Jagdstaffel 24
Encyclopedia
Royal Saxon Jagdstaffel 24 was a World War I "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) 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...

, which was the forerunner to the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....

. As one of the original German fighter squadrons, the unit would score 89 verified aerial victories.

In turn, their casualties for the war would amount to seven pilots killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...

, two killed in crashes, five wounded in action
Wounded in action
Wounded in action describes soldiers who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during war time, but have not been killed. Typically it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing to fight....

, and one taken prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...

.

History

Royal Saxon Jagdstaffel 24 had somewhat of a torturous start. It was formed on 25 October 1916 and actually at its initial aerodrome at Mörchingen on 20 November. Aircraft being unavailable for the new unit, five of the Jasta 24 pilots were seconded to Jasta 14
Jasta 14
Jasta 14 was a hardcore band from Connecticut that existed from 1991 to 1996. Over the years it included members that went on to play in such bands as Hatebreed, Red Sparowes and Orthrelm.-Members:* Jamey Jasta* Mick Barr* Joel Chialastri* Greg Burns...

, and two more sent to FFA 12 for further training. Albatros D.II
Albatros D.II
|-See also:...

 fighters for the new squadron arrived during December 1916; January 1917 marked its first combat patrols. First blood for the new jasta came on 25 February 1917.

Beginning on 26 June 1917, the squadron belonged successively to four different ad hoc Jagdgruppes established to increase combat power. It first belonged to Jagdgruppe 7 under Rudolf Berthold, along with Jasta 18, Jasta 31, and Jasta 36. Jasta 24 then switched to membership in Jagdgruppe 1 at Guise, joining Jasta 8
Jasta 8
Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 8 was a fighter squadron in Germany's World War I air service, the Luftstreitkräfte. Although the jasta went out of existence along with its parent units shortly after the Armistice ending World War I, its experiences would strongly influence the subsequent...

, Jasta 17, and Jasta 48. Jastas 24 and 48 then were placed in Jagdgruppe South under Kurt Küppers. Its final parent organization was Jagdgruppe 12, where it served along with Jasta 44 and Jasta 79.

Staffelführer
Staffelführer
Staffelführer was one of the first paramilitary ranks used by the German Schutzstaffel in the early years of that group’s existence...

s (Commanding officers)

1 Konstantin von Braun: 1 December 1916 - 29 June 1917

2 Heinrich Kroll
Heinrich Kroll
Oberleutnant Henrich Claudius Kroll Pour le Merite, Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Saxony's Albert Order Knight Second Class with Swords, Iron Cross First and Second Class, was a World War I fighter ace credited with 33 victories.-Early life:Kroll was born in the village...

: 29 June 1917 - 17 October 1917

3 Rudolf Hepp:17 October 1917 - 6 November 1917

4 Heinrich Kroll: 6 November 1917 - 11 April 1918

5 Rudolf Hepp: 11 April 1918 - 2 May 1918

6 Heinrich Kroll: 2 May 1918 - WIA
Wounded in action
Wounded in action describes soldiers who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during war time, but have not been killed. Typically it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing to fight....

 14 August 1918

7 Unknown: 14 August 1918 - 21 August 1918

8 Hasso von Wedel
Hasso von Wedel
Oberleutnant Hasso von Wedel began his career as a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories. He served as a fighter pilot during World War II; after a spell as a prisoner of war, he was repatriated and died in the Battle of Berlin....

: 21 August 1918 - 11 November 1918

Aerodromes

1 Mörchingen: 25 October 1916 - 15 April 1917

2 Annelles
Annelles
Annelles is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.-Population:...

, France: 16 April 1917 - 11 June 1917

3 Chassogne Ferme: 12 June 1917 - 26 June 1917

4 Heule
Heule
Heule is a submunicipality of the city of Kortrijk in the Belgian province of West-Flandres. The first notion of this settlement date of the year 1111. Heule has a surface of 1169h and has a population of 10,503 . Surrounding villages of Heule are Bissegem, Gullegem, Lendelede and Kuurne...

, Belgium: 27 June 1917 - 8 September 1917

5 Harlebeke: 8 September 1917 - 22 November 1917

6 Emerchicourt
Émerchicourt
-References:*...

: 23 November 1917 - 27 December 1917

7 Guise
Guise
Guise is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-Population:-Sights:The ruins of the medieval castle of Guise, seat of the Dukes of Guise, are located in the commune.-Miscellaneous:...

: 28 December 1917 - 20 March 1918

8 Pleine-Selve
Pleine-Selve, Aisne
Pleine-Selve is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-References:*...

, France: 20 March 1918 - 27 March 1918

9 Villeselve
Villeselve
Villeselve is a small village in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise....

, France: 27 March 1918 - 8 April 1918

10 Ercheu
Ercheu
Ercheu is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Etymology of the place name:Of Latin derivation, arx, meaning a fortified place...

, France: 8 April 1918 - 11 August 1918

11 Guizancourt
Guizancourt
Guizancourt is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Guizancourt is situated on the D94 road, some southwest of Amiens.-Population:-External links:*...

, France: 11 August 1918 - 15 August 1918

12 Clastres
Clastres
Clastres is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France....

, France: 15 August 1918 - 27 August 1918

13 Chevresis-Monceau
Chevresis-Monceau
Chevresis-Monceau is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-References:*...

