Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 68, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 68, was a "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the '' Luftstreitkräfte'', 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 40 aerial victories during the war, including ten observation balloons downed. The unit's victories came at the expense of nine killed in action, and two wounded in action.

History

On 1 February 1918, Jasta 68 was founded at ''Fliegerersatz-Abteilung'' ("Replacement Detachment") 3, Gotha, Germany. Nine days later, the new squadron went operational when it was posted to '' 18th Armee''. CO

Fritz Pütter ''Leutnant'' Fritz Pütter (14 January 1895 – 10 August 1918) ''Pour le Mérite'', Iron Cross, was a German World War I ace fighter pilot credited with victories over eight enemy observation balloons and 17 airplanes.The Aerodrome website page ...

scored the first aerial victory on 18 March 1918. Ten days later, Jasta 68 joined ''Jagdgruppe Nord''. The Jasta was transferred to '' 1 Armee'' on 5 July 1918. On 13 September 1918, Jasta 68 was posted to '' 5 Armee''. The squadron would serve until its disbandment on 6 December 1918.

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 ...
'')

: 1 February 1918 – 22 June 1918 * Paul Schwirzke: 22 June 1918 – 14 July 1918 * Fritz Pütter: 14 July 1918 – 16 July 1918 * Paul Schwirzke: 16 July 1918 – 9 August 1918 * Rudolf Otto: 9 August 1918

Duty stations

* Delinghe Ferme: 19 February 1918 *

Beauvais Beauvais ( , ; pcd, Bieuvais) is a city and commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise département, in the Hauts-de-France region, north of Paris. The commune of Beauvais had a population of 56,020 , making it the most populous ...

: France: 25 March 1918 * Balatre, France: 28 March 1918 * St-Remy-West: 5 July 1918 * Semide, France: 13 September 1918 * Prentin: 15 September 1918

Notable personnel

* Fritz Pütter *

Wilhelm Seitz '' Leutnant'' Wilhelm Anton Seitz was a German World War I flying ace credited with 16 aerial victories. He scored those victories over a two-year span, beginning on 17 November 1916 and ending on 4 November 1918.The Aerodrome website page on Seit ...

Wilhelm Stör ''Vizefeldwebel'' Wilhelm "Willi" Stör (10 May 1893 – 12 December 1977) was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.The Aerodrome website page on StöRetrieved 16 September 2020. Biography Wilhelm Stör was born on 5 Octob ...

References

;Bibliography * 68 Military units and formations established in 1918 1918 establishments in Germany Military units and formations disestablished in 1918 {{wwi-air

History

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 ...'')

Duty stations

Notable personnel

References

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 ...
'')