Walter von Bülow - Bothkamp Leutnant Walter von Bülow - Bothkamp ( alternate spelling Bothcamp ) ( 24 April 1894 – 6 January 1918 ) , Pour le Merite , Military Order of Saint Henry , Iron Cross was a German fighter ace from an aristocratic family who was credited with 28 victories . Early life . Walter von Bülow - Bothkamp was born at Borby , now a part of Eckernförde in Schleswig - Holstein , Germany . He was the second eldest son in his family ; there would be two younger brothers . All four of them would serve their country during World War I , with three of them dying in service . Bülow - Bothkamp graduated from the Baccalaureate High School in Plon , Schleswig - Holstein in 1912 . He then traveled for six months in Great Britain and Switzerland . After his " wanderjahr " he settled in to study law at the University of Heidelberg . He also joined a student corps there . In August 1914 , he and his younger brother Conrad joined Braunschweige Hussars Regiment 17 ( the Deaths Head Hussars ) . In January 1915 , he accompanied his unit to the front in southern Alsace . Early Flying Service . Walter von Bülow - Bothkamp was commissioned as a leutnant ( lieutenant ) in April 1915 and applied for pilot ' s training in the " Luftstreitkräfte " ( German air service ) . Along with his brother Conrad , he trained in Replacement Division 5 in Hanover from 15 April through 15 September 1915 . Bülow - Bothkamp was originally posted to FA 22 , which was an aviation squadron organized for aerial reconnaissance , observation , and direction of artillery on the Western Front . Although flying an AEG G . II two - seated observation plane , he managed to down enemy two seaters on consecutive days , 10 and 11 October 1915 . He served with FA 22 until 14 March 1916 . After an award of the Iron Cross First Class for his victories in October , his transfer to FA 300 took him to the Middle East to continue his reconnaissance duties in support of a German ally , the Ottoman Empire . He flew on the Palestinean front and was wounded on 13 June 1916 . In a letter home from the hospital in Jerusalem , he joked about his shoulder wound being as inconsequential as a dueling scar suffered at university . After his discharge from hospital on 1 July , he won twice more near El Arish , with a fifth victory unconfirmed . His courage and aggressiveness earned him a transfer to piloting fighter planes . He left FA 300 on 7 December 1916 and joined a Prussian fighter squadron , Jagdstaffel 18 Fighter Service . Bülow - Bothkamp shot down two enemy aircraft on 23 January 1917 and another the following day , to start his and Jasta 18 ' s victory roll . By 10 May , when he transferred out of Jasta 18 , his total stood at 13 . Appointed to Leadership . He was then appointed Commanding Officer of Jagdstaffel 36 . He promptly shot down two French observation balloons at Bouvancourt on 21 May . A hip wound kept him from scoring for a while , before he began a steady accumulation of triumphs that would extend from 6 July to 2 December . During this stretch , on 8 October , after 21 victories , he was awarded the highest decoration of both Prussia and the German Empire , the Pour le Merite . On 29 October , he went on leave until 7 November , leaving Hans Hoyer in temporary command of the squadron . On 2 December , he killed Lieutenant Harry G . E . Luchford of No . 20 Squadron RAF when he shot down his Bristol F . 2 Fighter . This was Bülow - Bothkamp ' s 28th and final victory . On 13 December 1917 , he was transferred to being Commanding Officer of a more prestigious unit , Jagdstaffel 2 , Oswald Boelcke ' s old unit . On 6 January 1918 , Walter von Bülow - Bothkamp led his wingmen into a dogfight against No . 23 and No . 70 Squadron s of the Royal Flying Corps near Ypres . He did not survive . RFC aces Captain Frank G . Quigley and Captain William M . Fry are believed to be his conquerors . Walter was buried in his family chateau ' s cemetery . He joined his brother Frederick , killed in action in 1914 . Within the year , Conrad would join them .