THE EAGLE
Ernst Udet was born in Frankfurt am Main on April 26, 1896. He grew up in Munich, well known for his sunny temperament and fascination with aviation.
In his youth, Udet attended the Theresien-Gymnasium in Munich. He hung out at a nearby airplane factory and army airship detachment. At the age of thirteen, Udet helped found the Munich Aero-Club. After crashing a glider he and a friend constructed, Udet finally took to the air in 1913 with a test pilot in the nearby Otto Works (owned by Gustav Otto).
When Germany entered the First World War, Udet immediately attempted to enlist in the Imperial Army on August 2, 1914. At only 160 cm (5 feet 3 inches) tall, he did not qualify for enlistment.
Later that month, when the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club appealed for volunteers with motorcycles, Udet applied… and was accepted. His father had given him a motorcycle when the young Udet had passed his first year examination. Along with four friends, Udet was posted to the 26th Württembergischen Reserve Division as a “messenger rider.” After injuring his shoulder when his motorcycle hit a crater from an artillery shell explosion, Udet was sent to a military hospital; his motorcycle was sent for repairs.
Upon recovery, Udet tried to track down the 26th Division. But he was unable to find it… and decided to serve in the vehicle depot in Namur. During this time, Udet met officers from the Chauny flying sector, who advised him to transfer as an aerial observer. However, before he received his orders, the Imperial Army dispensed with the volunteer motorcyclists, and Udet was sent back to the recruiting officials.
He tried to return to the fighting, but Udet was unable to get into either the pilot or aircraft mechanic training the Imperial Army offered. However, Udet soon learned that if he were a trained pilot, he would be immediately accepted into army aviation. Thanks to Gustav Otto (owner of the aircraft factory around which Udet had hung out in his youth), he received private flight training. It cost Udet 2,000 Deutschmarks (about $400 in 1915 U.S. dollars) and new bathroom equipment from his father’s firm. Udet received his civilian pilot’s license at the end of April 1915… and was immediately accepted by the Imperial German Air Service.
At first, Udet flew in Feld Flieger-Abteilung 206 (FFA 206, an observation unit) as an Unteroffizier (non-commissioned) pilot with observer Leutnant Justinius. Both men won the Iron Cross (Second Class for Udet, First Class for Justinius) for nursing their damaged Aviatik B.I two-seater back behind German lines after a shackle on a wing-cable snapped. Justinius had climbed out to hold the wing and balance it rather than landing behind enemy lines and being captured. After the structural failure of the Aviatik that caused Udet and Justinius to go down (along with a similar incident in which Leutnant Winter and Vizefeldwebel Preiss lost their lives), the Aviatik B was retired from active service.
Later, Udet was court-martialed for losing an aircraft in an incident the flying corps considered a result of bad judgment. Overloaded with fuel and bombs, the plane stalled after a sharp bank and plunged to the ground. Miraculously, both Udet and Justinius survived with only minor injuries. The former was placed under arrest in the guardhouse for seven days. On his way out of the guardhouse, Udet was asked to fly Leutnant Hartmann to observe a bombing raid on Belfort. A hand-thrown bomb by Hartmann became stuck in the landing gear, but Udet performed aerobatics and managed to shake it loose. As soon as the air staff officer heard about Udet’s performance during the incident, he ordered that the young pilot be transferred to the fighter command.
Udet was assigned a new Fokker to fly to his new fighter unit at Habsheim: FFA 68. Mechanically defective, the plane crashed into a hangar upon takeoff, and Udet was then given an older Fokker to fly. In this aircraft he experienced his first aerial combat, which almost ended in disaster!
While lining up on a French Caudron, Udet found he could not bring himself to fire on another person… and was subsequently fired on by the Frenchman! A bullet grazed his cheek and smashed his flying goggles. Udet survived the encounter, but from then on, he learned to attack aggressively and began scoring victories, downing his first French opponent on March 18, 1916. On that occasion, he had scrambled to attack two French aircraft, instead finding himself faced with a formation of twenty-three enemy aircraft! Udet dove from above and behind, giving his Fokker E.III full throttle, and opened fire on a Farman F.40 from close range. He pulled away, leaving the flaming bomber trailing smoke, only to see the observer fall from the rear seat of the stricken craft. The victory won Udet the Iron Cross, First Class, later describing it:
“The fuselage of the Farman dives down past me like a giant torch… A man, his arms and legs spread out like a frog’s, falls past–the observer. At the moment, I don’t think of them as human beings. I feel only one thing–victory, triumph, victory.”
