Otto Fruhner

Who was Otto Fruhner?

Generalmajor Otto Fruhner MMC, IC was a German World War I flying ace credited with 27 victories. He was one of the first aviators to parachute from a stricken aircraft.

Beginning as a lowly enlisted mechanic in late 1914, Fruhner rose into the officer's ranks. He was eligible for Germany's highest officer's decoration for valor, the Pour le Merite, when Kaiser Wilhelm II's abdication scotched the award and the German military largely disbanded after its defeat.

Fruhner would return to his nation's service to join the nascent Luftwaffe as a major in 1935. He would serve in various training commands throughout World War II, rising to become a Generalmajor.