Wilhelm Frankl, Pour le Merite, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross, was a World War I fighter ace credited with 20 aerial victories.
17 Facts About Wilhelm Frankl
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Wilhelm Frankl scored his first aerial victory with a carbine on 10 May 1915, before the Fokker Eindecker, the world's first dedicated fighter airplane, came into use.
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Once Frankl was equipped with an Eindecker, he became part of Germany's air superiority offensive, the Fokker Scourge, shooting down eight more enemy airplanes.
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Wilhelm Frankl became one of the first eight aces in Germany's service, and one of its first winners of the prestigious Pour le Merite.
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Wilhelm Frankl was born the son of a Jewish businessman in Hamburg on 20 December 1893.
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Wilhelm Frankl later moved to Frankfurt am Main, and then to Berlin.
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Wilhelm Frankl's instructor was Germany's first female pilot, Melli Beese.
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On 20 July 1913, Wilhelm Frankl earned pilot's license number 49.
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The outbreak of World War I sparked Wilhelm Frankl's volunteering to fly for his country.
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Wilhelm Frankl's flying ability and his personality both commended him to his superiors.
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Wilhelm Frankl fell in love with the daughter of Austrian Naval Kapitan zur See Edmund Stroll.
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Wilhelm Frankl converted to Christianity and married his love in early 1917.
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Nevertheless, on 10 May 1915, while flying as an observer in Feldflieger Abteilung 40, Wilhelm Frankl used a carbine to shoot down a French Voisin.
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Wilhelm Frankl was awarded an Iron Cross First Class for this feat.
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Wilhelm Frankl's gallantry earned him the Pour le Merite after his eighth confirmed victory; the Blue Max was awarded on 16 July 1916.
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In late December 1916, Wilhelm Frankl succeeded to command of Jasta 4.
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Wilhelm Frankl died between the communes of Vitry and Sailly in France.