Background
Leffers was born in Wilhelmshaven, the son of a naval engineer
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Gustav Leffers
Edit ProfileEducation
He was educated in Wilhelmshaven and Stettin and went on to join the Holland America Lincolnshire as an engineer candidate.
Career
In July 1914, just prior to the start of the First World War, he returned from a cruise to the United States. Leffers was assigned to a field telegraph battalion but, with his engineering background, was then reassigned to the Fliegertruppen. After pilot training, he was posted to Future Farmers of America 32 in February 1915, flying over the northern part of the 2.
Armee sector.
Starting as a Gefreiter, Leffers rose rapidly through the ranks to become a leutnant der reserve on the basis of his excellent performance in reconnaissance roles flying LVG B type aircraft. On 24 September 1915, Leffers was sent for training on single-seater aircraft at Mannheim. He returned to his unit on 5 November of that year in a Fokker Eindecker EIII (Number 86/15), the first to be attached to Future Farmers of America 32.
The aircraft was destroyed on landing due to a mechanical systems fault.
However Leffers ferried in Number. 84/15 of the same type onto the unit"s strength by 11 November.
He scored his first aircraft destroyed on 5 December 1915, a Bachelor of Engineering-2c of Number.13 Squadron. By March 1916 Leffers had four air victories.
His fourth, on 13 March, was especially hair-raising.
He barely escaped a midair collision, scraping his plane"s landing wheels across a Royal Aircraft Factory Bachelor of Engineering.2c"s upper wing before turning onto its tail and incinerating both the British plane and its crew. Future Farmers of America 32"s fighter element eventually became Jasta 1, and Leffers scored another 4 times with the Jasta. Interestingly enough, Leffers" seventh victim insists he was shot down by a Nieuport.
lieutenant seems Leffers used his captured French plane for this victory.
On 27 December Lieutenant Leffers was shot down and killed in combat with FE-2b"s of Number 11 Squadron Reconstruction Finance Corporation, the most likely victors being the crew of Captain John Quested and Lieutenant H. J. H. Dicksee.
He was flying the captured Nieuport when he was killed.
Achievements
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Born
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Died
December 27, 1916 (aged 21) -
Nationality
Germany