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Godwin
Brumowski
Name: Godwin
Brumowski
Country: Austro-Hungarian Empire
Rank: Hauptmann
Service: Luftfahrtruppen
Units: Flik 1, 12, 41J (LFT) Jasta 24 (GAS)
Victories: 35
Date Of Birth: July 26, 1889
Place of Birth: Wadowice, Galicia
Date Of Death: June 3, 1936
Place of Death: Schiphol, NetherlandsBrumowski was the Austro-Hungarian Empire's highest scoring
ace. When war was declared, he was serving as an officer in an
artillery regiment. After distinguishing himself in combat on the
Russian front, he transferred to the air service in July 1915.
Assigned to Flik 1, he frequently flew missions as Otto Jindra's
observer before becoming a pilot in July 1916. In November 1916,
Brumowski joined Flik 12 on the Italian front. Scoring five
victories in less than two months, he was one of the few
Austro-Hungarian pilots to receive the Gold Bravery Medal.
In March 1917, after studying German fighter tactics with Jasta
24 on the Western Front, he assumed command of Flik 41J, the first
true Austro-Hungarian fighter squadron. Though he continued to
favor the Hansa-Brandenburg D.I, Brumowski began flying the
Albatros D.III in the summer of 1917, scoring his first victory
with this aircraft on 17 August. By October 1917, his Albatros had
been painted red, and when airborne, his squadron was easily
identified by the macabre insignia Brumowski designed: a white
skull on a black background.
Having been recognized as an extraordinary leader, he was given
command of all Austro-Hungarian fighter squadrons of the Isonzo on
11 October 1918.After the war, Brumowski tried his hand at farming
on his mother-in-law's estate in Transylvania. When that venture
failed, he moved to Vienna where he operated a flying school until
he was fatally injured in a plane crash in 1936 at the Schiphol
airport near Amsterdam.
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