Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 51, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 51, was a "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the ''
Luftstreitkräfte
The ''Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte'' (, German Air Force)—known before October 1916 as (Flyer Troops)—was the air arm of the Imperial German Army. In English-language sources it is usually referred to as the Imperial German Air Service, alt ...
'', the air arm of the
Imperial German Army
The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (german: Deutsches Heer), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the l ...
during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The squadron would score over 24 aerial victories during the war. The unit's victories came at the expense of 10 killed in action, two killed in a mid-air collision, two wounded in action, one injured in an aviation accident, and two taken prisoner of war. A member of this unit was
Friedrich Karl Florian
Friedrich Karl Florian (4 February 1894 – 24 October 1975) was the ''Gauleiter'' of Gau Düsseldorf throughout its existence in Nazi Germany.
Early life
The son of a Prussian railway master, Florian moved in his youth to East Prussia. After g ...
Nazi
Gauleiter
A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a ''Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany, Gau'' or ''Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party, rank in ...
of
Düsseldorf, Germany.
History
Jasta 51 was founded on 27 December 1917. It went operational on 9 January 1918. Also in January, it joined ''
Jagdgruppe 3''. Its first aerial victory came 14 March 1918. The squadron would operate its
Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII qu ...
s through war's end.
Commanding officers (''
Staffelführer
''Staffelführer'' was one of the first paramilitary ranks used by the German ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) in the early years of that group's existence. The later SS rank of ''Staffelführer'' traces its origins to the First World War, where the tit ...
'')
*
Hans-Eberhardt Gandert
General-major Hans-Eberhardt Gandert (2 September 1892 – 24 July 1947) was a German professional soldier who began his 33-year military career in 1912. He learned to fly in the early days of World War I, went on to become a flying ace credited ...
: 27 December 1917 – 29 September 1918
*
Karl Plauth
Leutnant Karl Plauth was a German World War I flying ace credited with 17 aerial victories. He would crash a Junkers A 32 to his death on a test flight.
Biography
See also Aerial victory standards of World War I
Karl Plauth was born on 27 August ...
: 10 October 1918 – ca 11 November 1918
Duty stations
* Wynghene: 10 January 1918
*
Jabbeke
Jabbeke () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Jabbeke proper, Snellegem, Stalhille, Varsenare and Zerkegem. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 13,572 inhabitants. The t ...
, Belgium: 1 February 1918
References
;Bibliography
*
51
Military units and formations established in 1917
1917 establishments in Germany
Military units and formations disestablished in 1918
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