Osterkamp encounter with a Sopwith Triplane in a Dr I?

[Romani]

I have recently read a translation Osterkamp memoirs (mostly about the interwar period and WWII) , the book is called

""Durch Höhen und tiefen jagt ein herz"

first printed in 1952 by Kurt Vowinckel Verlag, Neckargemünd

In the third part, Chapter 7, Osterkamp remembers about a combat with a Sopwith Triplane in 1917, and he claims to have been piloting a Fokker, he mentions that the weather was bad and foggy, no exact date is mentioned except for the year, but it seems to have been in autumn.

I think that Osterkamp might be confusing the year and the enemy aircraft, he remarks that the Sopwith was more agile but that his Fokker was more powerful, so the most likely explanation is that the combat took place in 1918 and that the was flying a Fokker DVII against a Sopwith Camel.

Yet there's the possibility that this combat took place in 1917, between one of the last remaining Sopwith Triplanes in service, and one of the first Fokker Dr Is.

Osterkamp was victorious, but the Triplane fell into the sea "between Dunkirk and Coxyde-les-Bains" so given the weather and lack of witness I take it that this victory was unconfirmed.

So could anybody confirm if Osterkamp flew a Fokker Dr I in 1917 and if a Sopwith Triplane was lost in that area ? I don't think Theo was making this up, but it seems more likely that he got things mixed up.

[MikeW]

Romani,

there were very few Sopwith Triplanes flying in the coastal region after July 1917. Naval 12 kept several until circa February 1918. None were lost in combat and none engaged in combat with a DR1 or anything else for that matter.


Naval 1, Naval 8, Naval 9 and Naval 10 had varying numbers of triplanes until December 17, September 17, August 1917 and September 17 respectively. With the exception of Naval 9 in August, all of the squadrons were serving under RFC control much further inland. Before they got rid of their triplanes, Naval 1 did report one encounter with what was presumed to be a DR1 but no combat took place.


Mike

[Cigogne]

The Marinejastas were not equipped with the Fokker Dr.I at all.

What they were equipped with were:

1916:

Some Fokker Eindecker types

1917:

Albatros D.III, D.III (OAW), D.V, and D.Va.
Pfalz D.III

1918:

Albatros D.V/Va
Pfalz D. IIIa
Fokker D.VII w/ a sprinking of a very few Fokker E.Vs.

[Regulus]

Our Onkel Theo had more of these difficulties in remebering things A dogfight with Roland-Garros, one with Guynemer, etc, etc.
Or saying that the battle of England went wrong for the German pilots to higher ranked men like Milch or Goering in... 1944, damn and I thought that this battle happened mostly in 1940-41
He also bailed out of Fokker DVIII once... in his dreams ?
Just to say that one has not to believe everything he wrote or said.
He went to the Guynemer memorial at Langemark-Poelkapelle as representant of the PlM association and all of a sudden he remembered he had a fight with the man. That was how his stories became reality...
As if his life wasn't interesting enough yet...

Best from Johan

[leo]

This topic has been raised several times. The conclsion reached was that it was unlikely that these two planes EVER met in combat. Too, bad! I should liked to have watched it.

[Craig]

Originally Posted by Cigogne

The Marinejastas were not equipped with the Fokker Dr.I at all.

What they were equipped with were:

1916:

Some Fokker Eindecker types

1917:

Albatros D.III, D.III (OAW), D.V, and D.Va.
Pfalz D.III

1918:

Albatros D.V/Va
Pfalz D. IIIa
Fokker D.VII w/ a sprinking of a very few Fokker E.Vs.

Also SSW D.IV in late 1918?