Otto Koennecke
Encyclopedia
Leutnant Otto Könnecke (20 December 1892 – 25 January 1956) Pour le Merite
, Golden Military Merit Cross
, Knight's Cross with Swords of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross
, was a leading German ace of World War I with 35 victories. He was one of only five pilots to receive Germany's highest decorations for both enlisted pilot and officer. He later became one of the founding pilots of Deutsche Luft Hansa
and assisted in development of the new Luftwaffe
.
. In 1913, he applied for pilot training and as an NCO, trained with FEA 4 at Metz
and received his pilot's wings.
He served in various units and capacities, ending up in Jagdstaffel 25
(Squadron 25).
as part of Jasta 25.
He had an unconfirmed victory on 9 January 1917 and finally scored on 5 February 1917. He scored again the following day.
At the end of April, he was transferred to Jasta 5 on the Western Front
. He did not have another victory until 28 May. He accumulated single victories over enemy aircraft until his score stood at 11 by the end of 1917. He often flew in conjunction with two other non-commissioned officers, Fritz Rumey
and Josef Mai
. The three aces, dubbed the Golden Triumvirate because all three had won the Golden Military Merit Cross
, would eventually total 108 victories among them, or more than 40% of the Jasta's triumphs.
His personal Albatros D.V
during this period had one of the more fanciful paint schemes of the war. Its base color was green fuselage, tail, and elevators with a red propeller spinner. His insignia of black and white checkerboarding edged in red adorned the fuselage just ahead of the Maltese crosses, with a thin red line ringing the fuselage just before the tail.
Könnecke continued the same pattern of single victories through 1918 until 30 May, when he shot down a double. On 8 August, he tallied three victories in three separate combats, at 9:05 am, 11:45 am, and 6:45 pm. The following day, he scored three more. On 14 August, he downed two British aces in a Bristol F.2 Fighter
, Eugene Coler
and Cyril Gladman, for his 31st win.
Könnecke had been awarded a Golden Military Merit Cross while still a Vizefeldwebel; this was the highest decoration for valor an enlisted man could receive. On 15 June, he was commissioned as Leutnant. On 20 July 1918, he was awarded the Knight's Cross with Swords of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern. On 26 September 1918, the day before his comrade Fritz Rumey
was killed in action, Könnecke was awarded Germany's highest decoration, the Pour le Merite
or Blue Max. He was one of the few former NCOs to receive the Blue Max, and one of only five pilots awarded both the Golden Military Merit Cross and the Blue Max.
He scored his 35th and final victory on 4 November 1918.
in 1926 as one of its original pilots.
In 1927, he attempted to fly the Atlantic Ocean from Europe to North America, with the aim of establishing a commercial passenger route. His chosen plane was a Caspar C32, dubbed "Germania". This biplane crop-duster was extensively modified to give it a 50 hour flight endurance. The project intended to launch from Cologne
cross the Atlantic via the British Isles
, Greenland
, and into Newfoundland. A storm system over the North Atlantic made Könnecke decide to reach America by a longer route. On 20 September 1927, he left with a planned route over Hungary
, Romania
, Turkey
, and Persia to India
. From there, his planned route was via Korea
, Japan
, and the Kamchatka Peninsula
to the American West Coast. Once in America, he would fly on to New York and thence home to Germany. Problems with both plane and crew doomed the effort, which got no further than Calcutta.
He was an influential figure in post-war German aviation and in 1935, he was asked to help develop the new Luftwaffe. He rejoined the German military to command the Flying School at Scrau. He ended his military career as a Major.
He died in Bad Aibling
in 1956, aged 64 years.
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....
, Golden Military Merit Cross
Military Merit Cross (Prussia)
The Military Merit Cross was the highest bravery award of the Kingdom of Prussia for non-commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers. It was also known as the Golden Military Merit Cross to distinguish it from the Military Decoration 1st Class The Military Merit Cross (Militär-Verdienstkreuz)...
, Knight's Cross with Swords of the 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 leading German ace of World War I with 35 victories. He was one of only five pilots to receive Germany's highest decorations for both enlisted pilot and officer. He later became one of the founding pilots of Deutsche Luft Hansa
Deutsche 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...
and assisted in development of the new 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
Otto Könnecke was of humble origin, born in Straßberg, a carpenter's son. He attended the Building Trade School in Frankfurt am Main and became an apprentice carpenter. He became bored with this life by his late teens and in 1911 enlisted in Railroad Regiment 3, which was at HanauHanau
Hanau is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt am Main. Its station is a major railway junction.- Geography :...
. In 1913, he applied for pilot training and as an NCO, trained with FEA 4 at Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
and received his pilot's wings.
