List of aerial victories of Friedrich Ritter von Röth
Friedrich Ritter von Röth (1894–1918) was a German First World War fighter ace credited with 28 confirmed aerial victories, 20 of which were observation balloons. The observation balloons were extremely hazardous to attack; they were fleeting targets hooked to motors to draw them rapidly earthward to safety when threatened. They were also ringed with pre-sighted antiaircraft guns, and their vicinity was patrolled by fighter units. Röth was notable as the premier balloon buster of the Imperial German Air Service. Notably, he eschewed single victories over the gasbags, once downing a pair, three times destroying a trio, once a quartet—and on 29 May 1918, he torched five observation balloons within 15 minutes. Overall, Röth made his first ten victories with Jagdstaffel 23 before transferring to Jagdstaffel 16 for his remaining 18 victories.[1][2]
The victory list[edit]
Friedrich Ritter von Röth's victories are reported in chronological order, which is not necessarily the order or dates the victories were confirmed by headquarters.
| No. | Date | Time | Foe | Unit | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 January 1918 | 1257 hours | Observation balloon | French 55th Compagnie | Recicourt, France |
| 2 | 25 January 1918 | 1301 hours | Observation balloon | French 59th Compagnie | Betheleville |
| 3 | 25 January 1918 | 1305 hours | Observation balloon | French 80th Compagnie | Framereville |
| 4 | 28 February 1918 | 1250 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory RE.8 | No. 16 Squadron RFC | Mericourt, France |
| 5 | 21 March 1918 | 1130 hours | Observation balloon | British 44th Section, 19th Company, 1st Balloon Wing | Marcoing, France |
| 6 | 21 March 1918 | Observation balloon | British 1st Section, 18th Company, 3rd Balloon Wing | Beugny, France | |
| 7 | 1 April 1918 | 1730 hours | Observation balloon | British 10th Section, 2nd Company, 1st Balloon Wing | Cambrin, France |
| 8 | 1 April 1918 | 1735 hours | Observation balloon | British 8th Section, 1st Company, 1st Balloon Wing | Hulluch, France |
| 9 | 1 April 1918 | 1737 hours | Observation balloon | British 20th Section, 1st Company, 1st Balloon Wing | Loos, France |
| 10 | 1 April 1918 | 1740 hours | Observation balloon | British 24th Section, 2nd Company, 1st Balloon Wing | South of Loos, France |
| 11 | 29 May 1918 | 1600 hours | Observation balloon | 1st Belgian | Between Poperinge (Poperinghe) and Diksmuide, Belgium |
| 12 | 29 May 1918 | 1604 hours | Observation balloon | Between Diksmuide and Poperinge, Belgium | |
| 13 | 29 May 1918 | 1609 hours | Observation balloon | British 25th Section, 5th Company, 2nd Balloon Wing | Between Diksmuide and Poperinge, Belgium |
| 14 | 29 May 1918 | 1612 hours | Observation balloon | British 39th Section, 8th Company, 2nd Balloon Wing | Between Poperinge, Belgium and Hazebrouck, France |
| 15 | 29 May 1918 | 1615 hours | Observation balloon | Between Poperinge, Belgium and Hazebrouck, France | |
| 16 | 25 July 1918 | 0950 hours | Bristol F.2 Fighter | No. 20 Squadron RAF | Gheluvelt, Belgium |
| 17 | 29 July 1918 | 2035 hours | Airco DH.9 | No. 206 Squadron RAF | Gheluvelt, Belgium |
| 18 | 30 July 1918 | 2100 hours | Bristol F.2 Fighter | No. 20 Squadron RAF | South of Ypres, Belgium |
| 19 | 12 August 1918 | 0840 hours | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a | No. 85 Squadron RAF | Langemarck (Langemark), Belgium |
| 20 | 13 August 1918 | 1920 hours | Observation balloon | 6th Belgian | Lampernisse, Belgium |
| 21 | 13 August 1918 | 1922 hours | Observation balloon | 2nd Belgian | Lampernisse, Belgium |
| 22 | 13 August 1918 | 1925 hours | Observation balloon | 3rd Belgian | Lampernisse, Belgium |
| 23 | 4 September 1918 | 0930 hours | Airco DH.9 | No. 107 Squadron RAF | Neuf-Berquin, France |
| 24 | 8 October 1918 | Royal Aircraft Factory RE.8 | No. 7 Squadron RAF | Gheluvelt, Belgium | |
| 25 | 10 October 1918 | 1730 hours | Observation balloon | British 38th Section, 7th Company, 2nd Balloon Wing | Between Ypres and Staden, Belgium |
| 26 | 10 October 1918 | 1731 hours | Observation balloon | French 25th Compagnie | Between Ypres and Staden, Belgium |
| 27 | 10 October 1918 | 1733 hours | Observation balloon | French 25th Compagnie | Between Ypres and Staden, Belgium |
| 28 | 14 October 1918 | Airco DH.9 | No. 108 Squadron RAF | Ledegem, Belgium |
This list is complete for entries, though obviously not for all details. Background data was abstracted from Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918, ISBN 978-0-948817-73-1, pp. 192–193; and The Aerodrome webpage on Friedrich Ritter von Röth [1]. Added facts are individually cited. Abbreviations were expanded by the editor creating this list.
Endnotes[edit]
- ^ Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), pp. 192–193.
- ^ Guttman (2005), pp. 7–9.
References[edit]
- Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank; Guest, Russell (1993). Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918. London UK: Grub Street Publishing. ISBN 978-0-948817-73-1.
- Guttman, Jon (2005). Balloon-Busting Aces of World War 1. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-877-9.