Wilhelm Thöne Explained

Wilhelm Thöne
Birth Date:22 January 1893
Death Date:17 January 1974
Birth Place:Hattenbach, Germany
Death Place:Mülheim, Germany
Nickname:Willy
Allegiance:Germany
Branch:Aviation
Rank:Leutnant zur See
Unit:Marine-Feld Jagdstaffel 1
Awards:Iron Cross

Leutnant zur See Wilhelm Thöne was a German World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.[1]

Biography

See also Aerial victory standards of World War I

Wilhelm Thöne was a German naval pilot who flew for Marine-Feld Jagdstaffel 1 during the last year of the First World War. On 30 June 1918, he shot down two British Sopwith Camels—one from No. 204 Squadron RAF, the other from No. 213 Squadron RAF. On 31 July, he shot down a third Camel, also from 204 Squadron. However, he also took some bullets to his craft's engine, forcing him down behind German lines. Back in action, he shot down a pair of Camels to become an ace on 12 August 1918. Also in August, he was downed a second time. He swam ashore from the English Channel despite a bullet in his shoulder.[2]

Thöne became an engineer postwar. He would also become a director of German Civil Aviation.[2]

References

Notes and References

  1. The Aerodrome website http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/thone.php Retrieved on 17 September 2020
  2. Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918, p. 216