Leutnant Dieter Collin (17 February 1893—13 August 1918)
IC was a World War I German
flying ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
credited with 13 aerial victories.
[The Aerodrome website http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/collin.php Retrieved on 12 April 2010.]
Early life
Dieter Collin was born in
Luben, Germany on 17 February 1893.
Military service
Collin was originally assigned to
Jagdstaffel 22 in November 1916, but was quickly reassigned to
Jagdstaffel 2
Jasta 2 (Jagdstaffel Zwei in full and also known as ''Jasta Boelcke'') was one of the best-known German Luftstreitkräfte Squadrons in World War I. Its first commanding officer was the great aerial tactician Oswald Boelcke, and it was the incubator ...
. He scored his first victory there, on 23 November 1916. He picked up his second the day after Christmas. On 21 February 1917, he returned to Jasta 22. He accumulated another three victories with them, from 23 May 1917 through 6 September 1917,
but was wounded on the latter day.
He did not return from convalescence until 4 March 1918. On the 29th, he scored his last victory for Jasta 22. On 16 April, he was appointed to command of
Jagdstaffel 56
Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 56, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 56, was a "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. The squadron would score 63 aerial victories d ...
. Leading from the front, Collin scored four more victories in May and three in July.
Collin was severely wounded in combat with Sopwith Camels of
No. 204 Squadron RAF
No. 204 Squadron was a Royal Air Force unit first formed in March 1915 as No.4 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service.
First World War
No. 4 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service was formed on 25 March 1915 at Dover from the former RNAS Defence Flight.Jeff ...
on 13 August 1918, and died in hospital later that day.
Sources of information
References
* ''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914 - 1918'' Norman L. R. Franks, ''et al.'' Grub Street, 1993. , .
1893 births
1918 deaths
German military personnel killed in World War I
German World War I flying aces
Luftstreitkräfte personnel
People from Lubin
People from the Province of Silesia
Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class
Shot-down aviators
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