He served in various units and capacities, ending up in Jagdstaffel 25
Jagdstaffel 25
Royal Jagdstaffel 25, commonly abbreviated as Jasta 25, was a World War I "hunting group" of the forerunner to the Luftwaffe, the Luftstreitkräfte. The squadron would score 54 aerial victories during the War–46 enemy aircraft and eight opposing observation balloons...
(Squadron 25).
World War I
At the outbreak of war he was serving as an instructor, and did not see action until December 1916, when he was sent as a Vizefeldwebel to MacedoniaMacedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
as part of Jasta 25.
He had an unconfirmed victory on 9 January 1917 and finally scored on 5 February 1917. He scored again the following day.
At the end of April, he was transferred to Jasta 5 on 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...
. He did not have another victory until 28 May. He accumulated single victories over enemy aircraft until his score stood at 11 by the end of 1917. He often flew in conjunction with two other non-commissioned officers, Fritz Rumey
Fritz Rumey
Fritz Rumey Pour le Mérite, Golden Military Merit Cross was a German fighter pilot in the First World War, credited with 45 victories.-Service career:...
and Josef Mai
Josef Mai
Major Josef Mai Iron Cross First and Second Class, was a World War I fighter pilot credited with 30 victories.-Early life:...
. The three aces, dubbed the Golden Triumvirate because all three had won the Golden Military Merit Cross
Military Merit Cross (Prussia)
The Military Merit Cross was the highest bravery award of the Kingdom of Prussia for non-commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers. It was also known as the Golden Military Merit Cross to distinguish it from the Military Decoration 1st Class The Military Merit Cross (Militär-Verdienstkreuz)...
, would eventually total 108 victories among them, or more than 40% of the Jasta's triumphs.
His personal Albatros D.V
Albatros D.V
|-See also:-Bibliography:*Bennett, Leon. Gunning for the Red Baron. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2006. ISBN 1-58544-507-X....
during this period had one of the more fanciful paint schemes of the war. Its base color was green fuselage, tail, and elevators with a red propeller spinner. His insignia of black and white checkerboarding edged in red adorned the fuselage just ahead of the Maltese crosses, with a thin red line ringing the fuselage just before the tail.
Könnecke continued the same pattern of single victories through 1918 until 30 May, when he shot down a double. On 8 August, he tallied three victories in three separate combats, at 9:05 am, 11:45 am, and 6:45 pm. The following day, he scored three more. On 14 August, he downed two British aces in a Bristol F.2 Fighter
Bristol F.2 Fighter
The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft...
, Eugene Coler
Eugene Coler
Lieutenant Eugene Seeley Coler was an American World War I flying ace who served in the British Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force. He was credited with 16 aerial victories.-Early life and service:...
and Cyril Gladman, for his 31st win.
Könnecke had been awarded a Golden Military Merit Cross while still a Vizefeldwebel; this was the highest decoration for valor an enlisted man could receive. On 15 June, he was commissioned as Leutnant. On 20 July 1918, he was awarded the Knight's Cross with Swords of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern. On 26 September 1918, the day before his comrade Fritz Rumey
Fritz Rumey
Fritz Rumey Pour le Mérite, Golden Military Merit Cross was a German fighter pilot in the First World War, credited with 45 victories.-Service career:...
was killed in action, Könnecke was awarded Germany's highest decoration, 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....
or Blue Max. He was one of the few former NCOs to receive the Blue Max, and one of only five pilots awarded both the Golden Military Merit Cross and the Blue Max.
He scored his 35th and final victory on 4 November 1918.
Post World War I
Könnecke was a pioneer of civilian air passenger transport. He joined 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 1926 as one of its original pilots.
In 1927, he attempted to fly the Atlantic Ocean from Europe to North America, with the aim of establishing a commercial passenger route. His chosen plane was a Caspar C32, dubbed "Germania". This biplane crop-duster was extensively modified to give it a 50 hour flight endurance. The project intended to launch from Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
cross the Atlantic via the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, and into Newfoundland. A storm system over the North Atlantic made Könnecke decide to reach America by a longer route. On 20 September 1927, he left with a planned route over Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and Persia to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. From there, his planned route was via Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and the Kamchatka Peninsula
Kamchatka Peninsula
The Kamchatka Peninsula is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of . It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west...
to the American West Coast. Once in America, he would fly on to New York and thence home to Germany. Problems with both plane and crew doomed the effort, which got no further than Calcutta.
He was an influential figure in post-war German aviation and in 1935, he was asked to help develop the new Luftwaffe. He rejoined the German military to command the Flying School at Scrau. He ended his military career as a Major.
He died in Bad Aibling
Bad Aibling
Bad Aibling is a spa town and former district seat in Bavaria on the river Mangfall, located some 35 miles southeast of Munich. It is a health resort .-History:...
in 1956, aged 64 years.