Hans von Freden was born in Berlin on March 18, 1892. When World War I broke out in August 1914, he volunteered to serve in Field Artillery Regiment Number 18 of the Imperial German Army. On October 19, 1914, Freden went into battle for the first time. Five months later, he was promoted to Vizewachmeister (a non-commissioned officer). He was again promoted to Leutnant on July 30, 1915.
Beginning in January 1916, Freden commanded two anti-aircraft batteries. Months later, he transferred to aerial service. Freden began training as an aerial observer with FFA 48, which was subsequently redubbed as FA 10 on August 2, 1916. But after only three weeks in that capacity, he was wounded!
Upon recovery, Freden began pilot training in June 1917. After graduation, he was sent to northern Italy to join Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 1 on November 27, 1917. Away from the horrors of trench warfare, Freden began his string of aerial victories.
On January 29, 1918, Freden shot down an observation balloon at Spresiano for his first confirmed victory. His second came two days later: another observation balloon at Volpago. A third balloon was downed by Freden on February 5th east of Treviso.
However on March 18th, Freden was transferred to the Western Front to fly with Jagdstaffel 72. Exactly one week later, Jasta 1 was also shifted to the Western Front, and Freden rejoined them the following day. He rounded out his career with Jasta I on June 9th with a fourth win over a SPAD fighter at Cerney-Reims.
Two days later, Freden assumed command of Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 50. He scored four more wins in July, but then skipped the month of August. During his run of six victories in September (four of them against French balloons), Freden upgraded to a Fokker D.VII. Emblazoned on the new plane was his family coat of arms.
Having previously won both classes of the 1914 Iron Cross, Freden was awarded the Knight’s Cross with Swords of the House Order of Hohenzollern on September 20, 1918. He was on pace to win the coveted Pour le Merite, the prestigious award given to any German pilot with twenty or more victories.
The day before the armistice was signed (November 10th), Freden scored his 20th and final victory. However, it was discovered that his penultimate kill over a D.H.9 at Beaumont the day before was unconfirmed. As a result, Freden’s official tally was nine observation balloons and ten enemy aircraft for a grand total of nineteen. Thus, he was one victory short of earning the “Blue Max”.
Hans von Freden did not survive long in the postwar era. Four months after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, he died of influenza on October 30, 1919 at Stettin. Freden was just thirty years old.