Hans-Joachim Buddecke (22 August 1890 – 10 March 1918) was a German Ace, credited with thirteen victories. He was the third, after Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelcke, to earn the Blue Max (Pour le Mérite). He saw combat in three theaters: Bulgaria, Turkey, and the Western Front.
He was then sent to Gallipoli to fly Halberstadt D.II and Fokker E.III scouts with Ottoman FA 6 against the Royal Naval Air Service. After a successful campaign in Turkey, with four victories confirmed and seven unconfirmed, Buddecke was recalled to the Western Front in late August 1916 as leader of one of the newly formed Jagdstaffeln (specialised fighter squadrons), Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 4. After three kills during September, he again left for Turkey to fly with Ottoman FA 5. By early 1918 he was back in France with Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 30, before switching to Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 18.
However, within a few days Buddecke was killed during an aerial combat above Lens, France on 10 March 1918, victim to Sopwith Camels of Naval 3, RNAS. Hans-Joachim Buddecke is buried at the Invalidenfriedhof Cemetery in Berlin
(via wafflekrieg)
