Karl Bolle

his observer/gunner.[4] It was about this time that Bolle

was awarded the Kingdom of Wrttemberg's 2nd Class
Knights Cross of the Friedrich Order.[1] He was the only
ghter ace to win this award.[5]

Rittmeister Karl Bolle, (20 June 1893 9 October

1955), Pour le Merite, Military Merit Cross, Royal House
Order of Hohenzollern, Friedrich Order, Iron Cross was
a ghter ace with 36 aerial victories during World War I.
He became a Jagdstael commander during that war, and
an advisor to the Luftwae during World War II.[1]

Bolle went to Jastaschule (ghter pilots training) in early

1917. He joined Jagdstael 28 in April 1917, while still
recuperating from a leg wound. While assigned as a nonying adjutant, he began tutelage on the ghter pilots
craft with two aces, Karl Emil Schaefer and Otto Hartmann, as well as Bolles friend, Max Ritter von Mller.[3]

Life before ying

Karl Bolle was born in Berlin on 20 June 1893,[2] to a

family owning a well-known dairy. He studied economics
at The University of Oxford in 1912, and was also well
known for his athletic prowess, playing ice hockey while
there.[3]

In July he commenced operational ying with Jasta 28.

His rst victory was over an Airco DH.4 of 57 Squadron
on 8 August 1917. He scored once more in August and
victories in December 1917 and January 1918 made him
an ace by 30 January.[1]

He returned home to Germany to enlist as a leutnant (lieutenant) in the 7th (Magdeburg) Cuirassiers von Seydlitz
Regiment in 1913 as a one year volunteer. At the start of
World War I his regiment served on the Western Front,[1]
ghting in Belgium and the First Battle of the Marne. It
was then transferred to the Eastern Front; Bolle seeing action in Poland and in Courland in Latvia.[4] By the end of
1915, Bolle had won an award for bravery, the Iron Cross,
Second Class and transferred to the Luftstreitkrfte.[2]

3 Bolle in command

He was then promoted to Oberleutnant and transferred

to command Jasta 2 on 20 February 1918 at Marcke,
France. This was the squadron that Oswald Boelcke had
commanded[6] as he invented the rst ghter tactics, strategy, and organization. It was being re-equipped with
Fokker Dr.I triplanes as it was being incorporated into
Jagdgeschwader 3. It was a dispirited squadron, having
2 Aerial service in World War I
lost three consecutive Pour le Merite holding commanding ocers killed in action.[7] Bolle was destined to be
He undertook his initial training at Johannistal, then was Jasta 2s nal commander.[2]
forwarded to FEA 5 in Hannover, Germany. Later he Despite seemingly modest credentials, Bolle set his mark
trained to become a ghter pilot at Valenciennes, France upon the squadron. The Fokker Dr.I triplane supplied
at Jastaschule I.[1] The standard German practice was to was a plane of limited speed but great maneuverability
be trained initially at a Fliegerschule or an FEA (Flieger- and climb rate. Its slower speed made it more dicult to
Ersatz Abteilung = Pilot Replacement Unit) and serve ini- close to short distance for gunnery against faster ghters.
tially in a two-seater unit, in this case Kagohl IV, and then Bolles solution was the use of an Oigee telescopic sight
later transfer for training as a ghter pilot at a Jastaschule
for his guns.[7] He also painted distinctive white stripes on
where they would be closely tutored by experts with front- his upper wings, to denote his leadership role,[8][9] along
line experience. They also had access to captured British
with a yellow fuselage band edged by black and white to
and French ghters to familiarize themselves with their honor his old cavalry regiment.[10][11]
opponents aircraft.
Bolles command of English turned out to be handy upon
At any rate, upon completion, he was assigned to the occasion, when he questioned downed British Empire
bombing group Kagohl IV in July, 1916.[1]
iers.[3]
Bolle was wounded in October, 1916 in combat with ve He opened his tally with Jasta 2 on 25 April 1918, as part
French ghters. He crash landed within friendly lines and of a huge air oensive launched to support ground assault
despite his own injury dragged his injured observer safely on Kemmel Ridge.[3] He then began a steady collection
out of the shell-re directed at their downed aircraft.[3]
of single and double victories, with ve in May, seven in
Upon his recovery, he had been assigned to Kampfstael June, nine in July, and three in August. In August, 1918,
23 of KG IV; Lothar von Richthofen was assigned as when he had scored 28 victories, he received the Military
1

