Why the Germans picked just THESE villages for their Jastas

[Olham]

Searching for "Wassigny" in Google Pictures, I came to this website with postcard pictures

of railway stations. And seeing them through, I found many names of places, were German

Jastas had been in the Great War.

And suddenly it all made sense: this way, they could get supplies, fresh troops and even

aircraft via railway.

 

http://mes.gares.fre...page_memes3.htm

 

 

 

Edited March 8, 2010 by Olham

[Cameljockey]

The term "Flying Circus" wasn't just because of the pretty planes. Jastas regularly moved up and down the front by train, just like circuses of the day did.

[Hasse Wind]

"Amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics."

 

Railway transport was crucial to the war effort of every major power that participated in WW1. Cars and trucks were slow and unreliable (and most armies never had enough of them, especially the Central Powers), so the best method of quickly transporting men and materiel from one place to another was by train.

[Dej]

Good find, Olham. And indeed, not just the Germans. Aside from Bapaume... Villers-Bretonneux and Fere-en-Tardenois are two Entente aerodrome names I immediately recognised as soon as I looked at the first page.

 

I see on the second page there's a station at Marchelepot, which is where I have one of my 'unidentified' aerodromes placed because a trench map shows it, the station is corroboration.

[Olham]

So you're still working on the trench map airfield locations?

[Dej]

So you're still working on the trench map airfield locations?

 

Of course, I won't give up on it though it looks like being a longer job than ever I thought. 400+ maps take a bit of going through, if I'm going to be thorough. Then there are lots of other sources aside from McMasters so I'm cross-referencing more than I anticipated.

 

I'm still enjoying it though... need to win the lottery, so I can devote all the time I waste on work, to history instead.

[RAF_Louvert]

.

 

Dej, I applaud your outstanding efforts with this project. Winning the lottery certainly would speed it along.

 

Olham, great source on those photos, and a good point about the location of the dromes. Of course, one of the primary reasons for locating near the stations is the fact that gents in uniform always look better when waving from a train as they depart to their next post.

 

.

[Olham]

I often notice about myself, that I tend to see that time in a "softened light", as if the development

of the people and the technology was not very far yet. People look so naive in photographs.

 

But then I find pictures like this one, and I realise, that this was the clash of modern industrial giants.

The American Civil War was the first war perhaps, were industrial power appeared so strongly in the

later years. But in the Great War, this industries and their supplies were already installed in each of

the parties, and their "veins of supply" were definitely the railways.

 

 

Edited March 9, 2010 by Olham

[Morris]

Olham,

 

u always seem to amaze me with all these great findings (Pictures).

 

thank you.

 

Morris

[shredward]

Of course, I won't give up on it though it looks like being a longer job than ever I thought. 400+ maps take a bit of going through, if I'm going to be thorough. Then there are lots of other sources aside from McMasters so I'm cross-referencing more than I anticipated.

 

I'm still enjoying it though... need to win the lottery, so I can devote all the time I waste on work, to history instead.

 

That's exactly what happened to us at the dawn of Over Flanders Fields...

We had no idea...

[Olham]

Dej, that's great you are still doing it!

 

Shred, I believe every word of that! Good you all kept doing it!

[Morris]

Olham,

 

do you think it will be possible to track down who's plane that was on the train?

 

I see that the Fokker Dr1 has the number 212 next to it.

 

Was that number signed to a pilot?

 

M

[Olham]

Well, I don't know anything about the numbering processes really,

but according to Achim Engles from Fokker-Team Schorndorf, the aircraft had:

 

Abnahme-Nummern (final inspection / acceptance numbers)

and

Werknummern (factory numbers)

 

For the Abnahme-Nummern 201/17 - 220/17 he lists the Werknummern 1920 - 1939.

 

That should mean, that our Fokker with the Abnahme-Nummer 212 was the Werknummer 1931.

 

Perhaps Shredward could tell us more about Nr. 212 ?

[Dej]

According to Fokker DR1.com it could be the one below, Karl Jallwitz of Jasta 12... but it's by no means certain.

[Olham]

Well, a believeable guess is better than nothing - thank you, Dej!

 

 

PS: Checked the spreadsheets there, and it says the same.

Good address; thanks, Dej!

Edited March 11, 2010 by Olham

[Morris]

great work Dej.

 

 

m

 

"It climbed like a monkey and maneuvered like the devil" - Manfred Von Richthofen

 

and a great website

Edited March 11, 2010 by Morris