Branch: Luftstreitkräfte / Luftwaffe
Born: 26 April 1896 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Died: 17 November 1941 in Berlin, Germany.
Ranks:
Generaloberst
General der Flieger
General der Infanterie
Generalleutnant
Generalmajor
Oberst
Oberstleutnant
Major
Hauptmann
Oberleutnant
Leutnant
Fähnrich
Decorations:
Iron Cross
House Order of Hohenzollern
Pour le Mérite
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Commands:
Other: Personnel
Articles:
Ernst Udet was born on 26 April 1896 and became the second-highest
scoring German flying ace of World War I. He was one of the
youngest aces and was the highest scoring German ace to survive
the war (at the age of 22). His 62 victories were second only
to Manfred von Richthofen, his commander in the Flying Circus.
Ernst Udet rose to become a squadron commander under Manfred
von Richthofen, and later, under
Hermann
Göring.
Following Germany's defeat, Ernst Udet spent the 1920s and
early 1930s as a stunt pilot, international barnstormer, light
aircraft manufacturer, and playboy. In 1933, he joined the
National Socialist Party and became involved in the early
development of the Luftwaffe. He used his networking skills
to be appointed as director of research and development for
the burgeoning air force. He was especially influential in
adoption of dive bombing techniques and the adoption of the
Stuka dive
bomber. By 1939, Ernst Udet had risen to the post of Director-General
of Equipment for the Luftwaffe. However, the stress of the
position and his distaste for administrative duties led to
an increasing dependence on alcohol.
When World War II began, the Luftwaffe's needs for equipment
outstripped Germany's production capacity. Ernst Udet's old
comrade in arms
Hermann
Göring first lied to
Adolf
Hitler about these materiel shortcomings when the Germans
lost the Battle of Britain, then deflected the Führer's
wrath onto Ernst Udet.
Operation Barbarossa, when Germany attacked the Soviet Union
to begin war on a second front, may have been the final straw
for Ernst Udet. On 17 November 1941, Ernst Udet committed
suicide by shooting himself in the head.
Born in Frankfurt am Main, Ernst Udet was known from early
childhood for his sunny happy-go-lucky temperament. He grew
up in the Bavarian city of Munich. He was fascinated with
aviation from early childhood and hung out at a nearby aeroplane
factory and an army airship detachment. After crashing a glider
he and a friend constructed, he finally flew with a test pilot
in the nearby Otto Works, which he often visited, in 1913.
He tried to join the army on 2 August 1914, but was only 160
cm (5 ft 3.0 in) tall and did not qualify. In August, when
the Allgemeiner Deutscher automobile club appealed for volunteers
with motorcycles, Ernst Udet applied and was accepted. Ernst
Udet's father had given him his motorcycle when Ernst passed
his first year examination. Along with four friends, Ernst
Udet was posted to the 26. Württembergischen Reserve
Division as a messenger rider. After injuring his shoulder
when his motorcycle hit a shell hole, Ernst Udet went to a
military hospital, and his bike went for repair. When he tried
to track down the 26th Division, he was unable to locate it
and decided to serve in the vehicle depot in Namur. During
this time, Ernst Udet met officers from the Chauny flying
sector who advised him to be transferred as an aerial observer.
However, before he received his orders for Chauny, the army
dispensed with the volunteer motorcyclists, and he was sent
back to recruiting officials.
Ernst Udet tried in vain to return to the fighting, but was
unable to get into the pilot or aircraft mechanic training
offered by the army. He soon learned that if he were a trained
pilot, he would be immediately accepted into the air force.
Through a family friend, Gustav Otto, owner of the aircraft
factory he had haunted in his youth, Ernst Udet received private
flight training. The training cost 2,000 marks and new bathroom
equipment from his father's firm. Ernst Udet obtained his
civilian pilot's license at the end of April 1915 and joined
the German Army Air Service.
