An (early) afternoon clue. Thanks; Ernie P.

Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:
1.This ace is near the top of the aces list.
2.He began his war in the infantry.
3.He was wounded, but stayed in action, in a crucial battle.
4.He was decorated for his courage, and made an officer.
5.After he recovered, he returned to his unit and was further decorated for saving the lives of several wounded soldiers.
6.He was then transferred to an elite infantry unit, but became ill.
7.His illness resulted in him being declared an invalid;and he was released from service.
8.After again recovering, he volunteered for service andwas made an observer in the air corps.
9.He completed pilot training and was assigned to a reconnaissance unit.

Morning clue. Thanks; Ernie P.

Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:
1.This ace is near the top of the aces list.
2.He began his war in the infantry.
3.He was wounded, but stayed in action, in a crucial battle.
4.He was decorated for his courage, and made an officer.
5.After he recovered, he returned to his unit and was further decorated for saving the lives of several wounded soldiers.
6.He was then transferred to an elite infantry unit, but became ill.
7.His illness resulted in him being declared an invalid;and he was released from service.
8.After again recovering, he volunteered for service and was made an observer in the air corps.
9.He completed pilot training and was assigned to a reconnaissance unit.
10.Aftera few months, he transferred to afighter unit.
11.Within a few weeks, he scored his firstvictory; destroying an enemy balloon.

Afternoon clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:
1.This ace is near the top of the aces list.
2.He began his war in the infantry.
3.He was wounded, but stayed in action, in a crucial battle.
4.He was decorated for his courage, and made an officer.
5.After he recovered, he returned to his unit and was further decorated for saving the lives of several wounded soldiers.
6.He was then transferred to an elite infantry unit, but became ill.
7.His illness resulted in him being declared an invalid;and he was released from service.
8.After again recovering, he volunteered for service and was made an observer in the air corps.
9.He completed pilot training and was assigned to a reconnaissance unit.
10.Aftera few months, he transferred to afighter unit.
11.Withina few weeks, he scored his firstvictory; destroying an enemy balloon.
12.Duringhis flying career, he proved to be all but unflappable. His had several nearescapes from death; but managed to shake them off and continued to fly.

Evening clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:
1.This ace is near the top of the aces list.
2.He began his war in the infantry.
3.He was wounded, but stayed in action, in a crucial battle.
4.He was decorated for his courage, and made an officer.
5.After he recovered, he returned to his unit and was further decorated for saving the lives of several wounded soldiers.
6.He was then transferred to an elite infantry unit, but became ill.
7.His illness resulted in him being declared an invalid;and he was released from service.
8.After again recovering, he volunteered for service and was made an observer in the air corps.
9.He completed pilot training and was assigned to a reconnaissance unit.
10.Aftera few months, he transferred to afighter unit.
11.Withina few weeks, he scored his firstvictory; destroying an enemy balloon.
12.Duringhis flying career, he proved to be allbut unflappable. His had several near escapesfrom death; but managed to shake them off and continued to fly.
13.Althoughslightly wounded, he managed to survivea forced landing.

All;

I'm unsure why RCU insists upon removing spaces from my cut and pasted posts; but it's getting a bit annoying. Especially when I edit the post to add extra spaces where they are deleted... and it still doesn't work. Any ideas? Thanks; Ernie P.

Afternoon clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:
1.This ace is near the top of the aces list.
2.He began his war in the infantry.
3.He was wounded, but stayed in action, in a crucial battle.
4.He was decorated for his courage, and made an officer.
5.After he recovered, he returned to his unit and was further decorated for saving the lives of several wounded soldiers.
6.He was then transferred to an elite infantry unit, but became ill.
7.His illness resulted in him being declared an invalid;and he was released from service.
8.After again recovering, he volunteered for service and was made an observer in the air corps.
9.He completed pilot training and was assigned to a reconnaissance unit.
10.Aftera few months, he transferred to afighter unit.
11.Withina few weeks, he scored his firstvictory; destroying an enemy balloon.
12.Duringhis flying career, he proved to be all but unflappable. His had several near escapes from death; but managed to shake them off andcontinued to fly.
13.Althoughslightlywounded, he managed to survive a forcedlanding.
14.Thenext day he scored his fifth victory,becoming an ace.
15.Duringone combat, he survived a hit byanti-aircraft fire. The shell failed to explode, but smashed his wingtip.

