Friedrich Ritter von Röth Oberleutnant Friedrich Ritter von Röth ( 29 September 1893 – 31 December 1918 ) was a German World War I fighter ace with 28 victories . He was the most successful German pilot at shooting down enemy observation balloons ; 20 of his triumphs were against them . Early service . Friedrich Röth served originally in an artillery regiment . He was seriously wounded early in the war . Once he was again fit for duty , he was commissioned , in May 1915 . He transferred to the aerial service , only to be severely injured in a crash . Because of his extended recuperation , he did not win his wings until early 1917 . His initial assignment was to a Bavarian artillery spotting unit , FA ( A ) 296 . At some point , he served in Jagdstaffel 34 , but did not down any enemies until he was assigned to Jagdstaffel 23 . Balloon busting ace . Röth did not enjoy any success as a fighter pilot until he decided to concentrate his effort on observation balloons . He was a poor shot , and took up firing upon balloons because they were a large target . He also loaded his guns to maximize his effectiveness against balloons ; his left - hand machine gun would be loaded with 80 percent incendiaries and 20 percent armor piercing , and the right - hand gun vice - versa . His decision meant he took upon himself one of the most hazardous duties of World War I fighter aviation . Because balloons flew at a known altitude , antiaircraft guns ringing them were extremely accurate . The balloons were low enough that an attacker was exposed to small arms fire as well . Protective fighters also lurked in the vicinity . The balloons were so well defended because they were an important part of the artillery fire direction systems of World War I . On 25 January 1918 , as a member of Jasta 23 , Röth scored his first victories , downing three balloons in eight minutes . He shot down a British observation plane on 26 February and downed another pair of balloons on 21 March . On 1 April , he downed four balloons in ten minutes , to become an Überkanone . Command . Röth was assigned to command Jagdstaffel 16 on 8 April 1918 , just four days after the previous Jastaführer , Heinrich Geigl , died in a midair collision with a Sopwith Camel . During this assignment , he established a reputation as a modest idealist , pious and courageous . On 29 May 1918 , Röth became the only World War I pilot to down five balloons without assistance ; there was only one other instance of it happening at all . The attack took 15 minutes . He would go on to bag three balloons each on 13 August and 10 October , along with seven enemy airplanes on various dates . His most notable victory was over 16 - kill Irish ace Sgt . John Cowell , whose 20 Squadron Bristol F . 2b he shot down on 30 July 1918 , killing Cowell in the process . Röth was also honored with Germany ' s highest decoration for valor , the Pour le Mérite , on 8 September 1918 . Röth ' s last victory was on 14 October 1918 . Post - war death . On 31 December 1918 , Röth shot himself to death . He was reportedly depressed by Germany ' s defeat and the subsequent ongoing revolution , as well as troubled by his killings during the war . He was buried in Saint Johannis Friedhof in Nuremberg . His family refused to mark his grave because his suicide was considered a sin . In 1919 , Röth was posthumously awarded the Military Order of Max Joseph . This award knighted him , thus changing his name to Friedrich Ritter von Röth ; it also entitled him to a lifetime pension . There is a street named after him in his native city .