Originally, Ernst Udet flew in Flieger-Abteilung 206 (FA 206)
an observation unit as an Unteroffizier (Staff Sergeant) pilot
with observer Lt Justinius. He and his observer won the Iron
Cross 2nd and 1st class respectively for nursing their Aviatik
B.I two-seater back to German lines after a shackle on a wing-cable
snapped. Justinius had climbed out to hold the wing and balance
it rather than land and accept capture. As a result of the
structural failure of the Aviatik that caused Ernst Udet and
Justinius to go down, and a similar incident that cost Lt
Winter and Vizefeldwebel Preiss their lives, the Aviatik B
was retired from service.
Later, Ernst Udet was court-martialed for losing his aircraft
in an incident the flying corps considered a result of bad
judgement The aircraft overloaded with fuel and bombs stalled
after a sharp bank and plunged to the ground. Miraculously,
both Ernst Udet and his fellow crew member survived. Ernst
Udet was placed under arrest in the guardhouse for seven days.
On his way out of the guardhouse, he was asked to fly Lt Hartmann
to observe a bombing raid on Belfort. A bomb thrown by hand
by the Lt became stuck in the landing gear. Ernst Udet performed
some aerobatics to shake it loose. As soon as the Air Staff
Officer heard about it, he was transferred to fighter command.
That was in early 1916.
Ernst Udet was given a new Fokker to fly to his new unit FA
68 at Habsheim. Mechanically defective, it crashed into a
hangar on takeoff. An older Fokker was then sent to Ernst
Udet. At Habsheim, his first aerial combat was a near disaster.
Lining up on a French Caudron, he found he could not bring
himself to pull the trigger and was subsequently strafed by
the Frenchman. A bullet grazed his cheek and smashed his goggles.
From then on, he learned to attack aggressively and made a
number of kills, downing his first French opponent on 18 March
1916. On that occasion, he scrambled to attack two French
aircraft instead, he found a formation of 23. He dove in from
above and behind, giving his Fokker D.III full throttle, and
opened fire on a Farman F.40 from close range. He pulled away,
leaving the flaming bomber trailing smoke, only to see the
observer fall from the rear seat of the stricken craft. As
Ernst Udet described it, The fuselage of the Farman dives
down past me like a giant torch. A man, his arms and legs
spread out like a frog's, falls past the observer. At the
moment, I don't think of them as human beings. I feel only
one thing victory, triumph, victory. The fiery kill won Ernst
Udet the Iron Cross First Class.
That year, FA 68 morphed into Kampfeinsitzer Kommando Habsheim
before finally becoming Jagdstaffel 15 on 28 September 1916.
It was in the latter unit that Ernst Udet would claim five
more victims, before transferring to Jasta 37 in June 1917.
The first of these on 12 October 1916 had its comic opera
aspects. Ernst Udet forced a French Breguet to land safely
in German territory, then landed nearby to prevent its destruction
by its crew. The bullet-punctured flat tires on Ernst Udet's
Fokker tipped the German plane forward over onto its top wings
and fuselage. Victor and vanquished eventually shook hands
next to the latter's functional plane.
In January 1917, Ernst Udet was commissioned as Lt der Reserve
(lieutenant of reserves). That same month, Jasta 15 re-equipped
with Albatros D.IIIs, new fighters with twin synchronised
Spandau machine guns.
It was during his service with Jasta 15 that Ernst Udet wrote
he had encountered Georges Guynemer, the French ace, in single
combat at 5,000 m (16,000 ft). Guynemer preferred to hunt
alone by this time, he was the leading French ace, and one
of the war's leading aces, with more than 30 victories.
Ernst Udet saw him coming and the two circled each other looking
for an opening. They were close enough for Ernst Udet to read
the Vieux of Vieux Charles on Guynemer's Spad S.VII. The two
opponents tried every tricky aerobatic they knew the Frenchman
ripped a burst of fire through the upper wing of Ernst Udet's
plane. Ernst Udet evaded him and manoeuvered for advantage.
