Karl Bolle
Encyclopedia
Rittmeister
Karl Bolle, (20 June 1893 – 9 October 1955), Pour le Merite
, Military Merit Cross
, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Friedrich Order
, Iron Cross
was a fighter ace with 36 victories during World War I. He became a Jasta commander during that war, and an advisor to the Luftwaffe during World War II
.
to a family owning a well-known dairy.
He studied economics at The University of Oxford in 1912, and was also well known for his athletic prowess, playing ice hockey while there.
He returned home to Germany to enlist as a leutnant (lieutenant) in the 7th von Seydlitz Kurassier (cavalry) Regiment
in 1913 as a one year volunteer. At the start of World War I his regiment served on the Western Front,
fighting in Belgium
and the First Battle of the Marne
. It was then transferred to the Eastern Front; Bolle seeing action in Poland and in Courland in Latvia. By the end of 1915, Bolle had won an award for bravery, the Iron Cross
, Second Class. He transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte
in February, 1916.
. The other insists he trained at Valenciennes, France
. It is congruent with German policy of the time that he could have trained preliminarily in Germany and finished up in France.
At any rate, upon completion, he was assigned to the bombing group Kagohl IV in July, 1916.
Bolle was wounded in October, 1916 in combat with five French fighters. He crash landed within friendly lines and despite his own injury dragged his injured observer safely out of the shell-fire directed at their downed aircraft.
Upon his recovery, he had been assigned to Kampstaffel 23 of KG IV; Lothar von Richthofen
was assigned as his observer/gunner. It was about this time that Bolle was awarded the Kingdom of Württemberg
's 2nd Class Knight's Cross of the Friedrich Order
.
He was the only fighter ace to win this award.
Bolle went to Jastaschule (fighter pilot's training) in early 1917. He joined Jagdstaffel 28
in April 1917, while still recuperating from a leg wound. While assigned as a non-flying adjutant, he began tutelage on the fighter pilot's craft with two aces, Karl Emil Schaefer and Otto Hartmann
, as well as Bolle's friend, Max Müller
.
In July he commenced operational flying with Jasta 28. He first victory was over an Airco DH.4 of 57 Squadron on 8 August 1917. He scored once more in August and victories in December 1917 and January 1918 made him an ace by 30 January.
and transferred to command Jasta 2
on 20 February 1918 at Marcke, France. This was the squadron that Oswald Boelcke
had commanded as he invented the first fighter tactics, strategy, and organization. It was being re-equipped with Fokker Dr.I
triplanes as it was being incorporated into Jagdgeschwader 3
. It was a dispirited squadron, having lost three consecutive Pour le Merite
holding commanding officers killed in action. Bolle was destined to be Jasta 2's final commander.
Despite seemingly modest credentials, Bolle set his mark upon his squadron. The Fokker Dr.I supplied was a plane of limited speed but great maneuverability and climb rate. Its slower speed made it more difficult to close to short distance for gunnery against faster fighters. Bolle's solution was the use of an Oigee telescopic sight for his guns. He also painted distinctive white stripes on his upper wings, to denote his leadership role, along with a yellow fuselage band edged by black and white to honor his old cavalry regiment.
Bolle's command of English turned out to be handy upon occasion, when he questioned downed British Empire fliers.
He opened his tally with Jasta 2 on 25 April 1918, as part of a huge air offensive launched to support ground assault on Kemmel Ridge. He then began a steady collection of single and double victories, with five in May, seven in June, nine in July, and three in August.
In August, 1918, when he had scored 28 victories, he received the Pour le Merite (the Blue Max) on the 28th, the Military Merit Cross, and the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern.
He did not score again until 1 November. On 4 November, he downed four British fighters. —two RAF SE.5as of 56 Squadron and two Sopwith Snipe
s of 4 AFC. The Snipes (claimed with Leut.Ernst Bormann
) were flown by aces Captain Thomas Baker
(12 victories) and Lt. AJ Palliser (7). These were Bolle's final victories.
A week later, he and his pilots flew their Fokker D.VII
s to the collection center at Nivelle and turned them over to the British victors. The losers had marked their craft with their names and the number of their victories as a final mark of defiance.
His final score of 36 victories included a preponderance of wins over enemy fighters; he downed 25. The other 11 victories were two-seater reconnaissance, ground attack, and bomber aircraft. More importantly, he led Jasta 2 through the intense battles of 1918 to the second highest victory total in the German Air Force, with a total of 336 victories to the Jasta.
