Kurt Wolff ( aviator ) Oberleutnant Kurt Wolff ( February 6 , 1895 – September 15 , 1917 ) was one of Imperial Germany ' s highest scoring fighter aces during World War I . After claiming 33 victories , he was killed in action at the age of 22 . Early life . Kurt Wolff was born in Greifswald , Pomerania . He was orphaned as a child and was raised by relatives in Memel , East Prussia . Wolff enlisted in the army in 1912 at the age of 17 , joining a transport unit , Railway Regiment Nr . 4 . He received a commission on 17 April 1915 , and he transferred to the air service in July . Fighter pilot . Wolff ' s first flight was almost his last . The aeroplane crashed , dislocating Wolff ' s shoulder and killing his pilot instructor . Nevertheless , Wolff received his pilot ' s badge in late 1915 and was assigned to 2 - seater unit Kasta 26 of Kagohl 5 , followed by service with Kagohl 7 and KG 40 . On 12 October 1916 he was posted to the then undistinguished Jasta 11 . For months , Wolff , like most of his Jasta comrades , had no success in the air . That changed when command was given to Manfred von Richthofen . Under the Red Baron ' s leadership , Jasta 11 thrived and Wolff became an excellent scout pilot . Like his commanding officer , Wolff soon became an avid collector of souvenirs from the aircraft he shot down . His room at his airfield soon became decorated with serial numbers , parts and guns from his victims . He first claimed on 6 March 1917 , a Royal Aircraft Factory B . E . 2 d of No . 16 Squadron RFC . Four more followed during March , and he scored 22 victories during what the RFC termed ' Bloody April ' , with 4 victories on 13 April 1917 , and 3 victories on 29 April 1917 , including Major H . D . Harvey - Kelly - commander of No . 19 Squadron . Like the rest of the Jasta , Wolff ' s Albatros D . III was painted red , though he added individual markings by painting his elevators and tailplane green . Wolff ' s youthful looks and frail physical stature masked his deadly skills as a combat pilot . Karl Bodenschatz , in his " Jagd in Flanders Himmel " ( " War in the Flanders Skies " ) , said of him : " " Jasta 11 : Leutnant Kurt Wolff . At first glance , you could only say ' delicate little flower ' . A slender , thin little figure , a very young face , whose entire manner is one of extreme shyness . He looks as if you could tip him backwards with one harsh word . But below this friendly schoolboy ' s face dangles the order Pour le Merite . And so far , these modest looking eyes have taken 30 enemy airplanes from the sky over the sights of his machine guns , set them afire , and made them smash to pieces on the ground . This slender youth is already one of the best men of the old Richthofen Staffel 11 . " " Wolff was awarded the coveted " Pour Le Merite " on 4 May and on 6 May was assigned to command Jasta 29 , replacing Lt . von Dornheim who had recently been killed . He shot down a French SPAD on 13 May and a No . 60 Squadron Nieuport 17 on 27 June before he returned to command Jasta 11 in July 1917 , replacing " Leut " . Karl Allmenroeder , who had fallen in combat . An RE - 8 of No . 4 Squadron and a Sopwith Triplane of No . 1 Naval Squadron were downed in early July before on 11 July Wolff was shot through the left hand by gunfire from a Sopwith Triplane flown by future ace Flight Sub - Lieutenant H . V . Rowley of No . 1 Naval Squadron RNAS . Wolff crash landed his aircraft on the Courtrai railway line . The crash ripped off the undercarriage and flipped the aircraft over . On 11 September 1917 Wolff returned to Jasta 11 from leave to recuperate from his injuries . Final fight . The first two Fokker Triplane prototypes had been allocated to Jagdgeschwader 1 . On his return , Wolff was eager to fly one of the prototypes in Richthofen ' s absence . Four days later , on 15 September he found his opportunity . Despite heavily overcast skies , he took off in Fokker Triplane # 102 / 17 , accompanied by " Leutnant " Carl von Schoenebeck flying an Albatros D . V . Meanwhile , eight Sopwith Camel s of No . 10 squadron Royal Naval Air Service , led by Flight Lieutenant Fitzgibbon , were escorting a number of DH - 4 bombers back to Allied lines . Somewhere in the vicinity of Moorslede , Belgium , Fitzgibbon spotted a flight of German Albatrosses below them and led half of his men to attack . The remaining Camels stayed with the bombers and were attacked by Wolff and Schoenebeck . The dog fight was intense though brief , and in the confusion the British pilots mistakenly thought that five Albatrosses and four triplanes were involved . As Wolff singled out a Camel , he was suddenly fired on from behind by Flight Sub - Lieutenant Norman MacGregor . MacGregor fired a quick burst , then had to zoom to avoid colliding with the Fokker . MacGregor reported : " " I got into a good position very close on one triplane - within 25 yards - and fired a good burst . I saw my tracers entering his machine . I next saw him going down in a vertical dive , apparently out of control . " " MacGregor would eventually claim some seven air kills and be awarded the DSC . In an interview after the war , Schoenebeck gave his own account : " " One day we flew both to the front . That was done often because a flight of 2 is harder to spot than a whole squadron . If one was smart enough to use the sun in one ' s back , the enemy could be easily surprised . Wolff was a smart leader and from the sun we attacked an enemy flight . Wolff was shooting brilliantly but got caught in a dogfight . I flew behind him , as suddenly another Englishman appeared behind me . I only was able to get rid of him with great difficulty . While I was busy shaking off the Englishman , another machine attacked Wolff from behind and before I could help I saw how Wolff was going down into a spin and hit the ground . So was Lt . Wolff , who had me for covering him and who had to protect myself , falling in front of my very eyes . I was deeply shocked . At his funeral I had to carry his cushion of decorations . " " It seems probable that Wolff was killed by MacGregor ' s bullets and was already dead when his Fokker Dr . I crashed and burst into flames north of Wervik at 17 . 30 hours ( German time ) . Wolff ' s remains were taken back to Memel for burial . Decorations . Kurt Wolff received the following medals :