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. ISBN 0-948817-73-9, ISBN 978-0-948817-73-1, 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, ISBN 978-0-948817-54-0, p. 183, as well as The Aerodrome's webpage on Gontermann [1]
| No. | Date | Time | Foe | Squadron | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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, France | British 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 |