Emil Thuy
Encyclopedia
Emil Thuy Pour le Merite
, Württemberg's Order of Military Merit
, House Order of Hohenzollern
, Iron Cross
First and Second Class, was one of the leading German fighter aces of World War I
, with 35 victories. After the war, he was an adviser to the Finnish air force and was involved in the secret origins of the Luftwaffe within the Soviet Union.
After graduation from secondary school, he worked for a while in a colliery in Lebanon, Germany. He then enrolled in 1913 in the Faculty of Mining at the Technical University of Clausthal; he was interested in metallurgical engineering.
Nevertheless, when he recuperated, he volunteered for the Luftstreitkräfte
. He underwent aviation training in Berlin. He then reported for duty with FFA 53, which was a reconnaissance unit that spotted and directed artillery fire from the air. He reported in on 10 July 1915 as a vizefeldwebel or non-commissioned pilot. He would remain with FFA 53 until 1 November 1916. Despite flying a two seater plane poorly suited for combat, he scored his first victory on 8 September 1915.
On 1 November 1916, he entered fighter pilot training, graduating only 18 days later. He was then assigned to Jagdstaffel 21, then equipped with Albatros fighters. He was commissioned a leutnant (lieutenant) in the reserves on 27 March 1917 after three weeks training.
On 16 April 1917, after joining Saxon he scored his second victory. He began to tally triumphs on a regular basis. By the time he left Jasta 21 on 29 September 1917, his list read 14, with number 14 being shot down on 22 September.
He then transferred to command Jasta 28, which had lost two commanders killed in action in the previous month. On 24 September, he scored his first victory with his new squadron. He continued to accumulate wins on a steady basis, by ones and twos.
He was injured in a crash on 2 February 1918. On the 20th, he was discharged from hospital and returned to duty. On 30 June 1918, he was awarded the Blue Max (Pour le Merite
). At about this time, he changed aircraft from the Pfalz D.III he had been flying, to a Fokker D.VII
. In July, Jagdgruppe 7 was founded, incorporating his Jasta and three others. Thuy commanded both JG 7 and Jasta 28 simultaneously.
He ended his victory string by shooting a double on 14 October 1918.
to be a "technical consultant" for the Finnish Air Force.
Thuy was a member of a paramilitary veterans organization known as the Steel Helmets, which was the armed wing of the German National People's Party
. He was active in the resistance to the French and Belgian occupation of the Ruhr
.
He then went to Finland in early 1923 as an oberleutnant or senior lieutenant. He was the head of the aerial gunnery department of the Finnish Air Force Flying School, departing finally about 16 August 1924.
The Treaty of Versailles
banned Germany from having an air force. To get around this, a secret training base was established in the Soviet Union, at Lipetsk
, in 1924. Thuy was offered the opportunity to serve there and accepted.
On 11 June 1930, while flying from Moscow to Berlin as part of this mission, Thuy crashed fatally in the vicinity of Smolensk
. He was testing a secret Albatros L 76 reconnaissance airplane at the time.
,
Pour le Mérite
The Pour le Mérite, known informally as the Blue Max , was the Kingdom of Prussia's highest military order for German soldiers until the end of World War I....
, Württemberg's Order of Military Merit
Military Merit Order (Württemberg)
The Military Merit Order was a military order of the Kingdom of Württemberg, which joined the German Empire in 1871. The order was one of the older military orders of the states of the German Empire...
, House Order of Hohenzollern
House Order of Hohenzollern
The House Order of Hohenzollern was an order of chivalry of the House of Hohenzollern. It was both a military and a civil award...
, Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
First and Second Class, was one of the leading German fighter aces of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, with 35 victories. After the war, he was an adviser to the Finnish air force and was involved in the secret origins of the Luftwaffe within the Soviet Union.
Early life
Emil Thuy was born in Hagen, Germany, the son of a factory owner. He was interested in airplanes even as a child, building models and testing a glider.After graduation from secondary school, he worked for a while in a colliery in Lebanon, Germany. He then enrolled in 1913 in the Faculty of Mining at the Technical University of Clausthal; he was interested in metallurgical engineering.
