Jasta 2 (Jagdstaffel Zwei in full and also known as ''Jasta Boelcke'') was one of the best-known German

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 ...

Squadrons in

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 ...

. Its first commanding officer was the great aerial tactician

Oswald Boelcke Oswald Boelcke PlM (; 19 May 1891 – 28 October 1916) was a World War I German professional soldier and pioneering flying ace credited with 40 aerial victories. Boelcke is honored as the father of the German fighter air force, and of air ...

, and it was the incubator of several notable aviation careers.

Formation

As one of the first ''

Jasta A ''Jagdstaffel'' (plural ''Jagdstaffeln'', abbreviated to Jasta) was a fighter ''Staffel'' (squadron) of the German Imperial ''Luftstreitkräfte'' during World War I. Background Before April 1916, ''Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaise ...

s'', Jasta 2 had no parent unit and there was therefore no mass transfer of personnel from existing ''Staffeln''. Assigned to the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

1st Army, the unit was created with the intention that

Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian, and Swiss armies. While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has and originally had the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literally ...

would be its leader. Jasta 2 was formed on 10 August 1916 at Bertincourt, France. Boelcke was ordered to return from an inspection tour of south-eastern theatres of the War to take command and arrived back on the Western Front later that month. After

Max Immelmann Max Immelmann (21 September 1890 – 18 June 1916) '' PLM'' was the first German World War I flying ace.Shores, 1983, p. 10. He was a pioneer in fighter aviation and is often mistakenly credited with the first aerial victory using a synchr ...

's death,

Kaiser Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and List of monarchs of Prussia, King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication on 9 ...

had ordered Boelcke grounded for a month to avoid losing him in combat soon after Immelmann. He had become such an important hero to the German public, as well as such an authority on aerial warfare, that he could not be risked. Via the

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. Given a choice between a desk job and a tour of the Middle East, Boelcke downed a

Nieuport Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars. History Beginnings Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in ...

over

Douaumont Douaumont () is a former commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Douaumont-Vaux.Deutsches Heer's Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches'' was being reorganized into the ''

'' in mid-1916; this reorganization was inspired by Boelcke. At this time, Boelcke codified his

Dicta In general usage, a dictum ( in Latin; plural dicta) is an authoritative or dogmatic statement. In some contexts, such as legal writing and church cantata librettos, ''dictum'' can have a specific meaning. Legal writing In United States legal term ...

. He also shared his views on creation of a fighter arm, and the organization of fighter squadrons. Boelcke was sent on a tour of the Balkans. He transited

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

to visit

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. Upon his return swing, he visited Bulgaria and the Russian Front. Boelcke would be visiting Wilhelm in

Kovel Kovel (, ; pl, Kowel; yi, קאוולע / קאוולי ) is a city in Volyn Oblast (province), in northwestern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Kovel Raion (district). Population: Kovel gives its name to one of the oldest runi ...

when he received a telegram from the head of German aviation, Feldflugchef (Aviation Chief of Staff) Oberstleutnant

Hermann von der Lieth-Thomsen General Hermann von der Lieth-Thomsen (born Hermann Thomsen; 10 March 1867 – 5 May 1942) was a German military aviation pioneer, a senior air commander in the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I, and a founding father of the Ger ...

, appointing him to raise, organize and command Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 2. He was given permission to choose his own pilots to form a fighter squadron. Among his first selections upon his return were

Manfred von Richthofen Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (; 2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of ...

Erwin Böhme Erwin Böhme (29 July 1879 – 29 November 1917), PlM, was a German World War I fighter ace credited with 24 aerial victories. He was born in Holzminden on 28 July 1879. Both studious and athletic, he became a champion swimmer, proficient ice ska ...

and Hans Reimann.

Principal Operational Activities

1916

Boelcke was appointed commander of Jasta 2 on 30 August 1916. The unit utilised the empty buildings vacated by FFA 32 in the

Vélu Vélu () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Vélu is situated some southeast of Arras, at the junction of the D18 and the D18E roads. Population Places of interest * The church of ...

Woods. As of 27 August the fledgling Jasta had three officers and 64 other ranks on strength, but no aircraft. The first aircraft arrived on 1 September; two Fokker DIIIs and an Albatros D.I. By 8 September there were eight pilots on strength, including Manfred von Richthofen, Erwin Böhme and Otto Höhne. Three days later, Böhme noted he was pushing for permission to use his castoff

Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bombi ...

