walfisch

Hi Gunnar, Many thanks again! I sincerely appreciate your research and these links! Best! Walfisch

Hi GreyC, Many thanks for this link! Also see: http://www.buddecke.de/faa240.htm Best! Walfisch

Gunnar! Once again you have provided a wealth of details!! Many thanks for your valued information. I will check out ancestry.de for his personal history. Kindly tell me what sources you used for his military history. A distant relative only recalled Stajenda stating that he was shot down four times but never was injured/wounded. So much for family lore! Thank you very much! Walfisch

Greetings. I am looking for any details on this pilot beyond the few stated here. Uffz. Josef Stajenda, born 11/19/1897 in Zabrze, (East) Germany. Entered military service at age 16. Served with I.R. 28, possibly into 1917. Sometime in 1917, he transfers to aviation and attends a flight school. Sometime in 1917, he is assigned to Flieger Abteilung (A) 240 on the Western front where he serves as a two-seater pilot. He survives the war and moves to the USA (via Argentina) in February of 1928. He dies 11/5/67 in New York. He earned the Iron Cross 2nd Class and 1st Class along with a pilot badge. Can anyone provide more service details of his WW1 career? Flight school(s), transfer dates, Armeeflugpark(s), etc. etc.? Many thanks! R

Gunnar! Many thanks for your two posts on Boehmer! I do hope to do an article of FAA 240 at some point and appreciate your research! R

Thanks to Dave Danner and Gunnar Soderbaum's corrections on another thread re: Hptm. Böhmer of FA(A) 213, I would like to know more about this Boehmer who I believe served as CO of FA(A) 240 in 1918. Please help if you can. All much appreciated. Walfisch (From Dave Danner) Plato Boehmer served in IR 93 from 1901-11. He was in IR 21 when the war started and later went to the Fliegertruppe. Despite the IR 93 connection (he also retired with the uniform of that regiment), he did not receive the Friedrichkreuz during the war. Plato Boehmer's HOH3X was gazetted in the Militär-Wochenblatt on 12.6.1917. The delay from award to publication in the MWB could be from a matter of weeks to 1 to 2 months. These tidbits come from Rick Duivan and Dr. Dieter Groschel and are thought by G. Soderbaum to apply to Boehmer...... 08/09/17 - to FAA 221 - to 21 Aug 17 08/22/17 - AFP 4 or 2 ? This link provides a pretty comprehensive photo/roster of FAA 240 personnel including Boehmer: http://www.buddecke.de/faa240roster.htm

Hi Dave, THANK YOU for following up on Gunnar's correction regarding the confusion of the two similar sounding names: Böhmer vs Boehmer. I am glad you told me the full name of Boehmer! I must now start a new thread thanks to your contribution.....

Gunnar! No wonder the confusion! THANK YOU for sorting out the TWO! I am glad you add the speculation about the possible Marine Air Force connection. It all helps! I note the Neal O'Connor could not ID the award date of Bohmer's Hohenzollern either. At least you can state 1917. Best! Rob

Gunnar! Thank you! Great new bits about Hptm. Böhmer....birth date, Juterbog and awards. Glad to add this. Speculation about FAA 284 is interesting. Sure wish we knew for sure what he did after leaving 213. Here's some current speculation..... 08/09/17 - FA A221 - to 21 Aug 17. OR to FA(A) 221 on 8/9/17 08/22/17 - AFP 4 or (AFP 2??) GreyC - Thanks for specifics on Hptm v.B and his exact 1926 posting! Rob

Hi Gunnar, Thanks again for the Kasta 13 ID for Hptm v. B! Very helpful!!! Would you mind reviewing my outline for the first CO of 213, Hptm. Ernst Böhmer. My older records show he was with 213 from 1/16/16 thru 8/9/17. Thanks to your confirmation, I now know that v.B became CO 1/16/17. Rob

GreyC - THANK you again for confirming Irminbert as a Hptm a.D. in 1926. Davd D - This is terrific! So glad you could clearly identify the cousins which only appear confusing without your careful separation of who is who! Gunnar - Fabulous additional data too!! I am very glad you could clear up just who and why all the additional stvs that appeared to overlap with von B's service time at 213! Now it makes sense! Gunnar - Do you know which Kasta von B commanded and when? Kasta 17 WAS stationed with 213 at Anneux from early Oct 1916 through @12-31-16. I wonder if von B. was its CO??? Thank you all for this terrific information! Rob

