Air Service Awards During World War I

Of the three branches of the German military services: army, navy, and air, the air service received the most awards to junior officers. The creation of aerial combat brought forth a new breed of warrior that seemed glamorous and daring. Their exploits were watched by thousands of soldiers down below in the trenches, so their battles were very publicized. In order for a pilot to be considered for the Pour le Mérite, he would have to obtain a certain amount of aerial victories. The first pilots to receive the award had to have 8 aerial victories. On January 12, 1916 Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann were the first to receive the Pour le Mérite.


Oswald Boelcke examing enemy plane

During the earlier years of the war the number of required victories were less since there were fewer opportunities to make a victory and the guns were not yet synchronized. Fourteen pilots received their awards under these rules. By January 1917 the requirements had been raised to sixteen victories. The only pilot to receive his award under these conditions was Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen. The following pilots had to obtain a victory score of twenty.


German plane ready for transport

No one in the air service received Oakleaves even though Manfred von Richthofen was considered for the award. It was to General Ludendorff's surprise that he did not receive the award. The two highest ranking officers in the air service were also passed over for this recognition unlike their counterparts in the other services, the army and navy. General Leutnant Ernst Wilhelm von Hoeppner and his Chief of Staff, Leutnant Colonel Thomsen were resented and criticized for receiving their Pour le Mérite awards by junior officers due the fact they were in a non-combat leadership positions. They were the only high ranking non-combat officers to receive the award in the air service, and it seems that they were placed in the difficult position of being compared with men that flew machines that were considered dangerous and unstable and chanced losing their lives every time they went out on a mission. It was difficult to be compared with heroes like Werner Voss and Ernst Udet.

Commanding General

Chief of the Air Service Gen. Ernst von Hoeppner awarded on -- 8 April 1917.

Chief of Staff

Chief of Staff of the Air Service Lt. Col. Hermann Thomsen awarded on -- 8 April 1917. He later adopted the last name of von der Lieth-Thomsen, but that was after he recieved the Pour le Mérite.

Bomber Leaders

Capt. Ernst Brandenburg awarded on -- 14 June 1917.
Capt. Alfred Keller awarded on -- 4 Dec. 1917.
Capt. Rudolf Kleine awarded on -- 4 Oct. 1917.
Capt. Hermann Köhl awarded on -- 20 May 1918.
Capt. Leo Leonhardy awarded on -- 2 Oct. 1918.

Observers

Oberlt. Hermann Fricke awarded on -- 23 Dec. 1917.
Leutnant Wilhelm Griebsch awarded on -- 30 Sept. 1918.
Capt. Jürgen von Grone awarded on -- 13 Oct. 1918.
Oberlt. Erich Homburg awarded on -- 13 Oct. 1918.
Oberlt. Hans-Georg Horn awarded on -- 23 Dec. 1917.
Lt. Albert Müller-Kahle awarded on -- 13 Oct. 1918.
Lt. Friedrich Nielebock awarded on -- 2 June 1918.
Oberlt. Paul Freiherr von Pechmann awarded on -- 31 July 1917.
Leutnant Wilhelm Paul Schreiber awarded on -- 8 June 1918.

