Erich Thomas
German flying ace (1897–1960)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 February 1897 Essen, Germany |
| Died | 18 November 1960 (aged 63) Münster, Germany |
| Allegiance | Germany |
| Branch | Imperial German Air Service |
| Rank | Leutnant |
| Unit | Jagdstaffel 9, Jagdstaffel 22 |
| Awards | Iron Cross First and Second Class |
Balloon buster
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]
