Add-on to a landing in Basel

[rammjaeger]

Add-on to the thread about a landing of a German aircraft in Basel (with photograph) by "Jagstaffeln".

Source: National-Zeitung und Anzeigenblatt der Stadt Basel, 76. Jahrgang, Nr. 72 Morgenblatt, Basel, Dienstag 30 Januar 1917

Headline: „Ein deutscher Flieger in Basel gelandet.“
The long text included two reports of eye witnesses, 1 report from a border town, 1 report of the “Pressebüreau” of the staff of the army in Bern, comments by the paper and another short note about a second (unknown) aircraft injuring the airspace of Switzerland on 29 January 1917.

Here is the army report:
“A German aircraft crossed the border of Switzerland on monday 4.35 p.m. near Wenzweiler, took the direction to Gempenstollen and returned to Basel. It landed 4.45 p.m. on the Schützenmatte in Basel. The aircraft was not armed. The aviators got lost in the fog and had to land because of engine damage.”

Here a short summary from the information given in the other reports:

The aircraft flew so low that the observers on the ground could see the German markings and the blue colour of the aircraft without using a magnifying glass. During the landing the left wheel was breaking on the hard-frozen furrows of the field. Therefore the aircraft was “caught” on the place. The aviators – an observer officer and a pilot trainee – were not injured. 1 Unteroffizier and 3 soldiers who - did accidently exercise on the Schützenmatte on this day – were immediately on the place and informed the “Platzkommando”. The commander of the place – Oberst Büel – came with a car to the Schützenmatte. After a short visit of the aircraft by Büel the aviators were transported to the Platzkommando with a car. Soldiers with bajonets on the rifles guarded the aircraft because of the increasing number of onlookers.
The aviators reported they made a reconnaissance flight to Belfort. They got fire over Belfort – a scratch on the engine and a wing penetrated by a shot seem to prove that. On the way back they got lost, got a second time fire (this time by MGs) and finally landed in Basel because they believed to be over Straßburg.
The paper reports: “The aviators were depressed because of their landing on neutral ground and their internment after a bold war flight.”

I think that leaves some open questions.

VBR
Rammjaeger

[Rod_Filan]

http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=18314 is the thread which contains the photo.

Absolutely wonderful research Hannes !