Hermann Frommherz
Encyclopedia
Generalmajor Hermann Frommherz (10 August 1891 - 30 December 1964) Military Order of St. Henry
, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight's Cross of the Karl-Friedrich Order of Military Merit, began his military career in World War I as an ace fighter pilot. He was credited with 32 victories. During World War II he was involved in the German takeover of Czechoslovakia and rose to become a Luftwaffe
Generalmajor.
region of Germany near the Swiss border. He studied engineering in Stuttgart. In late 1911, he joined Jäger regiment Nr.14 in the reserves. When World War I began, he was a Vizefeldwebel non-commissioned officer. Until June 1915, he served in the infantry on both the Eastern Front
and the Western Front
. Then he transferred to the aviation service.
and over the Somme River. From there, he was transferred to Kasta 20 in Romania, was commissioned as a Leutnant in August 1916, and then posted to Macedonia in December 1916.
At the beginning of March 1917, he was assigned to Jagdstaffel 2; this elite squadron had been led by aviation tactical and strategic pioneer Oswald Boelcke
and had been named for him after he was killed in action. Flying a light blue Albatros D.III
nicknamed "Blaue Maus", he scored his first victory on 11 April 1917 - a No. 23 Squadron SPAD VII- and a BE 2e as his second on the 14th. Both times, he forced the plane to land and the English pilot or crew were taken prisoner.
He was injured in a crash on 1 May 1917. When he recovered, he was reassigned. On 29 October 1917, he was seconded from combat duty to instructor duty with FEA 3. He stayed with them until 18 May 1918.
Upon his return to fly a Fokker Dr.I
with Jasta 2, he began a string of 30 victories that from 3 June 1918 until the war's end. He had two victories in June, six each in July and August, ten in September, four in October, and two on 4 November. Notable among his kills were the half dozen against the formidable Bristol Fighter F.2B.
On 29 July 1918, he succeeded Hermann Göring
as commanding officer of Jasta 27, when Göring moved up to command of Jagdgruppe 3.
Leutnant Frommherz had a good reputation as a commanding officer. Ernst de Ridder, a Feldwebel pilot assigned to the Jasta, related how he was turned loose to retrain himself from the Fokker Dr.1 to the Fokker D.VII
he was to fly, then nurse maided into combat with an experienced pilot to watch over him. As de Ridder put it, "He was so concerned about his boys." Later, when de Ridder was wounded, Frommherz brought de Ridder's newly awarded Iron Cross
to the hospital.
It was de Ridder who left the description of Frommherz's Fokker D.VII
insignia, which consisted of the yellow nose and tail common to his Jasta, along with red and black chevrons of a Staffelführer (squadron leader) painted on top of the upper wing.
Frommherz was nominated for the Pour le Merite
; however, the award was cancelled upon the Kaiser's abdication. Frommherz was seen wearing the decoration after the war; he had certainly fulfilled the criteria for the award.
He did win the Knight's Cross of the Karl-Friedrich Order of Military Merit of his native Grand Duchy of Baden
as well as the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern.
.
In 1920, he returned to Baden as technical chief at the new airfield at Lorach.
Beginning in 1922, the German high command ran a secret training site at Lipetsk
in the Soviet Union. Frommherz became an instructor there in 1925. He was also an instructor in China. From 1931 to 1932, he taught the pilots of Chiang Kai-shek
's new air force fighter tactics.
He was Commanding Officer of I Gruppe, Jagdgeschwader 134
("Horst Wessel") from September 1938 until 1 November 1938 as Oberstleutnant
; when it was reconstituted as JG 142, he continued in command until the first day of 1939. As such, he was involved in the German invasion and conquest of Czechoslovakia, which had the code name Fall Grün
(Case Green).
As a Major General, he was Commander of Jagdfliegerführer Deutsche Bucht
from 1 April until 30 September 1942, following Werner Junck
.
He died in his native town of Waldshut
.
Military Order of St. Henry
The Military Order of St. Henry was a military order of the Kingdom of Saxony, a member state of the German Empire. The order was the oldest military order of the states of the German Empire. It was founded on October 7, 1736 by Augustus III, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony...
, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight's Cross of the Karl-Friedrich Order of Military Merit, began his military career in World War I as an ace fighter pilot. He was credited with 32 victories. During World War II he was involved in the German takeover of Czechoslovakia and rose to become a 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....
Generalmajor.
Early life
Hermann Frommherz was born in Waldschutz, in the BadenBaden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
region of Germany near the Swiss border. He studied engineering in Stuttgart. In late 1911, he joined Jäger regiment Nr.14 in the reserves. When World War I began, he was a Vizefeldwebel non-commissioned officer. Until June 1915, he served in the infantry on both 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...
and 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...
. Then he transferred to the aviation service.
World War I aerial service
He became a two seater pilot and served in both France and eastern Europe. He began with Kasta 20 of Kagohl IV, at the Battle of VerdunBattle 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...
and over the Somme River. From there, he was transferred to Kasta 20 in Romania, was commissioned as a Leutnant in August 1916, and then posted to Macedonia in December 1916.
