Oberleutnant Georg Kenzian followed his father's profession of arms, and served the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I. He became a fighter ace

Flying ace

A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...

, scoring eight aerial victories. After the dissolution of Austria-Hungary in the aftermath of World War I

Aftermath of World War I

The fighting in World War I ended in western Europe when the Armistice took effect at 11:00 am GMT on November 11, 1918, and in eastern Europe by the early 1920s. During and in the aftermath of the war the political, cultural, and social order was drastically changed in Europe, Asia and Africa,...

, he became a citizen of German Austria

German Austria

Republic of German Austria was created following World War I as the initial rump state for areas with a predominantly German-speaking population within what had been the Austro-Hungarian Empire, without the Kingdom of Hungary, which in 1918 had become the Hungarian Democratic Republic.German...

 and defended his new nation against invasion.

Early life and service

Georg Kenzian Edler von Kenzianshausen was born in Linz, Austria in 1894. He was the son of an army officer, and had aspirations of following his father's profession. In 1913, Kenzian joined Engineer Battalion Nr. 2 of the Austro-Hungarian Army

Austro-Hungarian Army

The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...

. By the time World War I began, he had been commissioned as an officer; he went into action against the Russians. He was wounded on 18 December 1914. After healing, he returned to the Engineers and was promoted to Oberleutnant

Oberleutnant

Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...

 in September 1915. Shortly after this, he volunteered for the Luftfahrtruppen.

World War I aerial service

Beginning in February 1916, Kenzian trained as an aerial observer

Aerial observer

Aerial Observer- Air Force Reconnaissance.An Aerial Observer is the functional position of gathering information visually from an airborne platform for use by military or commercial purposes. This history started when the first balloons were flown in Europe...

 and in April was posted to Fliegerkompanie 24 at the Pergine Valsugana

Pergine Valsugana

Pergine Valsugana is a comune in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 9 km east of Trento...

 Airfield on the South Tyrol

South Tyrol

South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...

 front. On 16 June 1916, Kenzian scored his first victory. After a second win, while manning the gun in the rear seat of József Kiss

József Kiss

Lieutenant József Kiss was a World War I flying ace for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was credited with 19 aerial victories. He was the most successful Hungarian ace in the war....

's Hansa-Brandenburg two-seater, Kenzian and his pilot were shot down and wounded on 27 July. It took Kenzian three months to recuperate; during this period, he was awarded the Order of the Iron Crown

Order of the Iron Crown

The Imperial Order of the Iron Crown was established June 5, 1805 by Napoleon Bonaparte . It took its name from the ancient Iron Crown of Lombardy, a medieval jewel with an iron ring, forged from what was supposed to be a nail from the True Cross as a band on the inside. This crown also gave its...

 Third Class with War Decoration and Swords.

In the midst of February 1917, Kenzian was assigned to the aviation school at Wiener-Neustadt in the dual capacities of student pilot and aerial observer instructor. By July, he was qualified as a pilot, having earned Austrian Pilot's Certificate number 721 on the 12th. In August, he was packed off to Fliegerkompanie 55J as its deputy commander under Josef von Maier

Josef von Maier

Hauptmann Josef von Maier was a World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.-Reference:...

. Kenzian would score seven more victories while with Flik 55J, and be awarded the Gold Bravery Medal for Officers and the Military Merit Cross, Third Class. The squadron would serve so well at Haidenschaft and Pergine that it was dubbed the Kaiser Staffel (Emperor's Squadron).

On 4 May 1918, Karl Patzelt

Karl Patzelt

Oberleutnant Karl Patzelt was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.-References:...

's death in action left Fliegerkompanie 68J leaderless. Kenzian was granted command of the fighter squadron at Colle Umberto

Colle Umberto

Colle Umberto is a comune in the Province of Treviso in the Italian region Veneto, located about 60 km north of Venice and about 30 km north of Treviso...

 and led it into combat over the Battle of the Piave in June. He won the Silver Military Merit Medal with Swords. In October 1918, he was transferred to command of Fliegerkompanie 42J at Pinzano when its commander was KIA

Killed in action

Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...

, and led it until war's end.

