories were over aircraft. He accrued victims at a steady rate when he scored, with a triple kill day on 31 October, and three days on which he shot doubles.
On 12 July, he shot down number 11, although on 13 July 1917 he was wounded for the first time, the first of five wounds he would receive during the war. Possibly because of this wound, he did not score again until 26 September.
In September, 1917, he succeeded to command of Jasta 36. In December, he was personally awarded the Pour le Mérite
by Kaiser Wilhelm II.
In October, he scored eight times, raising his count to 20.
In November, he was wounded again, but still managed to down another five enemy aircraft, with one more unconfirmed.
With two victories in December, one in January, and two on 5 February, he had run his total to 30.
His final victories came on 27 March. On 30 March 1918, he was downed by anti-aircraft fire. He was injured, and his plane was damaged.
On 25 April 1918 he was wounded yet again. Nevertheless, on the 29th, he took on several Royal Air Force
planes of No. 74 Squadron single-handed. Bongartz had none other than Captain Mick Mannock on his tail, while Captain C.B. Glynn made a head-on firing pass at the German ace.
Among the bullets that riddled his Fokker Dr.1 was one which hit him in the left temple, took out his left eye, and stuck in his nose, obstructing his breathing. He spun almost to the ground before mastering his pain and regaining control. Despite excruciating pain and semiconsciousness, he managed a crash landing near Kemmel Hill, but flipped his plane over. He crawled from under it and still had the presence of mind to check his aircraft's damage and to bow an introduction to his rescuers and introduce himself. One German infantryman rescuer noted the grotesquerie of the eyeball dangling down Bongartz's cheek during the bow. He commented about his wound, "Yes, yes, we all take our turn."
It was the end of the war for both Bongartz and his plane. His partial blinding and loss of depth perception, ended Bongartz's war but not his aviation career. The airplane, so badly shot about that it had 28 bullet holes in the cowling alone, was scrapped.
After he recovered from his wound, he became the commander of the Aircraft Test Center at Aldershof. While serving as test pilot there, he wrote a report on the Dornier Zeppelin D.I fighter prototype, which was the first plane to use a stressed skin/torsion box structure. Bongartz's estimate of it was, "Doesn't possess characteristics of a modern fighter. Ailerons too heavy." Nevertheless, the engineering originated by Junkers is still in use today.
In January, 1921, he crashed while flying an exhibition flight, and was injured once more, but did not let it stop him from flying.
Later in life, he became the Director of German Air Trade. His book, Luftmacht Deutschland was a bestseller in 1939.
in supply during 1941 to 1942 at Pleskau on the Eastern Front
. 1943 found him as a night fighter commander at Grove in Denmark. In 1944, he transferred to command of night fighter efforts in Finland. He transferred once more, and served through war's end.
He survived World War II, only to die of a heart attack on 23 January 1946.
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....
, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, 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....
, (31 January 1892 – 23 January 1946) was a 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...
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...
fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
and flying 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 33 confirmed victories and one unconfirmed. He also served as a night fighter commander in World War II.
Early life
Heinrich Bongartz was born in Walsum, Rhineland (today the northern district of DuisburgDuisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
). In civilian life, Bongartz was a schoolteacher. He came to the German air service after enlisting in the 16th Infantry Regiment in August 1914 and seeing action near Verdun
Verdun
Verdun is a city in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital of the department is the slightly smaller city of Bar-le-Duc.- History :...
. He transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte
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....
in early 1915, to pilot training with FA 5 and was commissioned a Leutnant in March, 1916. Upon graduation in October, he was posted to a reconnaissance unit, KG 5. From there, he had a short lived tour with Kasta 27 before he was assigned to flying fighters in Jasta 36 in April 1917.
Service as a fighter pilot
His initial success as a fighter pilot came during Bloody AprilBloody 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...
, so called such because of the severe losses suffered by the Royal Flying Corps. Bongartz contributed to the British bloodshed by claiming four victories during April; he became an ace on 2 May.
His third, fourth, and sixth through eighth solo victories came over balloons, and the remainder of his victories were over aircraft. He accrued victims at a steady rate when he scored, with a triple kill day on 31 October, and three days on which he shot doubles.
On 12 July, he shot down number 11, although on 13 July 1917 he was wounded for the first time, the first of five wounds he would receive during the war. Possibly because of this wound, he did not score again until 26 September.
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....
by Kaiser Wilhelm II.
In October, he scored eight times, raising his count to 20.
In November, he was wounded again, but still managed to down another five enemy aircraft, with one more unconfirmed.
With two victories in December, one in January, and two on 5 February, he had run his total to 30.
His final victories came on 27 March. On 30 March 1918, he was downed by anti-aircraft fire. He was injured, and his plane was damaged.
On 25 April 1918 he was wounded yet again. Nevertheless, on the 29th, he took on several Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
planes of No. 74 Squadron single-handed. Bongartz had none other than Captain Mick Mannock on his tail, while Captain C.B. Glynn made a head-on firing pass at the German ace.
Among the bullets that riddled his Fokker Dr.1 was one which hit him in the left temple, took out his left eye, and stuck in his nose, obstructing his breathing. He spun almost to the ground before mastering his pain and regaining control. Despite excruciating pain and semiconsciousness, he managed a crash landing near Kemmel Hill, but flipped his plane over. He crawled from under it and still had the presence of mind to check his aircraft's damage and to bow an introduction to his rescuers and introduce himself. One German infantryman rescuer noted the grotesquerie of the eyeball dangling down Bongartz's cheek during the bow. He commented about his wound, "Yes, yes, we all take our turn."
It was the end of the war for both Bongartz and his plane. His partial blinding and loss of depth perception, ended Bongartz's war but not his aviation career. The airplane, so badly shot about that it had 28 bullet holes in the cowling alone, was scrapped.
After he recovered from his wound, he became the commander of the Aircraft Test Center at Aldershof. While serving as test pilot there, he wrote a report on the Dornier Zeppelin D.I fighter prototype, which was the first plane to use a stressed skin/torsion box structure. Bongartz's estimate of it was, "Doesn't possess characteristics of a modern fighter. Ailerons too heavy." Nevertheless, the engineering originated by Junkers is still in use today.
Between the wars
Once the war ended, he served as a postwar Director of the German Aeroplane Inspectorate. After helping deactivate the air service in which he had served so gallantly, he went on to fight against the Spartakists who were attempting to overthrow the German government. The leg wound he suffered in this fight finally ended his military career.In January, 1921, he crashed while flying an exhibition flight, and was injured once more, but did not let it stop him from flying.
Later in life, he became the Director of German Air Trade. His book, Luftmacht Deutschland was a bestseller in 1939.
World War II and beyond
During World War II, he originally served as an OberstleutnantOberstleutnant
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...
in supply during 1941 to 1942 at Pleskau on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
. 1943 found him as a night fighter commander at Grove in Denmark. In 1944, he transferred to command of night fighter efforts in Finland. He transferred once more, and served through war's end.
He survived World War II, only to die of a heart attack on 23 January 1946.