Benno Fiala von Fernbrugg | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 16 June 1890 Vienna, Austria |
| Died | 29 October 1964(1964-10-29) (aged 74) Vienna, Austria |
| Allegiance |  Austria-Hungary |
| Branch | Artillery, aviation |
| Years of service | ca 1914–1918, unknown period during World War II |
| Rank | Hauptmann (Captain) |
| Unit | Fort Artillery Regiment 1, Fliegerkompagnies 1, 19, 41J, 12D, 56J. |
Hauptmann (Captain)Benno FialaRittervon Fernbrugg (16 June 1890 – 29 October 1964) was an Austro-Hungarian fighter ace with 28 victories to his credit during World War I. He was the third ranking ace of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His honours and decorations included theOrder of the Iron Crown,Order of Leopold,Military Merit Cross,Military Merit Medal, GoldMedal for Bravery (Austria-Hungary) and theIron Cross.[1] He was also a technical innovator who pioneered the use of machine guns, radios, and cameras in airplanes. His forty-year aviation career also included aircraft manufacture, airport management, and the establishment of commercial airlines.[2]
Benno Fiala von Fernbrugg was born inVienna to an aristocratic family with a tradition of military service. His father was an artillery officer and his brother in naval aviation. Fiala attended primary and secondary school in Vienna, and went on to major in mechanical engineering at the local University of Technology, becoming an Ingenieur.[2]
He had an early fascination with aviation[3] but was initially refused aviation service,[4] instead being gazetted as an officer in the engineers and assigned to Fort Artillery Regiment 1 in 1910.[2]
Being assigned to the artillery didn't quash his interest in aviation; his brother was a naval aviator, and Fiala visited airports. While at one, he metEmil Uzelac, Commander of the fledgling air force of theAustro-Hungarian Empire. Uzelac arranged Fiala's transfer to Fliegerkompagnie 1 of theLuftfahrtruppen as a technical officer. Fiala completed training as a flying observer on 28 July 1914, the very dayAustria-Hungary declared war onSerbia.[5]
In November 1914, Fiala took charge of the locomotive of a supply train and drove it to safety even though it was under attack by Russian troops and he was wounded in the action. He was awarded the SilverMilitary Merit Medal for this. On 10 November, he also received a most unusual promotion to leutnant (Second Lieutenant) ahead of his sequence in seniority.[6]
Although trained as an observer, Fiala's duties in this beginning of the war consisted mainly of arming planes with machine guns, and experimenting with aerial cameras. He also rigged a 30 kilogram (66 pound) radio transmitter in an unarmed plane. It was used in May 1915 on theRussian Front, during theBattle of Gorlice-Tarnow: by sending corrections to a receiver on the ground, it successfully adjusted mortar fire.[7]Fiala was briefly attached to the testing section of the air arsenal before being reassigned to a flying unit.[6]
Fiala had had a couple of unconfirmed victories on the Russian Front. Now he was transferred to Fliegerkompany 19 on the Italian Front in January 1916. There he flew aHansa-Brandenburg C.I two seated reconnaissance plane, scoring his first confirmed triumph on 29 April 1916.[6]
On 4 May 1916, he was flying as an observer in a Hansa-Brandenburg C.I flown byAdolf Heyrowsky when they teamed with a second C.I to shoot down the Italian airship M-4. The semi-rigid dirigible had been returning from a bombing raid when Fiala shot it down aboveGorizia, Italy,[8] killing the entire crew of six.[6]
Fiala was wounded by anti-aircraft fire in the beginning of 1917.[3] It was during this recuperation that he decided to apply for pilot's training.[6] After he recovered, he moved intoFliegerkorps 41J, then into aHansa-Brandenburg D.I fighter inFliegerkorps 12D.
Beginning 9 August 1917, he ran off a string of five confirmed and two confirmed wins for the month. He scored once more, in October, before changing squadrons once again in November, to move into anAlbatros D.III with Fliegerkorps 56J.
He notched win number nine with 56J, but didn't spend long with them; he transferred into command of Fliegerkorps 51J in January, 1918. His steady accretion of victories helped shape Flik 51J into the premier squadron of the Austro-Hungarians. Especially notable was his 14th win; on 30 May 1918, he downed British aceAlan Jerrard in an action that was so fierce, it won the loser theVictoria Cross.[1]
Fiala racked up number 28 on 20 August 1918. He continued to fly until October, but then was posted to nonflying staff duties until war's end.[9]
The engineer turned fighter pilot had flown on two fronts which had more hazardous flying conditions and less opportunity for air combat than theWestern Front in France. His victory roll included a dirigible, three observation balloons, and a predominance of enemy fighters among the planes he had felled. He claimed at least five unconfirmed victories. He had won theOrder of the Iron Crown,Order of Leopold,Military Merit Cross,Military Merit Medal, GoldMedal for Bravery, and theIron Cross.[1]
Fiala returned to college after the war, completing an engineering degree from the University of Vienna in 1923. From 1925 through 1927, he worked with ProfessorHugo Junkers ofJunkers fame on aircraft maintenance for civil airliners. In 1928, he entered into a partnership withMitsubishi of Japan to produce an all-metal plane for the United States market.[3]
In March 1933 he was placed under house arrest by the Gestapo by direct order ofHermann Göring. After his release, he fled Germany back to his native Austria. He then joined his old comrade in armsJulius Arigi in founding an airport operations company. He was an executive of this company through 1936. During World War II, he served in theLuftwaffe as a Captain, or Hauptmann. Later, he ran the airport inHorsching, Austria.[10]
He died in Vienna on 29 October 1964 and was buried in the Fiala-Fernbrugg family vault inVienna's Central Cemetery. The Austrian air force base atAigen im Ennstal is named for him.[10]
