Otto Fruhner
| Otto Fruhner | |
|---|---|
| Born |
6 September 1893 Brieg, Silesia (present day Poland) |
| Died | 19 June 1965 (aged 71) Villach, Austria |
| Allegiance | Germany |
| Service/branch | Air Service |
| Years of service | 1914 - ca 1918; 1935 - ca 1945 |
| Rank | Generalmajor |
| Unit | Feldflieger Abteilung (Field Flier Detachment) 4, Flieger-Abteilung (Flier Detachment) 51, Flieger-Abteilung 20, Jagdstaffel 26 (Fighter Squadron) 26 |
| Awards | Military Merit Cross, Iron Cross |
| Other work | Generalmajor in Luftwaffe during World War II |
Generalmajor Otto Fruhner (6 September 1893 – 19 June 1965) MMC, IC, was a German World War I flying ace credited with 27 victories. He was one of the first aviators to parachute from a stricken aircraft.
Beginning as a lowly enlisted mechanic in late 1914, Fruhner rose into the officer's ranks. He was eligible for Germany's highest officer's decoration for valor, the Pour le Merite, when Kaiser Wilhelm II's abdication scotched the award and the German military largely disbanded after its defeat.
Fruhner would return to his nation's service to join the nascent Luftwaffe as a major in 1935. He would serve in various training commands throughout World War II, rising to become a Generalmajor.
Otto Fruhner was born on 6 September 1893. He was born in Brieg, Germany (now Brzeg, Poland). Frunhner began his military career as an aviation mechanic on 14 November 1914 for Feldflieger Abteilung (Field Flier Detachment) 4.
He then underwent pilot training, and beginning in June 1916, flew as an enlisted pilot of two seater aircraft for FA 51 on the Eastern Front against the Russians. In August, he received the Iron Cross Second Class and was promoted to Unteroffizier.
He then volunteered for fighter duty in July 1917, and was assigned to Jagdstaffel 26, commanded by Bruno Loerzer. Fruhner's combat successes began when he was serving in Jagdstaffel 26. He shot down two Sopwiths in two separate engagements on 3 September 1917.
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