Carl Degelow

Carl "Charly" Degelow (5 January 1891 – 9 November 1970) Pour le Merite, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross, was a German fighter pilot during World War I. He was credited with 30 victories, and was the last person to win the military Pour le Merite.

Life before aviation Carl Degelow was born on 5 January 1891 in Münsterdorf, Schleswig-Holstein, in the Kingdom of Prussia.

In 1912–1913, before World War I broke out, Degelow worked in the United States as an industrial chemist. His specialty was the manufacture of cement, and he was known to have visited Chicago and El Paso.

He returned to Germany just before World War I erupted and enlisted in Nassauischen Infanterie-Regiment Nr 88. Degelow initially served with distinction in this infantry regiment in both France and Russia, winning both classes of the Iron Cross and earning promotion in rank from Gefreiter to Vizefeldwebel. He was also wounded in the arm while fighting in Russia. He was commissioned as a Leutnant on 31 July 1915. On 22 May 1917, he claimed a French Caudron G.IV, but it was unconfirmed. Three days later, he shot down another Caudron; for this one he got credit.

He was reassigned to the Prussian Jagdstaffel 36 for transitional training into flying Pfalz D.III fighters in August 1917, but lasted fewer than four days. The process involved zeroing in an aircraft's machine guns on a firing range. Degelow accidentally wounded a member of the unit and was hastily reassigned on 17 August to Prussian Jagdstaffel 7 to fly a Pfalz D.III under the leadership of Leutnant Josef Jacobs.

Degelow chose to fly a Pfalz because the Albatros D.V available to him had a reputation at the time for losing its wings in a dive. He began his string of victories with Jagdstaffel 7 on an uncertain note. He filed three widely spaced consecutive victories that were unconfirmed as the enemy planes landed on the Allied side of the front lines. By German regulations, these could not be considered confirmed aerial victories.

He became an ace on 18 June, with the first of his two June victories. Degelow also received the Iron Cross, 1st and 2nd class.

Post World War I Immediately postwar, Degelow helped found the Hamburger Zeitfreiwilligen Korps to battle communists in Germany.

Degelow remained in the reserves between World Wars I and II. During the first days of the Nazi regime, he was jailed for several days for failure to give the Nazi salute on parade. When someone recognized the Pour le Merite on his uniform, he was quickly released.

By the time World War II began, he was a Hauptmann (captain). Degelow went on to serve as a Major in the Luftwaffe during World War II.

He died in Hamburg, Germany on 9 November 1970.