Erwin Böhme (29 July 1879 – 29 November 1917) was a German World War I fighter ace credited with 24 aerial victories.

After serving his mandated military service in 1899, and earning a civil engineering degree, he moved to Switzerland for three years of mountaineering.

During Böhme's combat career, he was a friend and eventual subordinate to Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron.

He died five days after receiving notice that he had won the German Empire's highest award for valor, the Pour le Merite.

[3] Though Böhme was the oldest student in training, he passed flight school at the top of his class in December 1914.

[2] In late November 1915, prompted by his request for a transfer, Erwin Böhme was posted to a tactical bomber unit, Kampfstaffel 10 (Battle Squadron 10), at Mörchingen.

Shortly thereafter, Oswald Boelcke dropped in to visit his brother, flying a Fokker bearing combat damage.

Director Heinrich Brüning and his wife were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary when an airplane landed in a nearby meadow.

[4] On 2 August 1916, Böhme scored his first accredited aerial victory, killing Franco-Latvian ace Eduard Pulpe after an extended fight.

[2] Eight days later, while Oswald Boelcke was on an official visit to his elder brother at Kampfstaffel 10, a telegram was received authorizing the establishment of the first German fighter squadrons, or Jagdstaffeln.

Oswald Boelcke was given command of Jagdstaffel 2 (Fighter Squadron 2), with a free hand to choose his pilots for the new unit.

The first pilot recruited from Wilhelm's unit for the new Jagdstaffel 2 was Erwin Böhme; the second was his squadronmate, Manfred von Richthofen.

[5] In turn, Böhme gave his opinion of Boelcke in one of his letters home:[6] "...as remarkable as it is that I am 37 and he is just 25 years old—I look up to him as a man and I am proud that a friendly relationship has grown between us."

Even as Boelcke scored his final run of 21 aerial victories during September and October 1916, Böhme, flying as his wingman, shot down four more British airplanes.

[8] The following day, as Boelcke flew his sixth combat patrol, he was accompanied by Böhme, Richthofen, and three other pilots.

As the speed of the aircraft tore the covering from the wing spars, Boelcke spiraled to his death while Böhme looked on helplessly.

[9] A distraught Erwin Böhme returned to base and wrecked his airplane while landing with a damaged undercarriage.

Though no one blamed Böhme for Boelcke's death, the feeling he was responsible for killing his best friend would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Victim number eight fell the day after Christmas; this "kill" was future ace William Henry Hubbard, who actually escaped though wounded.

For one of his two victims, Böhme shot down another ace, William Curphey, who survived a head wound.

The following day, as he wrote to Annamarie of his encounter with a Sopwith Pup pilot:[14] I find myself in a field hospital because of a malevolent Englishman who by all rights should no longer be alive, who treacherously shot me in the left arm.

Faced with the prospect of leading his new command into battle in Flanders, Böhme transferred out the inept, imported talented replacements, and educated the undertrained.

[2] Then, on 23 September, Böhme suffered the loss of another friend, Werner Voss, who was killed battling eight British aces.

New Zealander William Harrison was fished from his plane's wreckage, and joined Böhme for coffee in his squadron's mess before being removed to prison.

Böhme's award of the German Empire's most prestigious order, the Pour le Merite, was approved on 24 November.

On the morning of 29 November, Böhme jotted his last note in the prolific correspondence with Annamarie:[27] My love.

[27] On Böhme's second sortie of the day, he shot down an enemy fighter for his 24th and final accredited victory.

I was pretty sure I had hit his petrol tank....Leycester (Pattern's observer)...was still blazing away...using tracer....When I caught sight of the Albatros again, it was burning like a torch....I saw the German pilot looking down over the side of the cockpit.

Annamarie's letter was removed from his body as a keepsake before the British buried him with full military honors in the cemetery at Keerslaarhoek, Belgium.

[29] Meanwhile, in the official mail on Böhme's desk that awaited his return from flying his last mission was the packet that contained his actual Pour le Merite medal.