Merit Cross, and the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern;

the Pour le Merite (commonly known as the Blue Max)
was bestowed on the 28th.[2]
Bolle did not score again until 1 November. On 4
November, he downed four British ghters.[1] two
RAF SE.5as of 56 Squadron and two Sopwith Snipes of
4 AFC. The Snipes (claimed with Leut.Ernst Bormann)
were own by aces Captain Thomas Baker (12 victories)
and Lt. A. J. Palliser (7).[12] These were Bolles nal
victories.[1]
A week later, he and his pilots deantly marked their
Fokker D.VIIs with their names and victory scores before surrendering them into British hands at Nivelles,
Belgium.[4]

EXTERNAL LINKS

6 Sources of information
[1] Karl Bolle. Theaerodrome.com. Retrieved 2015-0726.
[2] Franks et al 1993, p. 80.
[3] Franks et al 2001, pp. 60-62.
[4] Franks, VanWyngarden 2003, pp. 74-75.
[5] World War I Military Medals and Decorations - Germany
- Friedrich Order [Wrttemberg]". Theaerodrome.com.
Retrieved 2015-07-26.
[6] Jasta 2 (Boelcke)".
2015-07-26.

Bolles nal score of 36 victories included a prepon- [7]

derance of wins over enemy ghters; he downed 25.
The other 11 victories were two-seater reconnaissance, [8]
ground attack, and bomber aircraft. More importantly, he [9]
led Jasta 2 through the intense battles of 1918 to the second highest victory total in the German Air Force, with a
[10]
total of 336 victories to the Jasta.[6]

Theaerodrome.com.

Retrieved

Franks et al 2001, pp. 55-56.

Franks, VanWyngarden 2003, Back matter.
Tom Plesha : Rittm. Karl Bolles Fokker D.VII. Wwimodels.org. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
Franks, VanWyngarden 2003, pp. 37, 74.

[11] VanWingarden et al 2007, p. 106.

Post World War I

After wars end, he became a ying instructor. He

also became the Director of the Deutsche Verkehrsiegerschule (German Air Transport School) in the
1920s. Subsequently, he helped in the covert training of
pilots for the Luftwae.[3]
During World War II, he served as an advisor with the
Luftwae, reporting to Hermann Gring.[4]

[12] Franks et al 1993, p. 83.

7 References
Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank W.; Guest, Russell.
Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the
German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 19141918. Grub Street, 1993.
ISBN 0-948817-73-9, ISBN 978-0-948817-73-1.

Karl Bolle died in his native city of Berlin on 9 October

1955.[4]

Franks, Norman, et al. Fokker Dr.I Aces of World

War I. 2001, Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176223-7, ISBN 978-1-84176-223-4.

Franks, Norman; VanWyngarden, Greg. Fokker D

VII Aces of World War 1. Osprey Publishing, 2003.
ISBN 1-84176-533-3, ISBN 978-1-84176-533-4.

Honors and awards

Kingdom of Prussia's Pour le Merite: 28 August
1918
Knights Cross with Swords of the Royal House Order of Hohenzollern: August 1918
Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin's Military
Merit Cross with Swords: August 1918
Prussian Iron Cross First Class
Prussian Iron Cross Second Class: 1915
Kingdom of Wrttemberg's Friedrich Order, Knight
Second Class with Swords[2]

VanWyngarden, Greg, et al. Jagdstael 2 Boelcke.

2007, Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84603-203-2,
ISBN 978-1-84603-203-5.

8 External links
Directart.co.uk Accessed 14 September 2008

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

9.1

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Karl Bolle Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Bolle?oldid=718303437 Contributors: Folks at 137, BigBen212, ChicXulub, Trevor
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