Fritz Pütter

Leutnant Fritz Pütter (14 January 1895 – 10 August 1918) Pour le Mérite, Iron Cross, was a German World War I ace fighter pilot credited with victories over eight enemy observation balloons and 17 airplanes.

Early life and infantry service

Fritz Pütter was born in Westphalia, the son of Franz Pütter, who was the royal rentmeister. Fritz Pütter was schooled in the Realgymnasium (i.e., municipal school) of Münster. He moved on to study chemistry at university.

When World War I began, Pütter volunteered for service on 24 August 1914. He became a member of a machine gun company and served on the Eastern Front until May 1915. He then underwent officer training and was commissioned on 12 October 1915. He was assigned to Infantry Regiment Nr. 370, and took part in the fighting at Flirey, in France, on the Western Front.

Flying duties

On 20 May 1916, Pütter began pilot training; this he completed on 9 December 1916 and he was posted to Flieger-Abteilung 251, By 27 January 1918, Pütter's victory log showed seven balloons and three enemy fighters.

On 16 July 1918, he was flying a mission with incendiary ammunition aboard his plane. It self-combusted, setting plane and pilot on fire. Pütter managed to land the burning plane and he was rushed to the University Clinic in Bonn. On 10 August, he succumbed to his wounds. A street is named after him there.

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