War exerts a range of emotions; a love of homeland; a willingness to die for such a cause if need be. At times it went beyond normal patriotism and in particular with the example of Hauptman Rudolf Berthold. Terribly wounded in combat he drove his tormented body with an energy that overcame his disabilities.
Pilot’s Certificate
Berthold was born in 1891 in a small town in southern Germany. He chose a military career rather than a forester like his father. He was an early recruit in the flying service, transferring from his infantry regiment prior to the outbreak of war. Berthold gained his pilot’s certificate in January 1914. At the outbreak of war he served as a pilot/observer with Fl. Abt.23, operating with the A.E.G. His opportunity to fly fighters came in January 1916 when he received one of the first Fokker EIII scouts.
Pour le Merite
With the nimble Eindecker he achieved ‘ace’ status and shortly afterwards he was shot down himself. Despite the severity of his wounding and broken bones he still continued to fly. Further victories came, and following his tenth Berthold was awarded the Pour le Merite. His score reached 28 after a further year of intensive combat flying. This was achieved in spite of his earlier wounding which left him with his right arm withered and useless
The Siemens-Schuckert
Such was the example set by the single-minded Berthold that he was made C.O. of Jgd.No.2; a unit that operated with the Siemens-Schuckert DIII. This fighter tended to be overshadowed by such iconic types as the Fokker DVII and DRI. Although it never achieved the same eminence, the Siemens-Schuckert was, in terms of performance, the nearest German parallel to the Sopwith Camel. In its final development, the DIV was officially described as ’superior by far to all single-seaters in use at the Front today’.
A Crippled Ace
Berthold’s personal aircraft’s controls were remodelled to allow for his now-permanent disability. He was a hard taskmaster and consequently he demanded a standard of his pilots that he had himself attained. It remains a mystery how Berthold overcame the terrible torment of his wounds, which at times erupted while he was actually flying. Yet he still insisted on being operational and increased his score to 44 during that time. Following his last victory he sustained further injuries when he crashed into a house; leaving him with no option than to be hospitalised. Berthold’s hopes to fly again were never realised, and before he returned to operations Germany had been defeated.
The Iron Band
Berthold returned home to a country wracked with internal turmoil. A major threat was the rise of the Communists in their attempts to seize power. With typical fervour Berthold founded a military unit named ‘The Iron Band’ to oppose them. At Hamburg in 1920 they came into confrontation with an overwhelmingly superior Communist force. After conferring with their leader, Berthold and his men were given an assurance they could leave in safety. As Berthold turned to go he was struck down with rifle butts. Their final act of treachery was to strangle him with the ribbon of his Pour le Merite. The ‘Iron Knight’ was later buried in the Invaliden Cemetery in East Germany. Manfred Richtofen and Ernst Udet also lie there.
 |
 |
