Carl Degelow
Encyclopedia
Carl "Charly" Degelow Pour le Merite
, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross
, was a German
fighter pilot during World War I
. He was credited with 30 victories, and was the last person to win the military Pour le Merite
.
, Schleswig-Holstein
, in the Kingdom of Prussia
.
Before World War I broke out, Degelow worked in the United States
as an industrial chemist
. His specialty was the manufacture of cement
, and he was known to have visited Chicago
and El Paso
. As a result of his travels, he was fluent in the English language
.
He returned to Germany just before World War I erupted and enlisted in Nassauischen Infanterie-Regiment Nr 88.
Degelow initially served with distinction in this infantry regiment in both France and Russia. He was seriously wounded in the arm in Russia in 1915, and commissioned in July 1915 while he was still hospitalized.
On 22 May 1917, he claimed success over a French Caudron G.IV, but it was unconfirmed. Three days later, he shot down another Caudron; this one he got credit for. His aggressive flying in a plane unsuited for air to air combat thus earned him an opportunity to transfer to a fighter unit.
He was reassigned to the Prussian Jagdgstaffel 36 for transitional training into flying Pfalz D.III
fighters on 17 August 1917. Part of such training involving zeroing in an aircraft's machine guns on a firing range. During this process, Degelow accidentally wounded a member of the unit and was consequently reassigned in disgrace. His hasty transfer took him to Prussian Jasta 7 to fly a Pfalz D.III
under the leadership of Leutnant Josef Jacobs
.
He began his string of victories with Jasta 7
on an uncertain note. He filed three widely spaced consecutive victories that were unconfirmed as the enemy planes landed on the Allied side of the front lines. By German regulations, these could not be considered confirmed aerial victories.
In September, he was almost shot down by a Bristol F.2 Fighter
after it hit his oil tank, which misted his flying goggles and blurred his vision. Only Jacobs' intervention saved Degelow. Degelow claimed Jacobs destroyed the attacker, although the victory is not listed on Jacobs' records.
On 25 January 1918 he finally was credited with his second 'kill'. In March, while landing in a 30 kilometer per hour (19 mph) wind, he flipped his aircraft over but was unhurt. The photo of his inverted aircraft shows he sported a running stag insignia on his plane.
His third victory didn't come until 21 April. He transferred once again, this time to the Royal Saxon Jasta 40, and chose to fly a Pfalz again because the Albatros D.V
otherwise available to him had a reputation at the time for losing its wings in a dive. Degelow became the Jasta commanding officer on 9 July 1918, when Helmuth Dilthey was killed. During this time, he also flew a borrowed Fokker Dr.1, though he doesn't seem to have claimed any successes with it.
He became an ace on 18 June, with the first of his two June victories. On the 25th, he took his new Fokker D. VII on a test flight, came upon a dogfight between D. VIIs of another Jasta and Sopwith Camels, and he shot one of the Camels down. The D.VII remained his mount for the remainder of the war. His had the front three-quarters of the fuselage painted black; the rear quarter was white. Emblazoned on the side was a white running stag with gold antlers and hooves, its head pointed toward the propeller.
In July, he scored six times. On 9 August, he was awarded the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern. In September, he again scored six times. October saw ten victories on ten different days. The victory on the 4th was over a Canadian naval ace, Captain John Greene
of No. 213 Squadron. Degelow scored once more, on 4 November, just before the end of his and Germany's war.
Thus credited with 30 confirmed victories and four unconfirmed, he was the last German pilot and final German serviceman to be awarded the Blue Max
, on 9 November 1918, the day the Kaiser abdicated. The abdication ended Imperial decrees and orders such as awards for the "Blue Max", and just two days later the war ended.
Degelow remained in the reserves between World Wars I and II. During the first days of the Nazi regime, he was jailed for several days for failure to give the Nazi salute on parade. When someone recognized the Pour le Merite
on his uniform, he was quickly released.
By the time World War II began, he was a Hauptmann (captain). Degelow went on to serve as a Major in the Luftwaffe
during World War II.
He died in Hamburg
, Germany in 1970.
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....
, 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...
fighter pilot during 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...
. He was credited with 30 victories, and was the last person to win the military 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....
.
Life Before Aviation
Carl Degelow was born in MünsterdorfMünsterdorf
Münsterdorf is a municipality in the district of Steinburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....
, Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
, in the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
.
Before World War I broke out, Degelow worked in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as an industrial chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
. His specialty was the manufacture of cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
, and he was known to have visited Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and El Paso
El Paso
El Paso, a city in the U.S. state of Texas, on the border with Mexico.El Paso may also refer to:-Geography:Colombia:* El Paso, CesarSpain:*El Paso, Santa Cruz de TenerifeUnited States:...
. As a result of his travels, he was fluent in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
He returned to Germany just before World War I erupted and enlisted in Nassauischen Infanterie-Regiment Nr 88.
Degelow initially served with distinction in this infantry regiment in both France and Russia. He was seriously wounded in the arm in Russia in 1915, and commissioned in July 1915 while he was still hospitalized.
Flying Service
He transferred to the air service in July, 1916. His first assignment was to FA(A)216 as an artillery spotter at the beginning of 1917, flying Albatros CV two seaters. His assignment there would have entailed directing and correcting artillery fire.On 22 May 1917, he claimed success over a French Caudron G.IV, but it was unconfirmed. Three days later, he shot down another Caudron; this one he got credit for. His aggressive flying in a plane unsuited for air to air combat thus earned him an opportunity to transfer to a fighter unit.
