Jasta 3
Encyclopedia
Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 3 was a squadron of the World War I predecessor to the Luftwaffe
, the Luftstreitkräfte
. It was founded on 10 August 1916 at Flieger Ersatz Abteilung 5 in Braunschweig
, Germany, as one of the first wave of squadrons that formed the Luftstreitkräfte. It served until the Armistice on 11 November 1918. It was credited with a minimum of 83 victories, at the cost of 16 pilots killed in action, 4 killed in accidents, 1 taken prisoner of war, and two wounded.
. When it transferred to Guesnain
near Douai
, it changed to control of the 6th Armee Front. Its move to Rumbeke
heralded its incorporation into Jagdgruppe 15 along with Jasta 8
, Jasta 26, and Jasta 27. JG 15 was assigned to command of Hauptmann Constantin von Bentheim, and flew support for 4 Armee. After that, on 5 February 1918, Jasta 3 was reassigned to Jagdgruppe 9 along with Jasta 28 and Jasta 37 (which lineup would change from time to time). Khoze would command both the squadron and the wing. By July 1918, Jasta 3 would be working out of Blaise
for 3rd Armee Front. Its final assignment was support of the 19 Armee
.
s and Albatros D.V
s.
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
, the Luftstreitkräfte
Luftstreitkräfte
The Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte , known before October 1916 as Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches , or simply Die Fliegertruppen, was the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I...
. It was founded on 10 August 1916 at Flieger Ersatz Abteilung 5 in Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
, Germany, as one of the first wave of squadrons that formed the Luftstreitkräfte. It served until the Armistice on 11 November 1918. It was credited with a minimum of 83 victories, at the cost of 16 pilots killed in action, 4 killed in accidents, 1 taken prisoner of war, and two wounded.
History
Only three weeks after its founding, Jasta 3 moved to support 2 Armee when it transferred to Vraignes, near PeronnePéronne, Somme
Péronne is a commune of the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.It is close to where the Battles of the Somme took place during World War I...
. When it transferred to Guesnain
Guesnain
Guesnain is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Heraldry:-References:*...
near Douai
Douai
-Main sights:Douai's ornate Gothic style belfry was begun in 1380, on the site of an earlier tower. The 80 m high structure includes an impressive carillon, consisting of 62 bells spanning 5 octaves. The originals, some dating from 1391 were removed in 1917 during World War I by the occupying...
, it changed to control of the 6th Armee Front. Its move to Rumbeke
Rumbeke
Rumbeke is a town in the Belgian municipality of Roeselare in the province of West Flanders. It is most known as the location of Rumbeke Castle....
heralded its incorporation into Jagdgruppe 15 along with Jasta 8
Jasta 8
Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 8 was a fighter squadron in Germany's World War I air service, the Luftstreitkräfte. Although the jasta went out of existence along with its parent units shortly after the Armistice ending World War I, its experiences would strongly influence the subsequent...
, Jasta 26, and Jasta 27. JG 15 was assigned to command of Hauptmann Constantin von Bentheim, and flew support for 4 Armee. After that, on 5 February 1918, Jasta 3 was reassigned to Jagdgruppe 9 along with Jasta 28 and Jasta 37 (which lineup would change from time to time). Khoze would command both the squadron and the wing. By July 1918, Jasta 3 would be working out of Blaise
Blaise
Blaise is a personal name and a place name. It can refer to:-France:* Blaise-sous-Arzillières, a village and commune in the Marne département of north-eastern France...
for 3rd Armee Front. Its final assignment was support of the 19 Armee
19th Army (Germany)
The 19th Army was a World War II field army of the German Army .-History:Formed in August 1943 in occupied southern France from Armeegruppe Felber The 19th Army (German: 19. Armee) was a World War II field army of the German Army (Wehrmacht Heer).-History:Formed in August 1943 in occupied southern...
.
Commanding officers
- Leutnant Ewald von Mellinthin: 10 August 1916 - KIA 12 September 1916
- Leutnant Alfred Mohr: 12 September 1916 - KIA 1 April 1917
- Oberleutnant Herman Kohze: 1 April 1917 - 4 September 1918
- Leutnant Georg Weiner: 5 September 1918 - 11 November 1918
Duty stations (airfields)
- Braunschweig, Germany: 10 August 1916 - 1 September 1916
- Vraignes: 1 September 1916 - 4 November 1916
- Fontaine-UterteFontaine-UterteFontaine-Uterte is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-References:*...
: 5 November 1916 - 20 March 1917 - Guesnain: 21 March 1917 - 11 July 1917
- Houplin: 12 July 1917 - 19 July 1917
- Rumbeke: 20 July 1917 - 16 September 1917
- GuiseGuiseGuise is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-Population:-Sights:The ruins of the medieval castle of Guise, seat of the Dukes of Guise, are located in the commune.-Miscellaneous:...
: 17 September 1917 - 19 September 1917 - Rumbeke: 20 September 1917 - 16 October 1917
- Wynghene: 17 October 1917 - 12 March 1918
- BriastreBriastre-References:*...
: 13 March 1918 - 23 March 1918 - Mons-en-Chaussée: 24 March 1918 - 10 April 1918
- IngelmünsterIngelmunsterIngelmunster is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises only the town of Ingelmunster proper. As of January 1, 2006, Ingelmunster had a total population of 10,617. Its total area is 16.16 km²...
: 11 April 1918 - 3 May 1918 - Rumbeke: 4 May 1918 - 5 June 1918
- FalvyFalvyFalvy is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Falvy is situated on the D103 road, on the banks of the river Somme, some west of Saint Quentin.-History:Falvy originated as a Gaulish village...
: 6 June 1918 - 8 July 1918 - Blaise: 9 July 1918 - 7 September 1918
- Gross-Tanchen, Mörchingen: 8 September 1918 - 11 November 1918
Personnel
Among the aces who served in the squadron, the following are notable:- Karl MenckhoffKarl MenckhoffKarl Menckhoff was a German First World War fighter ace, credited with 39 confirmed victories. Already in his 30s when he learned to fly, he was one of the oldest pilots in the Imperial German Aviation Service....
- Julius SchmidtJulius Schmidt (aviator)Leutnant Julius Schmidt was a World War I flying ace credited with 15 confirmed and three unconfirmed aerial victories.-Reference:Albatros Aces of World War 1: Part 1 of Albatros aces of World War I. Norman L. R. Franks. Osprey Publishing, 2000. ISBN 1855329603, 9781855329607....
- Georg SchlenkerGeorg SchlenkerLeutnant Georg Schlenker was a World War I flying ace credited with 14 aerial victories.Schlenker had enlisted in the German army before World War I started. He was promoted to Vizewachmeister on 3 August 1914. After transfer to aviation, he was posted to FEA 7 on 8 July 1915. He was then assigned...
- Kurt Wissemann
- Georg WeinerGeorg WeinerGeneral Major Georg Weiner began his military career as a flying ace during World War I, being credited with nine aerial victories. He would continue in Germany's military service, rising to the rank of Generalmajor during World War II.-Early life:...
Aircraft and operations
Halberstadt D.IIIs were noted as being the aircraft on hand when the unit was founded. It has also been noted as using Albatros D.IIIAlbatros D.III
The Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service and the Austro-Hungarian Air Service during World War I. The D.III was flown by many top German aces, including Manfred von Richthofen, Ernst Udet, Erich Löwenhardt, Kurt Wolff, and Karl Emil Schäfer...
s and Albatros D.V
Albatros D.V
|-See also:-Bibliography:*Bennett, Leon. Gunning for the Red Baron. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2006. ISBN 1-58544-507-X....
s.