Oswald Boelcke
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| Oswald Boelcke | |
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| 19 May 1891 - 28 October 1916 | |
 Oswald Boelcke in 1916 with the Pour le Mérite at his neck. |
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| Place of birth | Giebichenstein; near Halle (Saale) |
| Place of death | Near Douai |
| Allegiance | German Empire |
| Service/branch | Luftstreitkräfte |
| Years of service | 1914-1916 |
| Rank | Hauptmann |
| Unit | Jasta 2 |
| Awards | Pour le Mérite |
Oswald Boelcke (IPA: [ˈbœlkə]; 19 May 1891 – 28 October 1916) was a German flying ace of the First World War and one of the most influential patrol leaders and tacticians of the early years of air combat. Boelcke is considered the father of the German fighter air force; he was the first to formalize the rules of air fighting, which he presented as the Dicta Boelcke. Germany's premier ace, Manfred von Richthofen (The Red Baron), had been taught by Boelcke and continued to idolize his late mentor long after he had surpassed Boelcke's tally of victories.
- "I am after all only a combat pilot, but Boelcke, he was a hero." (Manfred von Richthofen, September 1917)[citation needed]
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[edit] Early life, entrance into World War I
Boelcke was born in Giebichenstein, the son of a schoolmaster recently returned from Argentina. His family name was originally spelt Bölcke, but Oswald and his elder brother Wilhelm dispensed with the umlaut and adopted the Latin spelling in place of the German. The pronunciation is the same for both spellings. After leaving school he joined Telegraphen-Bataillon Nr. 3 in Koblenz as a Fahnenjunker (cadet officer). In mid-1914 he transferred to the Fliegertruppe. His flight training took place from May to August at the Halberstädter Fliegerschule, and he was then immediately posted to active duty.
[edit] Career as a combat fighter pilot
He was initially posted to Fliegerabteilung 13. He transferred to Fliegerabteilung 62 in April 1915, based at Douai. Boelcke's observer shot down their first enemy aircraft on July 4, 1915. In the same month, Boelcke and Max Immelmann became the first German fighter pilots, being given two of the five constructed Fokker M.5K/MG production prototypes of the Fokker E.I aircraft, fitted with a synchronized forward-firing Parabellum machine gun. Boelcke won his first aerial combat on 19 August 1915, downed four more enemy aircraft before the end of the year and had four more 'kills' in January 1916. Also in January 1916 he and Immelmann were the first German fliers to be awarded the Pour le Mérite, Germany's highest military medal. After Immelmann was killed in June 1916, Boelcke became the top German ace. In March 1916 Boelcke was made leader of the newly formed Fliegerabteilung Sivery and led them in action over Verdun.
The German air force (Luftstreitkräfte) was reorganized in mid-1916 and Boelcke was appointed commander of his hand-picked group of Jagdstaffel Nr. 2, usually called Jasta 2, in September. Among his first selections were Manfred von Richthofen, Erwin Böhme and Hans Reimann. The unit initially flew Fokker D.II and Halberstadt D.II fighters, but really got into its stride with the new Albatros D.I and D.II. Boelcke shot down eleven Royal Flying Corps planes in his first month with Jasta 2. His pilots always flew in disciplined formations, and he repeatedly drilled them in his tactics. Among them were his famed combat rules, called "Boelcke's Dicta", which were the first systematic analysis of air combat and continued to be applicable through World War II.
[edit] Death in action
Boelcke set out on October 28, 1916 with his two best pilots, Manfred von Richthofen and Erwin Böhme, for a patrol that eventually led them into a dogfight with single-seater DH.2 fighters from no. 24 squadron RFC. Before they had set out on their attack, Boelcke, rushing to get ready, failed to properly strap on his safety belt. In the ensuing dogfight, Boelcke and Böhme, neither aware of the other's presence, closed in on the same aircraft. Von Richthofen dived in on that very same airplane, and Boelcke swerved to avoid a collision with him. In seconds, Böhme collided with Boelcke's upper wing, and so the great ace went down in a violent spin like a stone. Minutes later, the pilot's lifeless body was pulled from his smashed Albatros D.II. The great Oswald Boelcke, victor of 40 aerial engagements, was dead at age 25. It is speculated that had he worn a safety belt, he would have survived with only minor injuries.
Jasta 2 was stricken with shock and grief over the death of their great leader. Böhme, blaming himself for Boelcke's death, had to be talked out of committing suicide. As the Fatherland mourned, Boelcke was buried with full honors at his aerodrome in Cambrai. The Royal Flying Corps dropped a wreath a day later over Jasta 2 which read, "To the memory of Captain Boelcke, a brave and chivalrous foe."
In honor of their great leader, Jasta 2 was officially named "Jasta Boelcke", a name the squadron still bears to this very day. Ironically, on November 23rd, Von Richthofen shot down his 11th victory, the most famous British pilot: Lanoe Hawker. As another ironic side note, Erwin Böhme was killed exactly one year, one month, and one day after his collision with Boelcke.
In the end, Boelcke had broken his own rule in his dicta, which stated to never close in on a single combatant when others are also pursuing it.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Boelcke, Oswald |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | German First World War flying ace |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 19 May 1891 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Giebichenstein near Halle (Saale) |
| DATE OF DEATH | 28 October 1916 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Near Douai |
