Jagdstaffel 5 Volume Two

Купить бумажную книгу и читать

Jagdstaffel 5 Volume Two (Windsock Datafile Special)

By G. K. Merrill

Publisher: Albatros Productions Limited 2004 48 Pages

ISBN: 1902207688

PDF 19 MB

With the loss of Kurt Schneider, the last of the dominant air leaders was gone and Jasta 5 would not have a great deal of success until others came forward. On 27 July, Ltn. Wolf was credited with a Bristol F2b over Esquerchin at 0900 hrs. His victims were 2/Lt. J. Chapman and Lt. W B MacKay of No.11 Squadron in A7134, both unwounded and made PoW. The problem is the conflict in times, this crew is listed as going down at 1950 hrs. in one source and as a 'Sopwith', quite possibly what Wolf actually claimed, as at 2103 hrs. The 0900 hrs. appears to be an error and should read 19XX or 21XX hrs. with some slight difference depending upon accounts. On the last day of the month Ltn. Rudolf Nebel was posted away to Kest 1 b. Although not having proved himself a particularly efficient combat pilot, his talents were recognised and he commanded Kest 1b until May 1918 when he took command of Kest 1a and remained there until the end of the war.

Also posted away (arriving at his new unit Kest 4b sometime in August 1917) was Heinrich Bussing. This move sounds ex­tremely similar to the one involving Nebel and may have occurred at the same time. Unlike Nebel, Bussing would not survive the war, being killed in a test flight in May 1918. By that time he was highly decorated and had four unconfirmed and two confirmed, victories. In two different publications Franks, et al., give different identities to his second victim, it may have been the famous Lt. Albert Mezergues, CO of Sop.129, PoW. In any case, this victory was scored on 22 August 1917 while Bussing was at Kesta 4b. It confirms that by that date he had left Jasta 5, his departure being that of the last 'charter member' of the unit.