Eduard Ritter von Schleich Eduard Ritter von Schleich ( August 9 , 1888 – November 15 , 1947 ) , né Eduard - Maria Joseph Schleich was a high scoring Bavarian flying ace of World War I . He was credited with 35 aerial victories at the end of the war . During World War II , he served in the " Luftwaffe " as a general . Early life . Born in Munich , Bavaria to an artist his family soon moved to the spa city of Bad Tölz . After he finished school Schleich decided to enroll to a cadet program in the Bavarian Army and eventually earned a commission with the 11th Bavarian Infantry Regiment in 1909 . Prior to the outbreak of World War I , Schleich was plagued with medical problems and released from active duty . He volunteered again and on 25 August 1914 was badly wounded in the Battle of Lorraine . World War I . While he was recovering from his wounds he decided to volunteer in the Royal Bavarian Air Service , and was accepted for training as an observer . After service with FEA 1 on two seaters , he applied for pilot training and qualified in September 1915 , he joined FA 2b in October 1915 , and in January 1916 during an observation flight , Schleich was wounded in the arm by an exploding anti - aircraft shell . Instead of returning to base , Schleich had his crewman bandage his wound while still in the air and then continued to complete his assignment . He was decorated with the Iron Cross First Class for this action . The wound meant he did not see further service until September , when he assumed command of " Fliegerschule 1 " . He joined Jasta 21 in May 1917 , and commanded the unit from June onwards . Prior to his leadership , Jasta 21 had a lacklustre combat record and low morale , but under Oberleutnant von Schleich within a month the Jasta had downed 36 enemy aircraft , 19 credited to Schleich personally . When his best friend on the Jasta , Leutnant Erich Limpert was killed in a dogfight , Schleich ordered his plane to be painted all black . This black plane soon led to Schleich being dubbed ' The Black Knight ' . Ongoing Prussian and Bavarian political arguments over a non - prussian commanding a Prussian fighter unit caused a new Bavarian Jasta to be formed and Schleich was re - assigned to command Jasta 32 in October 1917 , with his tally at 25 . He was awarded the Order Pour le Mérite in December , and after a spell commanding " Jastaschule 1 " , on 15 March he took command of " Jagdgruppe Nr . 8 " , a collection of Jastas 23 , 34 and 35 , in the last month of the war he commanded Jasta 21 . By the war ' s end his score was 35 . Post war . Von Schleich was briefly hospitalised in Bad Reichenhall regaining his strength after many years of combat . In 1919 , he was assigned to as Inspector with the Bavarian Air Service , an aviation unit of the Bavarian State Police . In April 1919 , The German Communist Party forcibly gained control of Munich , and von Schleich was marked for immediate arrest and trial . Government troops were able to oust the Communists the following month , returning Bavaria once again to the Weimar Republic . After a short stint as a pilot with the Bavarian Police , von Schleich became a liaison officer with the Army Peace Commission , responsible for the implementation of the Armistice terms . Demobilised in December 1921 , von Schleich worked as a peat farmer , and later as a Lufthansa airline pilot . Leaving the airlines in 1929 , he started a flying club in Munich . He joined the Nazi Party in 1931 , and at the same time became a member of the " SS - Fliegerstaffel " , a paramilitary flying organization . He was given control of the Hitler Youth flying programmes , and promoted to General . With the creation of the Luftwaffe in 1935 , von Schleich returned to military service as a Major overseeing the training of air reserve units and of dive - bombing pilots . He was then assigned to command the new " Jagdgeschwader 234 " in 1937 . Von Schleich was promoted to " Oberst " and assigned to " Jagdgeschwader 132 " ‘ Schlageter ’ , tasked with defending the western frontier of Germany . Re - designated in 1939 as Jagdgeschwader 26 , the wing saw only limited service during the initial phases of World War II . World War II . As a Generalmajor von Schleich became the commander of the fighter pilot school ( " Jagdfliegerschule 5 " ) at Wien - Schwechat , Austria in December 1939 . In late 1940 when he was sent to Romania to the Luftwaffe Mission , assisting in the organization and training of the Romanian Air Force . In mid 1941 Von Schleich then became Commander of the Occupation Forces in Denmark , spending nearly two and one - half years there . Von Schleich ’ s final assignment was Luftwaffe Ground Forces Commander in Norway , a post he held until late 1944 . The regional command was disbanded in September , nine months after von Schleich arrived . Placed onto the reserve list in mid - November , von Schleich eventually retired as a Generalleutnant . Held by British forces after the war , he died in custody on 15 November 1947 , aged 59 years , from a heart condition . Von Schleich was buried in Diessen am Ammersee , near Munich .