- Olivier Freiherr von Beaulieu-Marconnay
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Olivier von Beaulieu-Marconnay Nickname Bauli Born 14 September 1898
Berlin-Charlottenburg, GermanyDied 26 October 1918
Arlon, FranceAllegiance German Empire Service/branch Dragoons, Air Service Years of service 1914 - 1918 Rank Leutnant Unit 4th Prussian Dragoon Regiment, Jagdstaffel 15 Commands held Jagdstaffel 19 Awards Pour le Merite, Iron Cross Leutnant Olivier Freiherr von Beaulieu-Marconnay (14 September 1898 - 26 October 1918) was a German World War I ace fighter pilot credited with 25 victories. He is notable for being World War I's youngest recipient of Germany's highest decoration for military valor, the Pour le Merite.[1]
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Early life and service
Olivier Freiherr von Beaulieu-Marconnay was born on 14 September 1898. He was the son of an aristocratic Prussian army officer; "freiherr" is the Prussian approximation of "baron".[2] When World War I started in August 1914, he was still a month short of his sixteenth birthday. He signed up in the regiment his father had served in, the 4th Prussian Dragoons, which was also the 'home' regiment of Manfred von Richthofen.
He served with the Dragoons during fighting in the Rokitno Swamps in the summer of 1916. He was awarded the Iron Cross First Class during this period.
He then transferred to the German air service in 1917. By November, he had qualified as a pilot. From the start, he honored his old unit in the insignia he had painted on all his planes; it consisted of a numeral 4 and a capital letter D merged into what could have easily been a cattle brand in the American wild west.[3]
Aerial Service
In December 1917, Beaulieu-Marconnay was assigned to Jagdstaffel 16.[4] He was subsequently reassigned to Jagdstaffel 15, where he opened his victory list as a fighter pilot.
The pilots of Jasta 15 had received new Siemens-Schuckert D.III fighters, along with orders that forbade them from flying over enemy lines lest one of the new planes fall into the foe's hands and its design be compromised. As they lazed in a French meadow on 28 May 1918, a squadron of French Dorand AR.2s intruded. The jasta scrambled. At 11:15 AM, Beaulieu-Marconnay scored his first victory.[5]
The following month, he scored regularly; he became an ace on 11 June, and a week later had run his total to eight. His run of victories then lapsed for about seven weeks.
Double victory on 9 August made him an Uberkanone—the German version of an ace. He went on to score three more wins in August.[1]
Then, despite his youth, he was appointed to command Jagdstaffel 19 on September 4, ten days shy of his twentieth birthday.[6]
He would begin his tenure as commander by tallying nine wins in September. Four more would follow in October, with his 25th and last coming on 10 October 1918.[1]
On October 18, in the confusion of a dogfight, Beaulieu-Marconnay was seriously wounded in the thigh by a fellow German from Jagdstaffel 74. He managed to make it back to his home airfield, and was rushed to the hospital, bleeding freely.
It was obvious he was in very critical condition. The Kaiser took notice of this, and rushed through an award of the Pour le Merite. The Blue Max could not be awarded posthumously, and to procrastinate risked the young ace's death while he was honored with only the Iron Cross. Notice of the award was forwarded to the hospital on 26 October 1918. Olivier Freiherr von Beaulieu-Marconnay never knew of the award; he had died six hours before the news arrived.[7]
He was buried in the famous Invalidenfriedhof in Berlin.[1][8]
Inline citations
- ^ a b c d http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/beaulieu-marconnay.php
- ^ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freiherr
- ^ http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/camouflage-markings/22370-albatros-markings.html
- ^ http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/beaulieumarconnay.htm
- ^ Jagdgeschwader Nr II Geschwader 'Berthold'. p. 40.
- ^ Jagdgeschwader Nr II Geschwader 'Berthold'. p. 90.
- ^ Jagdgeschwader Nr II Geschwader 'Berthold'. pp. 112–113.
- ^ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Invalidenfriedhof
References
- Jagdgeschwader Nr II: Geschwader Berthold. Greg VanWyngarden, Harry Dempsey. Osprey Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1841767271, 9781841767277.
Categories:- German military personnel killed in World War I
- 1898 births
- 1918 deaths
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