, since Boelcke had a Fokker; there seemed to be four airplanes in the squadron by then. On 16 September, Boelcke's new squadron received five new

Albatros D.I The Albatros D.I was a German fighter aircraft used during World War I. Although its operational career was short, it was the first of the Albatros D types which equipped the bulk of the German and Austrian fighter squadrons ('' Jagdstaffeln'') f ...

s for the pilots, and an improved

Albatros D.II The Albatros D.II was a German fighter aircraft used during World War I. After a successful combat career in the early '' Jagdstaffeln'', it was gradually superseded by the Albatros D.III. Design and development Albatros designers Robert Thelen ...

for the ''Staffelführer''. Lt. Otto Höhne took his Albatros D.I out on a solo flight that same evening and became the first pilot to down an enemy aircraft with the new model, forcing down a British F.E.2b and capturing the pilot. Boelcke promptly put the new planes in the air on the first-ever fighter unit effort to gain local air superiority. At 1300 hours, 17 September, Boelcke and five of his pilots took off; they intercepted a British bombing raid on

Marcoing Marcoing () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. History During World War I, there was an alleged incident between a British soldier named Henry Tandey and Adolf Hitler in this area. Hitler was unarmed and appeared wounded, so ...

Railway Station. While Boelcke held aside, his five younger pilots bounced a British formation of 14 planes, broke it up, and shot down two - one being Manfred von Richthofen's first victory, the other falling to Erwin Böhme. Boelcke himself added another. That night, a German army tradition began and a new German air force custom was established when the enlisted men were invited into the Jasta's social center. Boelcke shot down ten

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

planes in his first month with Jasta 2, September 1916. He would fly a solo mission in the morning and return to his "cubs" for afternoon training. However, in contrast to his freebooting style, his pilots always flew in disciplined formations in practice, and he repeatedly drilled them in his tactics. Among them were his famed combat rules, called "Boelcke's ''Dicta''", which were the first systematic analysis of air combat and continued to be applicable through

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Boelcke's attitude is best expressed in his own words: "Everything depends on sticking together when the Staffel goes into battle. It does not matter who actually scores the victory as long as the Staffel wins." He not only preached this doctrine to his own "cubs"; he proselytized throughout the ''

''. He wrote upon his ideas, sketched them out, and delivered them in person to other aerodromes. Thus, Jasta 2 became the birthplace of fighter aviation tactics. Boelcke was killed on 28 October 1916 when his Albatros D.II crashed after colliding with the Albatros D.I of Lt. Erwin Böhme during a dogfight with British aircraft. Oblt. Stefan Kirmaier, who had ten victories of his own, was appointed leadership in his place. Kirmaier's command was to be short-lived; on 22 November, he lost his life after a fight with fliers from No. 24 Squadron. Hpt. Franz Walz arrived from Jasta 29 a week later. Jasta 2 was renamed ''Jasta Boelcke'' on 17 December in honor of their former commander.

1917

The unit's 100th claim was during February 1917, and the Jasta then moved to

Eswars Eswars 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 the fo ...

on 14 March, before arriving at

Pronville Pronville-en-Artois (; literally "Pronville in Artois"), simply Pronville until 2017, is a Communes of France, commune in the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Pronville-en-Artois i ...

soon after. Walz left for Jasta 34 in June 1917 and the new commander was Lt. Fritz Otto Bernert from Jasta 6.

1918

Jasta 2 became part of the new Royal Prussian ''

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 ...

'' in February 1918, under the command of

Bruno Loerzer Bruno Loerzer (22 January 1891 – 23 August 1960) was a German air force officer during World War I and World War II. Credited with 44 aerial victories during World War I, he was one of Germany's leading flying aces, as well as commander of o ...

. Jagdstaffel 2 became the second-highest scoring fighter unit (behind

Jasta 11 Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 11 ("No 11 Fighter Squadron"; commonly abbreviated to Jasta 11) was founded on 28 September 1916 from elements of 4 Armee's “Kampfeinsitzer” or KEKs) 1, 2 and 3 and mobilized on 11 October as part of the Germ ...

); it ended the war with 23 aces among its ex- and current members, a total of 336 victories and a casualty list of only 44; 31 killed, 9 wounded, 2 prisoners of war, and 2 killed in accidents.Franks, Bailey & Guest 1993, p. 30 Jasta 2 markings were usually black and white tailplanes and elevators (top and bottom)—one side black, one side white.

