Jagdstaffel 25
Encyclopedia
Royal Jagdstaffel 25, commonly abbreviated as Jasta 25, was a World War I "hunting group" (fighter squadron
) of the forerunner to the Luftwaffe
, the Luftstreitkräfte
. The squadron would score 54 aerial victories during the War–46 enemy aircraft and eight opposing observation balloons. It would suffer two pilots killed in action
, one pilot killed in a flying accident, and two others injured in mishaps.
, using Halberstadt D.II
s. It scored its first success on 10 December 1916, and took its first casualty on 18 February 1917. It continued operations until the end of the war brought about the dissolution of the Luftstreitkräfte.
Staffelführer
Fighter Squadron
Fighter Squadron is a 1948 Technicolor war film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Edmond O'Brien as a maverick World War II fighter pilot.-Plot:...
) of 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....
, 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...
. The squadron would score 54 aerial victories during the War–46 enemy aircraft and eight opposing observation balloons. It would suffer two 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...
, one pilot killed in a flying accident, and two others injured in mishaps.
History
Jasta 25 was founded on 28 November 1916, and mobilized on 1 December. It began operations in MacedoniaMacedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
, using Halberstadt D.II
Halberstadt D.II
The Halberstadt D.II was a biplane fighter aircraft of the Luftstreitkräfte that served through the period of Allied air superiority in early 1916, but had begun to be superseded in the Jagdstaffeln by the superior Albatros fighters by the autumn of that year.-Design and development:The D.II was...
s. It scored its first success on 10 December 1916, and took its first casualty on 18 February 1917. It continued operations until the end of the war brought about the dissolution of the Luftstreitkräfte.
StaffelführerStaffelführerStaffelführer was one of the first paramilitary ranks used by the German Schutzstaffel in the early years of that group’s existence...
s (Commanding Officers)
- Friedrich-Karl BurckhardtFriedrich-Karl BurckhardtHauptmann Friedrich-Karl Burckhardt was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.-References:...
: 2 December 1916–1 February 1918 - August Rose: 1 February 1918–11 November 1918
Duty stations
- PrilepPrilepPrilep is the fourth largest city in the Republic of Macedonia. It has a population of 66,246 citizens. Prilep is known as "the city under Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of Prince Marko.-Name:...
: 28 November 1916–13 March 1917 - Kanatlarci: 13 March 1917–1 June 1918
- Kalkova: 1 June 1918–11 November 1918
Notable personnel
A quartet of decorated flying aces served with the unit. They were:- Gerhard FieselerGerhard FieselerGerhard Fieseler was a German World War I flying ace, aerobatics champion, and aircraft designer and manufacturer....
, winner of the Military Merit CrossMilitary Merit CrossMilitary Merit Cross is the name for a military decoration in various states, including:* Military Merit Cross * Military Merit Cross * German States:...
and Iron CrossIron CrossThe 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.... - Reinhard TreptowReinhard TreptowOffizierstellvertreter Reinhard Treptow was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victory.-References:...
, Iron Cross - Otto BrauneckOtto BrauneckOtto Brauneck was a World War I flying ace credited with ten aerial victories.Brauneck joined the air service and was posted to FFA 69 in Macedonia. He scored first in September 1916. His second victory, over an observation balloon on 14 December, earned him the First Class Iron Cross. After an...
, Iron Cross - Karl-Friedrich Burckhardt, Iron Cross
Reference
- Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914-1918. Norman FranksNorman FranksNorman Leslie Robert Franks is an English writer who specialises in aviation books on the pilots and squadrons of World Wars I and II.-Biography:...
, Frank W. Bailey, Russell Guest. Grub Street, 1993. ISBN 0948817739, 9780948817731.