After WWI ended, Germany was banned from having an air force. But Emil Thuy was one of the WWI aces who helped his country revive its air force. Born on March 11, 1894, in Hagen, Germany, Thuy volunteered as a combat engineer in August 1914. After six weeks of basic training, he was sent into combat. In November 1914, he was badly wounded and was declared unfit for further military service. He then transferred to the German Air Force and, in July 1915, joined FFA 53, a reconnaissance unit. He flew a two-seater plane in this unit, which was designed for reconnaissance roles but not suitable for combat. However, Emil Thuy scored his first victory while flying this reconnaissance two-seater on September 8, 1915, when he shot down an EA aircraft, and developed an interest in becoming a fighter pilot.
Ace Journey of Emil Thuy
On November 1, 1916, Emil Thuy began fighter pilot training, and after training, he was transferred to Jasta 21, where he flew an Albatros fighter. After three weeks of further training, he was made a Lieutenant in the reserves on March 27, 1917. His second victory came on April 16, 1917, followed by one each in June and July. On August 10, he destroyed a balloon and officially became an ace, followed by three more victories in August. After scoring six victories in September, he was transferred to command Jasta 28, where he scored one more victory that month, bringing his total to 15. He scored two more victories in 1917 to end the year at a score of 17. In 1918, he scored one victory in January before being injured in a crash on February 2, 1918. He returned to the front in late February and scored one victory in March, followed by one in May, two each in June and July, three in August, four in September, and three in October, ending his war at a personal score of 35. In WWI, Emil Thuy was awarded the Pour le Mérite, commonly known as ‘Blue Max,’ the Knight’s Cross of the Military Merit Order of Württemberg, the House Order of Hohenzollern, and the Iron Cross, First and Second Class. Among his 35 victories, 11 were SPADs, nine were Sopwith Camels, four each were EA and S.E.5a aircraft, two were Caudrons, one each was AR2, D.H.4, D.H.9, and R.E.8 aircraft, and a balloon.
Postwar Life and Death
After the war, Emil Thuy continued his studies and graduated. He then joined his father at the family’s factory in Hagen. While working there, he also wrote papers about aviation. As a result, he received a job offer from Siemens-Schuckert to serve as a technical consultant for the Finnish Air Force. Thuy was also part of a paramilitary veterans group called Der Stahlhelm. The group was linked to the German National People’s Party. He took an active role in resisting the French and Belgian occupation of the Ruhr. In early 1923, he went to Finland as a senior lieutenant. He led the aerial gunnery department at the Finnish Air Force Flying School and left on August 16, 1924. The Treaty of Versailles prevented Germany from having an air force. To work around this, Germany set up a secret training base in the Soviet Union at the Lipetsk fighter-pilot school in 1924. Emil Thuy was given the chance to serve there and accepted. On June 11, 1930, Thuy died when his plane crashed near Smolensk. He was flying a secret Albatros L 76 reconnaissance airplane from Moscow to Berlin on a mission. In the Aces series, Emil Thuy was a brave ace who loved his country. His leadership skills also helped him secure various jobs and experiences after WWI. Emil Thuy loved aviation and held on to it until his last breath. Read stories about other Aces HERE.
