Hans Kirschstein
| Hans Kirschstein | |
|---|---|
| Born |
5 August 1896 Koblenz, Rhine Province, Germany |
| Died | 16 July 1918 (aged 21) Fismes, France |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire
|
| Service/branch | Pioneers, Air Service |
| Years of service | 1914–1918 |
| Rank | Leutnant |
| Unit | 3rd Pioneer Battalion, FA 19, FA 256, FA 3, Jagdstaffel 6 |
| Commands held | Jagdstaffel 6 |
| Awards | Pour le Merite, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross |
Hans Kirschstein (5 August 1896 – 16 July 1918), winner of the Pour le Merite, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, and the Iron Cross, 1st and 2nd class, was a German lieutenant and World War I fighter ace credited with 27 aerial victories.
Hans Kirschstein was born 5 August 1896 in Koblenz, in the Prussian Rhine Province of Germany. His father headed the provincial government. Hans first attended school in Gummersbach, from 1907 in Gross-Lichterfelde near Berlin. In August 1914 he joined the German Army as a combat engineer in the Prussian 3rd Pioneer Battalion von Rauch (1st Brandeburgian) in Spandau. He served in France and Galicia; in the latter assignment, he contracted malaria in 1915. He was invalided home to recuperate, returning to duty in December 1915.
In February 1916, he applied for transfer to aviation duty. His transfer was granted and he took pilot's training at Schliessheim in May 1916. Upon graduation, he flew bombing raids for FA 19. Some of these raids were among the earliest examples of air attacks upon tanks. He won an Iron Cross Second Class for his service. In 1917, he continued his service as a two-seater pilot, moving on to FA 256, and from there to FA 3.
See also Aerial victory standards of World War I
He applied for transfer to fighter duty in early 1918. He received fighter training and was assigned to a Prussian squadron, Jagdstaffel 6 on 13 March 1918. He would become this squadron's leading ace.
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