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Rittm. Karl Bolle, Jasta 2, Lens Mons, France, October 1918
465/18, Lt. Georg von Hantelmann, Jasta 15, Chéry-les-Pouilly, France, August 1918
Karl Bolle began his flying career as a KG4
pilot, then served with Kampstaffel 23, where
his observer was Lothar von Richthofen, who
became successful fighter pilot later. In the
autumn of 1917, Bolle was transferred to Jasta 28
and, after becoming ace with five kills, he was
appointed commander of Jasta 2 on February 20,
1918. Bolle led this famous unit until the end of
the war, and his score stood at 36 kills. On August
28, 1918, he was awarded the highly recognized
Pour le Mérite. He remained an active pilot after
the war and in 1920 was appointed director of
the Transport Pilots’ Flying School. This Bolle’s
Fokker D.VII bore a broad yellow stripe on the
fuselage with white and black lines and was
a D.VIIF version with a BMW IIIa engine from
the Schwerin factory’s medium production
series (series 4250/18-4449/18). The production
or military number of this aircraft is not known.
Georg von Hantelmann was born on October
9, 1898, in Rokietnica (today in Poland) and
joined the army in 1916. He joined the 17th
Hussar Cavalry Regiment (Braunschweigisches
Husaren-Regiment Nr. 17), which had a skull and
crossbones in its coat of arms. This motif later
became von Hantelmann’s personal symbol. After
being appointed to the rank of Lieutenant on June
15, 1917, he was transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte
and began pilot training on September 20 that
year. After that, he reported on February 6, 1918,
to Jasta 18, which became Jasta 15 in March.
He achieved his first confirmed victory on June
6. Within couple of weeks, he became an ace.
His eighth victim was one of America’s leading
fighter aces of that time, David Putnam (13 kills).
Another notable pilot who perished under von
Hantelmann’s gunfire was Maurice Boyau, who
had 21 balloons and 14 aircraft on his account.
Having achieved 22 victories, von Hantelmann
was decorated with the Knight’s Cross First
Class and also the Royal Hohenzollern Domestic
Order, however he expected to be awarded the
highest decoration, the Pour le Mérite (awarded
for 20 victories). He was nominated for it,
but before it was awarded the war was over.
Von Hantelmann’s score counted 25 kills.
He achieved all of them with Fokker D.VII,
making him one of the most successful pilots
of that type. This example had the upper wing
changed for O.A.W. one in September. After the
war von Hantelmann worked on his farm and on
September 7, 1924, was killed by Polish poachers
he caught on his property.
KITS 02/2024
INFO Eduard52
February 2024