Harald Auffarth
| Harald Auffarth | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | ~1896 |
| Died | 12 October 1946 Eschenbach, Kingdom of Württemberg |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire,  Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch | Luftstreitkräfte, Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1914-1918, 1943-1945 |
| Rank | Oberstleutnant |
| Battles/wars | World War I, World War II |
| Awards | Pour le Mérite (Recommended but not approved), Iron Cross, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Hanseatic Cross, Silver Wound Badge |
Eduard Florus Harald Auffarth (also Auffahrt) (~1896 – 12 October 1946) Royal House Order of Hohenzollern,Iron Cross, Silver Wound Badge,Hanseatic Cross, was a World War I German fighter ace credited with 29 victories. After the war, he ran an aviation training school that covertly supported establishment of the Luftwaffe.
Eduard Florus Harald Auffarth's date and place of birth are unknown. However, German youths were generally not accepted for military duty before their 18th birthday. Based on Auffarth's service records, this would seem to indicate a birth date at least prior to 1899, with 1896 or earlier more likely. His later award of a Hanseatic Cross from Bremen would indicate his birth in Bremen, Bremerhaven, or the vicinity; the various kingdoms of the German Empire generally awarded medals only to their subjects. Germany's supreme award, the Prussian Pour le Merite, was an exception to this rule.
A typical career for a German fighter pilot of World War I began with service in a ground unit; wounds and awards for bravery (typically an Iron Cross) could lead to approval of requests for aviation training. After training, the new flier usually served in a reconnaissance unit flying two-seated aircraft. Auffarth served in two of these units. He first served in Feldflieger Abteilung 27. He then transferred to Flieger Abteilung Artillerie 266, which would have entailed the pilot flying while the observer was spotting and correcting artillery fire upon the enemy. Typically, the observer was the senior man in the crew.
Auffarth transferred to flying fighters with Prussian Jagdstaffel 18 and recorded his first victory with them on 16 September 1917. On the last day of the month, he became an ace. He then transferred to Prussian Jagdstaffel 29.
He was appointed Staffelführer (commanding officer) on either 11 or 19 November 1917 (depending on source), as an Oberleutnant and would lead the squadron for almost a year. At any rate, he scored his first victory with them on 13 November and would eventually score a quarter of his new squadron's victories, flying a succession of Albatroses, Fokker D.VIIs, and a rare Pfalz D.VIII, all in his personal colour scheme of yellow nose and green fuselage with a stylized eight-pointed comet on the side.
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