Carl Degelow

Carl "Charly" Degelow (5 January 1891 in Münsterdorf – 9 November 1970 in Hamburg) was a German fighter pilot during World War I.

Before World War I broke out, Degelow worked in the United States as an industrial chemist. As a result, he was fluent in English. 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, and commissioned in July, 1915 while he was still hospitalized.

He transferred to the air service in July, 1916. His first squadron assignment was to FA(A)216 as an artillery spotter at the beginning of 1917.. On 22 May, 1917, he claimed success over a Caudron G.IV, but it was unconfirmed. Three days later, he shot down another Caudron. His aggressive flying in a plane unsuited for combat thus earned him an opportunity to transfer to an actual fighter plane.

He was reassigned to Jasta 36 for transitional training into flying fighters on 17 August 1917. Part of such training involving zeroing in an aircraft's machine guns on a firing range. During zeroing in, Degelow accidentally wounded a member of the squadron and was consequently reassigned out of the squadron. By 21 or 22 August, he was sent on his way. His hasty transfer took him to 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 triumphs that were unconfirmed because he forced enemy planes to land on their side of the front lines. By German regulations, these could not be considered aerial victories. Also, in September, he suffered the near fatal humiliation of emptying his machine gun fruitlessly at a Bristol F.2 Fighter and having it turn on him. The Bristol's gunnery was better than Degelow's; it hit his oil tank, which misted his flying goggle and blurred his vision. Only Jacobs timely 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 mile per hour wind, he flipped his aircraft over but was unhurt.

His third victory didn't come until 21 April. He transferred once again, this time to Jasta 40, and became its commanding officer on 9 July 1918, when Helmuth Dilthey was killed. During this time, he dabbled with flying 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 brand new Fokker D VII on a test hop, came upon a dogfight between D VIIs of another Jasta and Sopwith Camels, and 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 fuselage the 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. In September, he again scored six times. October was the epitome of his career, with ten victories on ten different days. One of those victories, on the 4th, was over Canadian naval ace John Green. 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, all against aircraft, he was the last German pilot to be awarded the Blue Max, on 9 November 1918, just two days before the war ended.

Degelow went on to serve as a major in the Luftwaffe during World War II.

External links/References

* [http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/degelow.html Carl "Charly" Degelow] Accessed 31 August 2008.

ttp://www.pourlemerite.org/ Accessed 31 August 2008.

http://forum.combatace.com/index.php?autocom=downloads&showfile=3690 Accessed 31 August 2008.

http://people.sinclair.edu/thomasmartin/knights/ 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.