Otto Esswein [SEP] conflict
Otto Esswein
Offizierstellvertreter Otto Esswein was a German World War I flying ace credited with twelve aerial victories.
Early life.
Otto Esswein was born in Waiblingen, in the Kingdom of Württemberg within the German Empire, on 3 March 1890.
Aviation service.
Details of Esswein's entry into military service are not available. However, Esswein transferred from ground service to aviation in mid-1915. On 30 October 1917, he was assigned to Jagdstaffel 26. He scored his first victory, shooting down a Sopwith Camel on
, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross, scored over half of his 44 victories while commanding Jasta 26.
- The squadron's other winner of the "Blue Max" was Walter Blume, who also rated an Iron Cross.
- Otto Fruhner, leading ace of the Jasta with 27 wins, won the enlisted man's equivalent of the Blue Max, the Military Merit Cross (MMC]], as well as the Iron Cross.
- Erich Buder and Otto Esswein also won the MMC and Iron