1895-1933 AKA Carlos Meyer Baldó & Captain Carlos Meyer Baldo |
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| He was born in Maracaibo, (Zulia state), in 1895 and thirteen years later, moved with his family to reside in Hamburg (Germany). When the European conflict broke out in 1914, he enlisted as a foreign volunteer in the Cavalry Dragoons Regiment Nº09 of the German Army.One year later having served with fearlessness and valor on the Russian front, he was awarded the rank of Lieutenant. Later, he entered the Gotha School of Military Aviation, Fea-3, and in spite of having to master an entirely different weapon of war, he earned his Wings in May of 1917 and joined Battle Squadron Nº11. This unit, together with numbers 4, 6 and 10, constituted the world famous Squadron of the Ace of Aces, Baron Manfred von Richtofen (Red Baron). His aerial victories earned him The Iron Cross of the Second and First Class, the Hanseatic Cross and the Cup to the winner of Air combats. |
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Having met the rigorous requirements of the German Army, he returned to Venezuela in 1928. The government honored
his military rank as a Flying Lieutenant, named him Subinspector of Aerial Weapons and sent him on a technical trip of discovery to
the United States. His purpose was to observe and report on the progress of the rising North American aviation at the Aerial
Institutes of Mitchell Field, Roosevelt Field, Randolph Field, Shreveport, Selman Field and Wright Field. Their findings were reported
in great detail in their remarkable publication Trip of Studies.
He died tragically at 38 years of age, November 27, 1933, while he was piloting a Stearman airplane from the Maracay Airfield in Aragua State. |
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"Meyer was a heroic champion in the Great War in the service of the German nation; He was a member of the glorious Death Squadron,
commanded by Baron von Richtofen and later by Captain Hermann Goering ."
"The day of his burial, a Special Mission sent by his colleague, the Minister of German Aviation, General Hermann Goering, and presided over by von W. Britner, placed a crown of flowers on the tomb of the lieutenant." .. "The Minister of German Aviation, General Hermann Goering, has commissioned me to place a crown on the tomb of the Venezuelan Flying Lieutenant Carlos Meyer Baldo', in testimony of the affection and friendship which he demonstrated during the World war when he was a comrade in the famous Richtofen Squadron. The resulting emotion, which unites me to the fallen, the bonds of friendship and blood, makes me grateful for this honorable assignment and I request that you gentlemen who accompany me, join with me in honoring him who always valiantly fulfilled his soldierly duty, aiding valiantly to defend the German mother country, and dying now in the service of his Venezuelan mother country." |
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His Planes Were:
Albatros D.III Albatros D.V Fokker D.VII The Confirmed Victories of Meyer were: July 31, 1917 a British RE.8 June 28, 1918 a French SPAD XIII July 15, 1918 a French SPAD XIII July 18, 1918 a British Sopwith Camel In July of 1917, he was wounded in a savage aerial duel with Captain N. W. Webb of the Royal Flying Corps. Adaptation and Photos by Erwin Fuguett |
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Editor's Note: On this page I have tried to present an almost verbatim reproduction of a portion of the original page from the
FAV-CLUB website. I have tried to translate the Spanish text into readable English for the benefit of my English-speaking-only visitors,
although my command of the language is obviously quite limited. Permission to prepare this page was granted by Richard Tovar, on
behalf of the members of the Club, to whom I am very grateful. If you are able to read Spanish, I heartily recommend that you refer to the original articles on their website. Not only will you be able to enjoy the articles as they were meant to be understood, you will find many other features, including many beautiful photographs. You can access it by clicking on: |
via email from Luis Castro, 2-29-08 According with my records: Lieut. Meyer's complete name was Lieut. Karl Otto Meyer Baldo, born in Maracaibo, Venezuela. His father, Herr Johannes Meyer, worked for my great-grandfather uncle Werner Steinvorth Ulex in the coffee trading business, in Colombia and Venezuela. Lieut. Meyer didn't die on May 1,1914, but on November 27th of 1933, in a tragic accident. Lieut. Meyer was a true aviation pioneer in Germany and a legendary hero in Venezuela, where he was known as Captain Carlos Meyer Baldo. I hope you find my information helpful. Sincerely Luis Castro Corona, California. |
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As de Caza de la Gran Guerra Por Darío Silva For anyone who does not read Spanish, and who wants to enjoy the whole fascinating story, as recounted by Darío, I suggest you use the BabelFish program, as I did. You only have to copy the URL (address) of the website and paste it into the appropriate box on the program. Then choose the "Spanish to English" translation and click on the button. You will find that it has produced a very readable version of the text. |
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the only Latin American in the Red Baron's Flying Circus |
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If you have any more information on this pioneer aviator please contact me. E-mail to Ralph Cooper |
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