Evening clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:
1.This ace is near the top of the aces list.
2.He began his war in the infantry.
3.He was wounded, but stayed in action, in a crucial battle.
4.He was decorated for his courage, and made an officer.
5.After he recovered, he returned to his unit and was further decorated for saving the lives of several wounded soldiers.
6.He was then transferred to an elite infantry unit, but became ill.
7.His illness resulted in him being declared an invalid;and he was released from service.
8.After again recovering, he volunteered for service and was made an observer in the air corps.
9.He completed pilot training and was assigned to a reconnaissance unit.
10.Aftera few months, he transferred to afighter unit.
11.Withina few weeks, he scored his firstvictory; destroying an enemy balloon.
12.Duringhis flying career, he proved to be all but unflappable. His had several near escapes from death; but managed to shake them off andcontinued to fly.
13.Althoughslightlywounded, he managed to survive a forcedlanding.
14.Thenext day he scored his fifth victory,becoming an ace.
15.Duringonecombat, he survived a hit by anti-aircraft fire. The shell failed toexplode, but smashed his wingtip.
16.Hewent into a spin, but recovered from thespin just above ground level and managed to crash land without injury.

Afternoon clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:
1.This ace is near the top of the aces list.
2.He began his war in the infantry.
3.He was wounded, but stayed in action, in a crucial battle.
4.He was decorated for his courage, and made an officer.
5.After he recovered, he returned to his unit and was further decorated for saving the lives of several wounded soldiers.
6.He was then transferred to an elite infantry unit, but became ill.
7.His illness resulted in him being declared an invalid;and he was released from service.
8.After again recovering, he volunteered for service and was made an observer in the air corps.
9.He completed pilot training and was assigned to a reconnaissance unit.
10.Aftera few months, he transferred to afighter unit.
11.Withina few weeks, he scored his firstvictory; destroying an enemy balloon.
12.Duringhis flying career, he proved to be all but unflappable. His had several near escapes from death; but managed to shake them off andcontinued to fly.
13.Althoughslightlywounded, he managed to survive a forcedlanding.
14.Thenext day he scored his fifth victory,becoming an ace.
15.Duringonecombat, he survived a hit by anti-aircraft fire. The shell failed toexplode, but smashed his wingtip.
16.Hewentinto a spin, but recovered from the spin just above ground level and managed tocrash land without injury.
17.Hefinishedhis first year of combat with eightvictories.
18.Fourwere aircraft and four were balloons.

Evening clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:
1.This ace is near the top of the aces list.
2.He began his war in the infantry.
3.He was wounded, but stayed in action, in a crucial battle.
4.He was decorated for his courage, and made an officer.
5.After he recovered, he returned to his unit and was further decorated for saving the lives of several wounded soldiers.
6.He was then transferred to an elite infantry unit, but became ill.
7.His illness resulted in him being declared an invalid;and he was released from service.
8.After again recovering, he volunteered for service and was made an observer in the air corps.
9.He completed pilot training and was assigned to a reconnaissance unit.
10.Aftera few months, he transferred to afighter unit.
11.Withina few weeks, he scored his firstvictory; destroying an enemy balloon.
12.Duringhis flying career, he proved to be all but unflappable. His had several near escapes from death; but managed to shake them off andcontinued to fly.
13.Althoughslightlywounded, he managed to survive a forcedlanding.
14.Thenext day he scored his fifth victory,becoming an ace.
15.Duringonecombat, he survived a hit by anti-aircraft fire. The shell failed toexplode, but smashed his wingtip.
16.Hewentinto a spin, but recovered from the spin just above ground level and managed tocrash land without injury.
17.Hefinishedhis first year of combat with eightvictories.
18.Fourwere aircraft and four were balloons.
19.Inthe next six months, he began to hit hisstride as a fighter pilot, more than tripling his score.

