Franz Rudorfer

Oberleutnant Franz Rudorfer was a World War I flying ace credited with eleven confirmed and two unconfirmed aerial victories.

World War I
Rudorfer had volunteered for service before World War I began. He was posted to Infanterieregiment No. 59 as a new leutnant in August 1916. In May 1917, he requested transfer to aviation. His first posting after observer training at Wiener-Neustadt was Flik 19J on the Italian front, under the command of Adolf Heyrowsky. Here he scored his first victory, becoming a balloon buster on 15 November 1917. It was also during his Flik 19J assignment that Rudorfer began to teach himself to fly.

In April 1918, he was posted to Flik 51J to fly Albatros D.III fighters. Between 17 April and 27 October 1918, he reeled off confirmed victories over eight enemy airplanes and two more observation balloons, along with two unconfirmed. During the crucial Battle of Vittorio Veneto, Rudorfer was one of the few Austro-Hungarians flying, bringing down a balloon on 24 October, and a couple of Sopwith Camels on the 27th.

Postwar
In December 1918, Rudorfer received his pilot's certification. He joined the Ukrainian Military Air Service as a volunteer on 10 December 1918 and took part in the Polish-Ukrainian war, flying a Nieuport 23 fighter aircraft. On 25 May 1919 he escaped in this aircraft (together with another aviator piloting a Lloyd C.V) to the territory of Czechoslovakia (town of Košice). The pilots were arrested and the aircraft were impounded.

He died of unknown causes on 13 November 1919.