For an instant, Ernst Udet had him in his sights, but his
guns jammed. While pretending to dogfight, he worked to unjam
them. Guynemer saw his opponent's predicament, waved, and
flew away. Ernst Udet wrote of the fight, For seconds, I forgot
that the man across from me was Guynemer, my enemy. It seems
as though I were sparring with an older comrade over our own
airfield. Some experts say that Guynemer spared Ernst Udet
because he wanted a fair fight. He was also likely impressed
with Ernst Udet's skills in the their battle and hoped that
they would fight again someday.
Eventually, all the pilots of Jasta 15 were killed except
Ernst Udet and his commander, Gontermann. Gontermann became
somewhat gloomy, and remarked to Ernst Udet, the bullets fall
from the hand of God ... Sooner or later they will hit us.
Ernst Udet applied for a transfer to Jasta 37. Gontermann
fell three months later, by accident, when the wing of his
new Fokker Dr1 Triplane came off. He lingered for 24 hours
without awakening, and Ernst Udet later remarked, It was a
good death.
On 19 June, Ernst Udet transferred to Prussian Jasta 37.
By late November, Ernst Udet was a triple ace and Jastaführer.
He modelled his attacks after those of Guynemer, coming in
high out of the sun to pick off the rear aircraft in a squadron
before the others knew what was happening. His commander in
Jasta 37 Kurt Grasshoff, witnessing one of these attacks selected
him for command over more senior men when Grasshoff was transferred.
Ernst Udet's ascension to command on 7 November 1917, was
followed six days later by award of the Royal House Order
of Hohenzollern.
Despite his seemingly frivolous nature, drinking late into
the night and womanising, he proved an excellent squadron
commander. He spent many hours coaching neophyte fighter pilots,
with an emphasis on marksmanship as being essential for success.
Ernst Udet's success attracted attention for his skill, earning
him an invitation to join the Flying Circus, Jagdgeschwader
1 (JG 1), an elite unit of German fighter aces under the command
of the famed Red Baron Manfred von Richthofen. Manfred von
Richthofen drove up one day as Ernst Udet was trying to pitch
a tent in Flanders in the rain. Pointing out that Ernst Udet
had 20 kills, Manfred von Richthofen said, Then you would
actually seem ripe for us. Would you like to?
Of course, Ernst Udet would. After watching him down an artillery
spotter by frontal attack, Manfred von Richthofen gave Ernst
Udet command of Jasta 11, Manfred von Richthofen's own former
squadron command. The group commanded by Manfred von Richthofen
also contained Jastas 4, 6 and 10. Ernst Udet's enthusiasm
for Manfred von Richthofen was unbounded. Manfred von Richthofen
demanded total loyalty and total dedication from his pilots,
cashiering immediately anyone who did not give it. At the
same time, he treated them with every consideration. When
it came time to requisition supplies, he traded favours for
autographed photos of himself that read: Dedicated to my esteemed
fighting companion. Ernst Udet remarked that because of the
signed photographs, ... sausage and ham never ran out.
One night, they invited a captured English flyer for dinner,
treating him as a guest. When he excused himself for the W.
C., the Germans fell over themselves trying to hide from him
that they were watching to see if he would try to escape.
On his return the Englishman said, I would never forgive myself
for disappointing such hosts. However, the English flyer did
escape later from another unit.
Ernst Udet considered Manfred von Richthofen as scientific
in battle and cold in his combats, describing his blue eyes
and the sun shining off his blonde hair. Manfred von Richthofen
liked to strafe enemy columns in squadron formation, both
guns firing, killing large numbers. He was the first to implement
the concept of the forward base. While the enemy could mount
three missions a day, Manfred von Richthofen could mount five.
In dogfights the head-on attack found favour
Manfred von Richthofen fell in April 1918, and Ernst Udet
was not at the front. He had been sent on leave due to a painful
ear infection, which he avoided having treated as long as
he could. While at home, he reacquainted himself with his
childhood sweetheart, Eleanor Lo Zink. Notified that he had
received the Pour le Mérite, he had one made up in
advance so that he could impress her. He painted her name
on the side of his Albatros fighters and Fokker D VII. Also
on the tail of his Fokker D VII was the message Du doch nicht
- Definitely not you.
