PEEBLES PROFILES
EPISODE 177
Friedrich Friedrichs
Friedrich “Fritz” Friedrichs was born in Spork, Westphalia on February 21, 1895, the son of a customs official. Young Fritz attended the Hermann-Tast Gymnasium and received his diploma at the age of nineteen. Initially, he was interested in pursuing a medical career.
But in the summer of 1914, war broke out across Europe, and Friedrichs’ medical aspirations were put on hold. On August 14th, he volunteered for service in the Imperial German Army. Friedrichs then joined Infantry Regiment Number 85. Less than two months later, Fritz went to the front.
In 1915, Friedrichs was seconded to officer training in Munich. Upon his graduation on September 23rd, Fritz was commissioned with the rank of Leutnant (lieutenant). Soon, he was posted to Infantry Regiment Number 32.
That same autumn, Friedrichs participated in the Austro-German campaign against the Serbs in the Balkans. Sadly, Fritz was hit by shellfire… and wounded so seriously that he was declared unfit for further duty. His left leg suffered permanent damage!
Friedrichs’ participation in the Great War shifted from land to air. He transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte and underwent aviation training at Cologne and Paderborn from October 1916 to mid-February 1917. During that time, Friedrichs also learned about artillery observation at Jüterbog.
Having trained as both an observer and a pilot, Friedrichs was posted to FA(A) 264 (an artillery observation squadron) in June 1917. While serving with that unit, he won both classes (Second and First) of the 1914 Iron Cross.
On January 4, 1918, Friedrichs began fighter training at Jastashule. Upon his completion one week later, Fritz moved up to Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 10, (a part of Jagdgeschwader 1) to fly a Pfalz D.III.
Three days before the launch of the Kaiserschlacht on the Western Front, Friedrichs claimed his first victory. Unfortunately, it went unconfirmed! Then on the first day of the offensive, Fritz became a balloon buster. He blasted one of the floating observation posts at Ruyalcourt, France near the Somme River. He scored again six days later, downing a SE.5a on March 27th.
Although Friedrichs had no success in April, he shot down a D.H.9 on May 3rd. He then downed a Sopwith Camel on the 15th. Three days later, Fritz began a string of six consecutive victories over observation balloons in a three-week period! This brought his official count to ten.
Friedrichs ran off nine more triumphs in June, including four more balloons. He had one confirmed win over a Nieuport 28 on July 2nd. Six days later, Fritz claimed another victory, but it was unconfirmed.
On July 15, 1918 (the same day the Germans launched their final offensive on the Western Front), an unexpected hazard caught up with Friedrich Friedrichs. His aircraft caught fire in midair! The most probable cause was the incendiary bullets loaded on his airplane spontaneously igniting and setting his Fokker D.VII alight. Friedrichs parachuted out of the conflagration… but the harness and lines got entangled in the plane’s tail! Tragically, Fritz fell to his death…
Friedrich Friedrichs had already been awarded the Knight’s Cross with Swords of the Hohenzollern House Order. With twenty confirmed victories, he had also been recommended for the prestigious Pour le Merite. It was believed to have been awarded on July 20th, five days after his death. However, the rolls of the Blue Max do not list Friedrichs as a recipient.
He was just twenty-three years old…