The lost Halberstadt in Tasmania, Australia.

by Ray Mudway & assistants

The fate of the WW1 German Halberstadt Cl.II aeroplane trophy delivered to Tasmania is a sad one and has been long forgotten over these past 100 years but research is still going on in an attempt to find the identity of the one we got.

Australian War Records Section :
By 1917, the Canadian and Australian governments were aware that a war museum was being formed in Britain and they would on no account allow the British to secure the best Canadian or Australian 'trophies' and records for its museum which would be established in Canberra, after the war was won. As well as recording the stories of Australians in the war, the AWRS wanted to obtain trophies, particularly aircraft that had been shot down or captured by Australians. In May 1917, the Australian War Records Section (AWRS) was formed in London. It was set up at the prompting of Charles Bean, Australia's official war correspondent, soon to be made official historian. Bean had been impressed with the work of the Canadians in establishing in London a Canadian War Records Office and like the Canadians, the Australian section quickly began collecting and commissioning a wide range of material.

On 16 May 1917 the AWRS, led by Lieutenant John Treloar, got down to work with a staff of just four. He was later appointed the Memorial's Director. The section's task was to collect and organise the documentary record of the Australian forces, so that it could be preserved for Australia, rather than be absorbed into Britain's records. Based in London, it developed networks of field officers in France and Egypt, and by late 1918 was employing over 600 staff, military and civilian. Through its circulars and by personal contact, it encouraged soldiers of all ranks to maintain the best possible official records and to collect and send in the best museum objects.

By February 1919 the AWRS acquired approximately 25,000 objects, as well as paper records, photographs, film, publications, works of art .... and animal remains because of the stories of endurance that they represented. Hubert Wilkins, an official photographer working with the AWRS, recovered a dead French Army carrier-pigeon and had it stuffed for the collection. The bird was believed to have died from exhaustion near Amiens on 11 June 1918.

Australian War Museum, Melbourne :
All were brought back to the Melbourne Exhibition Building in 1919 and formed the basis of the collection of what would be the Australian War Museum. Many German guns of various kinds were later distributed to towns around Australia. As far as captured aircraft were concerned, the AWRS wanted seven of every type – one of each type for each state and territory. Initially over 170 specimens were earmarked – observation, fighter, escort/strike, light and heavy bomber types including Gotha G.IIIs. But in the end only thirteen complete aircraft (incl. one LVG C.VI in crashed condition) and part of the wing of an armoured Junkers Ju.I observation/bomber were dispatched to Australia.

It should be stated here that the individual identities of most of these German aircraft is suspect due to a failure to inspect them, and poor record keeping by the British, AWRS & AWM. There are hundreds of erroneous rumours that some survived into the 1970s.

Most of these aircraft, along with a few relevant British types, were displayed in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide in 1920 – the crashed LVG was displayed on the Melbourne Exhibition building’s outside balcony as an advertisement.

The Sydney and Adelaide aircraft, except an airworthy LVG C.VI in Adelaide which was stored in a local motor-garage and soon scrapped, were returned to the Australian War Museum, Melbourne and stored in a wooden shed.
An Albatross Cl.Ib was shipped to Brisbane City Council in 1921, and put on display under a wire enclosed roof in New Farm Park until 1935, eventually falling into disrepair and thought to have been scrapped at Archerfield by1939.

The wooden shed in Melbourne burnt down in September, 1925. The fire was started by sparks blown from a rubbish fire burning in the park next door - two engines were salvaged by the AWM – a 180hp Mercedes D.IIIa and a 200hp Benz Bz.IV. The Benz and the Mercedes D.IIIa out of their Albatross D.Va (to lighten the weight on the airframe) are currently on display in the AWM, Canberra. There are rumours that an engine (the other Mercedes D.IIIa ?) was recently sold to New Zealand or Canada.

The War Memorial's Canberra foundation stone was laid on25th April 1929, but work was curtailed by the onset of the Great Depression. Work on the main structure began in 1936 and was finally completed in 1941.


The Luftstreitkräfte :
Before October 1916, the Imperial German air arm was called Die Fliegertruppen des Deutschen Kaiserreiches, literally "The flying troops of the German Kaiser's Reich" - also referred to as the Idfleig (Imperial Deutschen Fliegertruppen). After October 1916 it became the Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte – Air Force.

German National Markings :
Orders in September 1914 were to paint black Eisernes Kreuz (iron or pattee' cross - with flared arms) insignia on a white square on the wings and tails of all aircraft. The form and location was largely up to the painter, which led to considerable variation. Explicit proportions came in July 1916, but in October, the white was reduced to a 5 centimetre border completely surrounding the cross. In March 1918, the Blakenkreuz, a straight black "Greek" cross, with narrow white borders on all sides was ordered. Sizes were not set until April 1918, resulting in many of those repainted in the field being non-standard. This was then replaced in May by a narrower, straight cross that extended the full chord of wings, with the white border restricted to the sides of the cross's bars. In June, it ceased to be used full chord, with the bars all being the same length - this style was used until the end of 1945 when the Eisernes Kreuz was reinstated for the post-1950 Luftwaffe.

Many aircraft had the crosses in eight positions - wings, fuselage and fin/rudder.

Halberstadt Company History :
The Halberstadter Flugzeug-Werke, G.m.b.H., aka Halberstadt, was a German aircraft manufacturer founded in 1912 in the town of Halberstadt in the Province of Saxony. Its original name was Deutsche Bristol Werke Flugzeug-Gesellschaft mbH, a joint venture with the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, Ltd., in 1913 the name was changed to Halberstadt. The joint venture terminated with the outbreak of WW1, and Halberstadt began producing aircraft for the German forces.

During the First World War, German aircraft officially adopted for military service were allocated a designation that included (1) the name of the manufacturer, (2) a function or "class" letter, and (3) a Roman numeral. The Halberstadt company only built 85 D type (fighter) aircraft but with LFG / Roland more than 1,700 C type (reconnaissance) aircraft were constructed.

One of Halberstadt's most successful aircraft was the Halberstadt Cl.II, a two-seat fighter/ground attack aircraft, initially used to escort observation aircraft. The Cl.II began in May 1917 when the Luftstreitkräfte ordered the development of a smaller, lighter two-seat aircraft to replace the older, slower C types then in use. Halberstadt based the Cl.II on its earlier unsuccessful D.IV, a single seat fighter. By making the D.IV fuselage and cockpit area longer and larger, they ended up with a two-seat aircraft that was faster and more agile than existing C types. It featured a wood frame fuselage with plywood covering and conventional wing and fin/rudder construction. These qualities suited it for ground attack and infantry support.

Forward armament was a single 7.92mm LMG 08/15 "Spandau" machine-gun mounted on either the left or right side. The observer manned a 7.92mm LMG 14/17 Parabellum machine gun placed on an elevated gun-ring that offered good visibility and field of fire, allowing it to direct fire at targets on the ground. The Cl units proved so successful that their title Schutzstaffeln (Protection / escort Flights) were changed to Schlachstaffeln (Battle Flights), shortened to "Schlasta".

The Cl.II remained in service until the end of the war. Eventually 700 were built before production shifted to the simplified & improved Cl.IV in mid-1918 and then the Cl.V. The Cls.1 was a very late modification which had a standard type gun-tub separate from the cockpit instead of the usual combined gunner’s / pilot’s section with raised gun-ring.

After the war, because of restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles, the company produced agricultural machinery and repaired railroad equipment. The company went into insolvency in 1926, and later its factories were used by Junkers from 1935 to 1945.

Halberstadt Cl.II colours :
The main-planes, horizontal tail & fin/rudder were covered with either four or five colour lozenge fabric laid at a 45 deg. angle. The wood fuselage and plywood central section of the upper-wing were painted in “scrumble” in similar colours. Scrumble is an art form where patches of paint are applied with a sponge or brush resulting in a spotted finish. The under-side of the fuselage & upper-wing center-section were varnished natural plywood. Many had natural metal engine-cowlings but others were painted to match the fuselage.

German aircraft often didn’t have their serial numbers painted on the fuselage, the only way to identify them was by the serial stamped on internal structural parts like wing ribs etc. Some had squadron markings like an arrow, a personal cartoon or Roman numeral.
Several Schlasta painted some machine’s horiz. stabilizers white with black stripes, probably as an identifier of a senior crew’s aircraft and a Roman numeral as the individual ID within the staffel – II, III and V being noted.
In service most had severe exhaust staining on the starboard tailplane.

Post War :
After 1918, Halberstadt Cl.II aircraft were used by a few foreign countries, notably Poland.
Paul Strahle, a German World War I flying ace, bought three Cl.IV planes, a couple of fuselages and many other spare parts in early 1919 for his newly founded aviation company, Luftverkehr Strahle. By the end of the year these aircraft and spares were confiscated by the Allies under the terms of the Versailles Treaty. In 1920 Strahle bought them back from the reparation commission for ten times his original purchase price. Two aircraft had the gunner position divided from the cockpit and fitted with two folding seats for passenger and mail transport.

There are eight Halberstadt Cl.II / Cl.IV / Cl.V aircraft and one late-war Cls.I fuselage preserved in Europe & the USA – four of these were from the Strahle company. Four replicas, one Cl.II and two D.IV fighters (one of which is now in New Zealand) were built in the USA and one Cl.II is being finished for the local museum in Halberstadt, Germany.

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“Our” Halberstadt Cl.II

There were three Halberstadt aircraft among the German aircraft War Trophies delivered to Australia in 1919 – two Cl.II’s with 180hp Mecedes D.IIIa engines and one later Cl.V Serial No. 6867 with 200 h.p. Benz engine.
One Cl.II was delivered to Tasmania in 1922 -- but which one ??
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In England, due to unsupervised troops crating up the aircraft for shipping to Australia, many were put in crates with markings of previous occupants. One Cl.II with 180 h.p. Mercedes D.IIIa engine was packed in a crate previously used for a Pfalz D.IIIa fighter and marked as Serial No. 8284/17.
This resulted in Tasmania being initially allocated a Pfalz D.IIIa which was amended to a Halberstadt Cl.II after inspection by Captain Wackett, RAAF (ex-3 Sqdn, AFC).
This led to the Halberstadt being mistakenly allocated the Pfalz’ serial number by the AWM - and is still wrongly labelled this in many book & internet listings. It is now confirmed that Serial No. 8284/17 was a Pfalz D.IIIa possibly sent to Australia and later destroyed in the 1925 fire. It had served with Jasta 77b, the pilot being Vfw. (Vizefeldwebel) Jacob Pollinger.

Mr. Treloar, head of the War Museum, Melbourne, thought it might have been the Halberstadt Serial No. 15342/17 captured by Armstrong and Mart, however, Capt. Wackett, who was present in France when 15342/17 was captured and saw British roundels being painted on, said the aircraft he inspected in the crate was the same model (so was a Cl.II) but was “not Armstrong and Mart's aircraft”.
However he may have been wrong – see explanation below.

This other Halberstadt’s serial number and history is still unknown, the aircraft was probably found on an airfield in France. There are no known photographs.

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The other Cl.II may have been Serial No.15342/17, Werk. No.929 with 180 h.p. Mercedes D.IIIa engine. It was sent to Royal Prussian Schusta 13 which was founded 1 January, 1917 and renamed Schlasta 13 on March 27, 1918. This aircraft was from the fourth production order placed with Halberstadt in November 1917 for 200 aircraft and was delivered shortly after it was completed on 14 April 1918. As a late-production machine, it had a LMG 08/15 "Spandau" on the starboard side of the fuselage and a LMG 14/17 Parabellum on the gun-ring aft.

On 9 June 1918, 15342/17, flown by Gefreiter (Lance-Corporal) Conrad Max Hermann Küster and Vizefeldwebel (deputy Sergeant-Major) Paul Müllenbach, became lost after a low-level attack on French trenches near Montdidier and was forced to land at the aerodrome of 3 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps at Flesselles (near Amiens), Somme, France by Lieutenants RC Armstrong and FJ Mart as observer flying RE.8 serial D4689, "P" of 3 Squadron, AFC.
One of 3 Squadron’s personnel who observed the landing on the day was Cpt. Lawrence Wackett who was to later feature in Australia’s aviation history.
Küster and Müllenbach were taken prisoner and sent on 19 June to a PoW Camp.

All previous references to this event wrongly record the German pilot’s name or spelling. The correct name was found when checking capture and Red Cross records.

From the 3 Squadron, AFC diaries :
"Lieutenant Rod C. Armstrong and Lieutenant Frank J. Mart as observer, were carrying out an artillery reconnaissance in the vicinity of Meaulte-Gressaire Wood-Warfusee Abancourt, but on this occasion had found the front comparatively quiet with little of importance to report. The observer had just fired a number of rounds from his Lewis gun into the enemy trenches near Morlancourt when, at about 11.30 am, the pilots attention was attracted by four anti-aircraft shell bursts over Querrieu. These were followed by other bursts, and Lieutenant Armstrong then noticed an enemy aircraft flying in an easterly direction and endeavouring to reach it's own territory. It afterwards transpired that this enemy aircraft had been engaged in a low flying attack on the French lines near Montdidier, and that the pilot had lost his bearings. Lieutenant Armstrong headed the enemy off, where the enemy pilot became panic stricken, made no attempt at resistance and, after one or two feeble attempts to escape, allowed Lieutenant Armstrong to take up position about 300 feet in the rear and lightly above him and force him steadily down to land on No.3's aerodrome. The enemy pilot and observer were taken prisoners and the aircraft captured intact, together with the maps and papers giving details of the German forces employed against the French in the Noyon area. The feat gained the congratulations of Lieutenant-General Sir John Monash, the G.O.C. Australian Corps".

Lieutenant Armstrong was awarded the DFC for this event. 3 Squadron requested that the aircraft be preserved for Australia. The gunner's 7.92mm Parabellum 14/17 LMG was souvenired and later sent to the Australian War Museum in Melbourne, it is still on display in Canberra.

From Mr. F.M. Cutlack’s official history.
Driving the "Lone Wether" Home.
The Australians' R.E.8 had dived and machine-gunned Morlancourt for the edification of the Australian trench-garrison opposite, and was returning to the aerodrome.

Over Querrieu, well behind the British lines, the airmen noticed anti-aircraft fire. This could only mean one thing and the pilot steered for the shell-bursts. There, at 2,000 feet, he came upon a Halberstadt two-seater, making eastward for home. 'It appeared that this German machine had been engaged with others in a low-flying patrol during an attack on the French lines, near Montdidier and that its pilot had lost his bearings. He and his observer betrayed “some lack of experience"- afterwards admitted - by their faulty knowledge of the country, and by the panic they, betrayed as soon as the R.E.8 cut them off from home. They made no attempt to shoot, and after one or two feeble attempts to escape, consented to be driven west like a sheep. Not another simile would fit the case. Armstrong shepherded the Halberstadt towards Flesselles aerodrome like a dog working a lone wether. Once he had set the Halberstadt on the desired course, the Australian pilot maintained position about 300 feet away; behind it and slightly above, and forced it steadily down. The forward Vickers gun of the R.E.8 was trained on the enemy. Now and again Mart would shout to the pilot "Give him a burst to make sure," but Armstrong would look back, grin and shake his head. He meant, as he said afterwards, to "take him home."

Major Blake, the squadron commander, described the arrival of the Halberstadt as follows: - “The Germans landed with their engine still ticking over, and appeared to be on the point of taking off again, when the situation was saved by the corporal of the guard, the only armed man in the vicinity, who ran up with his revolver and presented it at the head of the pilot with the order, ‘Hands up!’ They did.”

After capture the aeroplane was much photographed then painted with British roundels and fin-flash. It was flown from Bertangles to the RAF base at Marquise, France on 16 June, 1918 by S.G. Brearley (another pilot of 3 Sqdn. AFC who was later an important person in West Australia’s aviation history) and Captain R. Ross. Handed over to the RAF as a war trophy, it was given the British captured serial G.5Bde/16 and shipped to England.

After evaluation by the RAF it was repainted with German crosses and placed in the Enemy Aircraft Viewing Room at the Agriculture Hall, Islington, London with the fabric removed from one wing to show the structure for people to study. An inspection of the Halberstadt (minus wings) by Flight magazine’s journalist was published in their 1 August, 1918 issue. The stripped wing was then recovered with new German lozenge fabric & the aircraft crated for shipping to Australia.

From the factory, national markings were Eisernes Kreuz (pattee / Iron) crosses in all eight positions. Soon after delivery to the staffel the pattee crosses were painted out and Balkenkreuz (Greek) crosses with full white borders put on as per March 1918 orders. Presumably it was then that the lozenge covered fin/rudder was painted a solid colour before the new cross was added - according to the UK Ministry of Munitions report “the fin/rudder was painted grey, the belly of the fuselage is coloured yellow throughout” (but probably just varnished plain plywood like many other makes). As Vizefeldwebel (deputy Sergeant-Major) Paul Müllenbach was a senior staffel officer, this aircraft had the white horiz. stabilizer with black stripes and the staffel ID of a Roman “III” on the side.

The Great Conundrum :
Even though No.15342/17 was requested by 3 Sqdn to be sent to Australia, Mr F.M.Cutlack, in his books "Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918" and "The Australian Flying Corps in the Western and Eastern Theatres of War, 1914-1918" (1923), suggested that 15342/17 met another fate and that it was substituted by a second anonymous aircraft.
Cutlack was probably wrong, exhibiting the extremely poor research that has plagued these WW1 aircraft in Australia since 1919. It would seem that no-one, including the AWM, actually tried to positively check and document the identity of these aircraft.

Wing-Commander N. Wrigley’s book on the history of No 3 Squadron AFC titled ‘The Battle Below’ (1935) says the aircraft ‘has become a valued exhibit’ – sounds like he thinks it still existed at that time though we know that in September 1925 it would have been destroyed in the fire.
Another case of not doing the most basic checking of facts.

As neither aircraft had roundels, proper identification of No.15342/17 is limited to other means such as the data-plate inside, the “shadow” of an over-painted roundel on the fuselage with camouflage paint, the black/white striped tailplane or the RAF flash on the rudder – all as seen on the last photo of No.15342/17 in England prior to crating & shipping to Australia.

Unfortunately it seems Capt. Wackett did not know that 15342/17 was repainted in German markings by the RAF before being shipped to Australia. To specify :- the unknown Halberstadt Cl.II and 15342/17 would have both had late war national insignia when captured whereas 15342/17 was repainted with the early war Eisernes Kreuz (iron or pattee' crosses, see German National Crosses above) over-painting the British roundels. 15342/17 could have still been identified by the Roman “III“, black & white stripped tailplane and RAF fin-flash - the shadow of a roundel was still visible on the fuselage, but no mention is made of this by Capt. Wackett or anyone else at the AWM in 1919 / 25.

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Meanwhile back in 1919, having received the Halberstadt, the Tasmanian Government argued and dithered about having a museum to “the barbarity of the German people” or not. They decided to spend the £5,000 allotted to building a War Museum on more important things due to the Depression. Tasmania’s Halberstadt sat in its crate outside at the Newtown Infirmary, Hobart. A total lack of interest by the Government and all others meant that no inspection or photographs of the machine in Tasmania were done at the time.

The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) is Australia's second-oldest museum with origins in the Royal Society of Tasmania, established in 1843. The first permanent home of the museum opened 1863 and has gradually expanded so one would wonder why, since the government decided not to build a War Museum, the Halberstadt wasn’t offered to them – maybe it was but not wanted. Eventually it deteriorated, being broken into and vandalised.

In 1928, a Mr. Vane of Hobart was planning to build an aeroplane and requested that he be given the engine, propeller and instruments of the vandalised aircraft to facilitate this. A Mr. S.H. Morris was asked to inspect the aircraft for the government and said in a report that it was “wrecked, beyond repair and of no further use.”

After correspondence between Tasmania and the AWM in 1930, the transfer was approved and the parts were passed over to Mr. Vane, so the rest of the aircraft was probably scrapped very soon after.

It would appear that Mr.Vane did not proceed with his plans and his family do not know of anything of this. Eventually the engine was put on display in a private collection of stationary engines. The engine is known to have still been seen in Hobart in the early 1980s, minus carburettor & magnetos, but rumoured to have gone to the mainland when that collection closed.
More rumours say that the forward fuselage section survived until 1967 when it was destroyed in a bush fire.

Inquiries to several organisations in Hobart have failed to receive information as to where in Hobart it was displayed or the possible current whereabouts of the engine, propeller or instruments.

The Personnel :

Halberstadt Cl.II, serial No. 15342/17, Royal Prussian Schusta 13.
Information from the original 1918 International Red Cross files.