, France: 27 August 1918 - 5 September 1918

14 Guise, France: 5 September 1918 - 12 October 1918

15 La Chapelle: 12 October 1918 - 20 October 1918

16 Donstiennes: 20 October 1918 - 8 November 1918

17 Graux: 8 November 1918 - 11 November 1918

Notable members

Heinrich Kroll
Heinrich Kroll
Oberleutnant Henrich Claudius Kroll Pour le Merite, Knight's Cross of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Saxony's Albert Order Knight Second Class with Swords, Iron Cross First and Second Class, was a World War I fighter ace credited with 33 victories.-Early life:Kroll was born in the village...

 became an ace during May 1917 before transferring from Jasta 9
Jasta 9
Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 9 was a "hunting group" of the Luftstreitkräfte, founded on 28 September 1916. Although the squadron, and the Luftstreitkräfte, were short-lived, they had great influence on the Nazi Luftwaffe, as can be seen by the later careers of the unit's Staffelführers...

 to command Jasta 24. He would predominate as both commander and ace, scoring 28 victories for his jasta, and winning the Pour le Merite
Pour le Mérite
The Pour le Mérite, known informally as the Blue Max , was the Kingdom of Prussia's highest military order for German soldiers until the end of World War I....

, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, and Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....

.

Not far behind in the victory count was Friedrich Altemeier
Friedrich Altemeier
Friedrich Altemeier was a World War I fighter ace credited with 21 victories...

, with his 21 victories. He won the Military Merit Cross
Military Merit Cross (Prussia)
The Military Merit Cross was the highest bravery award of the Kingdom of Prussia for non-commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers. It was also known as the Golden Military Merit Cross to distinguish it from the Military Decoration 1st Class The Military Merit Cross (Militär-Verdienstkreuz)...

, Iron Cross, and Silver Wound Badge
Wound Badge
Wound Badge was a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Imperial German Army in World War I, the Reichswehr between the wars, and the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied...

.

Fritz Thiede
Fritz Thiede
Leutnant Fritz Thiede was a World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories. He became a personal pilot for Heinrich Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich in the 1930s. He served in the Luftwaffe during World War II.-References:...

 became an ace with Jasta 24, transferred out to command of Jasta 38, and was awarded an Iron Cross.

Wolfgang Güttler
Wolfgang Güttler
Leutnant Wolfgang Güttler was a World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories.-Sources of information:...

 and pre-war pilot Kurt Ungewitter
Kurt Ungewitter
Vizefeldwebel Kurt Ungewitter was a German test pilot for Rumpler Flugzeugwerke and Albatros Flugzeugwerke, aircraft manufacturers. During World War I, he became a flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.-References:...

 served with Jasta 24; both won Iron Crosses.

Hasso von Wedel
Hasso von Wedel
Oberleutnant Hasso von Wedel began his career as a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories. He served as a fighter pilot during World War II; after a spell as a prisoner of war, he was repatriated and died in the Battle of Berlin....

 also won the Iron Cross while beginning his military aviation career with the squadron. He succeeded to unit command, and later served through World War II.

Alwin Thurm was another ace with the unit.

Austro-Hungarian ace of aces Godwin Brumowski
Godwin Brumowski
Godwin Brumowski was the most successful fighter ace of the Austro-Hungarian Air Force during World War I. He was officially credited with 35 air victories, with 8 others unconfirmed because they fell behind Allied lines...

 was hosted by the jasta from 19 to 27 March 1918, and flew patrols with them.

Aircraft

Jasta 24 began operations in 1917 with Pfalz
Pfalz
Pfalz may refer to:*Kaiserpfalz, also known as Königspfalz, a castle which was a temporary seat of power for the Holy Roman Emperor in the Early and High Middle Ages, etymologically derived from Latin palatium - Geography:...

 fighters, Albatros D.II
Albatros D.II
|-See also:...

s and Albatros D.III
Albatros D.III
The Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service and the Austro-Hungarian Air Service during World War I. The D.III was flown by many top German aces, including Manfred von Richthofen, Ernst Udet, Erich Löwenhardt, Kurt Wolff, and Karl Emil Schäfer...

s; they also seem to have had at least one Fokker E.V in stock. In May 1917, they tested models of the Siemens-Schuckert D.I
Siemens-Schuckert D.I
The Siemens-Schuckert D.I was a German single-seat fighter built by Siemens-Schukert Werke.A number of captured Nieuport 17 fighters were given to German aircraft manufacturers to study, the Siemens-Schukert Werke produced the D.I based on the captured fighter. The D.I was a biplane powered by...

 but found it inferior to the Albatri.

The jasta received Fokker D.VII
Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the summer and autumn of 1918. In service, the D.VII quickly proved itself to be a formidable aircraft...

 fighters in the Summer of 1918.

Operations

Squadron's location during their protracted formation was the Armee-Abteilung A Sector. Upon movement to Annelles on 16 April 1917, they were stationed on the 1st Armee Front. They moved to support of 5th Armee on 12 June 1917, then two weeks later to support 4th Armee at Heule. They then moved to support 18th Armee for the remainder of the war.
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