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Name: Hans Klein Balloon-Buster
Orden Pour le Mérite (Blue Max)
Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern
Iron Cross 1st and 2nd class		 Hans Klein [Thanks to Carsten Kopke at Arrowsoft Verlag]
Country: Germany
Rank: Oberleutnant
Units: Jasta 4, 10
KEK
Victories: 22
Born: 17 January 1891
Place of Birth: Stettin
Died: 18 November 1944
Place of Death:
 
 
When the war began, Klein joined the army and served with the infantry on the Western Front. Commissioned in March 1915, he transferred to the German Air Force in the spring of 1916 and was assigned to Jasta 4 in November 1916. Credited with his first victory in the spring of 1917, he was wounded in action on 9 May 1917. He was wounded again at Gistel on the morning of 13 July 1917. On 27 September 1917, Klein assumed command of Jasta 10. After scoring 6 more victories, he was wounded again, losing his right thumb on 19 February 1918. Upon recovering, he rejoined Jasta 10 but served the remainder of the war as a ground officer. In 1935, Klein joined the Luftwaffe, later served as Deputy Commander of all fighters and attained the rank of Major General before his death in 1944.
 
Opponents
#7 Lancelot RichardsonAustralia
 
Victories
Date Time Unit Aircraft Opponent Location
u/c 20 Aug 1916 KEK   B.E.2c  
1 04 Apr 1917 0810 Jasta 4   B.E.2c (2563) Arras
2 07 Apr 1917 1645 Jasta 4   Balloon W of Arras
3 08 Apr 1917 0420 Jasta 4   F.E.2b (7669) SE of Douai
4 11 Apr 1917 1020 Jasta 4   B.E.2d Vimy
5 11 Apr 1917 1050 Jasta 4   B.E.2c Rouex
6 13 Apr 1917 0856 Jasta 4   R.E.8 Biache-Hamblain
7 13 Apr 1917 1910 Jasta 4   F.E.2b (A6372?) Vimy
8 30 Apr 1917 1200 Jasta 4   B.E.2c Ribécourt
9 06 May 1917 1630 Jasta 4   B.E.2 Lens-Lievin
10 16 Jun 1917 1200 Jasta 4   R.E.8 Messines
11 23 Jun 1917 1443 Jasta 4   Balloon Wytschaete
12 24 Jun 1917 1240 Jasta 4   Balloon W of Wytschaete
13 06 Jul 1917 1525 Jasta 4   R.E.8 N of Ypres-Zonnebeke
14 07 Jul 1917 1807 Jasta 4   Sopwith 1½ Strutter Comines
15 11 Jul 1917 1505 Jasta 4   Balloon W of Wytschaete
16 11 Jul 1917 1507 Jasta 4   Balloon W of Wytschaete
17 02 Oct 1917 1040 Jasta 4   D.H.4 Staden
18 12 Oct 1917 1220 Jasta 4   Sopwith Camel Lauwe
19 13 Oct 1917 0900 Jasta 4   Sopwith Pup Praet Bosch
20 18 Oct 1917 0955 Jasta 4   Bristol F.2b Staden
21 29 Nov 1917 1000 Jasta 4   D.H.5 Crevecoeur
22 30 Nov 1917 1230 Jasta 4   Balloon W of Cambrai
 
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