KITS 07/2022
Albatros D.V 2299/17, Lt. Xaver Danhuber, Jasta 26, Abeele, Belgium, 1917
Although this Albatros D.V is usually assigned to
Bruno Loerzer, it is very probable, it was in fact the
mount of Xavier Danhuber, the winner in 11 aerial
combats. Apart of other indications, he was photographed himself standing by the plane or sitting in
the cockpit. Danhuber first saw action with Kagohl 6
(Kampfgeschwader der Obsten Heeresleitung - Combat squadron of the Supreme Commander), later was
transferred to Schutzstalfel 25, before he was assigned to Jasta 26 on July 1, 1917. Danhuber got wounded upper arm in an air fight on October 18 and after
his return on November 7, he moved to Jasta 79b as
he was appointed the CO of the unit. He was injured in
a crash when test-flying a Pfalz Dllla at the Thugny
airfield on February 11, 1918. After several months of
medical treatment and convalescence Danhuber had
returned to his unit and reassumed command on October 9. Five days later he achieved his 11th and last
victory, shooting down Sopwith Dolphin near Bohain.
His Albatros was painted in black and white bands
scheme typical for Jasta 26 aircraft. It also sported
the six-pointed star on both sides of the fuselage and
five-colour Flugzeugstoff on the wings.
Albatros D.V, Ltn. Kurt Monnington, Jasta 18, early 1918
This aircraft is a bit of mystery, as it is not clear,
which pilot was flying it. It was assigned to Georg
von Hantelmann for some time due to one mistake in
a famous publication. Legendary German historian,
late Alex Imrie believed this was the personal mount
of Ltn. Otto Brandes, some other sources insist on
Ltn. Kurt Monnington as the pilot of this one. Both are
possible, as they both served with Jasta 18 at around
the same time. Kurt Monnington, after his transfer
from German army (Deutsches Heer) to air force
(Luftstreitkräfte), served with FA62 before he was
posted to Jasta 15 in 1917. After the „great swap“ of
the personnell with Jasta 15 orchestrated by Rudolf
Berthold in March 1918, he became member of Jasta
18. There he scored his first victory on May 18, 1918,
downing an SE.5a. He added six more to his fighter
pilot account. The aircraft was painted in typical
colours of the „new“ Jasta 18, i.e. red nose and blue
fuselage. The aircraft had probably the upper wing
changed from another aircraft, which was painted in
camouflage colors instead of the printed Flugzeugstoff (so called Lozenge). Also, the rudder was changed after some damage.
Albatros D.V, 2263/17, Ltn. Otto Kissenberth, Jasta 23b, summer 1917
Otto Kissenberth was born on February 26, 1893, in
the Bavarian town of Landshut and volunteered for
the German air force (Luftstreitkräfte) after the
outbreak of the war. Following his pilot training he
served with several units and found himself picked
for duty with the fighter unit KEK Ensisheim at the
beginning of 1916. The small, specialized unit was redesignated Jasta 16 in November of the same year. On
July 2022
August 4, 1917, Kissenberth was named Commanding
Officer of Jasta 23b. On May 29, 1918, he crashed in
a captured Sopwith Camel, and the resulting injuries
precluded a return to a combat unit. Over the course
of the First World War, he shot down a total of twenty
enemy aircraft and was awarded the Pour le Mérite on June 30, 1918. Otto Kissenberth died on August
2, 1919, in a mountain climbing mishap in the Alps.
The wings of Kissenberth's aircraft were covered in
Flugzeugstoff with five-color pattern (so-called Lozenge) while the entire fuselage and tail surfaces
were painted black. As a tribute to his passion,
mountain climbing, Kissenberth's aircraft carried
paintings of flowering Edelweises.
INFO Eduard
59