Evening clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:
1.This ace is near the top of the aces list.
2.He began his war in the infantry.
3.He was wounded, but stayed in action, in a crucial battle.
4.He was decorated for his courage, and made an officer.
5.After he recovered, he returned to his unit andwasfurther decorated for saving thelives ofseveral wounded soldiers.
6.He was then transferred to an elite infantry unit,butbecame ill.
7.His illness resulted in him being declared an invalid;and he was released from service.
8.After again recovering, he volunteered for serviceandwas made an observer in the aircorps.
9.He completed pilot training and was assigned to areconnaissance unit.
10.Aftera few months, he transferred to a fighterunit.
11.Withina few weeks, he scored his first victory;destroying an enemy balloon.
12.Duringhis flying career, he proved to be allbut unflappable. His had several nearescapesfrom death; but managed to shake them off and continued to fly.
13.Althoughslightly wounded, he managed to survivea forced landing.
14.Thenext day he scored his fifth victory,becoming an ace.
15.Duringone combat, he survived a hit byanti-aircraft fire. The shell failed toexplode, but smashed his wingtip.
16.Hewent into a spin, but recovered from the spinjust above ground level and managed to crash land without injury.
17.Hefinished his first year of combat witheight victories.
18.Fourwere aircraft and four were balloons.
19.Inthe next six months, he began to hit hisstride as a fighter pilot, more than tripling his score.
20.Duringthis period, he was in a close, but friendly,rivalry with two well-known aces for the top scoring spot among activefighters.
21.Inless than eighteen months of activecombat, he had scored more than fifty victories.

Morning clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:
1.This ace is near the top of the aces list.
2.He began his war in the infantry.
3.He was wounded, but stayed in action, in a crucial battle.
4.He was decorated for his courage, and made an officer.
5.After he recovered, he returned to his unit andwasfurther decorated for saving thelives ofseveral wounded soldiers.
6.He was then transferred to an elite infantry unit,butbecame ill.
7.His illness resulted in him being declared an invalid;and he was released from service.
8.After again recovering, he volunteered for serviceandwas made an observer in the aircorps.
9.He completed pilot training and was assigned to areconnaissance unit.
10.Afterafew months, he transferred to a fighter unit.
11.Withinafew weeks, he scored his first victory; destroying an enemy balloon.
12.Duringhisflying career, he proved to be allbutunflappable. His had several nearescapesfrom death; but managedto shake them off and continued to fly.
13.Althoughslightly wounded, he managed to survivea forced landing.
14.Thenext day he scored his fifth victory,becoming an ace.
15.Duringone combat, he survived a hit byanti-aircraft fire. The shell failed toexplode, but smashed his wingtip.
16.Hewent into a spin, but recovered fromthe spin just above ground level and managed to crash land without injury.
17.Hefinished his first year of combatwitheight victories.
18.Fourwere aircraft and four were balloons.
19.Inthe next six months, he began to hithis stride as a fighter pilot, more than tripling his score.
20.Duringthis period, he was in a close, but friendly,rivalry with two well-known aces for the top scoring spot among activefighters.
21.Inlessthan eighteen months of active combat,he had scored more than fifty victories.
22.Onhislast day of combat, he led a group of mostly rookie pilots. He ran into anelite enemy squadron; and managed to down one of their number.

