Jasta 11
Encyclopedia
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...
expansion program, forming permanent specialised fighter squadrons, or "Jasta
Jasta
The Jagdstaffeln were specialized fighter squadrons in the Luftstreitkräfte during World War I.-Background:...
s". It became the most successful fighter squadron in the German Air Service.
Founding
Jasta 11's first commander was First LieutenantFirst Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
(Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
) Rudolf Lang, from its mobilization at Brayelles, until 14 January 1917. Jasta 11's first months of operations were very undistinguished.
It was not until the appointment of 24-year-old Cavalry Captain (Rittmeister
Rittmeister
Rotamaster was the military rank of a commissioned cavalry officer in charge of a squadron , the equivalent of O3 or Captain, in the German-speaking armies, Austro-Hungarian, Polish-Lithuanian, Russian and some other states.The exact name of this rank maintains a variety of spellings in different...
) Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen , also widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I...
on 16 January 1917 as Commanding Officer that the unit commenced its path to fame and immortality. Von Richthofen, later known as the Red Baron (due to the practice of painting his aircraft red for easy identification during combat) was already an able tactical pilot and ace following several months of service in Jasta 2 and became a highly effective unit commander who led his pilots by example. He already had 16 victories and was awarded 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....
just before he assumed his command.
The unit was first based at 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...
-Brayelles and then Roucourt
Roucourt
Roucourt is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Heraldry:-References:*...
for operations over the 6 Armee on the Arras
Arras
Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
front, the Jasta were equipped with various models of the excellent Albatros sesquiplane fighter. Between 22 January 1917 and the end of March the Jasta claimed some 36 victories. The beginning of the Battle of Arras
Battle of Arras
The name Battle of Arras refers to a number of battles which took place near the town of Arras in Artois, France:*Battle of Arras , a clash between the French and the Spanish...
in early April meant a higher number of targets, with Jasta 11 logging 89 claims for aircraft destroyed in April (from a total of 298 made by all German fighter units for the month.) This decimation of the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
became termed 'Bloody April
Bloody April
During the First World War, the month of April 1917 was known as Bloody April by the Royal Flying Corps . The RFC suffered particularly severe losses — about three times as many as the Imperial German Army Air Service over the same period — but continued its primary role in support of the ground...
'.
The Jastas performance is all the more extraordinary as the unit usually flew in small flights of six or fewer. Significant 'scorers' in the unit that April were Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen , also widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I...
(21 claims), Lt. Kurt Wolff (22), Lt. Karl Schäfer (15), Manfred's brother Lothar
Lothar von Richthofen
Lothar-Siegfried Freiherr von Richthofen was a German First World War fighter ace credited with 40 victories...
(15) and NCO pilot Sebastian Festner
Sebastian Festner
Sebastian Festner was an air ace of the Luftstreitkräfte during World War I, with 12 victories. He reached the rank of Vizefeldwebel....
(10).
Members
- Cavalry Captain (RittmeisterRittmeisterRotamaster was the military rank of a commissioned cavalry officer in charge of a squadron , the equivalent of O3 or Captain, in the German-speaking armies, Austro-Hungarian, Polish-Lithuanian, Russian and some other states.The exact name of this rank maintains a variety of spellings in different...
) Manfred von RichthofenManfred von RichthofenManfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen , also widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I... - First LieutenantFirst LieutenantFirst lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
(OberleutnantOberleutnantOberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
) Rudolf Lang - Lt. Kurt Wolff
- Lt. Karl Schäfer
- Lothar von RichthofenLothar von RichthofenLothar-Siegfried Freiherr von Richthofen was a German First World War fighter ace credited with 40 victories...
- Wilhelm ReinhardWilhelm ReinhardWilhelm "Willi" Reinhard was a German pilot during World War I. Reinhard was born in Düsseldorf and became a flying ace during the war, credited with 20 victories....
- Sebastian FestnerSebastian FestnerSebastian Festner was an air ace of the Luftstreitkräfte during World War I, with 12 victories. He reached the rank of Vizefeldwebel....
- Erich Rüdiger von WedelErich Rüdiger von WedelOberleutnant Erich Rüdiger von Wedel was a World War I flying ace credited with thirteen aerial victories.Wedel joined Jasta 11 on 23 April 1918. On 2 May, he took temporary command of the squadron. He shot down eight enemy fighters between 10 May and 21 July. On the latter date, he gave up command...
- Hans WolffHans WolffLeutnant Hanns Joachim Wolff was a World War I flying ace credited with ten aerial victories.Wolff served with FA 216 until 6 July 1917, when he was reassigned to Jasta 11. He was wounded in action on 14 August, and again on 23 November. On 18 March 1918, Wolff shot down and killed his first...
- Willi GabrielWilli GabrielVizefeldwebel Willi Gabriel was a World War I flying ace credited with eleven aerial victories.Gabriel built his own airplanes prior to World War I. He was called up for military service when the war began. Early in 1915, he began a series of assignments to artillery cooperation units, often in...