Military service
In August, 1914, Thuy volunteered to serve as a pioneer, which was the German equivalent of a combat engineer. After only six weeks basic training, he was rushed into combat. In November, 1914, he was so severely wounded as to be considered unfit for further military service.Nevertheless, when he recuperated, he volunteered for the Luftstreitkräfte
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
. He underwent aviation training in Berlin. He then reported for duty with FFA 53, which was a reconnaissance unit that spotted and directed artillery fire from the air. He reported in on 10 July 1915 as a vizefeldwebel or non-commissioned pilot. He would remain with FFA 53 until 1 November 1916. Despite flying a two seater plane poorly suited for combat, he scored his first victory on 8 September 1915.
On 1 November 1916, he entered fighter pilot training, graduating only 18 days later. He was then assigned to Jagdstaffel 21, then equipped with Albatros fighters. He was commissioned a leutnant (lieutenant) in the reserves on 27 March 1917 after three weeks training.
On 16 April 1917, after joining Saxon he scored his second victory. He began to tally triumphs on a regular basis. By the time he left Jasta 21 on 29 September 1917, his list read 14, with number 14 being shot down on 22 September.
He then transferred to command Jasta 28, which had lost two commanders killed in action in the previous month. On 24 September, he scored his first victory with his new squadron. He continued to accumulate wins on a steady basis, by ones and twos.
Pour le Mérite
The Pour le Mérite, known informally as the Blue Max , was the Kingdom of Prussia's highest military order for German soldiers until the end of World War I....
). At about this time, he changed aircraft from the Pfalz D.III he had been flying, to a Fokker D.VII
Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the summer and autumn of 1918. In service, the D.VII quickly proved itself to be a formidable aircraft...
. In July, Jagdgruppe 7 was founded, incorporating his Jasta and three others. Thuy commanded both JG 7 and Jasta 28 simultaneously.
He ended his victory string by shooting a double on 14 October 1918.
Post World War I
Thuy resumed his studies and upon graduation, joined his father in the family's factory in Hagen On. He wrote treatises on aviation on the side. As a result, he received an offer from Siemens-SchuckertSiemens-Schuckert
Siemens-Schuckert was a German electrical engineering company headquartered in Berlin, Erlangen and Nuremberg that was incorporated into the Siemens AG in 1966....
to be a "technical consultant" for the Finnish Air Force.
Thuy was a member of a paramilitary veterans organization known as the Steel Helmets, which was the armed wing of the German National People's Party
German National People's Party
The German National People's Party was a national conservative party in Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic. Before the rise of the NSDAP it was the main nationalist party in Weimar Germany composed of nationalists, reactionary monarchists, völkisch, and antisemitic elements, and...
. He was active in the resistance to the French and Belgian occupation of the Ruhr
Ruhr
The Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany , a right tributary of the Rhine.-Description:The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet...
.
He then went to Finland in early 1923 as an oberleutnant or senior lieutenant. He was the head of the aerial gunnery department of the Finnish Air Force Flying School, departing finally about 16 August 1924.
The Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
banned Germany from having an air force. To get around this, a secret training base was established in the Soviet Union, at Lipetsk
Lipetsk
Lipetsk is a city and the administrative center of Lipetsk Oblast, Russia, located on the banks of the Voronezh River in the Don basin, southeast of Moscow.-History:...
, in 1924. Thuy was offered the opportunity to serve there and accepted.
On 11 June 1930, while flying from Moscow to Berlin as part of this mission, Thuy crashed fatally in the vicinity of Smolensk
Smolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
. He was testing a secret Albatros L 76 reconnaissance airplane at the time.
External links
- http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emil_Thuy Accessed 23 September 2008.
- http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/143038-post2.html Accessed 23 September 2008.
- http://www.pourlemerite.org/ Accessed 23 September 2008.
- http://www.network54.com/Forum/46825/message/956951778/Emil+Thuy+in+Finland Accessed 23 September 2008.
- http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.flieger-album.de/logbuch.php&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dwww.flieger-album.de/logbuch.php%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us
- Norman Franks, et al. Fokker D.VII Aces of World War I: Part 2. Osprey Publishing, 2004.
- http://www.airpages.ru/cgi-bin/epg.pl?nav=ru11&page=lipetsk Accessed 23 September 2008.
,