Who was wounded how many times?

[rammjaeger]

Hello folks,

another thread gave me a question. Some aces were wounded repeatedly in air combat. Who was setting the record in this "category" among the pilots of both sides?

[Reinout]

Dear Hannes,

I don't know who is the record holder, but I think that on the German side, Rudolf Berthold is a ready contender. Not only was he wounded several times (3/4 times, perhaps more). He was heavily wounded on several occasions and they kept him out of the war for months, maybe as much as two years! This man was truly an Iron Knight!

For WWII, several men in Germany have around 10 or more combat wounds. Not surprising considering that some of those men flew/fought from 1-9-39 till 5-5-45!

I'll have your Peter Rieper info I promised tomorrow.

Kind regards,

Reinout

For the French I think Charles Nungesser is up there on the list. I think he shattered a number of bones. His hips come to mind. He was one tough Frenchman.

The title holder for the least wounded man goes I think hands down to Renee Fonck who claimed, going back to a previous thread, to have never recieved aircraft damage in combat. Although I think his plane was shot once. I think he did stub his toe once while getting into his plane.

[Darryl]

Lothar would have to be in the money wouldn't he?

Lothar was wounded alot, but I'm pretty sure Berthold was confined to a wheelchair after the war. His right arm was shot into uselessness and one of his hands was shot apart. He flew from the Eindeckers until his crash in 1918.

Dear Hannes

Check out Walter Goettsch. He was wounded four times by the same squadron, 20th RFC. By the same token, he shot down seven of their planes.

VBR,

FokkDR1

[Reinout]

Dear all,

This is some info on Bertholds wounds that I have gleaned from this book:"German Kinghts of the Air - 1914-1918, The Holders of the Orden Pour le Merite" written by T.Treadwell & A.Wood.

On the 25th of April 1916 he crashed his Pfalz EIV after a misjudgment during landing. Retrurned to his unit (KEK Vaux) before wounds had healed.
May 1917, shot down by British fighter. Wounds suffered: fractured skull, broken nose, pelvis and thigh. After TWO months he discharged HIMSELF!
On the 10th of October 1917 his right arm was smashed by a bullet. The doctors wanted to amputate but he fought for his arm and won, though it became bloody well useless anyway. He discharged himself prematurely but customary!
On the 10th of August 1918 he collided with his opponent and smashed into a house. He discharged himself of course, but a letter from the emperor (who was informed that one of his most devoted warriors was unfit for further duty) ordered him to report to Berlin for proper medical treatment.

Some conflicting statements with what I read some years ago. It was said that Hans-Joachim Buddecke saved his life in 1917 and in 1918, the latter event proved fatal for Buddecke who was shot down and killed while protecting Bertholds stricken aircraft. But Buddecke's death occurred on the 10th of March. So what is the story here? Was there another wounding in between the October 1917 and the August 1918 woundings? In other words: what happened during March 1918? Was he wounded on the 10th of March or was my initial source incorrect?

Anyway, this was a stalwart, devoted warrior whose combat spirit and ability earned him the nickname of the Iron Knight. A shame that he was murdered by German communists in a most despicable manner. His tombstone reads:"Honoured by his enemies - slain by his German brethren"

Kind regards,

Reinout

Wasn't Bertold clubbed with rifle butts and strangled with the ribbon to his PlM by rioters in 1920?

[rammjaeger]

I am still not believing that the ribbon of the PLM could do this bad job (but maybe it had prewar-quality).

I read Buckler (35 vics and 7 unoffical) was also wounded five times (1 infantry, 4 air service).

World record for the infantry is General Bernard Freyberg with being 36 times (?) wounded in combat if the source is right. Unbelievable! More luck than brains! (But why did he fail so on Monte Cassino?)