Early military service

Paul Strähle originally served in the infantry after joining the German army on 1 October 1913. He transferred to aviation in 1915. He first flew in an artillery cooperation unit, being posted to FA(A) 213 on 15 July 1916. In the autumn, he trained on fighters.

Service as a fighter pilot

He was then assigned to Jasta 18 on 27 October 1916. He scored his first aerial victory on 14 February 1917, shooting down a Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2

Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2

The Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 was a two-seat pusher biplane that was operated as a day and night bomber and as a fighter aircraft by the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War...

b; his victim is believed to have been Harold Hartney

Harold Hartney

Harold Evans Hartney was a Canadian-born World War I flying ace with the United States Army Air Service, credited with seven confirmed and one unconfirmed aerial victories.-Early life and service:...

. He continued his victory streak, flying an Albatros D.V

Albatros D.V

|-See also:-Bibliography:*Bennett, Leon. Gunning for the Red Baron. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2006. ISBN 1-58544-507-X....

 in Berthold colors of blue and scarlet with a white battle axe painted on its side with Jasta 1 until 26 May 1917, when he won his seventh victory. The Royal House Order of Hohenzollern was awarded to him on 9 August 1917.

In command

Strähle was then appointed to command a new squadron just forming; Jasta 57 was founded at Koenisberg on 6 January 1918, and moved to the Sixth Army front on the 24th. He brought his Abatros fighter with him from Jasta 18, along with two experienced pilots to leaven his crew of greenhorns.
After a lapse of almost a year, he won again on 17 April 1918. This streak of eight more triumphs ended with a double victory on 29 August 1918. He was wounded in action on 27 September 1918, and did not score after that.

After the war

Strähle stayed in aviation after the war. He acquired at least one Halberstadt CL.IV

Halberstadt CL.IV

-Bibliography:* Gerdessen, F. "Estonian Air Power 1918 - 1945". Air Enthusiast No 18, April - July 1982. Pages 61–76. ISSN 0143-5450.-External links:**...

 rigged for aerial photography and thus ran an aerial photography business venture beginning in 1919. By 14 July 1921, he was reported to be running a pioneering air mail service between Stuttgart and Constance

Constance

Constance is a female given name that derives from Latin and means "constant." Variations of the name include Connie, Constancia, Constanze, Constanza, Stanzy, and Konstanze.Constance may refer to:-People:*Constance Bennett , American actress...

, using three of the Halberstadts, one of which could also carry passengers, under the name Luftverkehr Strähle.

Legacy

His archive of 40,000 aerial photos still exists today. One of his Halberstadts is restored and on display in the U.S. Air Force Museum. It is a rarity, being a combat veteran, and one of the few built by L.F.G Roland.

Reference

• Albatros Aces of World War 1: Part 2 of Albatros aces of World War I. Norman L. R. Franks. Greg VanWyngarden. Osprey Publishing, 2007. ISBN 1846031796, 9781846031793.
• Picture Researcher's Handbook: An International Guide to Picture Sources and How to Use Them. Edition 5. Hilary Evans, Mary Evans. Routledge, 1992. ISBN 0948905751, 9780948905759.
• Pusher Aces of World War 1 Jon Guttman, Harry Dempsey. Osprey Pub Co, 2009. ISBN 1846034175, 9781846034176.

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