He was reassigned to the Prussian Jagdgstaffel 36 for transitional training into flying Pfalz D.III
Pfalz D.III
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Gray, Peter and Owen Thetford. German Aircraft of the First World War. London: Putnam, 1962. ISBN 0-93385-271-1.* Grosz, Peter M. Pfalz D.IIIa . Berkhamsted, Herts, UK: Albatros Publications, 1995. ISBN 0-94841-425-1.* Guttman, Jon. Balloon-Busting Aces of World War 1 ...
fighters on 17 August 1917. Part of such training involving zeroing in an aircraft's machine guns on a firing range. During this process, Degelow accidentally wounded a member of the unit and was consequently reassigned in disgrace. His hasty transfer took him to Prussian Jasta 7 to fly a Pfalz D.III
Pfalz D.III
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Gray, Peter and Owen Thetford. German Aircraft of the First World War. London: Putnam, 1962. ISBN 0-93385-271-1.* Grosz, Peter M. Pfalz D.IIIa . Berkhamsted, Herts, UK: Albatros Publications, 1995. ISBN 0-94841-425-1.* Guttman, Jon. Balloon-Busting Aces of World War 1 ...
under the leadership of Leutnant Josef Jacobs
Josef Jacobs
Josef Carl Peter Jacobs was a German flying ace with 48 victories during the First World War. His total tied him with Werner Voss for fourth place among German aces.-Background:...
.
He began his string of victories with Jasta 7
Jasta 7
Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 7 was a World War I "hunting group" of the Luftstreitkräfte, which was the forerunner to the Luftwaffe...
on an uncertain note. He filed three widely spaced consecutive victories that were unconfirmed as the enemy planes landed on the Allied side of the front lines. By German regulations, these could not be considered confirmed aerial victories.
In September, he was almost shot down by 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...
after it hit his oil tank, which misted his flying goggles and blurred his vision. Only Jacobs' intervention saved Degelow. Degelow claimed Jacobs destroyed the attacker, although the victory is not listed on Jacobs' records.
On 25 January 1918 he finally was credited with his second 'kill'. In March, while landing in a 30 kilometer per hour (19 mph) wind, he flipped his aircraft over but was unhurt. The photo of his inverted aircraft shows he sported a running stag insignia on his plane.
His third victory didn't come until 21 April. He transferred once again, this time to the Royal Saxon Jasta 40, and chose to fly a Pfalz again because the 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....
otherwise available to him had a reputation at the time for losing its wings in a dive. Degelow became the Jasta commanding officer on 9 July 1918, when Helmuth Dilthey was killed. During this time, he also flew a borrowed Fokker Dr.1, though he doesn't seem to have claimed any successes with it.
He became an ace on 18 June, with the first of his two June victories. On the 25th, he took his new Fokker D. VII on a test flight, came upon a dogfight between D. VIIs of another Jasta and Sopwith Camels, and he shot one of the Camels down. The D.VII remained his mount for the remainder of the war. His had the front three-quarters of the fuselage painted black; the rear quarter was white. Emblazoned on the side was a white running stag with gold antlers and hooves, its head pointed toward the propeller.
In July, he scored six times. On 9 August, he was awarded the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern. In September, he again scored six times. October saw ten victories on ten different days. The victory on the 4th was over a Canadian naval ace, Captain John Greene
John Greene
John Greene may refer to:* John Greene , early settler and co-founder of Warwick, Rhode Island* John Greene, Jr. Deputy Governor of Rhode Island...
of No. 213 Squadron. Degelow scored once more, on 4 November, just before the end of his and Germany's war.
Thus credited with 30 confirmed victories and four unconfirmed, he was the last German pilot and final German serviceman to be awarded the 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....
, on 9 November 1918, the day the Kaiser abdicated. The abdication ended Imperial decrees and orders such as awards for the "Blue Max", and just two days later the war ended.
Post World War I
Degelow wrote his war memoirs, With the White Stag Through Thick and Thin in 1920. They were published in English in 1979 as Germany's Last Knight of the Air by Peter Kilduff, who added some additional commentary.Degelow remained in the reserves between World Wars I and II. During the first days of the Nazi regime, he was jailed for several days for failure to give the Nazi salute on parade. When someone recognized 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....
on his uniform, he was quickly released.
By the time World War II began, he was a Hauptmann (captain). Degelow went on to serve as a Major in the 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....
during World War II.
He died in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany in 1970.
External links/References
- Fokker Dr I Aces of World War I. Norman Franks, Greg VanWyngarden. Osprey Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1841762237, 9781841762234.
- http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/degelow.html Carl "Charly" Degelow Accessed 31 August 2008.
- http://www.pourlemerite.org/ Accessed 31 August 2008.
- http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autocom=downloads&showfile=3690 Accessed 31 August 2008.
- http://www.war44.com/forum/world-war-one-forum/1697-carl-degelow.html Accessed 31 August 2008.
- http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=689:degelow&catid=74:the-aces&Itemid=109 Accessed 31 August 2008.
- http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1841769983/ref=sib_dp_ptu# Accessed 31 August 2008.
- http://books.google.com/books?id=jxYmyaUxAbYC&pg=RA1-PT1&lpg=RA1-PT1&dq=carl+degelow&source=web&ots=40rv03moo2&sig=X0dELvJvfTX63cQJKlpMxZU4bnY&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result Accessed 31 August 2008.