Erich Thomas

Erich Thomas
Born	10 February 1897 Essen, Germany
Died	18 November 1960 Münster, Germany
Allegiance	Germany
Service/branch	Aviation
Rank	Leutnant
Unit	Jasta 9, Jasta 22
Awards	Iron Cross First and Second Class

Leutnant Erich Thomas was a World War I flying ace credited with ten aerial victories. Nine of these were observation balloons he destroyed.^[1][2]

Thomas was assigned to Jasta 9 in December 1917. He shot down his first enemy observation balloon on 3 January 1918. He carried on his career as a balloon buster for Jasta 9 through 16 March 1918, when he downed numbers seven and eight. He then transferred to Jasta 22, and shot down a ninth balloon on 21 March, and a Sopwith on the 22nd. On 23 March, he attacked another French balloon and was shot down by Jean Chaput, Marcel Haegelen, and Auguste Lahoulle. Thomas was taken prisoner of war.^[3]

Sources of information

1. Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914 - 1918. p. 216.
2. http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/thomas1.php Retrieved on 19 April 2010.
3. Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914 - 1918. p. 216.

References

• Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914 - 1918 Norman L. R. Franks, et al. Grub Street, 1993. ISBN 0-948817-73-9, ISBN 978-0-948817-73-1.