Julius Arigi

Julius Arigi (3 October 1895 – 1 August 1981) was a flying ace of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in World War I with a total of 32 credited victories. His victory total was second only to Godwin von Brumowski. Arigi was considered a superb natural pilot. He was also a technical innovator responsible for engineering changes in the aircraft he flew.

Early life Julius Arigi was born in Děčín , Bohemia, to a Sudeten German family. He was unhappy with the tail assembly of this aircraft because he felt it lacked directional stability. He redesigned the horn-balanced rudder with a low aspect fin and a plain rudder. His redesign was later copied from his plane and became standard on the D1.

He then spent a short time in Fliegerkompanie 41J, but clashed with its commanding officer, Hauptmann Godwin Brumowski. In August, he was transferred to newly formed Fliegerkompanie 55J at Haidenschaft. He would score 13 victories while with Flik 55J, running his total to 25. Ten of those victories were scored as he cooperated with two other Austro-Hungarian aces, Hauptmann (Captain) Josef von Maier and Lieutenant (Second Lieutenant) József Kiss. In August 1918 Flik 1J was equipped with two new Avatik D1 fighters, which he used to score his final four victories. Also while in Czechoslovakia, he helped select sites for new airfields. Later, when he became an ardent National Socialist and joined (1928) the German National Socialist Workers' Party (Czechoslovakia), was involved in espionage for the Third Reich. In 1934 he moved to Berlin and two years later he obtained Austrian citizenship.

In 1935, he partnered with a friend from World War I, fellow ace Benno Fiala von Fernbrugg, in forming the Wiener-Neustadt Airport Management Association.

From 1938, he was a Luftwaffe fighter instructor with the rank of captain. Two of his students became some of the most successful aces of World War II: Walter Nowotny (258 victories) and Hans-Joachim Marseille (158 victories). Their ability to repeatedly shoot down multiple enemies on the same sortie can be traced to Arigi's teaching them to close to minimum range before firing. Arigi later noted that while both students were quietly eager, Nowotny was naturally talented but Marseille had to work for mastery.

Arigi died in his sleep of natural causes in Seewalchen am Attersee, Austria on 1 August 1981.