KITS 11/2023

450/17, Lt. Josef Jacobs, CO of Jasta 7, Rumbeke, Belgium, March 1918

Josef Carl Peter Jacobs was born on May 15, 1984

in Kreuzkapelle, Rhineland. From his school days

he had been fascinated with flying and started to

learn how to control aircraft even before the war.

Immediately after the outbreak of the Great War,

he joined the ranks of the Luftstreitkräfte (German

air force) and after training was assigned to the

observation unit FA 11 on July 3, 1915. In March 1916

he was transferred to Fokkerstaffel West (from

October 6, 1916 it transformed to Jasta 12) where

he remained until the end of January 1917 when

he was transferred to Jasta 22. From August 2,

1917, he took command of Jasta 7 and stayed with

the unit until the Armistice. At that time, his score

counted 48 victories. After the war, Jacobs found

himself fighting in the Baltic against the Russian

Bolsheviks as a part of Kommando Sachsenberg.

Subsequently he trained Turkish military pilots.

After Hitler came to power, Jacobs refused to join

the NSDAP and emigrated to the Netherlands.

After the end of World War II, he returned to

Bavaria, where he died in Munich on July 29,

1978. He had his two personal Dreideckers at

Jasta 7, both painted black. Jacobs later had

an engine and propeller from a Sopwith Camel

fitted to one of them, the No. 450/17. The sides of

the fuselage sported drawing of a devil spitting

fire. Existing photography evidence shows the

shape of the drawing on the starboard side, while

a contemporary illustration of his aircraft shows

the left side. Jacobs himself confirmed this one

as correct after the war. This evidence leads to

the conclusion the paintings differed.

545/17, Lt. Hans Weiss, Jasta 11, Cappy, France, April 1918

Hans Weiss, a native of Hof, began his flying

career in June 1916 as an observer and gunner

with FFA 282, FFA 28 and FFA 68 units. After

training at Jastaschule Valenciennes, he joined

Jasta 41, where he scored his first ten kills.

Next he was transferred to Jasta 10 on March 17,

74

INFO Eduard

1918, where he added another victory. Afterwards

he was assigned to Jasta 11. He scored his first

victory there on April 2, 1918 and on April 8 was

named as temporary commander of the unit

but eventually he led it until his death on May 2,

1918, when he was shot down by fire from

No. 209 Squadron RAF Sopwith Camel flown

by M. S. Taylor. The Dreidecker flown by Hans

Weiss had the upper surface of the top wing and

the rear section of the fuselage painted white.

The wing struts, wheel hubs and engine cowl

were red, which was the color of Jasta 11.

November 2023