Of Manfred von Richthofen, Ernst Udet said, He was the least
complicated man I ever knew. Entirely Prussian and the greatest
of soldiers. Ernst Udet returned to JG 1 against the doctor's
advice and remained there to the end of the war, commanding
Jasta 4. He scored 20 victories in August alone, mainly against
the British. Ernst Udet would become a national hero with
62 confirmed kills to his credit. But he did not enjoy Manfred
von Richthofen's successor,
Hermann
Göring, and, later, privately, he would question
Hermann
Göring's own achievements during the war.
Ernst Udet was one of the early fliers to be saved by parachuting
from a disabled aircraft. On 29 June 1918, he jumped after
a clash with a French Breguet. His harness caught on the rudder
and he had to break off the rudder tip to escape. His parachute
did not open until he was 250 ft (76 m) from the ground, causing
him to sprain his ankle.
On 28 September 1918, Ernst Udet was wounded in the thigh.
He was still recovering from this wound on Armistice Day,
November 11, 1918, when the war ended.
During the inter-war period, Ernst Udet was known primarily
for his work as a stunt pilot and for playboy-like behaviour
He flew for movies and for air shows (e.g. picking the cloth
from the ground with the tip of the wing). He appeared with
Leni Riefenstahl in three films: Die weiße Hölle
vom Piz Palü (1929), Stürme über dem Montblanc
(1930), and S.O.S. Eisberg (1933). Ernst Udet's stunt pilot
work in films took him to California. In the October 1933
issue of New Movie Magazine, there is a photo of Carl Laemmle,
Jr.'s party for Ernst Udet in Hollywood. Laemmle was head
of Universal Studios which made SOS Eisberg, a US-German coproduction
Ernst Udet was invited to attend the National Air Races at
Cleveland, Ohio.
He married Lo on February 25, 1920 however, the marriage lasted
less than three years. They divorced on February 16, 1923.
It has been said that Ernst Udet had many lovers on the side.
His talents were numerous - juggling, drawing cartoons, party
entertainment, etc.
The adventure of Ernst Udet's life continued without pause
after the war. On his way home, he had to defend himself against
a Communist who wished to rip the medals off his chest. Ernst
Udet and
Robert
Ritter von Greim performed mock dogfights on weekends
for the POW Relief organisation, using surplus aircraft in
Bavaria. He was invited to start the first International Air
Service between Germany and Austria, but after the first flight
the Entente Commission confiscated his aircraft.
These efforts were good publicity for Ernst Udet. An American,
William Pohl of Milwaukee, telephoned him with an offer to
back an aircraft manufacturing company. Ernst Udet Flugzeug
was born in a shed in Milbertshofen. Its intent was to build
small aircraft that the general public could fly. It soon
ran into trouble with the Entente Commission and transferred
its operations to a beehive and chicken coop factory.
The first aeroplane that Ernst Udet's company produced was
the U2. Ernst Udet took the second model, the U4, to the Wilbur
Cup race in Buenos Aires at the expense of Aero Club Aleman.
It was outclassed, and the club wanted him to do cigarette
commercials to reimburse them for the expense, but he refused.
He was rescued by the Chief of the Argentinian Railways, a
man of Swedish descent named Tornquist, who picked up the
tab.
In 1924, Ernst Udet left Ernst Udet Flugzeug when they decided
to build a four-engine aircraft, which was larger and not
for the general population. He and another friend from the
war, Angermund, started an exhibition flying enterprise in
Germany, which was also successful, but Ernst Udet remarked,
In time this too begins to get tiresome. ... We stand in the
present, fighting for a living. It isn't always easy. ...
But the thoughts wander back to the times when it was worthwhile
to fight for your life.
Ernst Udet's war time friends were in seemingly inexhaustible
supply. He and another Suchocky became pilots to an African
filming expedition. The cameraman was another veteran, Schneeberger,
whom Ernst Udet called Flea, and the guide was Siedentopf,
a former East African estate owner.
