The Death of Oblt. Lowenhardt...

[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.

[tcrean7828]

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

[FOKKERJ]

Hi TC,

Thanks for sharing the good info.!

Hi LegendaryLoewenhardt,

I was checking out your "Public Profile" and saw what must be my favorite Sanke feldpost:






Regards, FOKKERJ

[tcrean7828]

Originally Posted by FOKKERJ

Hi TC,

Thanks for sharing the good info.!

Hi LegendaryLoewenhardt,

I was checking out your "Public Profile" and saw what must be my favorite Sanke feldpost:






Regards, FOKKERJ

LegendaryLoewenhardt,
Hope this helps in your infomation gathering.

FokkerJ,
Mate you are welcome.

cul

tcrean7828

tom

[LegendaryLoewenhardt]

Thank you all very much.

[tcrean7828]

Originally Posted by LegendaryLoewenhardt

Thank you all very much.

Mate,

Any time.

cul

tcrean7828

tom

[Volker_Nemsch]

Hello!

On the website mentioned below you will find a report concerning the "last timne at the front" of Lothar von Richthofen. In there you will find the following lines concerning the death of Loewenhardt.

Lothar von Richthofen: Das letzte Mal an der Front, Juli - August 1918

"Da kam ein einzelner Engländer wenige 100 m unter uns durch. Loewenhardt wollte ihn wohl schnell noch mitnehmen, die übrigen Lords hatten ja noch Zeit. Er stellte seine Maschine rasch auf den Kopf und griff den einzelnen Einsitzer an. Die ganze Anfängerhorde stürzte hinter Loewenhardt her, als ob sie alle den einen Engländer abschießen wollten. Laut schimpfend blieb ich als einziger oben. Allein die feindlichen Geschwader anzugreifen, wäre Wahnsinn gewesen. Also ging ich in langsamem Gleitfluge hinterher und besah mir das Treiben da unten. Das Bild war folgendes: Dicht hinter dem Engländer saß Loewenhardt in seiner knallgelben Maschine. Ich sah sofort, daß da jeder andere überflüssig. Fünf oder vier sahen dies aber nicht, sondern flogen dicht hinter Loewenhardt, um sich anscheinend mit an dem Kampf zu beteiligen. Wie oft konnte man da sagen, daß Einer bloß einen abschießen kann. Nur für den Fall, daß der betreffende Ladehemmung hat und abbiegt, soll eingegriffen werden, plötzlich sehe ich also, wie der Engländer, eine Rauchfahne hinter sich herziehend, senkrecht abstürzt. Gleichzeitig fast, was ist das! Hinter dem abgeschossenen Engländer fliegt nicht mehr Loewenhardt, sondern ein wildes Durcheinander von Tausenden von Splittern. Ich mache sofort einen senkrechten Sturzflug, um zu sehen, was da eigentlich los ist. Loewenhardt ist gerammt!, wird mir sofort klar. In die Nähe gekommen. sehe ich, wie aus dem Kuddel-Muddel von Splittern ein Fallschirm herausfällt und sich entwickelt. Ich hoffte zuerst, es sei Loewenhardt bei näherer Betrachtung aber hatte der Betreffende Pelzhandschuhe an, es war also nicht Loewenhardt, denn er hatte keine solchen bei diesem Flug mitgenommen. Ich beobachte dann noch, wo der Fallschirm landet und wo die gelbe Maschine hinfällt. Den nicht abgesprungenen Loewenhardt, dessen Fallschirm sich nicht entwickelt hatte sehe ich nicht, da ich noch zu weit entfernt bin. Dann fliegen wir nach Hause, alle sind sehr niedergedrückt. Mit dem Automobil wird gleich nach vorn gefahren, um näheres festzustellen. sie bringen unverletzt den Herrn wieder, der mit Loewenhardt zusammenstieß, von diesem selbst ist außer der Maschine nichts zu finden. Erst acht Tage später wurde die Leiche von unserer Infanterie geborgen."

Hope this helps a bit ...
.

[Bettors Pub]

This is from the translator at dictionary.com, you at least get the gist. I was curious too.

" There individual Englishman few 100 m among us came through. Loewenhardt wanted to probably carry it forward fast still, the remaining lords had still time. It placed its machine rapidly on the head and attacked the individual single-seater. The whole beginner horde/hurdle fell behind Loewenhardt ago, as if they wanted to shoot all some Englishman. I remained loud grumbling as only above. However the hostile squadrons to attack, insanity would have been. Thus I went to me in slow sliding flight afterwards and besah driving down there. The picture was the following: Closely behind the Englishman Loewenhardt sat in its bang-yellow machine. I saw immediately that there every different one redundantly. Five or four saw this however not, but flew closely behind Loewenhardt, in order to apparent also take part in the fight. How often one could say there that only can shoot one. Only if the jam concerned has and turns, see sudden I am to be intervened thus, like the Englishman, behind pulling itself a smoke trail, perpendicularly fall. At the same time nearly, which is that! Behind the shot Englishman no more Loewenhardt, but a wild disorder of thousands of fragments flies. I make immediately a dive for senkrechten, in order to see, what is there actually loose. Loewenhardt is rammed! , becomes immediately clear me. Come into the proximity. I see, how of the Kuddel Muddel of fragments a parachute falls out and itself developed. I hoped first, it was Loewenhardt on closer inspection however wore fur gloves concerned, it was thus not Loewenhardt, because it had carried no such forward during this flight. I observe then still, where the parachute lands and where the yellow machine falls down. See I had not developed the Loewenhardt not jumped off, its parachute not, since I am still too far distant. Then fly we home, all are very depressed. With the automobile is driven in front right after, in order to determine details. they bring uninjured the gentleman back, who collided with Loewenhardt to find from this is except the machine nothing. Only eight days later the corpse was geborgen." by our infantry;

I have also Alfred Wenz's(Wenzl) relation of this accident but only in Polish language
.

[StephenLawson]

Originally Posted by tcrean7828

Mate,Here is some info for you, ". . .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. . ." - ‘C & C Journal Vol.1-1960-Issue 4’ – pg 56-58. tcrean7828 tom

The two straps that gave way were at the chest and the pilot's left thigh. If he had not held to the cords he would have flipped over and fell out of the remaining thigh harness.