von Althaus Pour le Mérite award?

[Romani]

Greetings,

I tried to find information on Ernst Freiherr von Althaus, unfortunately the site dedicated to PLM holders is down. From the aces section of The Aerodrome I see he scored 9 victories. So I'm curious about his PLM award. Was he one of the early Fokker Eindecker aces wich was later given a command position?

Hello Romani,

yes, Ernst Freiherr von Althaus was an early Fokker Eindecker Ace.

His problem was, he was going blind. He came later to a Flugschule as Fluglehrer.

[Rick]

Oblt.d.R. Ernst Frhr. von Althaus received the PLM on 21Jul16 after scoring the required (then) eight victories.
This is what I have for his service record (spotty as it is):

FEA 6 __________ May15 - 20Sep15
FFA 23_________ 20Sep15 - 10Nov15
FFA 32 _________ 10Nov15 - 21Nov15
FFA 23 _________ 21Nov15 - 11Jan16
KEK Vaux ______ 11Jan16 - 22Apr16
KEK Jametz ____ 22Apr16 - Jun16
KEK Vaux________ Jun16 - 10Jul16 WIA,lt.
KEK Vaux ________ 10Jul16 - 1Sep16
Jasta 1 _________ 1Sep16 - 26Sep16
Jasta 4 __________ 26Sep16 - 4Mar17 WIA
Hosp.___________ 4Mar17 - 21Mar17
Jasta 14 ________ 21Mar17 - 24May17
Jasta 14 C.O. _____ 24May17 - 6Jul17
Jasta 10 C.O. ______ 6Jul17 - 30Jul17
JsSch II Instr. _____ 30Jul17 -
Infantry _______________ - 15Oct18 POW

von Althaus

[Cigogne]

There is some question as to WHEN von Althaus started having vision problems. Recent research seems to indicate he was quite a gambler/ladies man and quite an immoral fellow who some of the higher ups had a real problem with. He was removed as Jasta 10 Führer for lackluster leadership by MvR by someone who was more in line with MvR's views.

[StephenLawson]

Originally Posted by Cigogne

There is some question as to WHEN von Althaus started having vision problems. Recent research seems to indicate he was quite a gambler/ladies man and quite an immoral fellow who some of the higher ups had a real problem with. He was removed as Jasta 10 Führer for lackluster leadership by MvR by someone who was more in line with MvR's views.

Greetings all;
Actually it was Oblt. Althaus' dependency on Heroin that people abhored. It was the cause of many fine pieces of art and furniture winding up on the black market that caused MvR to send him out to the Jastaschule. From there he went to the infantry and commanded a unit at the war's end. He became a judge marrying the nurse that had been with him during most of his career. The reason he was so insistant that everyone pay up in cards was that he needed the money. The reason he went blind was that the heroin that he could purchase in war was cut with body talcum. It doesn't dissipate in the blood system and over time usually winds up in the optic nerves blocking the light and hence blindness.

[Hal Oele]

Hello together,

if you want to know, why von Althaus returned to the Infantery read the following:

Dresden 23.6.1920
Um den verschiedenen unwahren Gerüchten entgegenzutreten, die über den Oberleutnant d.R. von Althaus, kursieren, wird hiermit folgende Erklärung abgegeben:
Von dem Feldkriegsgericht der Etappeninspektion 2 ist im Dezember 1917 der Oberlt. von Althaus wegen schweren Ungehorsams zu 1 Jahr 1 Monat Festungshaft und Dienstentlassung verurteilt worden. Gegen dieses Urteil gab es kein Rechtsmittel. Es ist aber gesetzlicher Vorschrift zufolge nachgeprüft und zur Entschließung wegen Bestätigung dem Landesherrn vorgelegt worden. Nach dem vorliegenden Aktenmaterial ergab sich die Unhaltbarkeit des Urteils. Der König von Sachsen hat darauf den Frh. von Althaus begnadigt und das gerichtliche Verfahren niedergeschlagen.
Heeresabwicklungsamt Sachsen
Der Chef
gez. von Loeben

Sorry, my english is not good enough to translate this.

Since September 1917 he´s in real trouble with Justice, and he should go into jail for 1 year. He lost his Pilots Badge and had no chance to return to any airfield. Between Dezember 1917 and August 1918 he perhaps went into jail.
von Althaus "comeback" to war start in August 1918 by III./ 103 (von Althaus was CO 9./103) under his CO Major Reich, and ends in Oktober 1918. In 1920 he was a member of the "Luftfriko" (Luftfahrtfriedenskommission) under his Commander Major Haehnelt.

Four Pages full of Information, but not a single word of an illness or a problem to going blind ...

Bye
Hal

Hallo Hal Oele,

das ist hoch interessant. Ist es möglich von den 4 Seiten eine Kopie zu bekommen? Von Althaus war später ja noch Richter in Berlin.

Viele Grüße aus Hamburg

Klaus

[StephenLawson]

Try the papers of Major Serno in the Middle East 1916-17.

[Soderbaum]

Hello Stephen

As you suggest us/people to read the original writings of Serno from the War, where can "we" read this material..?

Or do you have access to this original material and could publish it here..?
I prefer, if possible the original German text because of the common translation problems in British literature..

It shall be noted that Serno was located in another place of the World, then were Althaus served during this period of the War to my knowledge..?

It is interesting that Althaus not was de-ranked despite his problems with the justice...


Gunnar