Died April 6, 1917 Years of service 1908 - 1917 Rank Oberleutnant | Commands held Jasta 5 Allegiance German Empire Name Hans Berr | |
Unit 4th Magdeburg Reserve Regiment Light Infantry, KEK Avillers Awards Pour le Merite, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross First Class, Military Merit Order, Reuss War Merit Cross, Brunswick War Merit Cross, Hanseatic Cross | ||
Service/branch Infantry; aviation | ||
Oberleutnant Hans Berr was a professional soldier turned World War I flying ace credited with ten aerial victories. He was one of the German aces who pioneered the first "flying gun", the Fokker Eindekker.
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Early life and service
Berr was an infantry lieutenant as early as 1908. When the war broke out, he was serving with Magdeburgisches Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 4. A month into his war, on 26 September 1914, Berr was seriously wounded. On 27 January 1915, he was promoted to Oberleutnant.
Flying service
In March, he began aerial service as an observer/gunner, though he subsequently took pilot training. While assigned to an ad hoc unit of Fokker Eindekker fighters at Avillers, he shot down a Nieuport and a Caudron during March 1916. Berr was then given command of newly founded Jasta 5. Because of Berr's teaching of tactics, the new squadron began a run of victories that would result in its being dubbed the KanonestaffelIn ("squadron of aces"). In the four weeks from 7 October to 3 November 1916, Berr shot down seven enemy airplanes and an observation balloon. On 10 November, he received the Knights Cross and Swords of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern. The Pour le Merite followed, on 4 December 1916, Berr being the last German flier to receive it for eight victories.
On Good Friday, 6 April 1917, Berr and his wingmate Paul Hoppe collided and were killed while engaged in combat with No. 57 Squadron RFC.