.
Karl Bolle died in his native city of Berlin on 9 October 1955.
Rittmeister
Rotamaster was the military rank of a commissioned cavalry officer in charge of a squadron , the equivalent of O3 or Captain, in the German-speaking armies, Austro-Hungarian, Polish-Lithuanian, Russian and some other states.The exact name of this rank maintains a variety of spellings in different...
Karl Bolle, (20 June 1893 – 9 October 1955), Pour le Merite
Pour le Mérite
The Pour le Mérite, known informally as the Blue Max , was the Kingdom of Prussia's highest military order for German soldiers until the end of World War I....
, Military Merit Cross
Military Merit Cross (Prussia)
The Military Merit Cross was the highest bravery award of the Kingdom of Prussia for non-commissioned officers and enlisted soldiers. It was also known as the Golden Military Merit Cross to distinguish it from the Military Decoration 1st Class The Military Merit Cross (Militär-Verdienstkreuz)...
, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Friedrich Order
Friedrich Order
The Friedrich Order, German: "Friedrichs-Orden" or "Friedrichsorden" was an order of merit of the German Kingdom of Württemberg. It was instituted on the first of January 1830 by the second king of Württemberg, Wilhelm I in remembrance of his father, King Friedrich I.The order had one class...
, Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
was a fighter ace with 36 victories during World War I. He became a Jasta commander during that war, and an advisor to the Luftwaffe during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
His Life Before Flying
Karl Bolle was born in Berlin,to a family owning a well-known dairy.
He studied economics at The University of Oxford in 1912, and was also well known for his athletic prowess, playing ice hockey while there.
He returned home to Germany to enlist as a leutnant (lieutenant) in the 7th von Seydlitz Kurassier (cavalry) Regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
in 1913 as a one year volunteer. At the start of World War I his regiment served on the Western Front,
fighting in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and the First Battle of the Marne
First Battle of the Marne
The Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The battle effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had...
. It was then transferred to the Eastern Front; Bolle seeing action in Poland and in Courland in Latvia. By the end of 1915, Bolle had won an award for bravery, the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
, Second Class. He transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte
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....
in February, 1916.
Aerial Service in World War I
There are two differing accounts of where Bolle received pilot's training. One says he undertook his training at Johannistal, then was forwarded to FEA 5 in Hannover, GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The other insists he trained at Valenciennes, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is congruent with German policy of the time that he could have trained preliminarily in Germany and finished up in France.
At any rate, upon completion, he was assigned to the bombing group Kagohl IV in July, 1916.
Bolle was wounded in October, 1916 in combat with five French fighters. He crash landed within friendly lines and despite his own injury dragged his injured observer safely out of the shell-fire directed at their downed aircraft.
Upon his recovery, he had been assigned to Kampstaffel 23 of KG IV; Lothar von Richthofen
Lothar von Richthofen
Lothar-Siegfried Freiherr von Richthofen was a German First World War fighter ace credited with 40 victories...
was assigned as his observer/gunner. It was about this time that Bolle was awarded the Kingdom of Württemberg
Kingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg was a state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which came into existence in 1495...
's 2nd Class Knight's Cross of the Friedrich Order
Friedrich Order
The Friedrich Order, German: "Friedrichs-Orden" or "Friedrichsorden" was an order of merit of the German Kingdom of Württemberg. It was instituted on the first of January 1830 by the second king of Württemberg, Wilhelm I in remembrance of his father, King Friedrich I.The order had one class...
.
He was the only fighter ace to win this award.
Bolle went to Jastaschule (fighter pilot's training) in early 1917. He joined Jagdstaffel 28
Jagdstaffel 28
Royal Württemburg Jagdstaffel 28 was a World War I "hunting group" of the Luftstreitkräfte, which was the forerunner to the Luftwaffe. As one of the original German fighter squadrons, the unit would score 100 verified aerial victories...
in April 1917, while still recuperating from a leg wound. While assigned as a non-flying adjutant, he began tutelage on the fighter pilot's craft with two aces, Karl Emil Schaefer and Otto Hartmann
Otto Hartmann
Hauptmann Otto Hartman was a World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.-Reference:...
, as well as Bolle's friend, Max Müller
Max Müller
Friedrich Max Müller , more regularly known as Max Müller, was a German philologist and Orientalist, one of the founders of the western academic field of Indian studies and the discipline of comparative religion...
.
