As one of the most successful German fighter pilots of World War I, Hauptmann Rudolf Berthold was victorious on fortyfour aerial combats. He was also shot down and forced to land after six fights and survived crash landings in every case. Early in World War I, when only fighter pilots were awarded the Kingdom of Prussia's (and de facto, Imperial Germany's) highest bravery decoration, the Pour le Merite, Rudolf Berthold became the tenth recipient of the honour. Of that early cohort of air heroes, only Berthold and one other pilot survived the war. This book tells his remarkable story.