- Werner Steinhäuser
- Karl AllmenröderKarl AllmenröderLeutnant Karl Allmenröder , Pour le Merite, Knights Cross of Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Iron Cross First and Second Class, was a German World War I flying ace.-Early life:...
- Eberhard Mohnicke
- Wolfram von RichthofenWolfram von RichthofenDr.-Ing. Wolfram Freiherr von RichthofenIn German a Doctorate in engineering is abbreviated as Dr.-Ing. . was a German Generalfeldmarschall of the Luftwaffe during the Second World War...
- Gisbert-Wilhelm Groos
- Erich Just
- Friedrich T. NolteniusFriedrich T. NolteniusLieutenant Friedrich Theodor Noltenius was a German flying ace in the First World War, with a total of 21 kills.-Early life and service:...
- Alfred Niederhoff
- Hans-Georg von der OstenHans-Georg von der OstenLeutnant Hans-Georg von der Osten began his career as a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories. He later rose to command of all Luftwaffe bases in Germany, during World War II....
- Edgar Scholtz
- Hans WeissHans Weiss (aviator)-Early life and service:Weiss was a native of Hof, which was situated on the Austrian/German border. He began school in Bayreuth in 1912, studying mechanical engineering. After several attempts to volunteer for service at the beginning of World War I, he was accepted by the pioneers at Ingolstadt...
- Siegfried Gussmann
- 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...
- Hermann GöringHermann GöringHermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
- Carl-August von SchoenebeckCarl-August von SchoenebeckMajor General Carl-August von Schoenebeck began his career in the Baden Leib-Grenadier Regiment in 1915. He transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte in 1916. After training, he served with the artillery cooperation unit FA 203. His subsequent service in fighters Major General Carl-August von...
- Ernst UdetErnst UdetColonel General Ernst Udet was the second-highest scoring German flying ace of World War I. He was one of the youngest aces and was the highest scoring German ace to survive the war . His 62 victories were second only to Manfred von Richthofen, his commander in the Flying Circus...
- Richard Wenzl
Incorporation into JG I
On 26 July 1917, Jasta 11 became part of Jagdgeschwader 1Jagdgeschwader 1 (World War 1)
The Jagdgeschwader 1 of World War I, was a fighter unit comprising four Jastas or 'fighter squadrons', originally raised by combining Jastas 4, 6, 10 and 11, on 24 June 1917 with Manfred von Richthofen as commodore...
- a collection of four Jastas into one administrative and highly mobile tactical force. Richthofen was promoted to command JG I, which was the second fighter wing in the history of military aviation. It was dubbed 'Richthofen's Flying Circus' because it mimicked a circus's logistics by using dedicated railway trains to transport it to forward airfields, and because of its vividly painted aircraft.
In September 1917, Jasta 11 would be equipped with Fokker Dr.I
Fokker Dr.I
The Fokker Dr.I Dreidecker was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918...
triplanes. It would operate these until April–May 1918, when it received the 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...
s it would use until war's end.
Manfred von Richthofen remained Jasta commander until 26 June 1917, when his deputy, Leutnant Karl Allmenroeder took over. Following the latter's death the next day, former Jasta 11 pilot Leutnant Kurt Wolff took over after his transfer back from Jasta 29. After Wolff was wounded in September, Oberlt. Wilhelm Reinhard
Wilhelm Reinhard
Wilhelm "Willi" Reinhard was a German pilot during World War I. Reinhard was born in Düsseldorf and became a flying ace during the war, credited with 20 victories....
took charge until Wolff returned. Soon after Wolff was killed in action on 15 September, thereafter Lothar
Lothar von Richthofen
Lothar-Siegfried Freiherr von Richthofen was a German First World War fighter ace credited with 40 victories...
took command. Jasta 11 would then have a bewildering succession of other temporary commanding officers, especially when Lothar was frequently away from the front recovering from wounds.
Oberleutnant Erich Rüdiger von Wedel
Erich Rüdiger von Wedel
Oberleutnant Erich Rüdiger von Wedel was a World War I flying ace credited with thirteen aerial victories.Wedel joined Jasta 11 on 23 April 1918. On 2 May, he took temporary command of the squadron. He shot down eight enemy fighters between 10 May and 21 July. On the latter date, he gave up command...
was the last Staffelführer, from September 1918 until the end of the war. The Jasta was demobilised at Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
on 16 November 1918.
Jasta 11 eventually became the highest scoring German Jasta of World War I, with 350 claims. The first was scored on 23 January 1917, the 100th on 23 April, the 200th on 17 August, the 250th on 2 April 1918, and the 300th on 28 June 1918. (By comparison, the British 56 Squadron
No. 56 Squadron RAF
Number 56 Squadron is one of the oldest and most successful squadrons of the Royal Air Force, with battle honours from many of the significant air campaigns of both World War I and World War II...
claimed 427.)
It numbered no fewer than twenty aces among its ranks, and "graduated" pilots to command numerous other Jastas in the German Air force
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...
. In return it suffered 17 pilots killed, 2 POW, and 2 killed in flying accidents. Its loss rate was thus less than one-tenth of its opponents, although it also suffered 19 wounded in action.