Kurt Wolff Albatros Question

JFM · 26 January 2006, 05:43 AM

Hello,

Looking for info on what type of Albatros Kurt Wolff flew during July 1917, after his return to Jasta 11. Was he still flying Alb D.III 632/17 during his "gadabout" period and then took it back to Jasta 11? Or was he issued a new D.V? If the latter, when did he receive it?

I've seen that photo of D.III D.2099/17 crashed on the RR tracks that has been captioned as being the wounded Wolff's plane 11 July, but I am skeptical based on Bodenschatz writing Wolff returned to Marckebeeke and landed fine; Wolff wrote likewise. Yet, I know Bodenschatz had some errors, so I'm trying to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Any help appreciated!

Thanks for your time.

JFM

Cigogne · 26 January 2006, 06:43 AM

I had read elsewhere that the black tailed D.III on the tracks was Schäfer's aircraft.

Dan_San_Abbott · 2 February 2006, 02:51 PM

Cogogne:
With the photo dated 11 July 1917, precludes it belonging to Karl Emil Schäfer who was killed in action on 5 June 1917.
Blue skies,
Dan-San

Cigogne · 2 February 2006, 07:42 PM

I wasn't responding to the date, only the description of the aircraft that crashed on the tracks and is seen in a photo in the Rimell book of 1985.

Gregvan · 2 February 2006, 08:19 PM

Hello All,

I'm afraid I am partly responsible for perpetuating what I now feel is a myth, pure and simple. As far as I know (now) this photo was first published in "Thor Goote's" 1938 novel about Richthofen and Company entitled "...'rangehn ist Alles!" I must emphasize that this is a novelized telling of the Richthofen bros. story, even though 'Thor Goote' had the assistance of the families of Boelcke, Boehme, Luebbert, Tutschek and Frl. Martha Boemeleit, who was (IIRC) Kurt Wolff's fiancee. Anyway, facing page 49 this photo appears, entitled simply "Notlandung nach Luftkampf".

Before I had ever seen this book or the photo, back in the early 90's when I was young(er) and stupid, Nick Hauprich sent me a copy of this photo (copied from the book) and told me it was Wolff's crashed Albatros on the railway tracks near Courtrai from when he was shot down on 11 July 1917. Being young and naive, I took this hook, line and sinker but now believe it to be completely false. However, at the time I found a pristine print of the photo of D.2009/16 in Pete Grosz' files and decided to include it in my little 1994 book on JG I. In my defense, I captioned it : "previously published with captions describing it as the crash of Kurt Wolff on the railway tracks near Courtrai...The truth of this description cannot be established by the author, but this clear print of the photo was deemed of sufficient interest regardless." At this time I had a xeroxed copy of "Jagd in Flanderns Himmel" but failed to inspect the text about this incident in detail (again, my bad). Then when my good friend Norman Franks (and Hal Giblin) wrote Under the Guns of the Kaiser's Aces he ran this photo again with the (as I believe) erroneous caption. As JFM notes, Bodenschatz writes that Wolff returned and landed OK, which is why I now believe this to NOT be a photo of Wolff's landing.

However, old myths die hard, and WWI aviation research, like any historical endeavor, is a constant search for the truth and a revising of old ideas and misconceptions. The only way I could avoid making the occasional mistake in print is to quit writing altogether - which is indeed very tempting sometimes! However, in the alternative I can only try to correct myself in print as often as I can. This seems to anger and confuse a lot of people, but it's the best I can do.

Greg

radspadmike · 2 February 2006, 10:53 PM

Hi Greg,
Thanks for your explanation. It helps in the eventual understanding. This subject never came to my attention, as many never do in my dabbling in WWI aviation history, but I like your attitude. I enjoyed your presentation at the Dayton WWI Aviation Historians' seminars a few years ago. History is not an absolute, at least not in our later perspective. We learn more as it becomes known to us.

Mike

Dan_San_Abbott · 3 February 2006, 12:04 PM

Gentlemen:
Thank you Greg for the clarification of the photo caption. The question is, Cigogne can you pursue the Ltn. Karl-Emil Schäfer reference? I sure would like to attach the aircraft to someone and it looks very much like the Alb.D.III in the photo of the Jasta 11 lineup at La Brayelle Airfield.
Blue skies,
Dan-San

Taz · 3 February 2006, 12:40 PM

Greg- You write a book and make a couple of mistakes. I write a magazine article and make at least a dozen. If I were you, I would definitely keep at it. Alex finds a few mistakes, but still loves your books.

Taz
Terry Phillips

josef scott · 4 February 2006, 12:34 AM

Doesn't the DIII in the Labrayelle lineup have the dark portion ending just fore of the fuse crosses, and overpainted national insignia? As opposed to dark tail up to the rear of the cockpit and clearly visible crosses and serial# on the overturned Alb?

Cigogne · 5 February 2006, 06:30 PM

Dan-San,

I went and dug up the book, Vintage Warbirds No. 2 "The German Army Air Service in World War One" by Ray Rimell. The photo is on page 12 and was sourced to the late Douglas Whetton. I must confess to having a faulty memory in attributing it to Schäfer. The caption in this source states it as being crashed by Ltn. Kurt Wolff on July 11, 1917 at Courtrai.

I remembered it wrong.