Frank Linke-Crawford
| Frank Linke-Crawford | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Redhead |
| Born |
18 August 1893 Krakau |
| Died | 30 July 1918 (aged 24) Guia, Italy |
| Buried at | Porbersch; reinterred in Salzburg Kommunalfriedhof |
| Allegiance | Austro-Hungarian Empire |
| Service/branch | Infantry, Air Service |
| Years of service | 1910–1918 |
| Rank | Oberleutnant |
| Unit | 6th Dragoons, Flik 22, Flik 12, Flik 41 |
| Commands held | Flik 60 |
| Awards | Order of the Iron Crown |
Oberleutnant Frank Linke-Crawford (18 August 1893 – 30 July 1918), was the fourth-ranking ace of the Austro-Hungarian empire during World War I, with 27 victories.
Frank Linke-Crawford was born in Krakau (Cracow), in what is presently Poland but then a provincial city of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His father, Major Adalbert Linke, was a Galician soldier; his mother, Lucy Crawford, was British. Despite this mixed background, he was an Austrian citizen.
He entered the Wiener-Neustadt military academy in 1910. Upon graduation, he was commissioned Leutnant and assigned to the 6th Dragoon Regiment. On July 28, a month after the assassination of Austria-Hungary's Archduke Franz Ferdinand, his country declared war on Serbia. This was the initial declaration of war that snowballed into World War I.
Linke-Crawford first saw battle on the Russian Front. In November, 1914, he was appointed commander of the infantry troop of the Sixth Dragoons. Between October 1914 and October 1915, he received several decorations; he also was hospitalized several times with malaria and dysentery.
In 1915, Linke-Crawford's fascination with the Luftfahrtruppen (Austro-Hungarian air service) led him to request a transfer for pilot training. His poor health is also mentioned as a reason for his transfer.
Upon his completion of observer training at Wiener-Neustadt in March 1916, Linke-Crawford was posted to Fliegerkompanie 22 to fly reconnaissance and bombing missions in two seater airplanes.
In September, 1916, after six active months flying as an observer, he retrained as a pilot.
In January, 1917, he was transferred to Fliegerkompanie 12 as chief pilot, which made him second in command of the unit. His new posting was still to a unit serving on the Isonzo Front in northern Italy. While his duties remained recon and bombing, he was now operating over mountainous terrain. He also flew some attack sorties in single seat fighters. On one of these missions, on 13 April, he shot down a Nieuport that cartwheeled into a crash far behind the Italian lines. He did not bother to attempt to claim this victory, though he mentioned it in a letter home to his sister. On 25 May, his aircraft was badly shot up, taking 14 hits from a couple of SPAD fighters. He then had another unconfirmed triumph on 25 June.
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