Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 30, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 30, 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 unit would score a minimum of 63 aerial victories during the war, at the expense of twelve killed in action, six wounded in action, and two taken prisoner of war.

History

Jagstaffel 30 was formed on 14 December 1916 at Breslau, and mobilized for action on 21 January 1917 at

Phalempin Phalempin () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord department of the French Republic. The communes cooperate in ...

. Its first victory came on 1 March, being scored by its new commander, Hans Bethge. It served through the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

's defeat and dissolution.

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 Bethge: Transferred in from

Jasta 1 Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 1 (commonly abbreviated as Jasta 1) was a fighter squadron of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. Jasta 1 was founded on 22 August 1916, using single seat fighters drawn ...

on 15 January 1916 – 10 November 1917 # Kurt Preissler: 10 November 1917 – 10 December 1917 # Hans Bethge: 10 December 1917 – 15 January 1918 # Kurt Preissler: 15 January 1918 – 19 January 1918 # Hans Bethge: 19 January 1918 – 17 March 1918 # Kurt Preissler: 19 March 1918 – transferred to staff of Jagdgruppe II on 16 April 1918 #

Hans-Georg von der Marwitz Hans-Georg von der Marwitz (7 August 1893 – 12 May 1925) was a German World War I flying ace credited with 15 aerial victories. Early life and ground service Hans-Georg von der Marwitz was born at Ohlau, Silesia on 7 August 1893.''Above the ...

: 17 April 1918 – 17 June 1918 # Hans Eggers: 17 June 1918 – 21 June 1918 # Richard Flashar: Transferred from Jagdgruppe III on 21 June 1918 – 1 July 1918 # Kurt Müller: Transferred from

Jasta 24 Royal Saxon Jagdstaffel 24 was a "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. As one of the original German fighter squadrons, the unit would score 89 verified ae ...

on 1 July 1918 – 25 July 1918 # Hans-Georg von der Marwitz: 25 July 1918 – 1 August 1918 # Hans Holthusen: 1 August 1918 – 14 August 1918 # Hans-Georg von der Marwitz: 15 August 1918 – 11 November 1918

Aerodromes An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publi ...

# Breslau (now in Poland): 14 December 1916 – 25 January 1917 # Phalempin, France: 25 January 1917 – 9 August 1918 #

Moislains Moislains () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Moislains is situated on the D184 and D43 crossroads, some northwest of Saint-Quentin. Population Personalities Ferdinand Carré Ferdinan ...

: 9 August 1918 – 10 August 1918 # Phalempin: 10 August 1918 – 19 August 1918 #

Avelin Avelin () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is south of the centre of Lille. The village's name is of Germanic origin. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of th ...

: 19 August 1918 – 30 September 1918 #

Baisieux Baisieux () is a commune in the Nord department, northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord d ...

: 30 September 1918 – 15 October 1918 # Avaing: 15 October 1918 – 11 November 1918

Notable personnel

Hans Bethge and Hans-Georg von der Marwitz scored about half the squadron's aerial victories between them. Both of them were recipients of the

Royal House Order of Hohenzollern The House Order of Hohenzollern (german: Hausorden von Hohenzollern or ') was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various v ...

and the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia est ...

Joachim von Bertrab Leutnant Joachim Lambert Robert Herman von Bertrab (1894–1922) was a German air ace of the First World War credited with five confirmed victories. Early life Joachim von Bertrab was born in the village of Sankt Andreasberg in the Duchy of Bruns ...

, an Iron Cross winner, was noted for having shot down two pairs of enemy aircraft in a single day; one pair consisted of two Martinsyde Elephants. ''

Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by Frederick the Great, King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Or ...

'' winner

Hans-Joachim Buddecke Hans-Joachim Buddecke (22 August 1890 – 10 March 1918) was a German flying ace in World War I, credited with thirteen victories. He was the third ace, after Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelcke, to earn the Blue Max (Pour le Mérite). He saw ...

also served with Jasta 30.

Aircraft

The Pfalz D.III was introduced into service in August 1917. It was rugged and reliable, though mediocre in performance. It was still being used by Jasta 30 as late as 17 March 1918, when Hans Bethge was killed while flying one. The

Halberstadt D.II The Halberstadt D.II was a biplane fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by German aircraft company Halberstädter Flugzeugwerke. It was adopted by the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Army Air Service) and served through the period ...

was brought into service in the summer of 1916, to be followed shortly by the Halberstadt D.III used by Jasta 30. The Halberstadts were usually succeeded by newer Albatros aircraft, with the Halberstadts relegated to use as trainers.

Operations

Jasta 30's only verified operational commitment was to the 6th Armee.

References

;Bibliography * 30 Military units and formations established in 1916 1916 establishments in Germany Military units and formations disestablished in 1918 {{wwi-air