Karl John Schoen

Name:

Karl John Schoen

Country:

United States

Rank:

First Lieutenant

Service:

United States Air Service

Units:

139^th Aero

Victories:

Born:

20 October 1894

Place of Birth:

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Died:

29 October 1918

Place of Death:

Damvillers, France

Cemetery:

Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, Romagne, France
Plot B Row 38 Grave 09

Karl John Schoen,¹ the son of John and Effie M. Johnston Schoen (Morgan), attended Purdue University. He enlisted on 22 April 1917 at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. Ordered overseas on 28 February 1918, he was assigned to the 139th Aero Squadron and scored 7 victories flying the SPAD XIII. He was killed in combat during the battles of the Meuse-Argonne, shot down just minutes after he scored his last 2 victories. He was survived by his widow, Maurene E. Schoen, and daughter, Virginia Ann.

Schoen Field, the flying field at Fort Benjamin Harrison near Indianapolis, Indiana, was named in honor of Karl Schoen on 7 May 1922.²

Death of Local Hero Described
The Indianapolis Star - Wednesday, November 27, 1918

1 Incorrectly identified as Karl Joseph Schoen in his DSC citation.
2 "Schoen Aviation Field To Be Dedicated Today," The Indianapolis Star, 7 May 1922

Distinguished Service Cross (DSC)

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Karl Joseph Schoen, First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Ancerville, France, October 10, 1918. While leading a patrol of three machines, Lieutenant Schoen sighted nine enemy planes, Fokker type, and immediately attacked them. Although greatly outnumbered, he destroyed one of the planes and put the others to flight. He was killed in action October 29 and has been officially credited with destroying seven enemy aircraft.

General Orders No. 37, W.D., 1919

Victories

	Date	Time	Unit	Aircraft	Opponent	Location
1	18 Sep 1918	1610	139^th	SPAD XIII	Pfalz D.III ¹	Pagny-sur-Moselle
2	18 Sep 1918	1610	139^th	SPAD XIII	Pfalz D.III ¹	Pagny-sur-Moselle
3	26 Sep 1918	1140	139^th	SPAD XIII	DFW C ²	Bois de Consenvoye
4	10 Oct 1918	1200	139^th	SPAD XIII	Fokker D.VII ³	Andevanne
5	22 Oct 1918	0745	139^th	SPAD XIII	Hannover CL ⁴	Bayonville
6	29 Oct 1918	1520	139^th	SPAD XIII	Fokker D.VII ⁵	Damvillers
7	29 Oct 1918	1520	139^th	SPAD XIII	Fokker D.VII ⁵	Damvillers

1	Shared with Lt H A Garvie, Lt Robert Lindsay, Lt G V Moy, Lt John Owens, Lt Wendel Robertson, Lt R D Shelby
2	Shared with Lt S J DeFrance, Lt H A Garvie, Lt L H Germer, Lt John Owens, Lt H R Sumner
3	Shared with Lt R L Maughan
4	Shared with Lt L H Germer, Lt Robert Lindsay
5	Shared with Lt Harold George, Lt Edward Haight

Books

American Aces of World War 1: by Norman Franks, Harry Dempsey (Illustrator) / Paperback / Osprey Publishing (September 25, 2001)
Over the Front: by Norman L. R. Franks, Frank W. Bailey / Hardcover / Grub Street the Basement (May 1992)
SPAD VII Aces of World War 1: by Jon Guttman / Paperback / Osprey Publishing (August 25, 2001)

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