Max Immelmann

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Max Immelmann
September 21, 1890 - June 18, 1916

Max Immelmann and his dog Tyras.
Nickname Der Adler von Lille
Place of birth Dresden
Place of death Sallaumines
Allegiance German Empire
Service/branch Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial German Army Air Service, forerunner of the Luftwaffe}
Years of service 1914-1916
Rank Oberleutnant
Unit FA62
Awards

Max Immelmann (September 21, 1890 – June 18, 1916) was a German World War I Flying ace.

Contents

[edit] Early life

He was born in Dresden, the son of a paper board container factory owner. After leaving school, he joined the Eisenbahnregiment Berlin. During 1913 - 1914, he studied mechanical engineering in Dresden.

[edit] Wartime career

When World War I started, Immelmann was recalled to active service, transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte and was sent for pilot training in November 1914. He was initially stationed in northern France as a reconnaissance aviator. On June 3, 1915 he was shot down by a French pilot but managed to land safely behind German lines. He was decorated with the Iron Cross, Second Class for preserving his aircraft. Later in 1915, he became one of the first German fighter pilots, quickly building an impressive score of air victories. He became known as The Eagle of Lille (Der Adler von Lille).

Immelmann was the first pilot to be awarded the Pour le Mérite, Germany's highest military honour. The medal became colloquially known as the "Blue Max" in the German Air Service in honor of Immelmann. His medal was presented by Kaiser Wilhelm II in January 1916. Oswald Boelcke received his medal at the same ceremony.

Immelmann was credited with 15 victories. His final victory was on 30 March 1916 [2]. Immelmann's 8th victory can be found here at [1]

[edit] Fokker Eindecker

Immelmann will forever be associated with the Fokker Eindecker, Germany's first fighter aircraft, and the first to be armed with a machine gun synchronised to fire forward, through the propeller arc. Along with Oswald Boelcke and other pilots, Immelmann was one of the main instigators of the Fokker Scourge which inflicted heavy loses upon British and French aircrews during 1915.

[edit] The Immelmann turn

This refers to two quite different aerobatic maneuvers. The first of these is the one now known as an "Immelmann" (also frequently spelled "Immelman", in literature and media).

  1. A half loop followed by a half roll on top, used to rapidly reverse the direction of flight (click to see animated illustration). This maneuver would not have been practical in the primitive, underpowered fighters of 1915-16, and its connection with the German fighter ace is most doubtful. Additional technical reasons in support: The Fokker Eindecker used wing warping instead of Ailerons, and roll capability to exit the maneuver was therefore very poor as would be exacerbated by the gravity fuel-fed Fokker E's engines not being designed for inverted flight both in the fuel feed system and in its carbuerator design—which would sputter or cut out in inverted flight.
  2. During the First World War an "Immelmann turn" was actually a sharp rudder turn off a vertical zoom climb (almost to a full stall) or modified chandelle followed by a steep dive generated by kicking the rudder over before airspeed was lost - resembling what is now called a "wingover" or "stall turn". In this maneuver, the executing plane ends up in a steep modified dive pointing in a direction chosen by timing the rudder kick with the turning climb of the chandelle. To reattack an enemy or reverse to attack a trailing enemy, the pilot would nearly procede down the same path as his climb into the kick over. Immelmann may very well have originated this maneuver, or used it in combat, although this cannot be authenticated. In contrast, the modern Immelmann turn starts and ends with the plane in level flight at different altitude, but the opposite direction. (click to see animated illustration)

[edit] Death

Immelmann was killed in combat with F.E.2b aircraft of 25 Squadron Royal Flying Corps over Sallaumines in northern France on June 18, 1916. According to the official British account he was shot down by Second Lieutenant G.R. McCubbin with Corporal J. H. Waller as gunner/observer, and they were credited with the victory.

On the other hand, some sources, including the German Air Service at the time, claimed the loss was due to (friendly) anti-aircraft artillery. Others, including his brother, believed his aircraft's interrupter mechanism (designed to enable his machine gun to fire between the whirling propeller blades without damaging them) had catastrophically malfunctioned.

At 2000 meters Immelmann's tail plane was seen to break away from the rest of his Fokker E.III fuselage (serial 246/16), the wings detached or folded and what remained of the fuselage fell like a stone, carrying the 25 year old Oberleutnant to his death. His body was recovered by German infantry from the twisted wreckage but was only identified because he had his initials "MI" embroidered on his handkerchief.

Max Immelmann has a squadron named after him in the present day Luftwaffe, the German Air Force.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1]

[edit] External links

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Aviation in World War I