Heinrich Bongartz

Heinrich Bongartz PlM, HOH, IC (31 January 1892 – 23 January 1946), was a German World War I fighter pilot and flying ace credited with 33 confirmed victories and one unconfirmed. He also served as a night fighter commander in World War II.

Early life Heinrich Bongartz was born in Gelsenkirchen, Westphalia, on 31 January 1892. In civilian life, Bongartz was a schoolteacher. He transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte (German Air Service) for pilot training with Flieger-Abteilung (Flier Detachment) 5 and was commissioned a Leutnant in March, 1916. From there, he had a short lived tour with Kampfstaffel (Tactical Bomber Squadron) 27; a unit that was soon to be recast as Schutzstaffel (Protection Squadron) 8. Bongartz was finally assigned to flying fighter aircraft with Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 36 in April 1917. Possibly because of this wound, he did not score again until 26 September. Also in September 1917, he succeeded to command of Jasta 36. In October, he scored eight times, raising his count to 20. In November 1917, he was wounded again, but still managed to down another five enemy aircraft, with one more unconfirmed. On 24 November 1917, he was awarded the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern. The airplane, so badly shot about that it had 28 bullet holes in the cowling alone, was scrapped.

After he recovered from his wound, he became the commander of the Aircraft Test Center at Aldershof. While serving as test pilot there, he wrote a report on the Dornier-Zeppelin D.I fighter prototype, which was the first plane to use a stressed skin/torsion box structure. Bongartz's estimate of it was, "Doesn't possess characteristics of a modern fighter. Ailerons too heavy." Nevertheless, the engineering originated by Claudius Dornier is still in use today.

Between the wars Once the war ended, he served as a postwar Director of the German Aeroplane Inspectorate. After helping deactivate the air service in which he had served so gallantly, he went on to fight against the Spartakists who were attempting to overthrow the German government. The leg wound he suffered in this fight finally ended his military career.

World War II and beyond During World War II, he originally served as an Oberstleutnant in supply during 1941 to 1942 at Pleskau on the Eastern Front. 1943 found him as a night fighter commander at Grove in Denmark. In 1944, he transferred to command of night fighter efforts in Finland. He transferred once more, and served through war's end.

He survived World War II, only to die of a heart attack on 23 January 1946, while in Rheinberg.

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