Erich Thomas

Erich Thomas
Born	10 February 1897 Essen, Germany
Died	18 November 1960 Münster, Germany
Allegiance	Germany
Service / branch	Imperial German Air Service
Rank	Leutnant
Unit	Jagdstaffel 9, Jagdstaffel 22
Awards	Iron Cross First and Second Class

Leutnant Erich Thomas was a World War I German flying ace credited with ten aerial victories. Nine of these were observation balloons he destroyed.

Balloon buster

Aerial observer in balloon gondola, 1918.

Thomas was assigned to Jagdstaffel 9 in December 1917. He shot down his first enemy observation balloon on 3 January 1918. He carried on his career as a balloon buster for Jasta 9 through 16 March 1918, when he downed numbers seven and eight. He then transferred to Jagdstaffel 22, and shot down a ninth balloon on 21 March, and a Sopwith on the 22nd. On 23 March, he attacked another French balloon and was shot down by Jean Chaput, Marcel Haegelen, and Auguste Lahoulle. Thomas was taken prisoner of war.

References

• Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914 - 1918 Norman L. R. Franks, et al. Grub Street, 1993. ISBN 0-948817-73-9, ISBN 978-0-948817-73-1.