Max
Holtzem: An "Old Eagle" of the
First World War. 
Part One: Flight Instructor and Test Pilot

     This biography
about a (German tighter pilot of the First World War is different from
written accounts about other combat fliers. He is not a ruthless killer;
his score is modest; he never commanded a unit; and his decorations are
not outstanding. Then, why do we write about this man? He loves airplanes.
Like many of us he loves to look at them; be with them; touch them; fly
them; look at photographs of them; build models of them; and work on them.
Unlike many of us he has been able to whet his aeronautical appetite
throughout his long and eventful life with interesting experiences in war
and peace. Since before World War One Max Holtzem was an aviation pioneer,
observation plane pilot, flight instructor, test pilot, fighter pilot,
mechanic, airport manager, stunt flyer, and airline pilot over three major
continents. He was on intimate terms with famous personalities such as
Ernst Udet, Anthony Fokker, and the Eversbusch brothers and played an
important role ‘in the activities of these men. This is his amazing
story:

    
Max Holtzem was born in Elberfeld near Cologne ‘in the Rhineland,
Germany, on December 1, 1892, the son of Carl Holtzem. After
attending elementary school and Gymnasium (College Prep. School) he
entered an apprenticeship with one of the leading architects in Cologne.
At the same time he attended evening classes at the University. The
Rhinelander became increasingly interested in aviation as he grew older
until, at the age of nineteen, he quit the University and the architect
and entered the study of automobile and what was known . . . . . . . .