Karl von Gorrissen

; Karl von Gorrissen

KARL von GORRISSEN
1888-1918

I need a photo of him. If you can help, please contact me.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
via email from Dwight R. Messimer, 1-28-05      Karl von Gorrissen was born in Hamburg on 4 August 1888. His father was Ebert von Gorrissen, Gross Kaufmann and General Consul for Baden. His father died in 1899. His mother was Orleana von Gorrissen nee von Wissenfels. She died in 1895.
     His younger brother George von Gorrissen [1892-1918] was a Leutnant der Reserve in artillery during WWI. He was KIA in 1918.
     His older brother was Ellery von Gorrissen, a noted early German pilot who held many flying records. In 1934 Ellery joined the Allegeime-SS and was appointed Sturmbahführer in 1933 and Obersturmbahnführer in 1934.
Karl entered the Kaiserliche-Marine on 3 April 1907 and was commissioned Leutnant zur See 28 September 1910. He was awarded German Pilot’s License No. 178 on 9 April 1912 and promoted to Oberleutnant zur See 27 September 1913. Karl won the Prussian Order of the Crown 4th Class prior to WWI for his flying skill
     He was 26 years old when the war started. He was taken POW with his observer, Erich Killinger, on 6 April 1915 at Libau on the Baltic, after the propeller separated from their Rumpler 4B and was sent to a POW camp in Siberia
     On 3 December 1917, the revolutionary government in Russia arranged an armistice with Germany. On February 1918, he was released from the POW camp and returned to Germany
     He was promoted to Kapitänleutnant zur See on 17 March 1918, back dated to 26 April 1917. He was assigned to Fliegerabteilung I at Wärnemunde until 17 July 1918 when his airplane suffered mechanical failure and crashed into the North Sea two Kilometers off List on Sylt.
Dwight R. Messimer

Karl von Gorrissen died in a crash on .July 17, 1918
Personal communication from Dwight R. Messimer, 1-28-05

If you have any information on this pioneer aviator
please contact me.
E-mail to Ralph Cooper

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