Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 27 (german: Königliche Preussische Jagdstaffel Nr. 27), commonly abbreviated to ''Jasta'' 27, was a "hunting group" (

fighter squadron A squadron in air force, army aviation, or naval aviation is a unit comprising a number of military aircraft and their aircrews, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, dependi ...

) 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.

Operational history

As an independent squadron

Jasta 27 was formed on 5 February 1917 at Ghent with eight aircraft and pilots. ''Armee-Flug-Park 4'' (Army Flight Park 4) at Ghent contributed three aircraft and pilots to the foundation. Two aircraft and pilots were transferred in from both ''

Jagdstaffel 8 Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 8 was a fighter squadron of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. Although the ''Jasta'' went out of existence along with its parent units shortly after the Armistice end ...

'' and '' Jagdstaffel 18''. The newly appointed '' Staffelfuhrer'' (Squadron commander), Hans von Keudell, brought his own plane to the new unit, for the eighth aircraft. The newly formed unit moved forward to

Gistel Gistel () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. Following local government boundary reforms in 1971 and 1977, the municipality has comprised not only Gistel, but also the towns of Moere, Snaaskerke and Ze ...

.VanWyngarden, p. 15. On 15 February 1917, Keudell led two of his pilots into combat in a three plane element of Albatros D.IIIs. He scored the first victory for the new squadron—his 12th overall—when he shot down a two-seater reconnaissance Nieuport from

No. 46 Squadron RAF No. 46 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force, formed in 1916, was disbanded and re-formed three times before its last disbandment in 1975. It served in both World War I and World War II. World War I No. 46 Squadron was ...

. He was also killed in action during the fight. The new squadron languished under its new commander; in three months, they suffered three casualties without scoring a further victory. On 17 May, seven victory ace Hermann Göring was transferred to command Jasta 27. Two days later,

Helmut Dilthey Leutnant Helmut Dilthey IC (9 February 1894 – 9 July 1918) was a German pilot who became a World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories. Dilthey was one of the first German military aviators, joining its military aviation in Nov ...

also transferred in. He noted that there were only three combat-ready aircraft in the jasta; all were inferior in performance to enemy aircraft. Göring soon changed that. In his previous assignment, he had come under the patronage of Crown Prince Wilhelm. Using his influence, the new ''Staffelfuhrer'' got rid of the subpar

Roland Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...

fighters equipping the unit, replacing them with Albatros D.IIIs and

Albatros D.V The Albatros D.V is a fighter aircraft built by the Albatros Flugzeugwerke and used by the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. The D.V was the final development of the Albatros D.I family and the last Albatro ...

s. On 19 June 1917, Jasta 27 completed its move from Bersée, France—whence they supported 6th Armee—to Izegem, Belgium, to support 4th Armee. There they strove for air superiority during the

Battle of Passchendaele The Third Battle of Ypres (german: link=no, Dritte Flandernschlacht; french: link=no, Troisième Bataille des Flandres; nl, Derde Slag om Ieper), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele (), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by t ...

, with Britain's elite No. 56 Squadron their major opposition. Jasta 27 began to score victories. By 21 October 1917, the unit was credited with 28 air victories. Air activity lessened through year's end. Jasta 27 were anticipating being equipped with new

Fokker Dr.I The Fokker Dr.I (''Dreidecker'', "triplane" in German), often known simply as the Fokker Triplane, was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918. It became famous as the ...

s in early 1918, but too few of the triplanes were produced to completely equip the ''jasta''. On 2 February 1918, Jasta 27 was incorporated into a new fighter wing, ''

Jagdgeschwader III ''Jagdgeschwader III (Fighter Wing III, or JG III)'' was a fighter wing of the Imperial German Air Service during World War I. It was founded on 2 February 1918, as a permanent consolidation of four established ''jagdstaffeln'' (fighter squadron ...

'' (JG III). On 13 February, they co-located with the other squadrons joining JG III. By that time, they had about 40 victories to their credit.VanWyngardern, pp. 16-17.

Service in a fighter wing

Up until the end of the fighting in November 1918 Jasta 27 collectively accounted for 128 enemy aircraft and six

observation balloon An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War ...

s, and suffered eleven killed in action, three killed in flying accidents, and one taken prisoner of war.

Commanding officers

The following officers served as commanders (''

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 ...

'') of Jasta 27: # Lieutenant Hans von Keudell: 5 February 1917 – 15 February 1917 # Lieutenant Erich Wieland: 22 February 1917 – 17 May 1917 # Lieutenant Hermann Göring: 17 May 1917 – 28 July 1918 # Lieutenant Hermann Frommherz: 29 July 1918 – 11 November 1918

Aces

The following aces served in Jasta 27, with the number of victories credited during that time. # Hermann Frommherz (22) # Rudolf Klimke (15) # Wilhelm Neuenhofen (15) # Hermann Göring (14) #

Friedrich Noltenius ''Leutnant'' Friedrich Theodor Noltenius (8 January 1894 – 12 March 1936) was a German flying ace during the First World War, with a total of 21 official victories. From July 1914 to July 1917, he served with distinction as an artilleryman. He ...

(13) # Willi Kampe (8) # Albert Lux (8) #

(6) #

Willy Kahle Feldwebel Willy Kahle was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories. This feat came at the end of seven years of service to his nation. Early life Willy Kahle was born in Tarff, Sans, Germany on 13 April 1892. He became a profes ...

(6) #

Ludwig Luer ''Leutnant'' Ludwig Luer was a German World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories. World War I service Luer was forwarded from ''Armee-Flug-Park'' 4 (Army Flight Park 4) to ''Jagdstaffel 27'', a fighter squadron, on 7 March 1917. At ...

(4) # Franz Brandt (3) #

Willi Rosenstein Willy Rosenstein (28 January 1892 – 23 May 1949), Iron Cross, was a German flying ace in World War I, credited with 9 victories. Background Willy Rosenstein was born on 28 January 1892 in Stuttgart, Germany.Franks et al 1993, pp. 191-192. R ...

(2) # Hans von Keudell (1)

References

Bibliography

* VanWyngarden, Greg (2016). ''Aces of ''Jagdgeschwader'' III'', Osprey Publishing. {{wwi-air 27 Military units and formations established in 1917 1917 establishments in Germany Military units and formations disestablished in 1918 Articles containing video clips