Wilhem Gisbert
Groos
Male
Germany
1894-08-10
Koblenz, Germany
1997-00-00
Köln, Germany
From wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Gisbert_Groos
Wilhelm Gisbert Groos (often written Gisbert Wilhelm) was a German World War One flying ace credited with seven aerial victories. He was the son of Dr Ernst Gisbert Karl Julius Georg Groos and Laura Maria Groos (née Colsman.) Wilhelm Gisbert Groos was admitted to the Prussian Cadet Corps and later served in an Uhlan Regiment. While an Ensign before World War One, he had been training to compete in the 3,000 metre race at the 1916 Summer Olympics.
Groos received his pilot’s licence from the Halberstadt Civil Flying School. He joined Jasta 4 in May 1917. (‘Jasta’ is short for Jagdstaffel, a Fighter Squadron in the Royal Prussian airforce.) On 17 May 1917, Groos scored his first victory while flying over Droucourt, France, against a British Sopwith triplane. Shortly afterwards, on 24 May, he was transferred to Jasta 11. He is credited with achieving five further victories between 24 June and 23 August 1917.
After Wilhelm Reinhard was wounded, Groos was briefly given command of Jasta 11 between 6-11 September 1917. He relinquished command when Kurt Wolff returned from leave. Groos was wounded on 14 September and Wolff was killed the following day. After Wolff’s death, Groos briefly reassumed command again between 15 and 25 September 1917 until Lothar von Richthofen was given the position.
After Groos recovered, he was appointed to a position within Jastaschule II in Nivelles. However, he returned to Jasta 11 on 10 July 1918 for a short time when there was a shortage of pilots. On 1 August 1918, he scored his last victory, against a British SPAD aircraft. Shortly afterwards, he returned to Jastaschule II on 16 September and remained there for the rest of the war.
Gross retired from the Luftstreitkräfte after the war. He married three times and had two sons, Manfred Wilhelm and Ernst Gisbert. He became the director of the Westdeutschen Steinzeug-Werke, a ceramics company located in Euskirchen in North Rhine-Westphalia.
In 1994, Wilhelm Gisbert Groos celebrated his 100th birthday. He died in 1997 near Cologne/Bonn, at around 103 years old. At the time of his death he was the last surviving member of Jasta 11.
1913 - 1926
1
13
5
1926 - Championships of Krefeld (Amateur)
Round 1
Dr Guido Maly 1 *
Wilhem Gisbert Groos
?
Quarterfinals
Wilhem Gisbert Groos 1 *
Hans Groos
w.o.
Semifinals
Wilhem Gisbert Groos 1 *
Emil Hohrath
6-3
ret.
Final
Wilhem Gisbert Groos 1 *
Dr Hans Oskar Behrens
6-1
6-0
6-0
Round 3
Wilhem Gisbert Groos 1 *
Dr. Walter Hungerberg
6-1
6-1
Quarterfinals
Wilhem Gisbert Groos 1 *
Otto Thümmel
6-0
6-2
Semifinals
Willi Hannemann 1 *
Wilhem Gisbert Groos
6-1
6-2
Round 3
Otto Froitzheim 1 *
Wilhem Gisbert Groos
6-3
6-2
Quarterfinals
Georg Demasius 1 *
Wilhem Gisbert Groos
6-0
6-1
Quarterfinals
Martin E. Zander 1 *
Wilhem Gisbert Groos
6-0
6-0
Final
Moritz von Bissing 1 *
Wilhem Gisbert Groos
6-1
1-0
ret.
Final
George Logie 1 *
Wilhem Gisbert Groos
?
Final
Claus Herberg 1 *
Wilhem Gisbert Groos
6-4
6-0
6-2