In July he commenced operational flying with Jasta 28. He first victory was over an Airco DH.4 of 57 Squadron on 8 August 1917. He scored once more in August and victories in December 1917 and January 1918 made him an ace by 30 January.
Bolle in command
He was then promoted to OberleutnantOberleutnant
Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
and transferred to command Jasta 2
Jasta 2
Jasta 2 was one of the best-known German Luftstreitkräfte Squadrons in World War I. It was founded by the great aerial tactician Oswald Boelcke, and was the incubator of several notable aviation careers.-Formation:...
on 20 February 1918 at Marcke, France. This was the squadron that Oswald Boelcke
Oswald Boelcke
Oswald Boelcke was a German flying ace of the First World War and one of the most influential patrol leaders and tacticians of the early years of air combat. Boelcke is considered the father of the German fighter air force, as well as the "Father of Air Fighting Tactics"; he was the first to...
had commanded as he invented the first fighter tactics, strategy, and organization. It was being re-equipped with Fokker Dr.I
Fokker Dr.I
The Fokker Dr.I Dreidecker was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918...
triplanes as it was being incorporated into Jagdgeschwader 3
Jagdgeschwader 3
Jagdgeschwader 3 Udet was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. The Geschwader operated on all the German fronts in the European Theatre of World War II. It was named after Ernst Udet in 1942.-Campaign in the West :...
. It was a dispirited squadron, having lost three consecutive Pour le Merite
Pour le Mérite
The Pour le Mérite, known informally as the Blue Max , was the Kingdom of Prussia's highest military order for German soldiers until the end of World War I....
holding commanding officers killed in action. Bolle was destined to be Jasta 2's final commander.
Despite seemingly modest credentials, Bolle set his mark upon his squadron. The Fokker Dr.I supplied was a plane of limited speed but great maneuverability and climb rate. Its slower speed made it more difficult to close to short distance for gunnery against faster fighters. Bolle's solution was the use of an Oigee telescopic sight for his guns. He also painted distinctive white stripes on his upper wings, to denote his leadership role, along with a yellow fuselage band edged by black and white to honor his old cavalry regiment.
Bolle's command of English turned out to be handy upon occasion, when he questioned downed British Empire fliers.
He opened his tally with Jasta 2 on 25 April 1918, as part of a huge air offensive launched to support ground assault on Kemmel Ridge. He then began a steady collection of single and double victories, with five in May, seven in June, nine in July, and three in August.
In August, 1918, when he had scored 28 victories, he received the Pour le Merite (the Blue Max) on the 28th, the Military Merit Cross, and the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern.
He did not score again until 1 November. On 4 November, he downed four British fighters. —two RAF SE.5as of 56 Squadron and two Sopwith Snipe
Sopwith Snipe
The Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe was a British single-seat biplane fighter of the Royal Air Force . It was designed and built by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War, and came into squadron service a few weeks before the end of that conflict, in late 1918.The Snipe was not a fast aircraft...
s of 4 AFC. The Snipes (claimed with Leut.Ernst Bormann
Ernst Bormann
Dr.-Ing. Ernst BormannIn German a Doctorate in engineering is abbreviated as Dr.-Ing. . was a German World War I Luftstreitkräfte flying ace and a Generalmajor of the Luftwaffe during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
) were flown by aces Captain Thomas Baker
Thomas Baker (aviator)
Thomas Charles Richmond Baker DFC, MM & Bar was an Australian soldier, aviator and flying ace of the First World War. Born in Smithfield, South Australia, he was an active sportsman in his youth and developed a keen interest in aviation...
(12 victories) and Lt. AJ Palliser (7). These were Bolle's final victories.
A week later, he and his pilots flew their Fokker D.VII
Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the summer and autumn of 1918. In service, the D.VII quickly proved itself to be a formidable aircraft...
s to the collection center at Nivelle and turned them over to the British victors. The losers had marked their craft with their names and the number of their victories as a final mark of defiance.
His final score of 36 victories included a preponderance of wins over enemy fighters; he downed 25. The other 11 victories were two-seater reconnaissance, ground attack, and bomber aircraft. More importantly, he led Jasta 2 through the intense battles of 1918 to the second highest victory total in the German Air Force, with a total of 336 victories to the Jasta.
Post World War I
After war's end, he became a flying instructor. He also became the Director of the German Transportation School in the 1920s. Subsequently, he helped in the covert training of pilots for the LuftwaffeLuftwaffe
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....
.
Karl Bolle died in his native city of Berlin on 9 October 1955.