That same year, FFA 68 was renamed Kampfeinsitzer Kommando Habsheim before becoming Jagdstaffel 15 on September 28th. In the first of his five victories on October 12, 1916, Udet forced a French Breguet to land safely in German territory, then landed nearby to prevent its destruction by its crew. The bullet-punctured tires on Udet’s Fokker flipped the plane forward onto its top wings and fuselage. Udet and the French pilot eventually shook hands next to the Frenchman’s aircraft.
In January 1917, Udet was commissioned as a Leutnant der Reserve (lieutenant of reserves). The same month, Jasta 15 was re-equipped with the Albatros D.III, a new fighter with twin synchronized Maschinengewehr 08 machine guns.
During his service with Jasta 15, Udet later wrote he had encountered Georges Guynemer (a notable French ace) in single combat at 5,000 meters (16,000 feet). Guynemer, who preferred to hunt enemy planes alone, was by this time the leading French ace with more than thirty victories. Udet saw Guynemer, and they circled each other… looking for an opening and testing each other’s turning abilities. They were close enough for Udet to read the “Vieux” of “Vieux Charles” written on Guynemer’s Spad S.VII. The two opponents tried every aerobatic trick they knew, and Guynemer finally fired a burst through Udet’s upper wing. Once Udet had Guynemer in his sights to retaliate, his machine guns jammed! While pretending to dogfight, he pounded on them with his fists, desperate to unjam them. Guynemer realized his adversary’s predicament… and instead of taking advantage of it, he simply waved farewell and flew away. Udet wrote of the fight:
“For seconds, I forgot that the man across from me was Guynemer, my enemy. It seems as though I were sparring with an older comrade over our own airfield.”
Udet felt that Guynemer had spared him because he wanted a fair fight, while others have suggested that the French ace was impressed with Udet’s skills and hoped they might meet again on equal terms.
Eventually, every pilot in Jasta 15 was killed except Udet and his commander, Heinrich Gontermann, who said to the former:
“The bullets fall from the hand of God… Sooner or later they will hit us.”
In mid 1917, Udet applied for a transfer to Jasta 37. Gontermann was killed four months later when the upper wing of his new Fokker Dr. 1 tore off as he was flying it for the first time. He lingered for twenty-four hours without awakening. Udet later remarked, “It was a good death.”
By December 1917, Udet was a triple ace and Jastaführer. He modeled his attacks after those of Guynemer: coming in high out of the sun to pick off the rear aircraft in a squadron before the others knew what was happening. Having witnessed one of these attacks, the commander of Jasta 37 (Kurt Grasshoff) selected Udet for command over more senior men. His ascension to the post on November 7, 1917 was followed six days later by award of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern.
Despite his seemingly frivolous nature (drinking late into the night to complement his womanizing lifestyle), Ernst Udet proved to be an excellent squadron commander. He spent many hours coaching new fighter pilots with an emphasis on marksmanship as being essential for success.
Udet’s success attracted attention for his skill, earning him an invitation to join the “Flying Circus”, Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1). It was an elite unit of German fighter aces under the command of Manfred von Richthofen, popularly known as the “Red Baron”.
One day, Richthofen drove up to Udet as he was trying to pitch a tent in the rain soaked fields of Flanders. He pointed out that Udet had twenty kills, saying, “Then you would actually seem ripe for us. Would you like to?” Udet graciously accepted the invitation.
After watching Udet shoot down an artillery spotter by frontal attack, Richthofen gave him command of Jasta 11, the Red Baron’s former squadron command. The group also contained Jastas 4, 6 and 10.
Richthofen demanded total loyalty and dedication from his pilots, immediately cashiering anyone who fell out of line. At the same time, he treated them with every consideration. When it came time to requisition supplies, the Red Baron traded favors for autographed photos of himself that read: “Dedicated to my esteemed fighting companion.”
Udet remarked that because of the signed photographs, ” … sausage and ham never ran out.” One night, the squadron invited a captured English flyer for dinner, treating him as a guest. When he excused himself for the bathroom, the Germans secretly watched to see if he would try to escape. On his return the Englishman said, “I would never forgive myself for disappointing such hosts.” However, the English pilot did later escape from another unit!