Ernst Udet described one incident in Africa in which lions
jumped up to claw at the low-flying aircraft, one of them
removing a strip of Suchocky's wing surface. Ernst Udet and
his crew also ventured across the Figtree Hotel, built by
Lord Lovelace, and went hunting with an American named Sullivan.
Though not interested in politics, Ernst Udet joined the Nazi
party in 1933 when
Hermann
Göring promised to buy him two new US built Curtiss
Hawk II biplanes (export designation of the F11C-2 Goshawk
Helldiver). The planes were used for evaluation purposes and
thus indirectly influenced the German idea of dive bombing
aeroplanes, such as the
Junkers
Ju 87 (
Stuka)
dive bombers. They were also used for aerobatic shows held
during the 1936 Summer Olympics. Ernst Udet piloted one of
them, which survived the war and is now on display in the
Polish Aviation Museum (pictured).
After
Junkers
Ju 87 trials (although the
Junkers
Ju 87 had been awarded top marks and was about to be accepted)
a confidential directive issued on 9 June 1936 by Generalfeldmarschall
Wolfram Manfred von Richthofen called for the cessation of
all further
Junkers
Ju 87 development. However, Ernst Udet immediately rejected
Manfred von Richthofen's instructions and
Junkers
Ju 87 development continued.
Ernst Udet became a major proponent of the dive bomber, taking
credit for having introduced it to the Luftwaffe, which was
already interested in such designs. By 1936 he had (due to
his political connections) been placed in command of the T-Amt
( the development wing of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium)
(Reich Air Ministry). He had no real interest in this job,
especially the bureaucracy of it, and the pressure led to
his addiction to alcohol (brandy and cognac).
In January 1939 Ernst Udet visited Italian North Africa (Africa
Settentrionale Italiana, or ASI). He accompanied Maresciallo
dell'Aria (Marshal of the Air Force) Italo Balbo on a flight.
In early 1939 there were distinct signs of German military
and diplomatic co-operation with the Italians. In February
1939 Ernst Udet became Generalluftzeugmeister (Luftwaffe Director-General
of Equipment).
When World War II began his internal conflicts grew more intense.
Aircraft production requirements were much more than the German
industry could supply (given limited access to raw materials
such as aluminium).
Hermann
Göring responded to this problem by simply lying
about it, which further upset Ernst Udet. After the Luftwaffe's
defeat in the Battle of Britain,
Hermann
Göring tried to deflect
Adolf
Hitler's by blaming it on Ernst Udet.
Adolf
Hitler's attack on the Soviet Union drove Ernst Udet further
into despair.
On 17 November 1941 Ernst Udet committed suicide, shooting
himself in the head while on the phone with his girlfriend.
Evidence indicates that his unhappy relationship with
Hermann
Göring,
Erhard
Milch, and the National Socialist Party in general was
the cause of his mental breakdown.
According to Ernst Udet's biography, The Fall of an Eagle,
he wrote a suicide note in red pencil which included: Ingelein,
why have you left me? and Iron One, you are responsible for
my death. Ingelein referred to his girlfriend, Inge Bleyle,
and Iron One to
Hermann
Göring. The book The Luftwaffe War Diaries states
something similar, that Ernst Udet wrote Reichsmarschall,
why have you deserted me? in red on the headboard of his bed.
It is possible that an affair Ernst Udet had with Martha Dodd,
daughter of the U.S. ambassador to Germany and Soviet sympathiser,
during the 1930s might have had some importance in these events.
Records made public in the 1990s confirm Soviet security involvement
with Dodd's activities.
Ernst Udet's suicide was concealed from the public, and at
his funeral he was lauded as a hero who had died in flight
while testing a new weapon. On his way to attend Ernst Udet's
funeral, the World War II fighter ace Werner Mölders
died in a plane crash in Breslau. Ernst Udet was buried in
the Invalidenfriedhof Cemetery in Berlin. Mölders was
buried next to Ernst Udet and Manfred von Richthofen at the
Invalidenfriedhof.
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