Aces of Austria-Hungary

Fighter Aircraft of the LFT | Austria-Hungary and the Luftfahrtruppen

Godwin Brumowski
35 confirmed victories / 8 unconfirmed victories
Hauptmann Godwin Brumowski finished the war with 35 confirmed and 8 unconfirmed victories. He was Austro-Hungaria's Ace of Aces. Brumowski began the war as an artillerist on the Russian front. He soon transferred to the air services and served with distinction. His first victories were achieved as an observer in a daring raid on a military review attended by Tsar Nicholas II. Not only did Brumowski and his 6 companions bomb the review but they also shot down two Moranes that took off to intercept them. He was shortly transferred to the Italian front and, after spending some time with German Jasta 24, formed the first Austrian fighter unit, Flik 41j. Eventually, Brumowski was given command of all Austrian fighter units in the Army of the Isonzo. He survived the war and left military service only to be killed in a training accident in 1936.

Julius Arigi
32 victories
Julius Arigi was the second highest ace of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was an energetic flyer and was credited with 32 victories including, bombers, scouts, reconnaissance craft and seaplanes. He began his piloting career with a bang on August 22, 1916 when, against explicit orders, he took off and attacked an Italian formation without an officer on board his aircraft. With another NCO as observer, Arigi was credited with shooting down 5 of the enemy aircraft in less than ½ hour! Conflict with his superior officers may have been common for Arigi. Interestingly, he was posted to Flik42j, the premier Austrian squadron for only a short time. Apparently the Austrian Ace of Aces, Godwin Brumowski and his nearest competitor, Julius Arigi could not get along. He was shortly transferred to Flik 55j. Finally in his element, he formed one of the trio of fighter pilots that became known as the Kaiser Staffel, the Emperor’s Squadron, with fellow Hungarians NCO Josef Kiss and Hauptmann Josef von Maier. He became a favorite of Kaiser Karl’s and was given the first two Aviatik D.I scouts even though he was then stationed in a backwater of the war. During WWII, Arigi was a flight instructor for the Luftwaffe. Here he trained two of the most successful Axis fighter pilots, Walter Nowotny and Hans-Joachim Marseille. Pilots of the Austrian Army frequently performed honor flights over Arigi’s residence in Attersee, Austria. Julius Arigi passed away in 1981.

Benno Fiala Ritter von Fernbrugg
28 confirmed victories / 5 unconfirmed victories

Frank Linke-Crawford
27 confirmed victories / 1 unconfirmed victory
Frank Linke-Crawford, the "Falcon of Feltre", scored 5 of his 27 victories in this plane. He started the war as a cavalryman on the Russian front. Here he was decorated for bravery but chronic health problems led him to joining the Luftfahrtruppe. He flew Hansa-Brandenburg, Albatros and Phonix fighters, as well as a number of two-seaters throughout his career. He eventually rose to command Flik 60j on the Italian front. Linke-Crawford, born of a Galician father and English mother, can be identified in photographs by his penchant for wearing a red flying cap and white pants. He was extremely poplar with his command for his habit of giving away victories to his charges and his affability with officers and enlisted men. He was shot down and killed on July 31, 1918. It is likely that his aircraft had suffered structural failure before being attacked by Caporale Pilota Aldo Astolfi of Italy. Linke-Crawford was Astolfi's only victory of the war.

Josef Kiss
19 confirmed victories
Josef Kiss’ story is a perfect example of the romance that grew around the “Knights of the Air”. Full of youthful patriotism, Kiss dropped out of school to join the armed services when war broke out. His incomplete education would prevent him from becoming an officer in the highly stratified Imperial Army. However, officer rank became Kiss’ greatest desire. He started his victories as a reconnaissance pilot His expertise was readily observed and he was transferred to a fighter unit. A excellent flyer, Kiss joined with fellow Hungarians Arigi and von Maier to make Flik 55j known as the Emperor’s Squadron. Kiss’ specialty seemed to be forcing bombers and reconnaissance craft to land behind enemy lines. At least 7 of his 19 victims were captured on the ground, including 4 large Capronis. Severely wounded in combat, Kiss, driven by the chance to achieve a field promotion to officer, was back in the air a mere two months after having part of his intestines removed due to a wound received in combat. He did not survive his next encounter. During the funeral a combined flight of British, French and Italian planes flew over the shocked Austrians and dropped an honor wreath. The Imperial government posthumously commissioned Kiss as Leutnant in der Reserve. He was the only NCO so honored in the Austrian service. Kiss’s girl friend never married and walked to Kiss’s grave every day for the next 52 years.

