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E339/16, Lt. Josef Jacobs, Fokkerstaffel West, June 1916
E105/15, Ernst Udet, KeK Habsheim, 1916
The advent of Fokker monoplanes armed
with synchronized machine guns brought
a fundamental change to the course of air
warfare from the summer of 1915. The original
assignment of these monoplanes to FFA
(Feldflieger Abteilung) field aviation units
changed in early 1916 when the first German
fighter units were formed. The Kampfeinsitzer
Kommando (KeK) was a grouping of pilots still
belonging to the respective FFA but assigned
to fight enemy aircraft. Later, these pilots were
allocated to the official fighter units, the Staffeln,
in which many future aces grew up. One of them
was Josef Carl Peter Jacobs, who spent the first
year of his flying career as an observation pilot
in FFA 11, only to join Fokkerstaffel West in April
1916. He achieved his first confirmed victory in
May when he shot down a two-seat Caudron and
possibly an observation balloon. His Eindecker
was given a coat of green paint on upper and side
surfaces, which was complemented by brown
patches, which camouflaged the aircraft not only
in the air but also on the ground. By the end of the
war, his tally stood at 48 victories. Jasta 12 was
formed from the Fokkerstaffel West personnel
on October 6, 1916, but Jacobs was transferred to
Jasta 22 just a month later.
The most successful surviving fighter of World
War I was Ernst Udet, who started his flying
career with Feldflieger Abteilung 206, from
where he moved to FFA 68. There he was given
his first Eindecker, but he destroyed it due to an
engine malfunction during take-off. He was then
assigned an older example of the same type.
On March 18, 1916, Udet achieved his first aerial
victory. Later that year, FAA 68 was transformed
into Kampfeinsitzer Kommando Habsheim and
then became Jasta 15 on September 28. Udet’s
E.III was given paint of unspecified shade of
green, which was complemented by an oblique
black and white stripe. For this, the black section
was later overpainted with a different shade of
green. The color scheme and decals offer both
variations.
KITS 04/2024
INFO Eduard
57
April 2024