Richthofen was eventually killed in action over France on April 21, 1918. Udet was not at the front; he had been sent on leave due to a painful ear infection which he avoided having treated as long as he could. Udet said about Richthofen:
“He was the least complicated man I ever knew. Entirely Prussian and the greatest of soldiers.”
Against medical advice, Udet returned to JG1, commanding Jasta 4. While at home, he had reacquainted himself with his childhood sweetheart, Eleanor “Lo” Zink. Notified that he had received the Pour le Mérite, Udet had one made up in advance so that he could impress her. He painted her name on the side of his Albatros fighters and Fokker D VII. On the tail of the latter was the message “Du doch nicht!” (“Definitely not you!”)
Udet scored twenty victories in August 1918 alone, mainly against British aircraft. He became a national hero with sixty-two confirmed victories, second among all of Germany’s air aces. Only the late Red Baron had more kills (eighty).
On June 29, 1918, Udet was one of the early fliers to be saved by parachuting from a disabled aircraft, when he jumped after a clash with a French Breguet. However, the harness caught on the rudder, and Udet had to break off the rudder tip to escape. His parachute did not open until he was 250 feet (76 meters) from the ground, causing Udet to sprain his ankle on landing. On September 28, 1918, he was wounded in the thigh. Udet was still recovering from the injury when the armistice was signed on November 11, 1918.
THE BON VIVANT
The adventure of Udet’s life continued without pause after Germany ‘s defeat. On his way home from the military hospital, Udet had to defend himself against a Communist wanting to rip the medals off his chest! In addition, both Udet and Robert Ritter von Greim performed mock dogfights on weekends for the POW Relief Organization, using surplus aircraft in Bavaria. Udet was also invited to start the first International Air Service between Germany and Austria, but after the first flight, the Entente Commission confiscated his aircraft!
On February 25, 1920, Ernst Udet married Eleanor “Lo” Zink. However, the marriage lasted less than three years; the couple divorced on February 16, 1923, possibly due to Udet’s numerous extramarital affairs. Nevertheless, his talents were numerous: flying, juggling, drawing cartoons, and being a source of party entertainment.
During the interwar period, Udet was known primarily for his work as a stunt pilot and for playboy-like behavior. He flew for movies and airshows (e.g. picking a cloth from the ground with his wingtip, flying under low bridges, and completing loops only several meters from the ground). One stunt Udet performed was successive loops with the last complete after turning off the engine in midair and landing the aircraft in a sideways glide. He also appeared with Leni Riefenstahl in three films: The White Hell of Pitz Palu (1929), Stürme über dem Mont Blanc (1930), and S.O.S. Eisberg (1933).
Udet’s stunt work in films took him to California. In the October 1933 issue of New Movie Magazine, there is a photo of Carl Laemmle, Jr.’s party for Udet in Hollywood. Laemmle was head of Universal Studios… which made SOS Eisberg, a US-German co-production. Udet was invited to attend the National Air Races at Cleveland, Ohio. In 1935 he appeared in Wunder des Fliegens: Der Film eines deutschen Fliegers, directed by Heinz Paul. His co-star Jürgen Ohlsen (who had previously starred (uncredited) in the extremely popular Nazi propaganda film Hitlerjunge Quex: Ein Film vom Opfergeist der deutschen Jugend) played a youth who lost his pilot father in World War I… and was befriended and encouraged by his idol, Udet himself.
THE BUSINESS AVIATOR
Such efforts were good publicity for Udet. An American, William Pohl of Milwaukee, telephoned him with an offer to back an aircraft manufacturing company. Udet Flugzeugbau was born in a shed in Milbertshofen. Its intent was to build small aircraft that the general public could fly. It soon ran into trouble with the Entente Commission and transferred its operations to a beehive and chicken coop factory!
The first aeroplane that Udet’s company produced was the U2. He took the second model, the U4, to the Wilbur Cup race in Buenos Aires at the expense of Aero Club Aleman. It was outclassed, and the club wanted Udet to do cigarette commercials to reimburse them for the expense, but he refused. His debt was settled by the Chief of the Argentinian Railways, a man of Swedish descent named Tornquist.
In 1924, Udet left Udet Flugzeugbau when they decided to build a four-engine aircraft, which was larger and not for the general population. He and another friend from the war (Angermund) started an exhibition flying enterprise in Germany, which was also successful. However, Udet later remarked:
“In time this too begins to get tiresome. … We stand in the present, fighting for a living. It isn’t always easy. … But the thoughts wander back to the times when it was worthwhile to fight for your life.”