Post World War I

As the war ended, Kenzian switched his fighting efforts to repelling Slovenians

Slovenians

The Slovenes, Slovene people, Slovenians, or Slovenian people are a South Slavic people primarily associated with Slovenia and the Slovene language.-Population:Most Slovenes today live within the borders of the independent Slovenia...

 invading Carinthia

Carinthia (state)

Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern Alps it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Austro-Bavarian group...

 in southern Austria; he served with the German-Austrian Republic

German Austria

Republic of German Austria was created following World War I as the initial rump state for areas with a predominantly German-speaking population within what had been the Austro-Hungarian Empire, without the Kingdom of Hungary, which in 1918 had become the Hungarian Democratic Republic.German...

 aerial forces until the conflict ended in June 1919. He found himself flying general service again, dropping leaflets, observing enemy movements, dropping bombs, and intercepting opposing aircraft. The Treaty of Saint Germain in September 1919 not only ended the conflict, but also the German-Austrian air arm.

At this point, Georg Kenzian disappeared from history.

List of aerial victories

Numbered victories are confirmed. Unconfirmed victories are noted by "u/c".

No.	Date/time	Aircraft	Foe	Result	Location	Notes
1	16 June 1916	Hansa-Brandenburg C.I Hansa-Brandenburg C.I -See also:-References:# Munson, Kenneth - Bombers, Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft 1914 - 1919 ISBN 0 7537 0918 X# # # -External links:* ....  serial number 61.18	Italian Farman Farman Farman Aviation Works was an aeronautic enterprise founded and run by the brothers; Richard, Henri, and Maurice Farman. They designed and constructed aircraft and engines from 1908 until 1936; during the French nationalization and rationalization of its aerospace industry, Farman's assets were...  two-seater reconnaissance craft	Forced to land	South of Asiago Asiago Asiago is the name of both a minor township and the surrounding plateau region in the Province of Vicenza in the Veneto region of Northeastern Italy...
2	20 June 1916 @ 1200 hours	Hansa-Brandenburg C.I s/n 61.23	Farman	Forced to land; crew WIA Wounded in action Wounded in action describes soldiers who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during war time, but have not been killed. Typically it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing to fight....	Monte Cimone Monte Cimone Monte Cimone is a mountain in the northern Apennines, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It has an elevation of 2,165 m.The mountain encompasses the comuni of Fiumalbo, Sestola, Fanano and Riolunato in the province of Modena. Its interior houses a military structure; for this reason, during the Cold...
3	29 September 1917	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...  fighter	Italian Nieuport Nieuport Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars.-Beginnings:...  fighter	Forced to land	South of Plava	Victory shared with Eugen Bönsch Eugen Bönsch -Early life and service:Bönsch studied mechanics at the State Trade School. He originally joined the army in 1915, but after completing basic training transferred to aviation. His original assignment was as a mechanic with Fliegerersatzkompagnie 6.-Flying service:...  and Alexander Tahy Alexander Tahy Oberleutnant Alexander Tahy was a World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories.-Reference:...
4	18 November 1917	Albatros D.III fighter s/n 153.27	Nieuport fighter	Set afire	Arsiero Arsiero Arsiero is a town in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. It is west SP82. As of 2007 Arsiero had an estimated population of 3,488.-Sources:*... -Villaverla Villaverla Villaverla is a town in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. It is west of SP349 and south of A31.-Sources:*...	Victory shared with Franz Lahner Franz Lahner Feldwebel Franz Lahner was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.-References:...  and two other pilots
5	27 November 1917	Albatros D.III fighter s/n/153.27	Italian S.A.M.L reconnaissance two-seater	Set afire; pilot probably KIA Killed in action Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...	South of Asiago	Victory shared with József Kiss József Kiss Lieutenant József Kiss was a World War I flying ace for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was credited with 19 aerial victories. He was the most successful Hungarian ace in the war....
6	7 December 1917	Albatros D.III fighter	S.A.M.L two-seater	Set afire; aircrew believed KIA	South of Asiago	Victory shared with two other pilots
7	12 January 1918	Albatros D.III fighter	Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 The Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 was a British two-seat biplane reconnaissance and bomber aircraft of the First World War designed by John Kenworthy. Intended as a replacement for the vulnerable B.E.2, the R.E.8 was more difficult to fly, and was regarded with great suspicion at first in the Royal...  s/n A.4445	Forced to land; captured	Casa Rigoni	Victory shared with József Kiss and Alexander Kasza Alexander Kasza Feldwebel Alexander Kasza was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories. He died during a Soviet bombardment of Budapest.-References:...
8	26 January 1918	Albatros D.III fighter s/n 153.07	Sopwith fighter	Forced to land	Cia Pralunga
9	24 March 1918	Albatros D.III fighter	Sopwith fighter	Spiraled in to crash	Val d'Assa

Endnotes