Franz Gräser
18 confirmed victories / 1 unconrmed victory
Franz Graser was never officially a pilot in the LFT. He began the war as the commander of a machine gun detachment on the Russian front. After being wounded he transferred to the LFT. He was commissioned as an Officer-Observer and learned to fly informally. Graser was known as a meticulous observer and a talented machine gunner. No doubt these skills served him well as his first two victories were won as an observer in Flik 2. He was quickly transferred to a fighter unit, Flik 42j and later to Flik 61j. After his first two victories, Graser exclusively flew the OEF Albatros D.III. He adopted the personal marking of an owl, known is the Balkans as a harbinger of death. His 18 official victims were almost exclusively Italians, fighters and seaplanes. Fanz Graser, a perennially cheerful young man, was shot down in flames by Italian ace Sergente Pilota Antonio Chiri while on an escort mission.

Eugen Bönsch
16 confirmed victories / 1 unconfirmed victory
Bonsch was a quiet and reserved person who was to become one of the best aerial fighters of the K.u.K. He participated in all types of missions and was one of the few Austrians to be a successful balloon buster. His prey mostly consisted of Italian single seaters and 6 observation balloons. Bonsch was also lucky: he survived being shot down in flames over enemy territory. He made his way back to his aerodrome and continued to fight the remaining few days of the war. After the war, Bonsch became an inn-keeper in Bohemia. Called to serve in the Luftwaffe, he was promoted to officer status due to his achievements during the War to End All Wars. He passed away quietly in 1951.

Stefan Fejes
16 confirmed victories / 4 unconfirmed victories

Ernst Strohschneider
15 confirmed victories / 1 unconfirmed victory
Ernst Stroschneider was an officer of the old school in the Austro-Hungarian Army. He was determined in combat and rigid in his behavior. He was an example of the deep division between officers and enlisted men serving the Empire. Stroschneider was, unlike most of the men of the LFT, already well into a military career when WWI erupted. After being wounded three times, captured by the Russians and escaping, and finally being declared unfit for duty, he volunteered for service in the LFT. Through sheer drive and determination he learned to fly and taught others how to be observers. He accounted for 15 enemy aircraft, mostly Italians. Stroschneider was not a particularly good pilot, but even flying the notorious KD “Spinner” he provided adequate protection to bombers under his command in Fluggeschwader I. After serving in Flik 42j he eventually rose to command both Flik 61j and simultaneously took on command duties for Flik 63j. He was frequently found in company with Franz Graser and they shared a number of victories. In March of 1918, after leading a night attack by Flik 61j, Ernst Stroschneider fatally crashed while landing.

Adolf Heyrowsky
12 confirmed victories

Kurt Gruber
11 confirmed victories
Kurt Gruber was another of Brumowski's early "chauffeurs" recruited into the crack Flik 41j by the Ace of Aces. A non-comm, he was recommended several times for promotion to officer status. These requests were ignored by the highly stratified Austro-Hungarian command. However, official recognition of Gruber's skills was granted by twice promoting him out of turn within a ten-week period. He frequently flew with Brumowski as wing-mate and was known for his ferocious attacks on the enemy. In an encounter with two flights of Italian Sopwiths (possibly Hanriots H.D.Is) on April 4, 1918, he achieved his 11th victory but was shot down and killed in return. Four times he was awarded Austria's highest non-commissioned award, the Gold Bravery Medal. The last award was posthumous.

