Theodor Croneiss
{{more citations needed|date=December 2016}}
{{Infobox military person
| name =Theodor Croneiss
| image =Theodor_Croneiss_1894-1942_Flieger_pilot_DLV_Deutscher_Luftsport-Verband_Luftwaffe_early_uniform_Kaiserreich_u_Osmanisches_Fliegerabzeichen_EK_Bandschnallen_usw_Nazi_Germany_NARA_id_162123486_Unrestricted_No_known_copyright_242-HF-0918.jpg
| caption =Theodor Croneiss in Deutscher Luftsportverband Uniform ca. 1934
| birth_date = 18 December 1894
| death_date = {{d-da|7 November 1942|18 December 1894}}
| placeofburial_label =
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| nickname =Theo
| allegiance =Germany
| branch =Flying service
| serviceyears =ca 1915 - 1918
| rank =Oberleutnant
| unit =Feldflieger Abteilung 6
| commands =
| battles =
| awards =Iron Cross, House Order of Hohenzollern
| relations =
| laterwork =Test pilot for Messerschmitt
}}
Oberleutnant Theodor Croneiss (18 December 1894 – 7 November 1942) was a World War I fighter pilot credited with five aerial victories.
World War I service
Croneiss was one of the German pilots assigned to duty with Germany's allies, the Ottoman Empire.Franks et al 1993, pp. 94-95. As such, he was assigned to Feldflieger Abteilung 6, which was also known as the Jasta Chanak Kale—Turkei as early as late 1915 or early 1916. His first aerial victory came on 7 January 1916, when he downed a Farman bomber over El Sedd-ul-Bahr. The next day, he downed a Royal Naval Air Service Voisin III LAS in the vicinity of Cape Helles. On 4 February 1916, his victory was over a reconnaissance two-seater at Baba-Tepe, off Imbros.
On 24 January 1918, Croneiss shot down a Sopwith over the Gulf of Saros. His fifth victory came on 23 May 1918, when he destroyed a Sopwith fighter. He was subsequently decorated with the Iron Cross First Class and the Knight's Cross of the House Order of Hohenzollern in August 1918.Note: The second class Iron Cross was awarded before the first class.
Post World War I
Having survived the war as an Oberleutnant, Croneiss became a sporting aviator. He became director of a flying club that sponsored Willy Messerschmitt. Croneiss piloted one of Messerschmitt's early designs, the M-21, to win the designer a 60,000 Reichsmark prize. In 1928–1929, Croneiss won the East Prussia Flying Trophy with the M-23 model. He later evolved into a test pilot for the Messerschmitt Company.
Awards and decorations
- Iron Cross of 1914, 2nd class (2 January 1915) and 1st class (26 September 1916)
- Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern with Swords (6 August 1918)
- War Merit Cross, 2nd class (1942)
- Liyakat Medal
- Imtiyaz Medal
- Order of the Medjidieh
- Ottoman War Medal (Turkish: Harp Madalyası), "Gallipoli Star" or "Iron Crescent"{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}
Sources of information
{{Reflist|2}}
References
- Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank W.; Guest, Russell. Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918. Grub Street, 1993. {{ISBN|0-948817-73-9}}, {{ISBN|978-0-948817-73-1}}.
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Category:German World War I flying aces
Category:Luftstreitkräfte personnel
Category:People from Schweinfurt
Category:Recipients of the Imtiyaz Medal
Category:Recipients of the Liakat Medal
Category:Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie