WW1 Pfalz pilot - mystery of Koch identity

[JoJo MacEachern]

Here is a mystery… concerning a WW1 German pilot flying a Pfalz single seat (likely D III) who crashed in the Lens - Arras sector probably Spring/Summer 1918. A WW1 veteran (Gunner - Canadian Filed Artillery, 13th Brigade, 5th Div. CFA) told me the story of his own near death experience when he narrowly escaped being crushed by the Pfalz plane when crashed beside him.

My informant, despite being 104 years of age, proved time and again to be a “reliable witness”; and a good many stories were later corroborated in research.
Over time, I came to trust his memory. Here are the details the incident he witnessed:

1. Plane type - Pfalz single seat fighter plane (possibly a D III or D IIIa).
2. Pilot’s ID, taken from the body, revealed his name as: KOCH, first given name was recalled as possibly: Eric/Erwin/Ernst.
3. The pilot evidently died on impact; he was seen to be bleeding from the head when his unresponsive body was extracted from the wreckage.
4. Place/date are unknown. However, the informant was a Canadian gunner, Field Artillery, which would the place the location on the Canadian Sector; Arras, Vimy, Lens, Bethune (and possibly Amiens, briefly in August 1918)
As for date, the Canadian remembered the day as clear and warm; “summer”-like and that they were behind the lines “relaxing” where a number of soldiers were gathered. (Making me suspect that the event might place the date around the Canadian Corps Sports Day, or, Dominion Day, or even the Kings birthday?)
5. He also advised, that immediately after the pilot’s body was extracted, a crowd of souvenirs hunter descended on the wreckage, tearing bits away and making off with souvenirs. A friend had gotten the pilot’s ID, another the ‘compass’; while many others made off with bits of fabric from the machine. My informant got only a memory. Not known as to the final disposition of the pilot’s body (now to be without ID).

Unfortunately, I have not been able to anchor the pilot identity; nothing has lined up for plane type, name, location, or possible date. Perhaps someone out there has a lead, clue, better resources?
Thanks for listening.

[josquin]

John,
Welcome to The Forum! The German pilot may be Uffz. Heinrich Koch, Jasta 36,
who was killed in action on 31 May 1918, at Soissons, Picardy, which seems to be a geographical possibility. Uffz. Koch was born at Elspe, Sauerland, Westphalia, on 13 November 1891. This information is from the excellent Frontflieger website.

Josquin

[JoJo MacEachern]

Hi John:

Thank you for your interest, and for offering a candidate; much appreciated!

I had Uffz. Heinrich KOCH on my radar, but given his crash location (Soissons/Rheims) seems he is too far south (100 km) to be viable. The eye-witness informant, a gunner with the Canadian Field Artillery, never served that far south in the French Sector; the incident he witnessed occurred somewhere behind the lines in proximity to the Canadian Sector (Arras/Lens/Bethune/Loos). By that remote location, I have had to exclude Uffz. Heinrich KOCH.

Thinking now that Ltn. Erich KAUS (Jasta 36) is a viable candidate. Although the surname is not spelled correctly (for "KOCH"), the surname of KAUS bears a close resemblance to "KOCH", and could have been corrupted over time; but if I relax the spelling to allow for KAUS, then all the ducks fall into row.
Right first name; right plane; right location and relative date. The only confound remaining, is, that in my informant's recollection, the pilot was killed; but KAUS was not. However, it may be that what my informant saw, and surmised, in the brief moments of the trauma, were after-the-fact impressions and conclusions that may not have been fully informed of the outcome (viz. the pilot regaining consciousness). I'll likely never know.

But thank you sooo much for thinking about it; your time and considerations are very much appreciated!
cheers,
J.S. MacEachern

[R Gannon]

Hi JS

Looking at all the evidence and not being distracted by the name later attached to the downed Pfalz pilot; I think we are really talking about Ltn Paul Vogel from Jasta 23 who was shot down in British/Canadian lines on 15 Sep 18 between Marquoin & Recourt just north of the Arras to Cambrai Road – the First Army, to which the Canadian Corps was attached, having paused along the Canal du Nord in their drive to Cambrai – flying Pfalz DXII 2489/18 and given capture serial G HQ 6. Combat with SEs from 1 Sqn with the credit being accorded to 2Lt DE Cameron. There are photos of the downed Pfalz which has suffered from looters.

