Blackronin
01-30-2014, 09:43
It was June 28, a hot afternoon of that Summer of 1915 when I arrived the aerodrome at the front.
I was asked to join the Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches (Imperial German Flying Corps) after my Infantry superiors decided that I was a good shot and had the eyes of a lynx. After spending four months learning to fly, I received my orders to join the 3rd Kest.
Kest means Kampfeinsitzerstaffel (Combat single-seater squadron), and it was the name of fighter squadrons before they became known as Jastas in late 1916 with the already formed Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte (German Air Force).
But at this time, I was only 21 years old and arriving to the 3rd Kest was already scary enough.
121587
I remember how nicely Oberleutnant Schultz presented me to the staff. "You'll be my wingman for a while", he said, "at least until you loose your lead feet", and then he laughed a lot. It was impossible not to like him. In time I would consider him almost a father.
And that was it. In the next weeks I flown daily with him to get acquainted with "the way we do things". I was given a Fokker Eindecker and the hunting season was about to begin.
I was asked to join the Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches (Imperial German Flying Corps) after my Infantry superiors decided that I was a good shot and had the eyes of a lynx. After spending four months learning to fly, I received my orders to join the 3rd Kest.
Kest means Kampfeinsitzerstaffel (Combat single-seater squadron), and it was the name of fighter squadrons before they became known as Jastas in late 1916 with the already formed Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte (German Air Force).
But at this time, I was only 21 years old and arriving to the 3rd Kest was already scary enough.
121587
I remember how nicely Oberleutnant Schultz presented me to the staff. "You'll be my wingman for a while", he said, "at least until you loose your lead feet", and then he laughed a lot. It was impossible not to like him. In time I would consider him almost a father.
And that was it. In the next weeks I flown daily with him to get acquainted with "the way we do things". I was given a Fokker Eindecker and the hunting season was about to begin.