Commanding officers (''Staffelführer'')

#Hauptmann

(27 August to 22 September 1916) #Oberleutnant Günther Viehweger (acting) (22 September to 23 September 1916) #Hauptmann Oswald Boelcke (23 September 1916 to 28 October 1916) #Oberleutnant Stefan Kirmaier (30 October to 22 November 1916) #Oberleutnant

Karl Bodenschatz Karl-Heinrich Bodenschatz (10 December 1890 – 25 August 1979) was a Nazi Germany, German general who was the adjutant to Manfred von Richthofen in World War I and the liaison officer between Hermann Göring and Adolf Hitler in World War II. B ...

(acting) (22 November to 29 November 1916) #Hauptmann Franz Walz (29 November 1916 to 9 June 1917) #Oberleutnant Fritz Otto Bernert (9 June to 28 June 1917) #Leutnant Otto Hunzinger (acting) (28 June to 29 June 1917) #Oberleutnant Fritz Otto Bernert (29 June to 18 August 1917) #Leutnant

(18 August to 29 November 1917) #Leutnant Eberhard Fr. von Gudenburg (acting) (29 November to 13 December 1917) #Leutnant Walter von Bülow-Bothkamp (13 December 1917 to 6 January 1918) #Leutnant

Max Ritter von Müller Max Ritter von Müller (birth name Max Müller) (1 January 1887 – 9 January 1918) PlM, IC, MOMJ was a German World War I fighter ace credited with 36 victories. He was the highest scoring Bavarian pilot of the war. A prewar pilot, Müller b ...

(acting) (6 January to 9 January 1918) #Leutnant Theodor Cammann (acting) (9 January to 26 January 1918) #Leutnant

Otto Höhne Leutnant Otto Paul Wilhelm Höhne (30 April 1895 – 22 November 1969) was a German World War I flying ace credited with six confirmed aerial victories.The Aerodrome website page on HöhnRetrieved on 11 August 2010. Höhne was a pioneer ace; he wa ...

(26 January to 20 February 1918) #Leutnant Carl Bolle (20 February to 4 September 1918) #Leutnant Otto Löffler (acting) (4 September to 18 September 1918) #Oberleutnant Karl Bolle (18 September 1918 to Disbandment)

Notable personnel

23 aces served with Jasta 2 at some time or other. Apart from the ''Staffelführern'' listed above, these include the following notables: #

Paul Bäumer :''This article deals with Paul Bäumer the pilot. For the fictional Paul Bäumer, see All Quiet on the Western Front. For the late member of electronic music group Bingo Players, see Bingo Players'' Paul Wilhelm Bäumer (11 May 1896 – 15 July ...

Werner Voss Werner Voss (; 13 April 1897 – 23 September 1917) was a World War I German flying ace credited with 48 aerial victories. A dyer's son from Krefeld, he was a patriotic young man while still in school. He began his military career in Novem ...

Ernst Bormann Ernst Bormann (5 November 1897 – 1 August 1960) was a Nazi Germany, German World War I ''Luftstreitkräfte '' flying ace and a ''Generalmajor '' of the ''Luftwaffe '' during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iro ...

Hermann Frommherz Generalmajor (Major General) Hermann Frommherz (10 August 1891 – 30 December 1964) Military Order of St. Henry, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight's Cross of the Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order, began his military career in World W ...

Karl Gallwitz Leutnant Karl Gallwitz (18 August 1895 – 17 May 1984) was a World War I flying ace credited with ten aerial victories. Early life Karl Gallwitz was born in Sigmaringen, the German Empire, in 1895. He visited the Gymnasium-school in Nordhausen. ...

# Hans Imelmann #

Leopold Reimann ''Offizierstellvertreter'' Leopold Rudolf Reimann was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.The Aerodrome websitRetrieved 23 September 2020 Biography See also Aerial victory standards of World War I Leopold Rudolf Reiman ...

# Adolf von Tutschek #

Dieter Collin 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. Th ...

Gerhard Bassenge Gerhard Bassenge was a general in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany during World War II. In the inter-war period, he worked at the Reich Air Ministry and was one of the German officers most responsible for training the first German paratroopers. Ba ...

Hermann Vallendor Hermann Vallendor (13 April 1894 – 15 November 1974) was a German World War I flying ace. Early life Hermann Vallendor was born in Offenburg, the Grand Duchy of Baden on 13 April 1894. He was an engineering student in Mannheim before World War ...

Notes

References

* * * * * * {{Jastas 02 Military units and formations established in 1916 1916 establishments in Germany 1918 disestablishments in Germany Military units and formations disestablished in 1918