German Chain of Command

Hello,

I am curious about the command found directly above the Jasta (if it wasn't part of a Jagdgruppe or Jagdgeschwader). Would it be the Kofl for the Army sector that the Jasta operated in? I assume that the Jagdgruppe/Jagdgeschwader always reported directly to the Kofl.

If so, is there a source that gives the names of the Kofl for each army throughout the war? I am interested in 1, 3, 5, 6 & 17 Armees (1916-1918). Any help will be greatly appreciated.

regards,

Darren

[Dan_San_Abbott]

wingedwarrior:
The chain of command Is:
Armee, Kofl,<
Jagdgeschwader, <Jasta A,B, C, D,
<Jagdgruppe Nord, <Jasta E,F,G.
<Jagdgruppe Süd, <Jasta H,I,J,
In an Armee without a Jagdgeschwader,
Armee <Kofl
<Grufl <Nord<Armee Korp. A < Jagdgruppe Nr.1< Jasta a,b,c,d,
<Grufl <Mitte<Armee Korp. B <Jagdgruppe Nr.2< Jasta e,f,g,h,i.
<Grufl <Süd <Armee Korp. C <Jagdgruppe Nr.3< Jasta j,k,l.
Blue skies,
Dan-San

Originally Posted by Dan_San_Abbott

In an Armee without a Jagdgeschwader,
Armee <Kofl
<Grufl <Nord<Armee Korp. A < Jagdgruppe Nr.1< Jasta a,b,c,d,

Thanks for the info Dan-San. Forgive me for my ignorance, but what does Nord signify ?(besides location). I assume that the Armee Korp. you speak of is different from the Armee Korp. attached to the Army division (as it is attached to the aviation section).

regards,

Darren

[Dan_San_Abbott]

winged warrior:
The British front ran north and south. The German Armeen from the Channel coast ran: 4.Armee, 6.Armee, 17.Armee, 2.Armee and the 18.Armee. In these armies, the Armee Korps would be designated left to right, facing the front A, B, C, D, or Süd (South) Mitte (Middle) and Nord (North).At the right wing of the 18.Armee, the front turned eastward and the Armee Korps ised the A,B,C,and D. And the Jasta sometimes and Schlastagruppen followed the Armee Korps designation. Generally the Jastagruppe use their numerical designation, i.e., Jagdgruppe Nr.9 (Raben).
Blue skies,
Dan-San

Ha-ha, now I get it....

regards,

Darren

[AOK4]

Hello,

A small remark. By 1917 there would be no mention of Armeekorpsany more. There is a slight possibility that a Generalkommando would be mentioned, but a Gruppe would be more probable. These were given a geographical name (mostly a town in their territory) as f.i. Wytschaete, Lille, ... Divisions also used such names although after 1918 they are designated by letters within a Gruppe: A, B, ...

Jan

[antiquegunsmith]

I have noticed that all the JASTAs formed in 1916... according to the info I see about units on this site. What existed prior to the JASTA system? Certainly Eindekkers were never issued to such an operation as they were pretty much obsolete by the time they came into being... yet there were a few units of them out there.
Anyone know?
Gregory F. Howard

[Rick]

Gregory,

Good question, and a proper and correct answer would take a couple of pages. Suffice to say that the units formed prior to the Jagdstaffeln were the Kampfeinsitzer Kommando (KEK). These were made up of the single-seater pilots attached to the neighboring FFA and AFA. Most were 'unofficial', although a few did have 'official' names/numbers, like KEK 3 for example. Most of these units were the "starter" units for the first few Jagdstaffeln. As I said, a proper replay would fill up a few pages. Hope this brief explanation helps. R.

[antiquegunsmith]

Hmmm... not quite the same ring as JASTA, eh? OK- quick follow up- what are FAA and AFA units? Recon and bombing, I would assume?
Gregory F. Howard

[Rick]

Yes, essentially recon. FFA = Feld Flieger Abteilung while AFA = Artillerie Flieger Abteilung. FFA = primarily photographic whereas AFA = artillery spotting.