Max Immelmann

German airman. He laid the foundation of German fighter tactics in World War 1, and originated the Immelmann turn - a half-loop followed by a half-roll. He was killed in action.

Max Immelmann (September 21, 1890 - June 18, 1916) was a German World War I Flying ace.

He was born in Dresden, the son of a paper board container factory owner.

When World War I started, Immelmann was recalled to active service, transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte and was sent for pilot training in November 1914.

An aerobatic maneuver consisting of a half loop followed by a half roll on top, used to rapidly reverse the direction of flight, is now called an Immelmann turn. It is not at all certain that Immelmann performed the maneuver owing to limitations of his airplane, the Fokker Eindecker monoplane. The Immelmann loop, found on some steel roller coasters, is named after him as well.

Immelmann was the first pilot to be awarded the Pour le Mérite, Germany's highest military honour. The medal became known as the Blue Max in honor of Immelmann.

Immelmann was killed in combat over Sallaumines in northern France on June 18, 1916. Some sources, including the German Air Service at the time, claimed the loss was due to (friendly) anti-aircraft artillery. Others, including his brother, believed his aircraft's interrupter mechanism (which was designed to prevent his through-the-propeller machinegun from damaging the propeller blades) had catastrophically malfunctioned. According to the official British account he was shot down by an F.E.2b aircraft of 25 Squadron Royal Flying Corps, flown by Second Lieutenant G.R.

Immelmann was credited with 17 victories.