KITS 06/2021

Lt. d. R. Kurt Monnington, Jasta 18, Montoy-Flanville, France, August 1918

Kurt Monnington is well known pilot today thanks to his personal symbol, the detailed skull, he had painted on his aircraft. He kept it also after

receiving the D.VII, complementing the Jasta 18 symbol, the black raven with it. Monnington had served with FA 62 before he was posted to

Jasta 15 in 1917. The famous Berthold´s swap of personnel between Jastas 15 and 18 meant that Monnington became member of the new

Jasta 18 in March 1918 as well as all his other comrades from former Jasta 15. He scored his first victory on May 11, 1918, downing the S.E.5a,

which stayed as his only victory over enemy fighter. All the other victims were to be double-seaters. The most interesting of his score of nine

kills is the double-victory on August 13, 1918. Monnington declared pair of D.H.9s as his 5th and 6th victories, but in fact they were victims of

flak fire and consequent crash. Monnington´s D.VII (OAW) was painted in the famous scheme of “new” Jasta 18 with red nose and white fuselage. Rims of the rudder and elevator had a black outline, also on the edges of the fuselage were neat black stripes painted. Both wings were

red, at least from the upper side. It is not certain, whether the red color was applied to the bottom as well, so it is up to modeler to decide,

whether to paint them, or leave them in the Flugzeugstoff (Lozenge) fabric.

Lt. d. R. Hans Besser, Jasta 12, Chéry-les-Pouilly, France, August 1918

Hans Besser managed to down only one enemy aircraft during his career and not too much is known about him apart the fact he was flying

with Jasta 12, which was a part of the JG II form the February 1918. Besser´s D.VII (OAW) had the fuselage painted in blue color with white

nose. The wings were left in the Flugzeugstoff printed fabric (Lozenge) of four-color pattern from both sides. There was a white broom painted

on both sides of the fuselage, probably as a resemblance of the German word Besen (meaning broom) to his name. He used this personal

symbol also on another known D.VII he flew. Although the early batch of the OAW production, the aircraft was already fitted with newer version of the exhaust manifold, called the “saxophone” because of its shape.

INFO Eduard - June 2021

eduard

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