The names of two German pilots

[xjouve]

Here's a map of St-Quentin sector with locations of this particular day reported facts.



Use this link in order to view full size image.

[Captain JT]

Xjouve

Thank you for the location map, it's all good information. Thanks to Ross it now looks like Jasta 2 & Jasta 36 of JGIII.

James

[Captain JT]

Ross

Fantastic information on what took place, I can not thank you enough for all your help with this one. The question that now loom's is if the opposition during this battle were clearly from Jasta 2 & Jasta 36 does this now rule out the following pilots?

Leutnant Kurt Schibilsky, Jasta 10
Leutnant Hermann Silberschmidt, Jasta 22
Unteroffizier Paul Podbiol, Jasta 40
Leutnant Ernst Baumgartel, Jasta 56
Leutnant Hermann Tolke, Jasta 79

James

[xjouve]

Originally Posted by Captain JT

Leutnant Kurt Schibilsky, Jasta 10

Well, as I said before, Schibilsky might have been downed by French artillery, which claimed 3 Fokkers DVII, in the Argonne sector where another Jasta 10 pilot, Aue, claimed a Spad at the end of the morning over Montfaucon-d'Argonne. Location is just north-west of Verdun; far away, to say the least, from St-Quentin.
Also, Jasta 10 was located south of Metz during this period; this is not compatible with all these fights that took place in the St-Quentin sector.

[frontflieger]

Originally Posted by Captain JT

Leutnant Kurt Schibilsky, Jasta 10
Leutnant Hermann Silberschmidt, Jasta 22
Unteroffizier Paul Podbiol, Jasta 40
Leutnant Ernst Baumgartel, Jasta 56
Leutnant Hermann Tolke, Jasta 79

James

Please James, please, do me (and us) a favour, use < Google Maps > or any other geographical help and look were the following towns are situated:

Jasta 10: Metz-Frescaty (Alsace - far away);
Jasta 56: Croulshouten (somewhere in Flanders - far away);
Jasta 40: Bisseghem (Flanders - far away);

Jasta 22: Guise - Flavigny le Grand well behind German lines;
Jasta 79 b: Chevresis-Monceau (south-east of St. Quentin!!)

... afterwards you will surely (and hopefully) not ask about Jastas 10, 40 and 56 again!!

Thorsten

[Captain JT]

Thorsten

I just wanted to get things clear in my mind, it was not my intention upset the forum.

James

[Captain JT]

Well I now feel somewhat reluctant to ask the forum another question but here goe's.

What was the typical colour scheme for a fokker D.VII serving in Jasta 2 or Jasta 36 likely to have been.

As an ex-army officer (not a flying man) please cut me a bit of slack.

James

[frontflieger]

James,

pose your questions and we will be pleased to help you!


>> that I have part of one of the two Fokker D.VII's and the pilots badge. <<

What par of these Fokkers do you have?

Thorsten

[Captain JT]

A section of the propeller blade from one of the two planes.

James

[Gregvan]

Hello James,

Please accept a belated welcome to the Forum, and I certainly hope that you stay! Please don't be put off by some comments posted here - I assure you, nobody means you ill will. Just sometimes we can (unintentionally) seem a little abrupt.

Now to your most recent question:

The Fokker D.VIIs of Jasta Boelcke featured a tailplane and elevators which were divided into equal black and white sections, the demarcation going right down the centre line of the tailplane. These colors were also extended down each adjacent fuselage side beneath the tailplane. The front portion of the cowling was also colored white; this was part of a "theme" running through all four units of Jagdgeschwader III (Jasta 2/Boelcke - white noses; Jasta 26 - black and white fuselage stripes, and black noses; Jasta 27 - yellow tails and yellow noses; Jasta 36 - blue noses).

In Jasta Boelcke the D.VIIs also generally featured a wide variety of individual pilot's markings on the fuselage, generally aft of the cockpit and forward of the national insignia cross. These could be stripes, initials, etc. I'll try to post some images in a succeeding post.

As for the D.VII's of Jasta 36, there is far less known. I have published some photos of D.VII's tentatively identified as Jasta 36 in some of my books, but those identifications remain very cautious. A small correction to Russ' earlier post: we know from first-hand German accounts (just two or three of them) that the aircraft of Jasta 36 featured blue noses - but not blue tails, to my knowledge. Again, there was probably a wide variety of personal insignia on the fuselages. Jasta 36 was unususal in that it also retained a few Fokker Dr.I's until quite late in the war, and also had at various times in late 1918 some Fokker E.V's (parasols) and Pfalz D.XII's on hand. In general, however, I would say that Jasta 36 Fokker D.VIIs had the engine cowlings painted blue (the exact shade, I can't say!).

I hope that is of interest.

Very best regards. And please - if it would be possible for you to someday post photos of the pilot's badge and piece of the propellor, we would all be fascinated to see them!

Greg