Leutnant Hermann Becker (10 September 1887 - ??), 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....

, 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 fighter ace credited with 23 victories.

Becker joined the air force in 1916 as an observer on the Eastern Front

Eastern Front (World War I)

The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...

. After completing his pilot's training, Becker moved to KG 5 and Schutzstaffel 11 in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 where he was involved in action at the Somme

Somme

Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....

 and Verdun

Battle of Verdun

The Battle of Verdun was one of the major battles during the First World War on the Western Front. It was fought between the German and French armies, from 21 February – 18 December 1916, on hilly terrain north of the city of Verdun-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France...

. In November 1916 he was awarded two Iron Crosses and transferred to Jasta

Jasta

The Jagdstaffeln were specialized fighter squadrons in the Luftstreitkräfte during World War I.-Background:...

 12. In June 1917 he was wounded in action and was unable to fly for several months. Upon his return he was made a Staffelführer

Staffelführer

Staffelführer was one of the first paramilitary ranks used by the German Schutzstaffel in the early years of that group’s existence...

 and continued to have success in part because he was issued a Fokker D VII. He made his 23rd kill on 3 November 1918. Becker was nominated for a 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....

 medal, but because of the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm on 9 November, he never received it.