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Otto Kissenberth was a German flying ace of World War I credited with 20 aerial victories. He was a prewar mechanical engineer who joined the German air service in 1914. After being trained and after serving as a reconnaissance pilot, he became one of the first German fighter pilots, flying with Kampfeinsitzerkommando KEK Einsisheim. He scored six victories with this unit as it morphed into a fighter squadron, Jagdstaffel 16. His success brought him command of Jagdstaffel 23 on 4 August 1917. He would run his victory tally to 20, downing his final victim using a captured British Sopwith Camel on 20 May 1918. Nine days later, a crash while flying the Camel ended Kissenberth's combat career. His injuries were severe enough he was not returned to combat, instead being assigned to command Schleissheim's flying school. Although Otto Kissenberth survived the war, he died soon after in a mountaineering accident on 2 August 1919.
Jasta 2 was one of the best-known German Luftstreitkräfte Squadrons in World War I. Its first commanding officer was the great aerial tactician Oswald Boelcke, and it was the incubator of several notable aviation careers.
OberleutnantHenrich 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.
Paul Billik was a German World War I fighter ace credited with 31 victories. He was killed in a flying accident while pioneering civil aviation.
Adolf Ritter von Tutschek (16 May 1891 – 15 March 1918) PlM, MOMJ was a professional soldier turned aviator. As German air strategy turned towards concentrated air power, he was entrusted with one of the world's first fighter wings.
OberleutnantFritz Otto Bernert was a leading German fighter ace of World War I. After being invalided from infantry duty after his fourth wound, Bernert joined the aviation branch. After pilot training, he scored 27 victories between 17 April 1916 and 7 May 1917 despite being essentially one-armed and wearing pince-nez. Among his 15 victories during Bloody April were five scored in 20 minutes on 13 April 1917. He was promoted to squadron command, first of Jagdstaffel 6, then of Jagdstaffel 2. Removed from command on 18 August 1918 by wounds and illness, he died of influenza on 18 October 1918.
Leutnant August Delling was a German World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.
Leutnant Arthur Rahn was a German World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories. He served as a fighter pilot for about two years before being wounded in action on 27 July 1918. Exiting hospital after war's end, he married in 1919. In 1928, the Rahns emigrated to the United States and became naturalized citizens.
Leutnant Josef Raesch was a World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories. Two of his victories were over other aces, Guy Wareing and Ernest Charles Hoy.
Leutnant Ernst Hess HOH IC was a World War I flying ace credited with 17 confirmed and four unconfirmed aerial victories. Hess was one of a few World War I pilots involved in aviation prewar, as he gained his civil pilot's license on 26 September 1913. He was already enrolled in Die Fliegertruppen of the Imperial German Army when World War I began. He qualified for his military pilot's license on 21 November 1914, and was launched on his flying career as one of Germany's first fighter pilots. He would score his first aerial victory in tandem with Oswald Boelcke on 5 January 1916. He would rotate through four assignments before scoring a dozen victories within July–September 1917 while flying an Albatros D.Va for Jagdstaffel 28. On 19 September 1917, he was promoted to command of Jagdstaffel 19. He had just been appointed to command of a Jagdgruppe being formed by Germany's First Army when he was killed in combat on 23 December 1917.
Leutnant Ludwig Hanstein HOH, Bavaria's MMO was a World War I flying ace credited with 16 aerial victories.
LeutnantKarl Odebrett was a German World War I flying ace credited with 16 aerial victories.
LeutnantPaul Strähle was a German World War I flying ace credited with 15 aerial victories.
Ernst Freiherr von Althaus was a German flying ace in World War I, credited with nine confirmed aerial victories, as well as eight unconfirmed ones. He was one of the original Fokker Eindekker pilots who became known collectively as the Fokker Scourge.
Leutnant Hans von Keudell was a World War I flying ace credited with twelve aerial victories.
Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 15, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 15, was a "hunting group" of the Luftstreitkräfte, the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. The unit would score over 150 aerial victories during the war, at the expense of seven killed in action, two killed in flying accidents, three wounded in action, one injured in a flying accident, and two taken prisoner of war.
Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 12 was a World War I "hunting group" of the Luftstreitkräfte, the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. As one of the original German fighter squadrons, the unit would score 155 aerial victories during the war, at the expense of seventeen killed in action, eight wounded in action, and one taken prisoner of war.
Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 39, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 39, was a "hunting group" of the Luftstreitkräfte, the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. The unit would score 68 aerial victories during the war, including 14 observation balloons downed. The squadron's victories came at the expense of seven pilots killed in action, one killed in a flying accident, five wounded in action, and one taken prisoner of war.
Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 43, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 43, was a "hunting group" of the Luftstreitkräfte, the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. The unit would score over 35 aerial victories during the war, including two observation balloons downed. The squadron's victories came at the expense of six killed in action, five wounded in action, two injured in accidents, and one taken prisoner of war.
HauptmannPaul Henning Aldabert Theodor von Osterroht IC was a German military aviation pioneer who became a flying ace in World War I. After valorous service as a bomber pilot and commander, he was called upon to found one of the original German Jagdstaffels. By March 1917 he led that unit into combat. Between 29 March and noon of 23 April, he scored seven aerial victories. Six hours later, he was killed in action while on patrol.
References
- Norman Franks, Frank W. Bailey, Russell Guest. Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918. Grub Street, 1993. ISBN 0-948817-73-9, ISBN 978-0-948817-73-1.
- Norman Franks. Albatros Aces of World War 1: Volume 32 of Aircraft of the Aces: Part 1 of Albatros Aces of World War I. Osprey Publishing, 2000. ISBN 1855329603, 9781855329607.
- Greg VanWyngarden. Albatros Aces of World War 1: Aircraft of the Aces: Part 2 of Albatros Aces of World War I. Osprey Publishing, 2007. ISBN 1846031796, 9781846031793.
- Greg VanWyngarden. JAGDGESCHWADER, Issue 2: Volume 19 of Aviation Elite Units: Volume 19 of Osprey Aviation Elite. Osprey Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1841767271, 9781841767277.