Udet and another wartime comrade (Suchocky) became pilots to an African filming expedition. The cameraman was another veteran, Schneeberger, whom Udet called “Flea,” and the guide was named Siedentopf, a former East African estate owner. Udet described one incident in Africa in which lions jumped up to claw at the low-flying aircraft, one of them removing a strip of Suchocky’s wing surface!
THE UNHAPPY NAZI
Though not interested in politics, Udet joined the Nazi Party in 1933 when Hermann Göring promised to buy him two new U.S.-built Curtiss Hawk II biplanes (export designation of the F11C-2 Goshawk Helldiver). These planes were used for evaluation purposes, thus indirectly influencing the idea of dive bombing airplanes, such as the Junkers Ju 87 (Stuka) dive bombers. They were also used for aerobatic shows held during the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Udet piloted one of them, which survived the war and is now on display in the Polish Aviation Museum.
After the trials of the Ju 87, a confidential directive issued on June 9, 1936 by Generalfeldmarschall Wolfram von Richthofen called for the cessation of all further development of the aircraft, despite it having been awarded top marks. However, Udet immediately rejected von Richthofen’s directive… and the development of the Ju87 continued. He became a major proponent of the dive bomber, taking credit for having introduced it to the Luftwaffe. Through his political connections, Udet had been placed in command of the T-Amt (the development wing of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium of the Reich Air Ministry). He had no real interest in the job (especially the bureaucratic side of it), and the pressure led to him developing an addiction to alcohol, drinking large amounts of brandy and cognac.
In January 1939, Udet visited Italian North Africa (Africa Settentrionale Italiana, or ASI), accompanying Maresciallo dell’Aria (Marshal of the Air Force) Italo Balbo on a flight. At the time, there were distinct signs of German military and diplomatic co-operation with the Italians. One month later, Udet became Generalluftzeugmeister (Luftwaffe Director-General of Equipment).
When World War II began, Udet’s internal conflicts grew more intense as aircraft production requirements were much more than the German industry could supply, given limited access to raw materials such as aluminum. Hermann Göring responded to the problem by simply lying about it to Adolf Hitler. After the Luftwaffe’s defeat in the Battle of Britain, Göring tried to deflect Hitler’s ire by blaming Udet.
On June 22, 1941, Operation Barbarossa (the German invasion of the Soviet Union) was launched. It drove Udet further into despair.
Months earlier, he had led a German delegation inspecting Soviet aviation industry in accordance with the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. Udet informed Göring that the Soviet air force and aviation industry were very strong and technically advanced. Göring decided not to report the intel to Hitler, hoping that a surprise attack would quickly destroy Russia. Udet realized that the upcoming war with the Soviets might destroy Germany. He tried to explain this to Hitler, but torn between truth and loyalty, Udet suffered a psychological breakdown. Göring kept Udet under control by giving him drugs at drinking parties and hunting trips. Udet’s drinking and psychological condition became a problem, and Göring used Udet’s dependency to manipulate him…
DEATH OF A HERO
On November 17, 1941, Ernst Udet committed suicide by shooting himself in the head while on the phone with his girlfriend, Inge Bleyle. His suicide was concealed from the public, and at his funeral, Udet was lauded as a hero who had died in flight while testing a new weapon.
On the way to Udet’s funeral, World War II fighter ace Werner Mölders died in a plane crash in Breslau. High-ranking Luftwaffe executive, General der Flieger Helmuth Wilberg died in another plane crash near Dresden en route to the German capital.
Udet was buried next to Manfred von Richthofen in the Invalidenfriedhof Cemetery in Berlin. He was forty-five years old.
According to Udet’s biography, The Fall of an Eagle, he wrote a suicide note in red pencil which included: “Ingelein, why have you left me?” and “Iron One, you are responsible for my death.” “Ingelein” referred to his girlfriend, Inge Bleyle, and “Iron One” to Hermann Göring. The Luftwaffe War Diaries similarly states that Udet wrote “Reichsmarschall, why have you deserted me?” in red on the headboard of his bed. It is possible that an affair Udet had with Martha Dodd, daughter of the U.S. ambassador to Germany and Soviet sympathizer during the 1930s might have had some importance in these events. Records made public in the 1990s confirm Soviet security involvement with Dodd’s activities. Evidence indicates that Udet’s unhappy relationship with Göring, Erhard Milch, and the Nazi Party in general was the cause of his mental breakdown.