Fighter Pilots

Leutnant Karl Allmenröder awarded on -- 14 June 1917. (30 victories)
Oberlt. Ernst Freiherr von Althaus awarded on -- 21 July 1916. (9 victories)
Leutnant Paul Bäumer awarded on -- 2 Nov. 1918. (43 victories)
Leutnant Freiherr von Beaulieu-Marconnay awarded on -- 26 Oct. 1918. (25 victories)
Oberlt. Otto Bernert awarded on -- 24 April 1917. (27 victories)
Oberlt. Hans Berr awarded on -- 4 Dec. 1916. (10 victories)
Oberlt. Rudolf Berthold awarded on -- 12 Oct. 1916. (44 victories)
Leutnant Walter Blume awarded on -- 30 Sept. 1918. (28 victories)
Leutnant Erwin Böhme awarded on -- 24 Mov. 1917. (24 victories)
Leutnant Oswald Boelcke awarded on -- 12 Jan. 1916. (40 victories)
Oberlt. Oskar Freiherr von Boenigk awarded on -- 25 Oct. 1918. (26 victories)
Leutnant Karl Bolle awarded on -- 28 Aug. 1918. (31 victories)
Leutnant Heindrich Bongartz awarded on -- 23 Dec. 1917. (33 victories)
Leutnant Julius Buckler awarded on -- 4 Dec. 1917. (35 victories)
Capt. Hans Joahim Buddecke awarded on -- 14 April 1916. (13 victories)
Leutnant Franz Büchner awarded on -- 25 Oct. 1918. (40 victories)
Leutnant Walter Bülow awarded on -- 8 Oct. 1917. (28 victories)
Leutnant Carl Degelow awarded on -- 9 Nov. 1918. (30 victories)
Leutnant Albert Dossenbach awarded on -- 11 Nov. 1916. (15 victories)
Oberlt Eduard Ritter von Dostler awarded on -- 6 Aug. 1917. (26 victories)
Leutnant Wilhelm Frankl awarded on -- 12 Aug. 1916. (19 victories)
Oberlt. Hermann Göring awarded on -- 2 June 1918. (22 victories)
Leutnant Heinrich Gontermann awarded on -- 14 May 1917. (39 victories)
Oberlt. Robert Ritter von Griem awarded on -- 8 Oct. 1918. (25 victories)
Leutnant Walter Höhndorf awarded on -- 20 July 1916. (12 victories)
Leutnant Max Immelmann awarded on -- 12 Jan. 1916. (15 victories)
Leutnant Josef Jacobs awarded on -- 18 July 1918. (41 victories)
Leutnant Hans Kirschstein awarded on -- 24 June 1918. (27 victories)
Leutnant Otto Kissenberth awarded on -- 30 June 1918. (19 victories)
Leutnant Hans Klein awarded on -- 4 Dec. 1917. (22 victories)
Leutnant Otto Könnecke awarded on -- 26 Sept 1918. (33 victories)
Leutnant Heinrich Kroll awarded on -- 29 March 1918. (30 victories)
Leutnant Artur Laumann awarded on -- 25 Oct. 1918. (26 victories)
Leutnant Gustav Leffers awarded on -- 5 Nov. 1916. (9 victories)
Oberlt. Bruno Loerzer awarded on -- 12 Feb. 1918. (41 victories)
Leutnant Erich Lowenhardt awarded on -- 31 May 1918 (53 victories)
Capt. Carl Menckhoff awarded on -- 23 April 1918. (39 victories)
Oberlt. Max Ritter von Müller awarded on -- 3 Sept. 1917. (36 victories)
Leutnant Max Ritter von Mulzer awarded on -- 8 July 1916. (10 victories)
Leutnant Ulrich Neckel awarded on -- 8 Nov. 1918. (30 victories)
Leutnant Otto Parschau awarded on -- 10 July 1916. (8 victories)
Leutnant Fritz Pütter awarded on -- 31 May 1918. (25 victories)
Leutnant Lothar Freiherr von Richthofen awarded on -- 14 May 1917. (40 victories)
Leutnant Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen awarded on -- 12 Jan. 1917. (80 victories)
Leutnant Fritz Ritter von Röth awarded on -- 8 Sept. 1918. (28 victories)
Leutnant Fritz Rumey awarded on -- 10 July 1918. (45 victories)
Leutnant Karl-Emil Schaefer awarded on -- 26 April 1917. (30 victories)
Oberlt. Eduard Ritter von Schleich awarded on -- 4 Dec. 1917. (35 victories)
Leutnant Karl Thom awarded on -- 1 Nov. 1918. (27 victories)
Leutnant Emil Thuy awarded on -- 30 June 1918. (32 victories)
Oberlt. Adolf Ritter von Tutschek awarded on -- 3 Aug. 1917. (27 victories)
Leutnant Ernst Udet awarded on -- 9 April 1918. (62 victories)
Leutnant Josef Veltjens awarded on -- 16 Aug. 1918. (34 victories)
Leutnant Werner Voss awarded on -- 8 April 1917. (48 victories)
Capt. Franz Walz awarded on -- 9 Aug. 1918. (7 victories)
Leutnant Rudolf Windisch awarded on -- 6 June 1918. (22 victories)
Leutnant Kurt Wintgens awarded on -- 1 July 1916. (18 victories)
Oberlt. Kurt Wolff awarded on -- 4 May 1917. (33 victories)
Leutnant Kurt Wüsthoff awarded on --- 22 Nov. 1917. (27 victories)

*** Not all pilots were part of the Air Service. Some were in the Navy. ***