Karl Emil Schäfer
Encyclopedia
Karl Emil Schäfer was a German
pilot during World War I
; he became one of the major German flying aces of the war, with 30 confirmed aerial victories.
and joined the 10th Jäger Regiment of the German Army for his military service. An engineering student who spoke fluent French and English, he was a fine drawer, and was studying in Paris when the war broke out but managed to return to Germany and was assigned to the 7th Jäger reserve Regiment. He won the Iron Cross
2nd class and was promoted to Vizefeldwebel during September 1914, before being badly wounded and hospitalised for six months. After returning to the front line he was commissioned in May 1915.
Schäfer was then posted to Jasta 11
on 21 February 1917. In intensive operations during Bloody April
he became a flying ace, being credited with 21 victories and awarded the Pour le Mérite
. While a member of Jasta 11, "Karlchen" (Charlie) became known as the squadron's prankster and recorded many vivid incidents in combat and at play. He flew an Albatros D-III with red and black markings. Somehow amidst all this he found time to pen his autobiography, Vom Jaeger zum Flieger - From Soldier to Pilot.
, by ace crew Lt. Harold Satchell and Lt. Thomas Lewis
. Satchell and Lewis' fire did not strike Schäfer, but disabled his plane, which broke in midair. They reported that the Albatos fell in flames; German ace witness Max Ritter von Müller reported seeing it break up, but noted no fire. Photos of the wreckage show no scorching and the wings still attached to the plane. Nevertheless, Jasta 28 comrades recovered Schäfer's body, noting that it had no bullet wounds, but that every bone in his body had been broken.
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...
pilot during 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...
; he became one of the major German flying aces of the war, with 30 confirmed aerial victories.
Early life and infantry service
Schäfer was born in KrefeldKrefeld
Krefeld , also known as Crefeld until 1929, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its centre lying just a few kilometres to the west of the River Rhine; the borough of Uerdingen is situated directly on the Rhine...
and joined the 10th Jäger Regiment of the German Army for his military service. An engineering student who spoke fluent French and English, he was a fine drawer, and was studying in Paris when the war broke out but managed to return to Germany and was assigned to the 7th Jäger reserve Regiment. He won the 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....
2nd class and was promoted to Vizefeldwebel during September 1914, before being badly wounded and hospitalised for six months. After returning to the front line he was commissioned in May 1915.
Flying service
Requesting flying duties Schäfer trained as a pilot and served over the Eastern Front with KG 2 from July 1916 onwards. He moved to the west and now flew with Kasta 11 of KG 2, where he gained his first victory. With just this single victory, he impudently telegraphed Manfred von Richthofen, who was assembling a "top gun" (kanone) squadron at Jasta 11, "Can you use me?" Richthofen replied, "You have already been requested."Schäfer was then posted to Jasta 11
Jasta 11
Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 11 was founded on 28 September 1916 from elements of 4 armee's Keks 1, 2 and 3 and mobilized on 11 October as part of the German Air Service's expansion program, forming permanent specialised fighter squadrons, or "Jastas"...
on 21 February 1917. In intensive operations during 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...
he became a flying ace, being credited with 21 victories and awarded the Pour le Mérite
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....
. While a member of Jasta 11, "Karlchen" (Charlie) became known as the squadron's prankster and recorded many vivid incidents in combat and at play. He flew an Albatros D-III with red and black markings. Somehow amidst all this he found time to pen his autobiography, Vom Jaeger zum Flieger - From Soldier to Pilot.
Command and death in action
Schäfer was then given command of Jasta 28 on 26 April, and after gaining further victories for a total of 30 claims Schäfer was shot down and killed in action on 5 June 1917 in combat with No. 20 SquadronNo. 20 Squadron RAF
No. 20 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was until March 2010, the OCU for the BAE Harrier GR9, and T12, operating from RAF Wittering...
, by ace crew Lt. Harold Satchell and Lt. Thomas Lewis
Thomas Lewis (aviator)
Lieutenant Thomas Archibald Mitford Stuart Lewis was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.-Reference:...
. Satchell and Lewis' fire did not strike Schäfer, but disabled his plane, which broke in midair. They reported that the Albatos fell in flames; German ace witness Max Ritter von Müller reported seeing it break up, but noted no fire. Photos of the wreckage show no scorching and the wings still attached to the plane. Nevertheless, Jasta 28 comrades recovered Schäfer's body, noting that it had no bullet wounds, but that every bone in his body had been broken.