Pilot :
Gefreiter (Lance-Corporal) Conrad Max Hermann Küster.
Born : 26-12-1893.
Volunteered to join as a mechanical engineer.
Father: Gustave Küster. Address: Bellenbeu, Halle, Saale, Sachen, S.W. Germany.
Captive # 176472 then 176911 then 18702

Observer / Gunner :
Vizefeldwebel (deputy Senior Sergeant) Paul Müllenbach.
Born : 24-2-1890. Stadtlengsfeld (Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach) today in Thuringia (Thüringen) – central-west Germany.
Father: Karl Müllenbach. Address: Augustastr 28, Stadtleugs-feld, Germany.
Captive # 176471 then 176912 then 18701.

Unfortunately, despite searches in the UK, France and Germany, no further information on them has been found.


RE.8 serial D4689, "P" of 3 Squadron, AFC.

Lieutenant Roderick Charles Armstrong, DFC, serial # 3668
Born: 1894,Footscray, Victoria.
9-7-1915 Enlisted as an engineer in 21 Battalion, AIF. He had previously served in both the Senior Cadets and the CMF.
26-2-1916 Transferred to 60 Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir.
29-6-1916 Arrived Marseilles served with that unit on the Western Front.
5-12-1916 Charged with the crime of having a dirty hut – admonished.
June 1917 Selected for flying training. Graduated 5-1-1918
5-5-1918 Joined No. 3 Sqdn. AFC. Low level reconnoitring observation over front line. Asked for troops to fire flares, when no answer he flew low so he could ID them despite heavy machine-gun fire.
9-6-1918 Forced down the Halberstadt.
21-9-1918 Hospitalised with Flying Sickness, posted to England.
4-3-1919 Gazetted for the DFC.
9-12-1918 Married.
10-5-1919 Returned to Australia with wife.
20-8-1919 Discharged.
9-12-1923 Awarded DFC.
1-10-1925 Retained honorary rank of Lieutenant.
Death - 1968, aged 73.


Lieutenant Frank Jelly Mart. serial# 4092
Born: 24-4-1889, Glanville, Sth Australia.
Occupation : Station overseer of Semaphore, Sth Australia.
9-12-1915 Enlisted, Adelaide, South Australia.
1916 sent to France.
1-3-1916 MT Driver, Australian Mining Corps, No.5 Tunnelling Company.
Promoted to Lance-Corporal.
30-12-1916 Severe burns to both hands & face, hospitalised in Norfolk, UK.
13-9-1917 Aerial Gunnery training, promoted 2nd Lieutenant, AFC.
13-12-1917 Observer training, promoted Lieutenant, AFC.
6-3-1918 Posted to 3 Squadron in France as gunner/observer.
April 1918 Visited the tourist attraction of the Red Baron’s plane-crash & was photographed holding one of the machine-guns.
9-6-1918 Forced down the Halberstadt with Armstong.
August 1918 Hospitalised with Flying Sickness, posted to England.
7-3-1919 Returned to Australia.
10-6-1919 Discharged.
1-10-1920 Retained honorary rank of Lieutenant.

Frank J. Mart went on to have a distinguished career in the automotive industry. He was Manager & Director of two companies.
Death - 25-9-1961, Daw Park, Sth Australia.

Conclusion :
It would seem logical that, as Armstrong & Mart weren’t Tasmanian, their famous Cl.II capture, if properly identified as such, would be kept for the AWM and the unknown one sent to Tasmania. Unfortunately non-existant research by the Australian War Museum in Melbourne and Tasmanian organisations at that time means that ascertaining which Cl.II actually came to Tasmania is now impossible.

With the exception of the Albatross D.Va & Pfalz D.XII currently on show in Canberra, all other German WW1 aircraft in Australia were either scrapped or destroyed by 1939, most in a storage fire in 1925.

I must thank the following for their additional research :-
Messers. Paul A.C. Richards A.M. & Iain Pinkard of TAHS, WW1 researcher & author Mr. C. Owers, Stephan Youngs of the Knacker Luftwaffe Arkiv and members of “The Great War” and “The Aerodrome” web-forums.

A book detailing the story of all of the WW1 German aircraft that were earmarked for, or delivered to, Australia is in the research process.