Hans Ritter von Adam
| Hans Ritter von Adam | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 24 May 1886 Bayerisch Eisenstein, Kingdom of Bavaria |
| Died | 15 November 1917 (aged 31) Langemarck, Belgium |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire |
| Service/branch | Infantry; aviation |
| Years of service | 1906 - 1907; 1914 - 1917 |
| Rank | Leutnant |
| Unit | Flieger-Abteilung (Artillerie): [Flier Detachment (Artillery)] 2, Jagdstaffel 34, Jagdstaffel 6 |
| Commands held | Jagdstaffel 6 |
| Awards | Military Merit Order, Military Order of Max Joseph, Knight's Cross with Swords of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross |
Hans Ritter von Adam, born Hans Adam, (24 May 1886 – 15 November 1917) was a Bavarian flying ace in World War I, with 21 victories before being killed in action. He enlisted as an infantry private, and rose through the ranks to be commissioned an officer. His valor earned him his nation's highest awards, including one that posthumously raised him to nobility.
Hans Ritter von Adam was born as Hans Adam on 24 May 1886, in Bayerisch Eisenstein in the Lower Bavaria region of the Kingdom of Bavaria (a town now divided between Germany and the Czech Republic), son of a railway official, Andreas Adam, and his wife Hildegard née Fischer. Hans Adam entered the Royal Bavarian Army as a one-year volunteer (Einjährige-Freiwilliger) on 1 October 1906, serving in the 4th Infantry Regiment in Metz. He then became a businessman in Munich. By the time World War I began, Adam was married, with two children.
Adam returned to service as a lieutenant in the Bavarian Landwehr (Leutnant der Landwehr) when World War I began. He was assigned to the Bavarian 15th Reserve Infantry Regiment. He fought in the Battle of the Frontiers and while fighting around the French fortifications in the Nancy-Épinal region was wounded in action on 2 September 1914.
After recuperating, he returned to the front in late 1915, but then chose to enter pilot training (despite his age, which made him much older than most pilot trainees). He received his Observer's Badge on 15 May 1916 and began service as an aerial observer. He flew as an observer for Eduard Ritter von Schleich.
...
Wikipedia