Early life Wilhelm Reinhard was born in
Düsseldorf on 12 March 1891.
Military service Entering military service in 1909 as an officer cadet, Reinhard was assigned to the 14th Bavarian Foot Artillery Regiment. He was severely wounded in the leg in November 1914. Left unfit for service in the trenches, he was accepted for pilot training in the aviation branch, returning to active service in June 1915. Once assigned to a combat unit, Reinhard was seriously wounded a second time. Then he was posted to the Balkans with
Flieger-Abteilung 28 (Flier Detachment 28). In early 1917, he was returned to the
Western Front to attend fighter pilot training. On 24 June, he was transferred to
Jagdstaffel 11 (Fighter Squadron 11) and scored his first victory, over British ace
Geoffrey Hornblower Cock (taken POW). He was again wounded on 4 September 1917, having scored eight aerial victories with the squadron. When he returned to duty, he joined
Jagdstaffel 6 (Fighter Squadron 6) as Commanding Officer on 26 November 1917. He shot down a British foe on 4 January 1918, and followed up with five more wins by 12 April. Along the way, on 23 March 1918, he was promoted to
Hauptmann. Then the Red Baron,
Manfred von Richthofen was killed in action on 21 April; Reinhard succeeded to the Baron's command of
Jagdgeschwader 1 (Fighter Wing 1) the next day. He would shoot down eight more enemy planes while leading the
Jagdgeschwader, bringing his total aerial victories to 20 by 12 June 1918. As was customary, his 20th victory sparked his nomination for the
Pour le Mérite, Germany's greatest military honor.
Accidental death On 18 June 1918, Reinhard left his unit to travel to Berlin to attend fighter aircraft trials in nearby
Adlershof. On 3 July, after
Hermann Göring finished test flying a
Dornier-Zeppelin D.I, Reinhard took it up for a test flight. A strut broke, causing the upper wing to fail, and Reinhard plunged to his death. His death scotched his award of the
Pour le Mérite, which was not conferred posthumously. Wilhelm Reinhard was buried in his native Düsseldorf. ==Honors and awards==