Franz Wognar [SEP] conflict
Franz Wognar
Franz Wognar was an Austrian-Hungarian World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories who held the rank of "Offiziersstellvertreter".
Biography.
Franz Wognar was born in Nagyszombat, Hungary, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire; due to subsequent changes in national boundaries, his birthplace is in present-day Slovakia. His birthdate was 6 January 1890. He was of Slovakian heritage.
Wognar trained as a mechanic before enlisting in the Austro-Hungarian Army in 1913. He later transferred to
. He scored another victory on 1 May 1917 when he shot down another Nieuport. On 20 May, he was teamed with future ace Franz Graser for a morning patrol. They encountered an Italian SPAD fighter, which they shot down. Wognar was
wounded while scoring his third aerial victory, but his back wound did not keep him long from action. He signed himself out of hospital against medical advice after only ten days and returned to duty. He also received Austria-Hungary's supreme award, a Gold Bravery Medal