Erich Lowenhardt

You nailed it, Hydro Junkie. Erich Lowenhardt it is, and you are up. Lowenhardt is almost unknown, despite being Germany's third highest scoring ace of WWI. If not for the mid-air collision which resulted in his death, he might well have been Germany's second ace. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:
1.This ace is near the top of the aces list.
2.He began his war in the infantry.
3.He was wounded, but stayed in action, in a crucial battle.
4.He was decorated for his courage, and made an officer.
5.After he recovered, he returned to his unit andwasfurther decorated for saving thelives ofseveral wounded soldiers.
6.He was then transferred to an elite infantry unit,butbecame ill.
7.His illness resulted in him being declared an invalid;and he was released from service.
8.After again recovering, he volunteered for serviceandwas made an observer in the aircorps.
9.He completed pilot training and was assigned to areconnaissance unit.
10.Afterafew months, he transferred to a fighter unit.
11.Withinafew weeks, he scored his first victory; destroying an enemy balloon.
12.Duringhisflying career, he proved to be allbutunflappable. His had several nearescapesfrom death; but managedto shake them off and continued to fly.
13.Althoughslightly wounded, he managed to survivea forced landing.
14.Thenext day he scored his fifth victory,becoming an ace.
15.Duringone combat, he survived a hit byanti-aircraft fire. The shell failed toexplode, but smashed his wingtip.
16.Hewent into a spin, but recovered fromthe spin just above ground level and managed to crash land without injury.
17.Hefinished his first year of combatwitheight victories.
18.Fourwere aircraft and four were balloons.
19.Inthe next six months, he began to hithis stride as a fighter pilot, more than tripling his score.
20.Duringthis period, he was in a close, but friendly,rivalry with two well-known aces for the top scoring spot among activefighters.
21.Inlessthan eighteen months of active combat,he had scored more than fifty victories.
22.Onhislast day of combat, he led a group of mostly rookie pilots. He ran into anelite enemy squadron; and managed to down one of their number.
23.Duringthe combat, he collided with one of themembers of his flight.
24.Bothpilots bailed out, but his chute failedto deploy correctly; and he died in the fall.

Answer: Erich Löwenhardt

ErichLöwenhardt (7 April1897 – 10 August 1918) was the 3rd highest Germanflying ace with 54 victories during the First World War, behind only Manfred vonRichthofen and Ernst Udet.

Löwenhardt was born in Breslau, Silesia, German Empire on 7 April 1897, the son of a doctor. He received his education at amilitary school in Lichterfelde. He was 17 when hostilities erupted inAugust 1914 and was assigned to the German Army's Infantry Regiment Nr. 141; hesaw infantry action on the Eastern Front with them. Young Löwenhardt was woundednear Łódź but remained on duty as standard bearer for his regiment as it fought in the Battle of Tannenberg. As reward for his courage, on 2 October1914 he was commissioned. On 30 October he was both wounded anddecorated with the Iron Cross Second Class. After convalescing, hereturned to his unit in the Carpathians. In early 1915 he received the Iron Cross 1st Class for saving the lives of five wounded men. Löwenhardt thentransferred to the Alpine Corps on the Italian Front. However, he fell ill and was invalidedfrom service as unfit for duty.

After five months' recuperation,Löwenhardt volunteered for the Imperial German Army Air Service and qualified as an aerial observer. He then completed pilot training in 1916. Service in two-seaters with Flieger-Abteilung (Artillerie) (FlierDetachment (Artillery)) 265 followed. In January 1917, he underwent conversiontraining for fighters. He joined a fighter squadron, Jagdstaffel10 in March 1917. On 24March 1917, Löwenhardt scored his first confirmed aerial victory, destroying anenemy observation balloon over Recicourt.

Löwenhardt was an aggressive,skilled fighter whose score grew steadily. During this period, he flew Albatros and Pfalz planes. By the end of September he was an ace.He survived a forced landing on 20 September with a minor wound; the next day,he shot down his fifth victim. He posted two more claims in October, one ofwhich was confirmed. On 6 November, his aircraft's lower wing was damagedduring combat over Winkel Saint Eloi at 0830 hours, a dud antiaircraft shellsmashing his left wingtip without exploding. Löwenhardt pulled his craft out ofthe resulting spin at 15 meters altitude, wheels down, and bounced into atumbling wreck. He exited the wreckage shaken but otherwise unharmed. On 30November 1917, he closed out his year with his eighth confirmed victory; he wascredited with four balloons and four airplanes.

