Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia (Tassilo Wilhelm Humbert Leopold Friedrich Karl; 6 April 1893 – 6 April 1917) was a German prince and competitive horseman who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics.
Early life and ancestry Prince Friedrich Karl was born in Schloss Klein-Glienicke, Potsdam, Berlin, as a member of the House of Hohenzollern, that ruled over the German Empire. He was the son of Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia (1865–1931) and Princess Louise Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (1866–1952) and a grandson of Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia.
Olympics He was a member of the 1912 German Olympic equestrian team, which won a bronze medal in the team jumping event. His horse during the Olympic competition was "Gibson Boy".
Military career He fought in World War I as an aviator between 1914 and 1917. He commanded Fliegerabteilung (Artillerie) 258, an artillery spotting unit, but flew patrols in a single-seat fighter with Jasta Boelcke whenever possible. During one such patrol, on 21 March 1917, he was forced to land because of a bullet in his engine and with a slight wound to his foot, suffered in combat with Fl Lt Charles Edward Murray Pickthorn. He landed his Albatross aircraft in no-man's land, but while running towards his own lines, he was shot in the back and severely wounded by Australian troops. He was taken into captivity.
Death During the captivity, he died from his injuries on 6 April 1917 (his 24th birthday) at Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray.
His body was buried in the Cimetière, Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray.http://www.royaltyguide.nl/families/fam-H/hohenzollern/hhzkings2.htm
Friedrich Karl's mother later told a friend that upon learning of her son's death, Kaiser Wilhelm II sent the family a two-word telegram, reading only: "Noblesse oblige."Diary of A Man In Despair, by Friedrich Percyval Reck-Malleczewen, Translated by Paul Rubens, Duckworth Literary Entertainments, London, UK, 2000, p. 140
In 1927, his remains were transferred to the Hohenzollern family crypt at Klein Glienicke, Potsdam, Berlin, Germany.http://www.royaltyguide.nl/countries/germany/B/berlin/klglienicke.htm
Regimental commissions 1. Garderegiment zu Fuß (1st Regiment of Foot Guards), Leutnant à la suite from 1903; Leutnant by 1908.Schench, G. Handbuch über den Königlich Preuβischen Hof und Staat fur das Jahr 1908. Berlin, Prussia, 1907. Fliegerabteilung (Artillerie) 258 (artillery aerial observer squadron), squadron commander, 1917.
Chivalric orders Source: Knight, Order of the Black Eagle, 1903 Knight Grand Cross (with Crown), Order of the Red Eagle, 1903 Knight, First Class, Prussian Crown Order, 1903 Knight Grand Commander, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, ca 1903
Military decorations (1914–1917) Iron Cross, Second Class Iron Cross, First Class Flugzeugführerabzeichen (Pilot's qualification badge), ca. 1917
Gallery
Ancestry
See also List of Olympians killed in World War I
References
External links
Information about Fliegerabteilung 258 & von Preußen