Willi Rosenstein

Willy Rosenstein (28 January 1892 – 23 May 1949), Iron Cross, was a German flying ace in World War I, credited with 9 victories.

Background Willy Rosenstein was born on 28 January 1892 in Stuttgart, Germany. Rosenstein had an early interest in aviation, gaining pilot's license No. 170 on 14 March 1912. The record of his licensure records his profession as "flight instructor"; this means he was a self-taught pilot from before the start of pilot licensing. Having gained his license, he set up shop as a flight instructor at Johannisthal Air Field in Berlin in 1913.

On 17 February 1916, Rosenstein was commissioned as a Leutnant. On 28 April 1916, he was wounded in action over the Battle of Verdun. He was then awarded the Iron Cross First Class, having flown 180 combat sorties to date. Upon recovery, he reported to 3rd Army as a Fokker pilot. He became one of the founding members of one of Germany's brand-new fighter squadrons, Jagdstaffel 9, founded 23 September 1916.

Rosenstein took to farming, though he kept his interest in aviation. His son Ernest became a fighter pilot for the South African Air Force during World War II, being killed in action over Italy on 2 April 1945.

Willy Rosenstein survived both his son and the war. He was killed on 23 May 1949 in a midair collision with a student pilot over his farm in Rustenburg, South Africa.