Löwenhardt scored two morevictims in January 1918: a balloon and a Bristol F.2 Fighter. In March, he added five more. On 1April, just before his 21st birthday, he was appointed to command Jasta 10. The next month, Jasta 10 re-equipped with new Fokker D.VIIs. Löwenhardt continued to score; on 10 May, he destroyed an observationballoon for his 20th victory and became eligible for the Pour le Merite. The next day, he was awarded theKnight's Cross with Swords of the House Order ofHohenzollern; he alsoreceived the Austro-HungarianEmpire's Military MeritCross. The Pour le Merite (commonly called theBlue Max) came on 31 May 1918, when Löwenhardt's tally had reached 24.

By now, Löwenhardt was lockedinto an "ace race" with Ernst Udet and Lothar von Richthofen for the honor of being the top scoringace in their fighter wing. The rivalry between Löwenhardt and theyounger Richthofen was a friendly one, as they often flew as wingmen. Jasta 10 belonged to The Flying Circus, and when the wing commander's spot came open on29 June 1918, Oberleutnant Löwenhardt was tapped for temporarycommand of it. By then, his tally stood at 27. When he surrendered the JG Icommand on 6 July, it had risen to 34. By the end of July 1918, Löwenhardt'stotal was 48: 9 balloons and 39 airplanes.

On 8 August, the Allied Forceslaunched the war's final offensive against the Germans. The British Royal Air Force led the assault, and Löwenhardt downed three of their airplanes. On the9th, he shot down two more. On the 10th, flying despite a badly sprained ankle,Löwenhardt launched his yellow Fokker D.VII on a mid-day sortie leading a patrol heavily weighted with rookiepilots. He encountered No. 56 Squadron RAF and shot down a Royal AircraftFactory SE.5a over Chaulnes, France at1215 hours for his 54th victory. In the aftermath of the combat, he collidedwith another German pilot, LeutnantAlfred Wenz from Jasta11. Löwenhardt's Fokker'slanding gear slammed the upper right wing on Wenz's D.VII. Both pilots' planes wereequipped with parachutes and both pilots bailed out. Erich Löwenhardt's chute failed to open, andthe fall killed him.

Okay, since you guys seem to like flyers, I've got one for you
1) This pilot almost washed out of flight training, He only passed due to a second instructor
Good Luck

Boy, that sounds familiar. Thanks; Ernie P.

I just hope I didn't repeat a prior question. That being said, on to another clue:
1) This pilot almost washed out of flight training, He only passed due to a second instructor
2) This pilot initially flew in what amounted to a non-combat area prior to being sent into a "hot" zone
Good Luck

Hydro Junkie; you have a PM. Thanks; Ernie P.

Okay, this apparently isn't too hard of question since it's already been figured out. That said, here's the next clue:
1) This pilot almost washed out of flight training, He only passed due to a second instructor
2) This pilot initially flew in what amounted to a non-combat area prior to being sent into a "hot" zone
3) This pilot flew three different types of front line fighters at his first command before transferring to the "hot zone"

And now, the next clue:
1) This pilot almost washed out of flight training, He only passed due to a second instructor
2) This pilot initially flew in what amounted to a non-combat area prior to being sent into a "hot" zone
3) This pilot flew three different types of front line fighters at his first command before transferring to the "hot zone"
4) This pilot flew a total of six different fighters in three different organizations over his career
Good Luck

AND NOW, YOUR FRIDAY MORNING CLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1) This pilot almost washed out of flight training, He only passed due to a second instructor
2) This pilot initially flew in what amounted to a non-combat area prior to being sent into a "hot" zone
3) This pilot flew three different types of front line fighters at his first command before transferring to the "hot zone"
4) This pilot flew a total of six different fighters in three different organizations over his career
5) This pilot flew combat missions with three different combat organizations and with pilots from at least two other countries
And since I'm feeling generous, one additional clue:
6) The six fighters flown by this pilot EACH USED A DIFFERENT ENGINE
Good Luck