Russ

[JoJo MacEachern]

Hello Russ:
Thank you for your thoughts on this Pfalz pilot mystery. The date and location you've offered are certainly viable, along with the plane type and the fact that the plane was vandalized by looters; but there remains the confound of the pilot's name.
Candidate Pilot Paul Vogel is at odds with the recollection of details offered by my informant, who has proven himself, on so many other points, to be a very "reliable witness"; so I feel obliged to pursue some variant closer to the name given as "KOCH", followed by either "Ernst or Erich", or, as he said: "something like that." (which could be some other 'E' name)
It's entirely possible my 104 year old informant may have corrupted some facts over time, shifting the name into some variant; but if that's so, then so too would the other details be amiss (plane type and all the details affiliated with that portion of the incident).
I knew my informant well enough to know that he'd be accurate the facts given in his detailed recollection. And in so far as we're both willing to "trust" him on the Pfalz, single seat fighter, portion of his memory, I'm willing to also trust the pilot's name he had given; or at least, some close variant.
As for the date, that the event was not included in my informant's own war diary, leaves me to conclude the plane crash had to occur prior to the commencement of his diary; otherwise, it would've been included in his diary. Thus, a viable window for the incident would be anywhere between August 20, 1917 (arrival in France) and June 23, 1918, (diary commencement).
Admittedly this a nebulous target window, but it's the best compass bearing I have from the facts to hand.
Concerning the location, as my informant was Canadian Corps, he was on the Arras Front; the place names he spoke of were bordered by: Bully-Grenay/Loos/Lens in the north, then south to Arras, Etrun, Roclincourt, and west to Tincques, La Comte and Bruay. This was the area of his Brigade's service, from Sept/17 to Aug/18; at which time, they temporarily shifted south to Amiens for the Battle of Amiens in August 1918 (for 2 weeks), then came back to Arras for the 'Last Hundred Days' push eastward, from Arras, through the D-Q Line to Valenciennes. So the location for the plane crash is rather narrow.
By the way, I did confer with the CEF 13th Brigade CFA War Diary, from August 1917 to June 1918, combing through in hopes of finding an entry regarding an "Enemy Aircraft" that crashed within their proximity... and found one! But, alas, not the right one...
The 13th Brigade CFA War Diary, dated Sept. 27, 1917, with a given location of Bully-Grenay, observed the following:
"Several of our balloons brought down this date, but Enemy plane forced to land in our lines. Weather fine & clear; Temp. 62 degrees." And from the brilliant work 'Casualties of the German Air Service' (by N. Franks. F. Bailey and R. Driven 1999, Grub Street, London p. 353) I was able to learn that the pilot was Obltn. Hans Waldhausen, a pilot with Jasta 37, who came down near Souchez (near Vimy; square in the right location!), but this individual survived to be a POW.
Point being, this is evidence that the Brigade diarist would likely have recorded the other incident as well; but I have not been able to locate such an entry.

But if we return to Paul Vogel, as a candidate, I find that there is a discrepancy regarding his crash site; two print sources agree on name and date, but give different locations for the crash site. 'Above the Trenches' (C. Shores, N. Franks and R. Guest 1990, Run Street, London) gives "Recourt" as the crash site; a viable location, some 12kms east of Arras, while 'Casualties of the German Air Service' (authors as above) states the location as Fauberg-d'Amiens, which is 1 km west of Arras. Both locations are quite viable, but there is the inherent discrepancy of fact; suggesting the truth may now be well lost.
Meanwhile, there's the confound of date (being Sept. 1918); for given that my informant was keeping his diary by then, and fails to make any mention of the incident, I suspect this date is too late. And coupled with the name "Vogel" being so very different from what my informant recalled, I feel the likelihood that Vogel is the pilot is slim.
All in all, its a vexing head scratch, in so many ways, and I doubt I'll ever 'nail down' the truth; and so, will probably have to concede defeat on this one.

But thank you so much for giving it a go, and being a trooper by offering your own idea; your efforts are much appreciated!
cheers to you,
jojo

[R Gannon]

Hi

Re Vogel and the seeming location discrepancy – evidently, he came down seriously wounded near Recourt and then died of wounds. Fauberg-d’Ameins, which sourced from the post-war Bavarian Ehrenbuch (honour book), is a cemetery and obviously where he was buried not where he was shot down.

The other thing is that the pilots of the Jagdstaffeln did not venture over the Allied side very often and in truth only 12 Pfalz scouts came down within British lines and of these only four, including Vogel, were fatal:

Ltn Hofacker of Js 33 on 30 Nov 17 in the Cambrai area,

Gefr Conderet of Js 52 on 6 Mar 18 in the Lens area, &

Uffz Mertens of Js 7 on 19 Jun 18 in Nieppe Forest.

Sticking with the facts over memory, I still feel Vogel ticks the viable boxes in regards being your man.
Russ