Feldflieger Abteilung or Field Flying Companies were the pioneering field aviation units of the Luftstreitkräfte

Luftstreitkräfte

The Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte , known before October 1916 as Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches , or simply Die Fliegertruppen, was the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I...

 (German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 air service) in World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

.

Composition

The use of aircraft as a tactical reconnaissance tool was established by the German Army

German Army (German Empire)

The German Army was the name given the combined land forces of the German Empire, also known as the National Army , Imperial Army or Imperial German Army. The term "Deutsches Heer" is also used for the modern German Army, the land component of the German Bundeswehr...

 in its annual exercise in June 1911. Early usage was limited to providing post-flight situation reports. At the start of World War I, there were thirty-three units, comprising one allocated to each of the eight Army Headquarters

German Army (German Empire)

The German Army was the name given the combined land forces of the German Empire, also known as the National Army , Imperial Army or Imperial German Army. The term "Deutsches Heer" is also used for the modern German Army, the land component of the German Bundeswehr...

 and one to each of the twenty-five regular Corps Headquarters. Each unit, having a designation number usually matching that of the army group it was assigned to, was equipped with either six Category

Idflieg aircraft designation system

The Idflieg designation system was used to designate German heavier-than-air military aircraft from the early days of the Luftstreitkräfte to the end of World War I. The system necessarily evolved during this period, as new aircraft types were produced. It was never extended to aircraft operated...

 A (unarmed monoplane) or Category B (unarmed biplane) two-seater aircraft. By March 1915 the number of Feldflieger Abteilung had doubled and separate specialist fighter and bomber units, known as Jasta

Jasta

The Jagdstaffeln were specialized fighter squadrons in the Luftstreitkräfte during World War I.-Background:...

s and Kampfgeschwader

Kampfgeschwader

Kampfgeschwader were specialized bomber units in the Luftstreitkräfte during World War I and the Luftwaffe during World War II.- In World War I :...

, respectively, were being developed.

List of FFAs

Unit No.	Location	Attachment	Notable Personnel
6b	Bühl Bühl - Place name :* Bühl , in the district Rastatt, Germany* Bühl bei Aarberg, in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland* Sportplatz Bühl, Schaffhausen, Switzerland- See also :* Buhl * Buel...  airfield, near Saarburg Saarburg Saarburg is a city of the Trier-Saarburg district in the Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany, on the banks of the Saar River in the hilly country a few kilometers upstream from the Saar's junction with the Moselle....	Bavaria Bavaria Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany... n	Kurt Wintgens Kurt Wintgens Leutnant Kurt Wintgens was a German World War I fighter ace. He was the first military fighter pilot to score a victory over an opposing aircraft in an aircraft armed with a synchronized machine gun. Wintgens was the recipient of the Iron Cross and the Blue Max.-Background:Wintgens was born into a... , Friedrich Marnet Friedrich Marnet Hauptmann Friedrich Marnet was a German World War I Pilot. He also was one of the first german pilots to fly a Gotha G.-Background:...
9b		Bavarian
10	Vrizy Vrizy Vrizy is a commune in the Ardennes département in northern France.-Population:...		Max Immelmann Max Immelmann Max Immelmann was the first German World War I flying ace. He was a great pioneer in fighter aviation and is often mistakenly credited with the first aerial victory using a synchronized gun...
23	Roupy Roupy Roupy is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France....		Hans Joachim Buddecke Hans Joachim Buddecke Hans-Joachim Buddecke was a German Flying Ace in World War I, credited with thirteen victories. He was the third, after Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelcke, to earn the Blue Max... , Ernst Freiherr von Althaus Ernst Freiherr von Althaus Ernst Freiherr von Althaus was a German flying ace in World War I, credited with nine confirmed aerial victories, as well as eight unconfirmed ones... , Rudolph Berthold Rudolph Berthold Rudolf Berthold was a German World War I flying ace. Between 1916 and 1918 he shot down 44 enemy planes—most of them over the Belgian front. Berthold had the reputation as a ruthless, fearless and—above all—a very patriotic fighter...
48	Mülhausen		Kurt Wintgens
62	Douai Douai -Main sights:Douai's ornate Gothic style belfry was begun in 1380, on the site of an earlier tower. The 80 m high structure includes an impressive carillon, consisting of 62 bells spanning 5 octaves. The originals, some dating from 1391 were removed in 1917 during World War I by the occupying...		Oswald Boelcke Oswald Boelcke Oswald Boelcke was a German flying ace of the First World War and one of the most influential patrol leaders and tacticians of the early years of air combat. Boelcke is considered the father of the German fighter air force, as well as the "Father of Air Fighting Tactics"; he was the first to... , Max Immelmann Max Immelmann Max Immelmann was the first German World War I flying ace. He was a great pioneer in fighter aviation and is often mistakenly credited with the first aerial victory using a synchronized gun... , Otto Parschau Otto Parschau Leutnant Otto Parschau was a German World War I Flying Ace and recipient of the Pour le Mérite, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, and Iron Cross, First Class. He was noted as one of the pre-eminent aces on the Fokker Eindecker...