Willi Rosenstein Willi Rosenstein ( 28 January 1892 – May 1949 ) , Iron Cross , was a German Flying Ace in World War I , credited with 9 victories . Background . Willi Rosenstein was born on 28 January 1892 in Stuttgart , Germany . Rosenstein had an early interest in aviation , gaining pilot ' s license No . 170 on 14 March 1912 . The record of his licensure records his profession as " flight instructor " ; this means he was a self - taught pilot from before the start of pilot licensing . Having gained his license , he set up shop as a flight instructor at Johannisthal Air Field in Berlin in 1913 . Involvement in World War 1 . Rosenstein volunteered for military service , joining the Imperial German Army ' s 95th Infantry Regiment . He quickly transferred to the " Die Fliegertruppen " , and was forwarded to aviation training at Gotha on 24 August 1914 . While training at " Fliegerersatz - Abteilung " ( Replacement Detachment ) 5 , he was promoted twice ; the latter promotion , to " Vizefeldwebel " came on 24 November 1914 . From there , he was posted to " Flieger - Abteilung " ( Flier Detachment ) 19 on 6 March 1915 . On 29 March , he was awarded the Iron Cross Second Class . His native Kingdom of Württemberg awarded him its Silver Military Service Medal on 21 August 1915 . His unit at this stage was still FA 19 , based at Porcher . From there , Rosenstein travelled to the Fokker factory at Schwerin to collect the unit ' s first Fokker Eindecker . He undertook twenty - five hours of testing and completed twenty - three combat flights on the type during September and October 1915 . On 17 February 1916 , Rosenstein was commissioned as a " Leutnant " . On 28 April 1916 , he was wounded in action over the Battle of Verdun . He was then awarded the Iron Cross First Class , having flown 180 combat sorties to date . Upon recovery , he reported to 3rd Army as a Fokker pilot . He became one of the founding members of one of Germany ' s brand - new fighter squadron s , " Jagdstaffel 9 " , founded 23 September 1916 . He moved on to " Jagdstaffel 27 " on 15 February 1917 . While there , he frequently flew wingman to Hermann Göring . However , it would not be until 21 September that he scored his first aerial victory , when he shot down an Airco DH . 4 over Zonnebeke while on a morning patrol . Five days later , his victim was a Sopwith Camel . Then , in an unusual twist , he was sent for aerial observer ' s training . On 8 January 1918 , he was posted to " Kampfeinsitzerstaffel " ( Combat Single - seater Squadron ) 1a . He was passed on to serve in " Kampfeinsitzerstaffel " ( Combat Single - seater Squadron ) 1b on 4 April 1918 . Flying with them , he scored his third aerial victory on 26 June , when he downed another DH . 4 . On 2 July 1918 , he received his final war posting , to " Jagdstaffel 40 " . He promptly shot down a Royal Aircraft Factory SE . 5 a on 14 July . On 28 September , he received his native kingdom ' s award of the Knight ' s Cross 2nd Class with Swords of the Order of the Zahringer Lion . The following day , he began a run of five victories that took him through 27 October 1918 . At about this time , Rosenstein was nominated for the House Order of Hohenzollern . The war ended without Rosenstein scoring a ninth victory or receiving the Hohenzollern . Later life . Willi Rosenstein became a glider pilot sportsman postwar . In the 1930s , he emigrated to the Union of South Africa . This is probably linked to the Nazi antipathy toward Judaism , as Rosenstein was Jewish . Rosenstein took to farming , though he kept his interest in aviation . His son became a fighter pilot for the South African Air Force during World War II , being killed in action over Italy on 2 April 1945 . Willi Rosenstein survived both his son and the war . During May 1949 , he was killed in a midair collision with a student pilot over his farm in Rostenberg , South Africa .