At the beginning of March 1917, he was assigned to Jagdstaffel 2; this elite squadron had been led by aviation tactical and strategic pioneer Oswald Boelcke
Oswald Boelcke
Oswald Boelcke was a German flying ace of the First World War and one of the most influential patrol leaders and tacticians of the early years of air combat. Boelcke is considered the father of the German fighter air force, as well as the "Father of Air Fighting Tactics"; he was the first to...
and had been named for him after he was killed in action. Flying a light blue Albatros D.III
Albatros 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...
nicknamed "Blaue Maus", he scored his first victory on 11 April 1917 - a No. 23 Squadron SPAD VII- and a BE 2e as his second on the 14th. Both times, he forced the plane to land and the English pilot or crew were taken prisoner.
He was injured in a crash on 1 May 1917. When he recovered, he was reassigned. On 29 October 1917, he was seconded from combat duty to instructor duty with FEA 3. He stayed with them until 18 May 1918.
Upon his return to fly a Fokker Dr.I
Fokker Dr.I
The Fokker Dr.I Dreidecker was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918...
with Jasta 2, he began a string of 30 victories that from 3 June 1918 until the war's end. He had two victories in June, six each in July and August, ten in September, four in October, and two on 4 November. Notable among his kills were the half dozen against the formidable Bristol Fighter F.2B.
On 29 July 1918, he succeeded Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
as commanding officer of Jasta 27, when Göring moved up to command of Jagdgruppe 3.
Leutnant Frommherz had a good reputation as a commanding officer. Ernst de Ridder, a Feldwebel pilot assigned to the Jasta, related how he was turned loose to retrain himself from the Fokker Dr.1 to the 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...
he was to fly, then nurse maided into combat with an experienced pilot to watch over him. As de Ridder put it, "He was so concerned about his boys." Later, when de Ridder was wounded, Frommherz brought de Ridder's newly awarded 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....
to the hospital.
It was de Ridder who left the description of Frommherz's 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...
insignia, which consisted of the yellow nose and tail common to his Jasta, along with red and black chevrons of a Staffelführer (squadron leader) painted on top of the upper wing.
Frommherz was nominated for the 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....
; however, the award was cancelled upon the Kaiser's abdication. Frommherz was seen wearing the decoration after the war; he had certainly fulfilled the criteria for the award.
He did win the Knight's Cross of the Karl-Friedrich Order of Military Merit of his native Grand Duchy of Baden
Grand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden was a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.-History:...
as well as the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern.
After World War I
Frommherz was active in the German Police Aviation Service. He also flew mail for Deutsche Luftreederei, a predecessor to Deutsche Luft HansaDeutsche Luft Hansa
Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G. was a German airline, serving as flag carrier of the country during the later years of the Weimar Republic and throughout the Third Reich.-1920s:Deutsche Luft Hansa was founded on 6 January 1926 in Berlin...
.
In 1920, he returned to Baden as technical chief at the new airfield at Lorach.
Beginning in 1922, the German high command ran a secret training site at Lipetsk
Lipetsk
Lipetsk is a city and the administrative center of Lipetsk Oblast, Russia, located on the banks of the Voronezh River in the Don basin, southeast of Moscow.-History:...
in the Soviet Union. Frommherz became an instructor there in 1925. He was also an instructor in China. From 1931 to 1932, he taught the pilots of Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
's new air force fighter tactics.
He was Commanding Officer of I Gruppe, Jagdgeschwader 134
Jagdgeschwader 134
Jagdgeschwader 134 "Horst Wessel" was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing prior to World War II. JG 134 was formed on 4 January 1936 with III. Gruppe in Döberitz. The Geschwader was given the honorific name Horst Wessel on 24 March 1936. II Gruppe was formed on 15 March 1936 in Werl and was followed by the...
("Horst Wessel") from September 1938 until 1 November 1938 as 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...
; when it was reconstituted as JG 142, he continued in command until the first day of 1939. As such, he was involved in the German invasion and conquest of Czechoslovakia, which had the code name Fall Grün
Fall Grün
Fall Grün was a pre-World War II German plan for an aggressive war against Czechoslovakia. The plan was first drafted late in 1937, then revised as the military situation and requirements changed...
(Case Green).
As a Major General, he was Commander of Jagdfliegerführer Deutsche Bucht
Jagdfliegerführer Deutsche Bucht
Jagdfliegerführer Deutsche Bucht was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed in December 1939 at Jever for the defense of the German Bight. On 1 December 1943 the unit redesignated Jagdfliegerführer 2 and subordinated to the 2. Jagddivision...
from 1 April until 30 September 1942, following Werner Junck
Werner Junck
Werner Junck was a German World War II Luftwaffe Generalleutnant and the one time commander of Fliegerführer Irak...
.
He died in his native town of Waldshut
Waldshut-Tiengen
Waldshut-Tiengen is a city in southwestern Baden-Württemberg right at the Swiss border. It is the district seat and at the same time the biggest city in Waldshut district and a "middle centre" in the area of the "high centre" Lörrach/Weil am Rhein to whose middle area most towns and communities in...
.