Quote:
Originally Posted by LegendaryLoewenhardt
I was wondering if anyone had specific eye-witness details on my relative's death: Oberleutnant Erich Lowenhardt (i.e., what they saw when he fell, how high he was, apparent reaction, etc.).
Anything of the like would be useful. I've never really thought about it until just now.
Thanks.
-L.L. |
Mate,
Here is some info for you:
• Note: Ltn. Alfred Wentz of Jasta 11 and Oblt Löwenhardt collided in mid-air. As Wentz described it, Löwenhardt's wheels struck his upper right wing. His airplane went out of control; Wentz hit the silk and landed safely. Löwenhardt, who had a badly swollen sprained ankle, also took to his chute, but it didn't open and the great ace plummeted to his death – ‘acepilots.com’; ‘Ejection-History.org.uk’.
• Note: Ltn Alfred Wentz flying a Fokker D.VII collided with Oblt Loewenhardt also flying a Fokker D.VII on 10 Aug 1918 over the Albert – Bapaume area at 4500 meters. They were both attacking the same Sopwith Camel, with Löwenhardt from above and Wentz directly behind at the same height. As Wentz fired on the Sopwith at a distance of no more than 40 – 50 yards, he saw out of the corner of his eye in a fragment of a second, a yellow machine (of Löwenhardt) crash with one or both wheels on the right upper plane of his machine. He saw his wing go to rags and immediately went into a spin for the first 100 meters vertically. Wentz immediately sized up the situation and jumped out of his aircraft and his parachute opened. Due to his velocity, 2 belts, by which the parachute was bound to his body, sheared so that he was hanging by the cords in his downward decent. Unfortunately, Oblt Löwenhardt’s parachute had not opened when he jumped and he fell to his death. An additional note on the collision provided by Alfred Wentz on 28 Sept 1960 to Mr. Puglisi was that with the Fokker D.VII, the two wings were not vertically one upon the other, but the lower wing was laying oblique to the upper one, this is perhaps why Oblt Löwenhardt could not see me when he came so close to my machine that we collided - ‘C & C Journal Vol.1-1960-Issue 4’ – pg 56-58.
• Led Jasta 10 until killed in a collision with Lt. Wentz on 10 Aug 1918 - ‘Air Aces of the 1914 – 1918 War’ by D.A. Russell – Pg 194 -197.
• Killed in Flying Accident (Collision with Ltn. Wentz) on 10 Aug 1918 at 1215 hr near Chaulnes ‘The Jasta War Chronology’ by Norman Franks – pg 222; ‘Casualties of the German Air Service 1914-1920’ by Norman Franks – pg 295; ‘The Illustrated Red Baron’ by Peter Kilduff pg 145.
cul
tcrean7828
tom
