Kurt Nachod

In September 1915, Nachod joined the Austro-Hungarian Air Force, and by the following month was flying in combat on the Eastern Front as an observer with "Flik 10", the abbreviation for Fliegerkompany, or squadron number 10. He shifted to nearby "Flik 20" when it was founded in February 1916. Manning the observer's gun in a Knoller-Albatros B.I, he scored forced-to-land victories on 31 May 1916 and 3 July 1916. The latter was gained with a carbine when the observer's machine gun failed. On 20 September 1916, his gunfire forced a third enemy aircraft to land. He repeated the feat twice on 7 January 1917, for his fourth and fifth victories. For his valor, he was rewarded with the Military Merit Cross with War Decorations and Swords,^[4] the Silver Military Merit Medal with Swords,^[5] and a German Iron Cross, Second Class.^[2][6][7]

In July 1917, Nachod transferred to the Italian Front, where he served during the Battles of the Isonzo as an observer in a Hansa-Brandenburg C.I from Fluggeschwader I. During this posting, he learned to fly without official training, and managed to qualify for his pilot's certificate. On 9 May 1918, he was practicing night landings when he crashed and died of his injuries two days later. Charles I of Austria later granted him the only posthumous award of the Order of the Iron Crown, Third Class, with War Decorations and Swords for aviators.^[2][8][9]

• Chant, Chris (2002). Austro-Hungarian Aces of World War 1: No.46 (Aircraft of the Aces). Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1841763767.
• Franks, Norman; Guest, Russell; Alegi, Gregory (1997), Above the War Fronts: The British Two-seater Bomber Pilot and Observer Aces, the British Two-seater Fighter Observer Aces, and the Belgian, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Fighter Aces, 1914–1918, Grub Street, ISBN 978-1-898697-56-5
• O'Connor, Martin (1994), Air Aces of the Austro-Hungarian Empire 1914 - 1918, Flying Machines Press, ISBN 978-0-9637110-1-4