Franz Rudorfer
11 confirmed victories / 2 unconfirmed victories
Rudorfer was known not for being a good pilot, but for being an excellent observer. He started his air career as an officer-observer in Flik 19, a unit well known for the number of aces it spawned. He decided that he would become a pilot and eventually earned his pilot’s badge though he never officially entered any flight training. His opponents mostly consisted of enemy scout pilots and his victories included at least five Sopwith Camels. This is a testament to the superb qualities of the Austrian OEF Albatros D.IIIs. During the desperate days of the final battle of Vittorio Veneto in November, 1918, Rudorfer achieved victories over an enemy balloon and two RAF Camels. He was granted his pilot’s license a month after the war ended and passed away a year later.

Friedrich Navratil
10 confirmed victories
A Croatian by birth , Navratil was a successful ground officer participating in the Austro-Hungarian conquest of Serbia and Montenegro. He was seriously wounded three times yet returned to the fight again and again. After a short stint as a pilot on the Russian front he was transferred to the Isonzo area and given command of Flik3j where he fought against Italian units and the RAF. Flying OEF Albatros D.IIIs Navratil shot down Camels, SPADs, Hanriots and Brisfits. A fourth serious wound (caused by a mechanical failure in his plane) forced Navratil into recuperation where he was at the Armistace. He eventually rose to the rank of General in the post war Yugoslavian Air Force.

Raoul Stojsavljevic
10 confirmed victories

Gottfried Freiherr von Banfield
9 confirmed victories / 11 unconfirmed victories

Otto Jindra
9 confirmed victories

Georg Kenzian Edler von Kenzianshausen
9 confirmed victories

Karl Kaszala
8 confirmed victories
In the ealy days of the war it was felt that the piloting of aircraft was menial labor, not fit for officers. That's how Karl Kaszala, a Hungarian by birth, began his military career as Brumowski's pilot. Kaszala was a "character". He was transferred out of Flik 14 because he refused to fly the unstable Albatros B.III. By one account he was dreadfully afraid of the dark and had to lock his door at night to get some sleep! He was courageous in the air, however, and finished the war with 8 confirmed victories. Kaszala's piloting skills were so highly regarded that when Brumowski was forming Flik41 he lured his former "chauffeur" into the unit from the mostly Hungarian Flik 42j. His bravery was so well known that he was the only enlisted man in the LFT to receive the Prussian Iron Cross, 2nd Class. Kaszala wore himself out with his hectic flying and ended the war as a test pilot at a supply depot. After the war he was active in Hungarian aviation and tragically died during an air show when he and his pilot wife spun into the ground.

Heinrich Kostrba
8 confirmed victories

Alexander Tahy
8 confirmed victories

Ferdinand Udvardy
8 confirmed victories

Josef Friedrich
7 confirmed victories

Ludwig Hautzmayer
7 confirmed victories

Otto Jäger
7 confirmed victories

Josef von Maier
7 confirmed victories

Johann Risztics
7 confirmed victories

Andreas Dombrowski
6 confirmed victories

Johan Frint
6 confirmed victories

Alexander Kasza
6 confirmed victories
By all accounts the Hungarian Alexander Kasza was an outstanding pilot. Because of this skill he spent his first several years in WWI as a flight instructor in the LFT. In 1917 he transferred to Flik 55j, one of the best Austrian air units on the Italian Isonzo front. His victories include several Italian planes (2 Nieuports and a Savoia-Pomilio reconnaisance) and several British planes (RE-8, a Sopwith and a Brisfit). As a scout pilot Kasza flew OEF Albatros D.IIIs and a Phonix D.II a. He ended the war as a reconnaissance pilot in Flik 11F. Alexander Kasza and his family were killed during WWII in the Russian bombardment of Budapest.

Karl Nikitsch
6 confirmed victories

Franz Peter
6 confirmed victories
Viennese born Franz Peter achieved his 6 victories in the last 5 months of the war. After serving as an observer on the Russian front, Peter transferred to the Southern Tyrol front and joined Flik3j as Deputy Commander under Navratil. He shot down five Italian planes and a Sopwith Camel flown by Second Lieutenant G.R. Leighton of RR Sqn., RAF. After the war, Peter immigrated to Poland and fought in the Polish Air Force raising to the command of the 6th squadron. He survived the Nazi occupation of WWII and still resided in Warsaw in the late 1960s.