Paul Billik

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Paul Billik (born March 27, 1891 in Haatsch ( Hultschiner Ländchen ) in Silesia ; † March 8, 1926 Staaken ) was a German officer in the air force and scored 31 confirmed kills in the First World War .

Life and military service

He was born the son of the farmer Franz Billik. In 1910 he attended the teachers' college in Racibórz . From 1911 to 1912 he served in the 157 Infantry Regiment, which he left as a non-commissioned officer.

Until 1916 Billik took part in the battles in the west and was promoted to lieutenant in November 1915. In May 1916 he was trained as a pilot with Flieger Replacement Division 4. From January 1917 to March 31, 1917 he flew with Schutzstaffel 4 and received the pilot's badge here. On April 1, 1917, he joined Jagdstaffel 12, where he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class after his 4th victory in the air . After the 8th aerial victory in December 1917, he was given the command of the black Fighter Squadron 52. After his 27th victory in the air on July 25, 1917, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the House Order of the Hohenzollern with Swords. Among other things, he shot down the two well-known Allied aviators Major Desbrisay Carter and Captain Chadwik.

After his 31st victory in the air, he was taken prisoner by the British on August 10, 1918 after an engine failure. Paul Billik was proposed for the Pour le Mérite , but was no longer awarded the medal as a result of his imprisonment.

After being released from captivity, Billik remained an active aviator. Billik took part in various sporting flight events and was able to win various prizes there, most recently at the German round flight in 1925, where he won the first stage with a U10 from Udet -flugzeugbau. Professionally, Billik worked for the Udet aircraft factory in Munich until 1925. In 1925 he switched to commercial aviation and worked for Deutsche Aero Lloyd . (From the merger of Deutsche Aero Lloyd and Junkers Luftverkehr , Deutsche Luft Hansa AG was created on January 6, 1926 )

death

On March 8, 1926, Paul Billik had an accident on a test flight with a Junkers F 13 for Luft Hansa at Staaken airfield near Berlin. When it hit the ground, the fuel tank burst and the plane caught fire. Billik was unable to get out of the machine in time and was burned. His body was buried in the Invalidenfriedhof in Berlin .

Awards

literature

  • Walter Zuerl: Pour le merite-Flieger. Luftfahrtverlag Axel Zuerl, 1987. ISBN 978-3-934596-15-3
  • Der Flieger, No. 5 + 7 from 1925
  • Vossische Zeitung (Berlin) from March 9, 1926
  • Berliner Tageblatt (Berlin) from March 9, 1926

See also

personal data
SURNAME Billik, Paul
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German Air Force Officer (German Empire)
DATE OF BIRTH March 27, 1891
PLACE OF BIRTH Haatsch ( Hultschiner Ländchen ), Silesia
DATE OF DEATH March 8, 1926
Place of death Staaken