#jasta 15

[pinturas-gran-guerra-aire]

1918 08 20 Jasta 15 Josef Veltjens - James Dietz

repost better quality

[deutschland-im-krieg]

62 victory ace and Pour le Mérite (Blue Max) holder, Leutnant der Reserve Ernst Udet of Jasta 15, with his Albatros D.III (D.1391), France, 1917. This is probably just prior to Bloody April. During April 1917, the British lost 245 aircraft, 211 aircrew killed or missing and 108 as prisoners of war. The Germans recorded the loss of 66 aircraft during the same period. For more, see my Facebook group - Eagles Of The Reich

[deutschland-im-krieg]

25 victory ace Leutnant Georg von Hantelmann of Jasta 15, scores his first kill over a Airco DH.4 bomber in his Fokker D.VII, Chaulnes, France, 1 June 1918. For more, see my Facebook group - Eagles Of The Reich

[deutschland-im-krieg]

Fokker D.VIIs of Jasta 15, August 1918. Jasta 15 had one of the most unusual histories of the Kaiser's Luftstreikräfte. After assuming command of JG II in March, 1918, Hauptmann Rudolph Berthold tried to have his old unit, Jasta 18, attached to JG II. After failing to do so, he then arranged to have all of Jasta 18’s flying personnel swapped out with those of Jasta 15, a unit already attached to JG II. With them, the former pilots of Jasta 18 brought their unit’s colours – blue fuselages and red noses. Pictured from front to back are: 11 victory ace Leutnant d R Hugo Schafer, 35 victory ace Leutnant d R Josef Veltjens, 44 victory ace Hauptmann Rudolph Berthold, 25 victory ace Leutnant Oliver von Beaulieu-Marconnay and 6 victory ace Vizefeldwebel Gustav Klaudat. 121 victories from these five experten. For more, see my Facebook group - Eagles Of The Reich

[deutschland-im-krieg]

39 victory ace Leutnant Heinrich Gontermann. Graduating from Jastaschule on 11 November 1916, he was posted to Jasta 5 where he scored his first victory on 14 November 1916. On 5 March 1917 he was awarded the Iron Cross, first class. By the end of April 1917 he had downed 17 enemy aircraft and was made Jastaführer (Squadron leader) of Jasta 15. He was awarded the Blue Max on 17 May 1917. With Jasta 15 he bagged 22 more victories. On 30 October 1917, while testing a new Fokker Dr.I triplane (115/17), Gontermann was fatally injured in a crash when the upper wing failed. Prior to his death, Gontermann scored 18 victories against Allied balloons. On the evening of 19 August 1917 he shot down four of them in three minutes. Another "what if" pilot, never beaten in combat, who knows what his final score would have been if he had flown for another year. For more, see my Facebook group - Eagles Of The Reich

[pinturas-gran-guerra-aire]

1918 08 A Flight of Bluebirds - Russell Smith

Jasta 15 had one of the most unusual histories of the Jasta squadrons. After assuming command of JGII in March, 1918, Hptm Rudolph Berthold tried to have his old unit, Jasta 18, attached to JGII. After failing to do so, he then arranged to have all of Jasta 18’s flying personnel swapped out with those of Jasta 15, a unit already attached to JGII. With them, the former pilots of Jasta 18 brought their unit’s colors – blue fuselages and red noses. Pictured from front to back are: Ltn d R Hugo Schafer, 11 victories; Ltn d R Josef Veltjens, 35victories; Hptm Rudolph Berthold, 44 victories; Ltn Oliver von Beaulieu-Marconnay, 25 victories; Vzfw Gustav Klaudat, 6 victories.

[talesofwar]

The ace of jasta 15, Kurt Monnington and his massive skull emblem painted on his Fokker D V.