Main article: Rudolf von Eschwege
Rudolf von Eschwege (1895–1917) was a German flying ace during World War I credited with 20 confirmed and six unconfirmed aerial victories as the only German fighter pilot on the entire Macedonian front, where he was opposed by over 160 enemy aircraft. Among his aerial combats were three highly hazardous successful attacks on observation balloons serving as artillery direction posts. The fourth one he attacked was loaded with explosives; when it was detonated from the ground, it blew him out of the sky.
The victory list
See also: Aerial victory standards of World War IConfirmed victories in this list are numbered and listed chronologically, rather than in order of confirmation.
| No. | Date | Foe | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unconfirmed | 25 October 1916 | Nieuport 12 | Drama, Greece |
| 1 | 19 November 1916 | Nieuport 12 | Drama, Greece |
| 2 | 27 December 1916 | Farman | Drama Aerodrome |
| 3 | 9 January 1917 | Fsrman | Vicinity of Drama, Greece |
| 4 | 18 February 1917 | Royal Aircraft Factory BE.12 | Drama, Greece |
| Unconfirmed | 19 February 1917 | Nieuport 12 | Drama, Greece |
| Unconfirmed | 8 March 1917 | Nieuport 12 | Lake Tahino |
| 5 | 22 March 1917 | Nieuport 12 | Doksat, Greece |
| 6 | 30 March 1917 | Sopwith 1½ Strutter | Xanthi, Greece |
| 7 | 10 May 1917 | Royal Aircraft Factory BE.12 | West of Lake Tahino |
| 8 | 12 May 1917 | Royal Aircraft Factory BE.12 | Lake Tahino |
| 9 | 20 May 1917 | Farman | Offshore, northwest of Thasos, Greece |
| 10 | 5 June 1917 | Farman | Offshore of Kap Kojunnakla |
| 11 | 11 June 1917 | Royal Aircraft Factory FE | Ahinos |
| 12 | 12 June 1917 | Sopwith 1½ Strutter | Delta of the Mesta River |
| 13 | 9 August 1917 | Royal Aircraft Factory BE.12 | Vicinity of Iveron |
| Unconfirmed | 9 August 1917 | Royal Aircraft Factory BE | Forced to land in British territory |
| 14 | 20 August 1917 | Sopwith Camel | Thasos Island, near Tasli |
| 15 | 12 September 1917 | Sopwith 1½ Strutter | Struma River Estuary |
| 16 | 3 October 1917 | Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2e | West of Sarmusakli, Greece |
| Unconfirmed | 23 October 1917 | Enemy airplane | Kopiva |
| 17 | 28 October 1917 | Observation balloon | Kopiva |
| Unconfirmed | 9 November 1917 | Observation balloon | Kopiva |
| 18 | 15 November 1917 | Observation balloon | Vicinity of Orljak |
| 19 | 19 November 1917 | Sopwith 1½ Strutter | Kalendra, west of Seres |
| 20 | 21 November 1917 | Observation balloon | Orljak |
Abbreviations from sources utilized were expanded by editor creating this list.
Citations
- ^ The Aerodrome webpage on Rudolf von Eschwege
- ^ Franks, Bailey & Guest 1993, p. 104.
- Aviation History Magazine, September 1999 Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- Guttman 2005, pp. 7–9.
Bibliography
- Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank; Guest, Russell (1993). Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918. London UK: Grub Street Publishing. ISBN 978-0-948817-73-1.
- Guttman, Jon (2005). Balloon-Busting Aces of World War 1. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-877-9.