Freidrich Noltenius

Have seen a lot of discussion in the forum re overclaiming on the British side, but very little about Germans doing the same. Some authors have stated that Noltenius may have stretched the truth on ocassion. Is this true? Does anyone know the details?

Just thought I'd give you a little info. This information is based on WWII information, but it may apply in a general way to WWI. While there is clear evidence of overclaiming on the part of the German airforce, it is equally clear that the GAF had the least overclaiming of all the belligerents. The reason for this was not that German pilots were less prone to overclaiming, but that their claims confirmation system was more stringent then everyone elses. When the system broke down the claims went up. I'm guessing that the Gaf system while modernized in WWII had its methodological roots in WWI. So far I've seen very little information on the actual procedures of WWI but the little I've seen seems to show that the Germans tended to be a lot more careful about granting claims than everyone else.

[Craig]

Noltenius was rather difficult, I seem to recall reading. He was transferred often, over disputes with other pilots over claims.

One reason that German pilots' claims were more accurate was the result of the strict confirmation standards: they were less likely to put in a claim than their counterparts unless they were VERY certain that it would pass this rigorous standard. It' stands to reason that if their standards were as lax as the British, they would've had just as big a problem with overclaiming. They wouldn't have been as afraid of the embarrassment of rejection if their claim was likely to be accepted "just because they said so".

Friedrich Noltenius may have been thought "difficult" by some, but perhaps he had reason to be. He was certainly an extremely skilled and courageous fighter pilot. Ever since Ed Ferko published a translation of Noltenius' own war diary in the Winter 1966 issue of 'Cross & Cockade' (US), his complete descriptions of his victories have come under intense scrutiny, and portions of his diary have been re-published in several different books. I note that the authors of Above the Lines (Franks, Bailey and Guest)have found matching Allied losses for 14 out of Noltenius' 21 listed confirmed claims - and that's a pretty good percentage, better than many.They even identified one of his unconfirmed victories, on 21 September, as being over our old friend "Wop" May of 209 Squadron, who came down in Allied lines unhurt. During his stay in Jasta 27, from August 10 to Sept 25, Noltenius achieved a score of nine planes and four balloons. However, he believed he had been unjustly 'cheated' out of several victories, these going to more senior pilots of the unit. In the Jagdstaffeln, only one man got credit for a victory, generally - there were no shared victories. Sometimes a dispute was settled through arbitration by "higher authority", sometimes it was simply through a roll of the dice. At any rate, Noltenius requested transfer to another unit and was sent to the prestigious Jasta 6 of JG I. However, there he had a dispute with the CO, Ulrich Neckel, who accused him (apparently unfairly) of deserting him in combat. Noltenius strongly denied this, but another transfer followed, this one to Jasta 11, where he would bring his score up to 21.

German fighter pilots could be pretty aggressive when it came to victory disputes. Victories could mean promotion, medals, and even command of a unit. As it was Noltenius was recommended for the Pour le Merite but narrowly missed it due to the Armistice.

[Craig]

Noltenius is also known for the balloon that blew up in his face. There is a great photo of him just after landing. His battered plane is featured in Dan-San's Fokker D.VII article in OTF, and a shot of it in a somewhat happier state appeared in "The Early Birds of War" - sans much by way of description - a mid-1960s book upon which my interest in this subject was weaned.

[stephen]

Correct me if'n I'm wrong, but I believe this was the same Noltenius that tangled with George Vaughn and company on 22 Sept, 1918. Nuenhofen was in this one too, and maybe American ace Bob Todd (was A Flight involved, or just B and C?). Its interesting to compare Noltenius' account of the fight to Vaughn's, both of whom left memoirs and recorded it as a spectacular event. No doubt Noltenius was utterly tenacious in combat, and equally so for his claims afterward.