German Pilot's First "Abschuss", August 25, 1918

[unglesbeemj]

1. I am attempting to confirm a shoot down by a German Army pilot on August 25, 1918 (his first), in the area of Oise Aisne, northern France, during that same campaign. See attached images of his engagement history found with the soldbuch. The pilot’s name was Bruno Walzel, rank unknown. I am in the possession of his soldbuch and several of his awards, and am researching his combat history.

Unfortunately, I have so far been unable to determine from his soldbuch exactly which unit he was attached to at the time of the shoot down. There are many units listed throughout his career, starting in late 1915: FEA 1, FEA 9, AFP S. Army, FA 54, and FEA 8 in July 1917. After that date the record goes silent until November 1918 with his final transfer to FEA 14.

Why it took Bruno until April 1918 (see second image) to receive his pilot qualification badge is another mystery...

Are there listings available for Allied aerial losses and/or German claims for August 25, 1918, or the month of August, that indicate location, pilot, aircraft, etc? If so, could someone direct me to this information, or to someone that can assist me further in my research?

2. I have attached several pages from Bruno’s soldbuch. Can anyone tell me the complete name of the unit stamped within the box on the left page of the first image? It appears to be “….Reihenbildzug 5” (RBZ 5) but cannot make out the text in front of this.

This is a wild shot, but can anyone tell me what the handwriting directly above the stamp pertains to? As the handwritten text indicates July 1918, it is possible that Bruno was flying with RBZ 5 when he had his shoot down on August 25, 1918. But I would now need to confirm if in fact RBZ 5 was flying in the Oise Aisne area in August...

Any assistance in sorting this out would be much appreciated!

Mike

[Raineranton]

Hi Mike,

The stamp: Kgl. Preuß. Reihenbild-Zug 5 (Königlich Preußischer Reihenbild-Zug 5)

The handwriting above:

Gelöhnt bis 10.07.18 (payed till 10 July 1918)
Fliegerzulage bis 10.07.18 (extra pay for airmen till 10 Juli 1918)
Verpflegung bis 07.07.18 einschließlich (food up to and including 07 July 1918)

Kappe
Offizier-Stellvertreter

Regards

Rainer

[unglesbeemj]

Originally Posted by Raineranton

Hi Mike,

The stamp: Kgl. Preuß. Reihenbild-Zug 5 (Königlich Preußischer Reihenbild-Zug 5)

The handwriting above:

Gelöhnt bis 10.07.18 (payed till 10 July 1918)
Fliegerzulage bis 10.07.18 (extra pay for airmen till 10 Juli 1918)
Verpflegung bis 07.07.18 einschließlich (food up to and including 07 July 1918)

Kappe
Offizier-Stellvertreter

Regards

Rainer

Thanks Rainer. Is it safe to say that he was attached to this unit - RBZ 5?

Mike

[frontflieger]

Originally Posted by unglesbeemj

... starting in late 1915: FEA 1, FEA 9, AFP S. Army, FA 54, and FEA 8 in July 1917. After that date the record goes silent until November 1918 with his final transfer to FEA 14.

FEA 1 & 9 means: he was trained in Germany (perhaps not for beeing a pilot but a ground crew?)

AFP S (?) - propably AFP 5 or AFP 9 - that means Armeeflugpark of either the 5th or the 9th army. AFP 9 (Rumanian-Front) would fit to Feldfliegerabteilung 54 (FFA 54), which fought at the eastern front.

AFTER that he was - perhaps - trained for beeing pilot at FEA 8 - going to the western front... in november 1918 his unit - RBZ 5? - was demobilzed at FEA 14/ at 'Halle an der Saale'.

Thorsten