Godwin Brumowski

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Godwin von Brumowski

Godwin von Brumowski (born July 26, 1889 in Wadowice , Galicia , Austria-Hungary ; † June 3, 1936 at Schiphol Airport , Netherlands ) was the most successful fighter pilot of the kuk aviation troops in World War I with 35 confirmed aerial victories .

Life

Brumowski was born into a family with a long military tradition. He did his military training at the Technical Military Academy in Mödling . After his retirement on August 18, 1910, he was assigned to field artillery regiment No. 29 as a lieutenant . When the war broke out, he served as a first lieutenant in the Artillery Division No. 6 on the Eastern Front . In July 1915 he successfully applied for a transfer to the aviation troops . He began his aviation career as an observer with Fliegerkompanie 1 (FliK 1) in Czernowitz under Otto Jindra , as whose observer he flew most of the time. He took part in the air raid on the occasion of Tsar Nicholas II and Brusilov's visit to the front near Chotyn (Bessarabia) on April 12, 1916. Brumowski shot down two of seven Russian planes that had ascended to intercept the Austro-Hungarian planes. In the following years he received flight training and completed his training as a field pilot on July 3, 1916. In November 1916 he was transferred to Fliegerkompanie 12 on the Italian front , where he achieved his fifth confirmed kill in January 1917.

Godwin von Brumowski (left) with Frank Linke-Crawford in front of his Albatros (Oeffag) D.III , Torresella airfield near Portogruaro of FliK 41J, December 1917

In February 1917 the first real Austro-Hungarian fighter pilot association FliK 41J was formed and Brumowski was given command of the unit. Before he was supposed to take over, he was assigned to the German Jasta 24 squadron for a short time . There he should study the tactics on the Western Front and bring his knowledge to the Flik 41J . On this occasion he made the acquaintance of Manfred von Richthofen , after whose model he later had his aircraft painted red. From his return in April 1917, he kept command of the Flik 41J until shortly before the end of the war. The Flik 41J had a reputation for being the best unit in the aviation force. Many of the best Austro-Hungarian fighter pilots flew in the unit, such as Frank Linke-Crawford , Kurt Gruber, Karl Kaszala, Friedrich Navratil , Josef Novak and temporarily also Julius Arigi and Benno Fiala von Fernbrugg . During the last weeks of the war, Brumowski was in command of all Austro-Hungarian fighter pilot companies on the Isonzo front .

Grave site in the Vienna Central Cemetery

During the civil war in Austria in February 1934, he flew the only armed combat mission of the Federal Army with an aircraft against the Goethehof in Vienna-Kaisermühlen , although it is unclear in what form this took place or what effects were achieved with it. In April 1935 Brumowski took over the management of the newly founded Austrian Aviation School in Vienna . In 1936 he had a fatal accident (as a passenger) at Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam . His honorary grave is located at the Vienna Central Cemetery (31B-13-8), near the graves of Julius von Payer and Friedrich Mohs .

The air base of the federal army in Langenlebarn is named after him.

Awards

literature

  • O'Connor, Dr. Martin: Air Aces of the Austro-Hungarian Empire 1914-1918 . Flying Machines Press, Mountain View (California) 1986, ISBN 1-891268-06-6

Web links

Commons : Godwin Brumowski  - collection of images, videos and audio files

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Kurt Peball: The fights in Vienna in February 1934, Österreichische Bundesverlage, 1974. P. 36
personal data
SURNAME Brumowski, Godwin
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Brumowski, Godwin of
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian fighter pilot in the First World War
DATE OF BIRTH July 26, 1889
PLACE OF BIRTH Wadowice , Galicia
DATE OF DEATH June 3, 1936
Place of death Schiphol Airport , Netherlands