Ernst Hess Leutnant Ernst Hess HOH IC was a World War I flying ace credited with 17 confirmed and four unconfirmed aerial victories . Hess was one of a few World War I pilots involved in aviation prewar , as he gained his civil pilot ' s license on 26 September 1913 . He was already enrolled in " Die Fliegertruppes " ( The Flying Troops ) of the Imperial German Army when World War I began . He qualified for his military pilot ' s license on 21 November 1914 , and was launched on his flying career as one of Germany ' s first fighter pilot s . He would score his first aerial victory in tandem with Oswald Boelcke on 5 January 1916 . He would rotate through four assignments before scoring a dozen victories within July – September 1917 while flying an Albatros D . V a for " Jagdstaffel 28 " . On 19 September 1917 , he was promoted to command of " Jagdstaffel 19 " . He had just been appointed to command of a " Jagdgruppe " ( fighter group ) being formed by Germany ' s First Army when he was killed in combat on 23 December 1917 . Biography . Ernst Hess was born on 8 January 1893 in Wiesbaden in the German Empire . His education led him into engineering , and he became interested in flying . He trained as a pilot , receiving Pilot ' s License 535 on 26 September 1913 . On 1 October 1913 , he joined " Luftschiffer " Battalion Nr . 3 . On 1 April 1914 , he was forwarded to " Feldflieger Abteilung " ( Field Flier Detachment ) 3 to train as a military pilot . World War I began even as he trained . On 21 November 1914 , he earned his military pilot ' s badge . He then joined " Flieger - Abteilung " ( Flier Detachment ) 9 as an " Unteroffizier " , when they were operating in the vicinities of Lille and Arras , France . On 24 June 1915 , he was promoted into the officer ' s ranks as a " Leutnant " . He moved to Douai to join FA 62 , and its co - located ad hoc fighter detachment , " Kampfeinsitzerkommando " ( Combat Single - Seater Command ) Douai . Hess joined Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann there . Hess scored a victory for KEK Douai on 5 January 1916 in conjunction with Oswald Boelcke , and another for " Fokkerstaffel C " on 22 June 1916 . On 1 July , he transferred yet again , to " Fokkerstaffel Sivry " . There were other unrecorded reassignments for Hess , then a stint as an original member of one of the first real German fighter squadrons , " Jagdstaffel 10 " , before he was assigned to instructor duty back in Germany . However , Ernst Hess did not hit his stride until assigned to Royal Württemberg " Jagdstaffel 28 " on 12 June 1917 . In July , August , and September 1917 , he reeled off a dozen confirmed wins for them , with three others going unconfirmed . One of his confirmed victories , on 9 August 1917 , was over Australian ace Cecil Roy Richards . Hess then transferred to Royal Prussian " Jagdstaffel 19 " as their " Staffelführer " and won three victories for them flying an Albatros D . V a before being killed in action by a French pilot in a Nieuport on 23 December 1917 . Hess had just been notified of his further promotion to command of a " jagdgruppe " ( fighter group ) being formed by First Army . Ernst Hess was buried in the Südfriedhof Cemetery in his native Wiesbaden .