List of aerial victories of Heinrich Gontermann
Heinrich Gontermann was a German fighter ace during World War I. He was credited with 17 confirmed aerial victories flying with Jagdstaffel 5 before being appointed to command Jagdstaffel 15. While leading this fighter squadron, he shot down a further 22 enemy aircraft. As one of the few pilots daring enough to undertake the highly hazardous assaults on opposing observation balloons, he destroyed 18 of them. Included in this victory list was the notable and unique feat of downing four balloons in three minutes on 19 August 1917.
As the primary arena for aerial combat on the Western Front was over the German trenches and rear works, German aerial and ground observers could usually verify German victories in considerable detail. Aviation historians cited have further researched the war's victory claims, using archives from all sides.
Confirmed victories in this list are numbered and listed chronologically.
This list is complete for entries, though obviously not for all details. Abbreviations from sources utilized were expanded by editor creating this list. Sources: Norman Franks, Frank Bailey, Russell Guest (1993). Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918. Grub Street Publishing, London. , , p. 116; Franks, Bailey, and Guest (1992), Over the Front: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914-1918, Grub Street Publishing, London, , p. 183, as well as The Aerodrome's webpage on Gontermann
No.DateTimeFoeSquadronLocationNotes 1 14 November 1916 1630 hours Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2b Morval, France 2 6 March 1917 1315 hours Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2b No. 57 Squadron RFC South of Mory, France 3 11 March 1917 1245 hours Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2b South of Bapaume, France 4 17 March 1917 1430 hours Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2b St. Pierre, France 5 24 March 1917 0855 hours Sopwith 1½ Strutter No. 70 Squadron RFC Oisy-le-Verge 6 25 March 1917 0925 hours Sopwith 1½ Strutter No. 70 Squadron RFC Haplincourt, France 7 6 April 1917 0815 hours Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2b No. 18 Squadron RFC Neuville, France 8 8 April 1917 Observation balloon 41 Compagnie, Service Aéronautique West of Saint Quentin, France French observation balloon 9 13 April 1917 0905 hours Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2d No. 57 Squadron RFC Vitry, France 10 13 April 1917 1940 hours Observation balloon 55 Compagnie, Service Aéronautique Southeast of Saint Quentin, France French observation balloon 11 14 April 1917 Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2c No. 52 Squadron RFC Metz-en-Couture, France 12 16 April 1917 1650 hours Observation balloon 14th Section, 14th Company, 4th Balloon Wing Étricourt-Manancourt, France British observation balloon 13 16 April 1917 1700 hours Observation balloon 6th Section, 15th Company, 4th Balloon Wing Étricourt-Manancourt, France British observation balloon 14 22 April 1917 0930 hours Observation balloon 33rd Section, 11th Company, 3rd Balloon Wing Arras, France British observation balloon Unconfirmed 22 April 1917 Observation balloon Arras, FranceBritish observation balloon 15 23 April 1917 1925 hours Royal Aircraft Factory RE.8 No. 12 Squadron RFC Southeast of Arras, France 16 24 April 1917 0900 hours Sopwith Triplane No. 8 Naval Squadron, RNAS Bailleul, France 17 26 April 1917s 1150 hours Observation balloon 8th Section, 1st Company, 1st Balloon Wing Near Arras, France British observation balloon 18 4 May 1917 SPAD Southeast of Caronne 19 10 May 1917 1230 hours SPAD Berry-au-Bac, France Ace Didier Lecour Grandmaison killed in action 20 10 May 1917 1820 hours Caudron R.4 Escadrille C46, Service Aéronautique Berry-au-Bac, France 21 11 May 1917 1030 hours SPAD Berry-au-Bac, France 22 24 June 1917 1515 hours Observation balloon 65 Compagnie, Service Aéronautique Pontavert, France French observation balloon 23 27 June 1917 1200 hours Observation balloon 51 Compagnie, Service Aéronautique Southeast of Reims, France French observation balloon 24 16 July 1917 1400 hours Observation balloon South of Reims, France French observation balloon 25 24 July 1017 0945 hours SPAD Staudecken 26 5 August 1917 1940 hours Nieuport Southwest of Staudecken 27 9 August 1917 Observation balloon 46 Compagnie, Service Aéronautique Foret de Hesse French observation balloon 28 9 August 1917 Observation balloon 51 Compagnie, Service Aéronautique Foret de Hesse French observation balloon 29 17 August 1917 1205 hours Observation balloon 28 Compagnie, Service Aéronautique Aisne French observation balloon 30 17 August 1917 1205 hours Observation balloon 39 Compagnie, Service Aéronautique Aisne French observation balloon 31 19 August 1917 1040 hours SPAD Southwest of Jouy, France 32 19 August 1917 1923 hours Observation balloon South of Aisne-Tal 33 19 August 1917 1924 hours Observation balloon South of Aisne-Tal 34 19 August 1917 1924 hours Observation balloon South of Aisne-Tal 35 19 August 1917 1926 hours Observation balloon South of Aisne-Tal 36 15 September 1917 0720 hours Caudron Cerny, Essonne, France 37 30 September 1917 1145 hours SPAD Staudecken 38 30 September 1917 1250 hours Caudron R.11 Northeast of La Fere, France 39 2 October 1917 1335 hours SPAD Laon, France
Headnote