Hans Weiss

Leutnant Hans Weiss was a German World War I flying ace credited with 16 aerial victories.

Early life and service Born on 19 April 1892, He began school in Bayreuth in 1912, studying mechanical engineering. After several attempts to volunteer for service at the beginning of World War I, he was accepted by the pioneers at Ingolstadt. He trained in Darmstadt in 1916; one of his schoolmates from high school, Richard Wenzl, trained with him there and would also become an ace.

Weiss began his aerial service as an observer gunner in artillery cooperation units FA(A) 282, FA(A) 28, and FA(A) 68 during June 1916. At that time, he was a corporal. During a reconnaissance flight, he was wounded in the foot by anti-aircraft fire while flying at nearly 9,000 feet. Upon recovery, he was awarded the Iron Cross Second Class. By the following month, he was already flying a fighter for Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 41; he scored his first victory on the 17th. Weiss was then commissioned a leutnant in October 1917. He was transferred to Royal Prussian Jasta 10,

On that day, Weiss was flying his Fokker Triplane; although Richthofen's Jagdgruppe used scarlet as their identifying color, Weiss's plane was largely or entirely "Weiss" (white). Weiss died of a bullet through the head from the guns of No. 209 Squadron's Lt. Merrill Samuel Taylor's Sopwith Camel while attacking another Camel from Taylor's unit.

Sources of information