Rudolph Berthold
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| Rudolf Berthold | |
|---|---|
| March 24, 1891 – March 15, 1920 | |
 Rudolf Berthold |
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| Nickname | Iron Knight |
| Place of birth | Ditterswind |
| Place of death | Hamburg-Harburg |
| Allegiance | German Empire |
| Service/branch | Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial German Army Air Service, forerunner of the Luftwaffe) |
| Years of service | 1914-1918 |
| Rank | Hauptmann |
| Unit | FFA 23, Jasta 4, Jasta 14, Jasta 18, JG II, KEK Vaux |
| Awards | -Prussia: Pour le Mérite; Iron Cross: 2nd class; Iron Cross: 1st class -Saxonia: Military Order of St. Henry, Class: Knight's Cross -Bavaria: Order of Military Merit: 4th class Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords |
Rudolf Berthold (March 24, 1891 – March 15, 1920) was a German World War I flying ace. Between 1916 and 1918 he shot down 44 enemy planes—most of them over the Belgium front. Berthold had the reputation as a ruthless, fearless and—above all—a very patriotic fighter. His perseverance and bravery made him one of the most famous German pilots ever.
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[edit] World War I
Berthold started his career as a soldier with the 3rd Brandenberg Infantry regiment in 1910. He learned to fly at his own expense in 1913. Thus he transferred to the German Air Service when war broke out in August 1914, and over the next two years flew as an Observer on Halberstadt and DFW two seaters with FFA 23, winning the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class. Switching to Fokker Eindeckers later in 1916 with Kek Vaux, Berthold was injured in the first of several crashes in his wartime career in April 1916, by which time he already had 5 victories. In August 1916, Kek Vaux became Jasta 4, which he handed over to the command of his longtime friend, Hans-Joachim Buddecke before in October 1916, joining Jasta 14. He served with this unit until May 1917 when he was wounded in combat with a RFC scout, suffering a fractured skull, broken nose, pelvis and thigh. In August he was given command of Jasta 18, although during a dogfight a bullet crippled his upper arm in October. He refused to retire, however, and received the Pour le Merite in October 1917.
In March 1918 he returned to active service and took command of Jagdgeschwader 2, transferring his Jasta 18 personnel into Jasta 15. Despite being in constant pain from his unhealed injuries, Berthold continued flying. He refused any surgical help because he was believed an operation would make it impossible for him to continue flying. Berthold didn't even have the bullet removed from his arm. Through the summer of 1918 Berthold continued flying, increasingly relying on morphine for pain relief. Such was his strength of will he also taught himself to write with his left hand.
With JG 2, Berthold often flew a Pfalz D.III in preference to the Albatros D.V, until May 1918 when the new Fokker D.VII entered service.
Berthold had a personal insignia of a winged sword on the side of the blue fuselages and red noses sported by all aircraft of Jasta 15.
His final wartime mishap came on August 10, 1918, when he shot down two RAF DH-4 bombers, but collided with the second of these victories and crashed into a house. He was hospitalised until after the war (ironically, this was the same date that Lt. Erich Lowenhardt was killed).
[edit] Post-war
After the war Berthold became a fanatic patriot and nationalist, becoming a member of the anti-communist Freikorps. He founded the 1200-strong "Fränkische Bauern-Detachment Eiserne Schar Berthold" in April 1919, and took part in several demonstrations and fought against communists factions.
[edit] Death and gravestone
Berthold was shot on March 15, 1920 in Harburg during a riot between communist and nationalist factions, after taking part in the failed Kapp Putsch. During the coup d'état Berthold's unit was reportedly cornered in a Harburg school. Reports about the cause of his death then varied, with some accounts stating he was beaten, stabbed and shot dead, while other sources say he was strangled with the ribbon of the 'Blue Max' medal he still wore.
On his first gravestone {since destroyed} was allegedly the memorial: "Honored by his Enemy's, killed by his German brethren". See[1] {reference only}.
 Berthold modern gravestone |
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
[edit] Sources
- Franks, Norman and VanWyngarden, Greg. Fokker D VII Aces of World War 1: Part 1 / (Oxford : Osprey Publishing, 2003.)
- Franks, Bailey & Guest, 'Above the Lines' (Grub street 1993) pages 71–72.
