Jasta Boelcke by Norman Franks
As August 1916 drew to a close, the German Air Service was spiralling almost helplessly towards defeat on the Somme. The Artillery and Feldflieger Abteilungen, the Kampfstaffeln, had been quickly reduced to relative impotency by the overwhelming quantitative and qualitative superiority of the Allies. Airmen had become more fearless and hostile. The once feared Fokker and Pfalz Eindeckers had become unequal to the task of checking the aerial barrage which the ravaged German front faced on a daily basis. This crisis meant that Germany was compelled to seek a solution. Jagdstaffel 2 was quickly formed to stem the tide and fight back. Later by Imperial decree renamed Jasta Boelcke in honour of its distinguished commander Oswald Boelcke, this military formation had no real gestation period. Jasta 2 was simply lifted from the keyboard of a typewriter, assigned to the First Army and provided with its leader. Despite this sudden birth, between 2 September and 31 December 1916 the staffel scored eighty-five kills, and was destined to end the war with 336 confirmed victories. This unit was the home for many of Germany's most famous fighter pilots, including Werner Voss, Manfred von RichthofeNorman Franks is one of the world's leading authorities on World War 1 fighter aviation, having published some of the seminal works on the subject. He is currently working on a long list of volumes on Great War aces for Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces series.
Greg VanWyngarden has had a lifelong interest in World War 1 aviation, and has been particularly active in deciphering the colours and markings that decorated the various German fighters flown by the leading aces. This is his third book for Osprey, having co-authored Aircraft of the Aces 40: 'Fokker Dr I Aces of World War 1' (2001) and Aircraft of the Aces 53: 'Fokker D Aces of World War 1: Pt 1' (2002) with Norman Franks.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781904010760 |
| ISBN 10 | 1904010768 |
| Title | Jasta Boelcke |
| Author | Norman Franks |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Grub Street Publishing |
| Year published | 2004-04-30 |
| Number of pages | 220 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |