Oswald Boelcke essays

Oswald Boelcke essays With 40 victories to his name at the time of his death, Hauptmann Oswald Boelcke was Germany's greatest fighter pilot and air unit commander. Boelcke was born in Giebichstein, (near Halle, Saxony) the fourth child of six in a schoolteacher's family. Ever an active youth, he excelled at gymnastics, swimming and mountain climbing. In 1911, after he graduated from high school, he joined the Prussian Cadet Corps Communication battalion and was later posted to a Telegraph battalion in Koblenz/Rheine, gaining his commission in 1912. Attracted to the flying corps, he transferred to the Fliegertruppe (pilot-troop) in May of 1914 and learned to fly at the Halberstadt Aeroplane Works. Boelcke passed the third and final pilot's exam on August 15 1914, just days before the outbreak of war. Oswald was initially assigned with his brother Wilhelm to the Fliegerabteilung (pilot-department) # 13. Wilhem was five years older than Oswald and served as his observer. After quarrels with other flyers the brothers decided it would be best to be posted to different units. In May 1915 he was transferred to a unit near Douai, France, Feldfliegerabteilung (field-pilot-department) # 62. Later in 1915, Boelcke was the pilot chosen to test Anthony Fokker's new machine gun synchronizing device. It was a great success and Boelcke used the new invention to become the first German ace. It was at Feldfliegerabteilung # 62 (FFA 62) that Boelcke met another rising star, Max Immelmann. The two began a friendly scoring rivalry flying Fokker Eindeckers. After each downing eight enemy planes, he and Immelmann were awarded the Orden Pour le Mrite (Blue Max) on 12 January 1916. They were the first two pilots to receive Prussia's highest award for bravery. Also while stationed with FFA 62, Boelcke saved a French boy from drowning. The grateful villagers wanted the French government to award him the Legion of Honor. This was not likely. B ...