Jasta Boelcke

Jasta Boelcke

Author: Norman Franks

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Published: 2004-06-19

Total Pages: 406

ISBN-13: 1909166359

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An account of the renowned German fighter unit in World War I, “a wonderful journey through these pilots’ lives, in victory and defeat” (Aerodrome). As August drew to a close in 1916, the German Air Service was reeling almost helplessly towards inevitable defeat on the Somme. The Artillery and Feldflieger Abteilungen, the Kampfstaffeln, had been quickly reduced to relative impotency by the overwhelming quantitative and qualitative superiority of the Allies. The once feared Fokker and Pfalz Eindeckers proved unequal to the task of checking the aerial flood which daily scoured the ravaged German front. A crisis was reached. Germany was compelled to seek a new solution. Jagdstaffel 2 was formed to stem the tide and fight back. Later by Imperial decree renamed Jasta Boelcke in honor of its distinguished commander Oswald Boelcke, this military formation had no prolonged, entangled gestation period. There was no parent, no prior stirrings of life. Jasta 2 was lifted from the keyboard of a typewriter, assigned to the First Army and provided with a leader. Between 2 September and 31 December 1916, it scored 85 kills, and was destined to end the war with 336 confirmed victories. Here, for the first time, is the story of that auspicious and audacious unit, told in his inimitable style by Norman Franks, an expert in his subject.


Aces of Jagdgeschwader Nr III

Aces of Jagdgeschwader Nr III

Author: Greg VanWyngarden

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2016-01-20

Total Pages: 100

ISBN-13: 1472808444

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Royal Prussian Jagdgeschwader Nr III was the third of Germany's vaunted fighter wings to be formed during World War 1. Commanded by the Pour le Mérite winner and well-respected ace Hauptmann Bruno Loerzer for its entire existence, it was composed of the celebrated Jasta 'Boelcke', along with Jagdstaffeln 26, 27 and 36. Equipped largely with the new Fokker triplane, these four units would play an important role in the Kaiserschlacht as part of the 17. Armee. As Germany's fortunes waned in the summer of 1918, the aces of JG III nonetheless did their best to stem the tides of British, French and later American aircraft they encountered. Aces such as Carl Bolle, Paul Bäumer, Heinrich Bongartz, Hermann Frommherz, Rudolf Klimke and the infamous Hermann Göring all carved their names in the record books flying in this formidable formation. This book examines the tactics, achievements and personalities of one of the deadliest of Germany's aerial units.


Oswald Boelcke

Oswald Boelcke

Author: R.G. Head

Publisher: Grub Street Publishers

Published: 2016-08-05

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 191069066X

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This biography of the pioneering WWI flying ace who mentored the Red Baron is “fascinating . . . [it] captures combat aviation at its inception” (MiG Sweep: The Magazine of Aviation Warriors). With a total of forty victories, Oswald Boelcke was Germany’s first ace in World War I—and a century later he remains a towering figure in the history of air warfare, renowned for his character, inspirational leadership, organizational genius, development of air-to-air tactics, and impact on aerial doctrine. Paving the way for modern air forces across the world with his pioneering strategies, Boelcke had a dramatic effect on his contemporaries. The famed Red Baron’s mentor, instructor, squadron commander, and friend, he exerted a tremendous influence upon the German air force. He was one of the first pilots to be awarded the famous Pour le Mérite, commonly recognized as the “Blue Max.” All of this was achieved after overcoming medical obstacles in childhood and later life with willpower and determination. Boelcke even gained the admiration of his enemies: After his tragic death in a midair collision, Britain’s Royal Flying Corps dropped a wreath on his funeral, and several of his captured foes sent another wreath from their German prison camp. His name and legacy live on, as seen in the Luftwaffe’s designation of the Tactical Air Force Wing 31 “Boelcke.” This definitive biography reveals his importance as a fighter pilot who set the standard in military aviation.


Aces of Jagdstaffel 17

Aces of Jagdstaffel 17

Author: Greg VanWyngarden

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2013-11-20

Total Pages: 96

ISBN-13: 1780967209

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Initially formed to assist in the defence of the city of Metz against French bombing raids, Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 17 would go on to become one of the most distinguish German fighter units of World War 1. Its first victory was scored by the pilot whose story is inextricably interwoven with that of his unit – the 'Blue Max' recipient Julius Buckler. He was largely responsible for inspiring the unit's unique Esprit de Corps, expressed in its famous and unique 'battle-cry' of 'Malaula!' Indeed, in its final days the unit gained the nickname Zirkus Buckler, or the 'Buckler Circus'. Besides Buckler, Jasta 17 boasted such aces as Karl Strasser, Alfred Fleischer and Christian Donhauser. In addition, the roster included colourful characters like the successful Jewish airman Jakob Wolff, who at over 48 years of age was the oldest German fighter pilot of the war. The story of this illustrious unit is told with many first-hand accounts by Buckler, Fleischer and others, as well as dozens of rare archival photos of the unit's beautifully decorated fighter aircraft.


Great War Fighter Aces, 1916–1918

Great War Fighter Aces, 1916–1918

Author: Norman Franks

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Published: 2017-03-30

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 1473861284

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By the close of 1916, the air war over France was progressing amazingly. The Royal Flying Corps, the French Air Force and the opposing German Air Service, were all engaged in fierce aerial conflict and the Allied air forces were following a particularly successful if aggressive policy. They were taking the war to the Germans by constantly crossing the massive trench system that stretched from the North Sea to the Swiss border. With observation and bombing aircraft requiring constant protection from the German fighter Jastas, the fighter aces on both sides soon gained publicity and fame as a result of their daily engagements. This book explores the many ways in which fighter pilots developed tactics in order to outdo the opposition in the fight for allied victory. In so doing, they achieved high honors on account of their prowess in the skies. It also looks at the development of militarized flight during the course of these key years, revealing how each side constantly endeavored to improve their aircraft and their gunnery.By early 1918 the Americans were also starting to take part in the war against Germany, and any number of US citizens were joining both the French Air Service as well as manning their own Aero Squadrons. This publication covers the development of American air combat, whilst also recording the efforts of some of their ace pilots flying both British and French aircraft with precision and skill.


The Red Baron

The Red Baron

Author: Manfred von Richthofen

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2009-01-15

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 1473819598

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The highest-scoring fighter pilot of World War I tells of his life and combat career in an autobiography that “brings the man behind the myth to life” (The Great War Magazine). Manfred von Richthofen—the Red Baron—was the most celebrated fighter pilot of the First World War, and was holder of the Blue Max, Pour le Mérite, Germany’s highest military decoration. He was credited with 80 victories in the air, before being shot down in disputed circumstances at age 26. In this autobiography, Richthofen tells not only his own story but also that of his contemporaries, their duels in the sky, ever present danger, fame, honor and spiraling death.


In the Footsteps of the Red Baron

In the Footsteps of the Red Baron

Author: Mike O'Connor

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2005-02-19

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1783460237

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Manfred von Richthofen became a fighter pilot on the Western Front in August 1916. By January 1917, Richthofen had shot down fifteen aircraft had been appointed commander of his own unit. He painted the fuselage of his Albatros D-III a bright red and was nicknamed the Red Baron. In June 1917, Richthofen was appointed commander of the German Flying Circus. Made up of Germany's top fighter pilots, this new unit was highly mobile and could be quickly sent to any part of the Western Front where it was most needed. Richthofen and his pilots achieved immediate success during the air war over Ypres during August and September. Manfred von Richthofen was killed on 21st April 1918. Richthofen had destroyed 80 allied aircraft, the highest score of any fighter pilot during the First World War. This book is divided into three sectors of the WWI front line in which von Richthofen operated. Each area is conveniently reached within hours. Airfield sites, memorials and the graves of Manfred's famous victims are described and directions for the battlefield walker are included with information on related museums and historic sites with special association with this most famous of fighter pilots.


Aces High

Aces High

Author: Alan Clark

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2011-09-28

Total Pages: 147

ISBN-13: 1448201519

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Aces High is the vivid chronicle of aerial warfare over the Western Front in World War One and the personalities that characterised the era. These were the airmen who became legends in their own lifetimes: Albert Ball, Manfred von Richthofen (also known as the Red Baron), Mick Mannock, René Fonck and Georges Guynemer. The key to maintaining military superiority was by perfecting the aeroplane, which meant many of these pilots were flying dangerous, untested machines. From the birth of powered flight for reconnaissance purposes to the development of strategic bombing and the creation of the Royal Air Force in 1918, this was as much a war of technological advances as it was of skill and endurance.


No Empty Chairs

No Empty Chairs

Author: Ian Mackersey

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Published: 2012-05-10

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13: 0297859951

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The 1914-18 conflict narrated through the voices of the men whose combat was in the air. 'This moving book uses letters and diaries to evoke the terrible cost of such warfare...Sleepless nights, separated lovers and grieving parents are recalled with painful immediacy in this meticulously researched tribute to those who died or were lucky enough to survive' DAILY MAIL The empty chairs belonged, all too briefly, to the doomed young First World War airmen who failed to return from the terrifying daily aerial combats above the trenches of the Western Front. The edict of their commander-in-chief was the missing aviators were to be immediately replaced. Before the new faces could arrive, the departed men's vacant seats at the squadron dinner table were sometimes poignantly occupied by their caps and boots, placed there in a sad ritual by their surviving colleagues as they drank to their memory. Life for most of the pilots of the Royal Flying Corps was appallingly short. If they graduated alive and unmaimed from the flying training that killed more than half of them before they reached the front line, only a few would for very long survive the daily battles they fought over the ravaged moonscape of no-man's-land. Their average life expectancy at the height of the war was measured only in weeks. Parachutes that began to save their German enemies were denied them. Fear of incarceration, and the daily spectacle of watching close colleagues die in burning aircraft, took a devastating toll on the nerves of the world's first fighter pilots. Many became mentally ill. As they waited for death, or with luck the survivable wound that would send them back to 'Blighty', they poured their emotions into their diaries and streams of letters to their loved ones at home. Drawing on these remarkable testimonies and pilots' memoirs, Ian Mackersey has brilliantly reconstructed the First Great Air War through the lives of its participants. As they waited to die, the men shared their loneliness, their fears, triumphs - and squadron gossip - with the families who lived in daily dread of the knock on the door that would bring the War Office telegram in its fateful green envelope.


Albatros D.III

Albatros D.III

Author: James F. Miller

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2014-03-20

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 1472807936

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A concise technical history of the German Albatros D.III and D.III(OAW) type scouts. In 1916 German aerial domination, once held sway by rotary-engined Fokker and Pfalz E-type wing-warping monoplanes, had been lost to the more nimble French Nieuports and British DH 2s which not only out-flew the German fighters but were present in greater numbers. Born-from-experience calls from German fighter pilots requested that, rather than compete with the maneuverability of these adversaries, new single-engine machines should be equipped with higher horsepower engines and armed with two rather than the then-standard single machine gun. The Robert Thelen-led Albatros design bureau set to work on what became the Albatros D.I and D.II and by April 1916, they had developed a sleek yet rugged machine that featured the usual Albatros semi-monocoque wooden construction and employed a 160hp Mercedes D.III engine with power enough to equip the aeroplane with two forward-firing machine guns. As this book details, in all, 500 D.IIIs and 840 D.III(OAW)s were produced and saw heavy service throughout 1917.