Erich Thomas

Leutnant Erich Thomas was a World War I German flying ace credited with ten aerial victories. Nine of these were observation balloons he destroyed.[1][2]

Erich Thomas
Born10 February 1897
Essen, Germany
Died18 November 1960
Münster, Germany
AllegianceGermany
Service/branchImperial German Air Service
RankLeutnant
UnitJagdstaffel 9, Jagdstaffel 22
AwardsIron Cross First and Second Class

Balloon buster
Aerial observer in balloon gondola, 1918.

Thomas was assigned to Jagdstaffel 9 in December 1917. He shot down his first enemy observation balloon on 3 January 1918. He carried on his career as a balloon buster for Jasta 9 through 16 March 1918, when he downed numbers seven and eight. He then transferred to Jagdstaffel 22, and shot down a ninth balloon on 21 March, and a Sopwith on the 22nd. On 23 March, he attacked another French balloon and was shot down by Jean Chaput, Marcel Haegelen, and Auguste Lahoulle. Thomas was taken prisoner of war.[1]

Sources of information
  1. Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914 - 1918. p. 216.
  2. The Aerodrome website http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/thomas1.php Retrieved on 19 April 2010.
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References
  • Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914 - 1918 Norman L. R. Franks, et al. Grub Street, 1993. ISBN 0-948817-73-9, ISBN 978-0-948817-73-1.


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