GreyC and Andy!!! Gents, I can't thank you enough for taking the time to dig through your resources to provide a lot of very interesting data on von Biedermann. I do believe my original first name of Ferdinand is now not correct. I believe you have zeroed in correctly on the right von B. I am happy to add this to my bio of von B for an upcoming article in Over The Front here in the US. My only concern lies with some conflicts with his late 1917 and 1918 postings. I have von B on leave from 213 (8/9 to 8/29/17). Then it gets murky. Here's what I have including your additions from 8/9/17 forward...... 08-09-17 – vB on leave thru 8/29/17 (DG) 08-30-17 – vB.at 213 (DG) 11-08-17 – vB departs for AFP 4 thru 1/17/18 (DG) 12-30-18 – vB leaves FAA 213 (Andy GMIC) ???? 12-31-18 – vB joins Inspektion d. Fliegertruppen (Andy-GMIC) ??? 07-15-19 – vB joins Schutzen R. 108 through 3-31-20 (Andy-GMIC) 1926 – Ehrenrangliste SSR 108 vB still in service (GreyC-GMIC) And, Here's the cast of characters that appear as COs from 8/29/17 forward..... Biedermann 01-17-17 thru 08-09-17 (Leave 8-9 to 29-17) Biedermann 08-30-17 thru 11-08-17 to AFP 4 Post 08-29-17 thru 09-17-17 Pretzel 09-17-17 thru 09-23-17 Plaeschke 01-17-18 thru 02-10-18 Usbeck __-__-18 thru 08-29-18 Vissing 08-29-18 thru 11-21-18 No need to make this your project. I just wanted to show you where I was thanks in large part to your terrific data and research. THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN! Rob

Gents, I'm looking for ANY possible detail as to the: birth, death and service history of Hauptmann Frhr. Ferdinand Irminbert von Biedermann, one-time C.O. of Flieger Abteilung (A) 213. Various sources state that he arrives from KG3 (Kagohl) where he served as an aerial observer to FAA 213 on 1/16 or 17/17. I know he was at FAA 213 on: 4/19 (wrote medal recommendation for pilot Braun), 8/4 (wrote obituary at death of observer Lt. Weil) 8/9, then on leave 8/29/17. Back: 11/6-8/17, to AFP 4 on 1/17/18. Can anyone corroborate, correct or add to these facts? I would be most grateful.

Hi Dave! I cannot thank you enough for this trove of very interesting data on Weill. None of these facts appear at all in the sizable Weill photo/document archive now at the University of Texas, Dallas (Tx.). I am pleased to be able to add this to my research and will also pass along to the UTD library. Thank you again for your valuable contribution! Rob

Forumites, I am hoping some of you can shed more light on the career of this officer. I would like to add more detail than what follows. Existing data comes from a number of sources including but not limited to: Weill - Ferko Collection, Univ. of Texas/Dallas. Please help if you can..... Ltn. Weill, Walther Birth date:______, beleived born or lived in Karlsruhe, Baden. Recipient of KC 2nd Class w/Swords of the Baden Order of the Zahringen Lion 7/28/15 while an artillery officer with 3. Ober-Elsässisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 80. (Formed Colmar) FAR 80. Battles: Vosges, Champagne, Yser/Ypres (10/30/14 to 9/30/15), Verdun, Somme, etc. joined Artillerie Flieger Abt. 213 on or about 3-8-16. 115 Patrols as aerial observer 3-12-16 to 2-17-17 Staff officer with 1st and 7th Armee*. Artillery and Wireless Radio Instructor at Flieger Beobachter Schule – Koln Beobachter abzeichen 5/3/16 after 25th mission. Service History? Postwar History? Date of Death/Location? Thank you!!

Gunnar & GreyC - THANK YOU both for taking the time clarify the nuances of those important words. Much appreciated! Rob

Andy! Thank you for the clarification on the order! An old email to the family was relayed to me this morning stating the award was made 8-28-16 while Lt.d.R. Kratina was serving I.R. 192 Gunnar! Thank you for this new information re: FK's posting to FAA 213! Glad to have it. I did not know that a posting date was not the actual date one would arrive at a flying unit? You speculate that FK probably arrived earlier in May. Is this a common practice? Rob

Andy! Fantastic work! These are great addition for my work and will be news for the family. FK's records/mementos were lost in the bombing of Dresden 2/45. PLEASE TELL ME what your award designation translates to: SA3bX ?? (Saxon Albert Cross 3rd Class??) Best! Rob

Gents, I am hoping some of you experts with access to a Saxon Rangliste and more can help flesh out details about the WW1 service of Lt. Friedrich Kratina. I am hoping to put together a short bio on his military service to include in an upcoming history of Flieger Abt. (A) 213 in Over The Front. Kratina was born in/near Dresden in 9/8/88. He came from a family of noted musicians and was himself an actor of some local note. At some point he joined the army and saw service. According to family lore, he was wounded in action, recuperated and transferred into the air service. He trained as an observer and was posted to FAA 213 (artillery observation/ranging duties) sometime in 1918. Kratina and his pilot Pfeiffer, were killed in action over Meteren/Kemmelberg on July 29, 1918. I speculate that FK may have been an artillery officer prior to becoming an observer as so many other observers in these FAA units were. Attached is a photo showing FK with 3 awards that I assume he earned prior to joining the air service: Albert Order (unknown class), Iron Cross 2nd Class, posibly Friedrich Medal Saxe-Anhalt? His name does not appear in O'Connor" Vol 3 of Aviation Awards of Imperial Germany listing Saxon aviators and their awards. SO, any help with his military service, regiments, dates, awards would be a tremendous help! Thank you! R

Thank you Prussian! Frontflieger is an excellent resource indeed! All the best! Rob

Herr Prussian! Vielen Dank! The two maps are perfect! I wanted to verify the location of this Armee in order aid in the history of Flieger Abt (A) 213 which was attached to the 6th at the end of the war. Many thanks for your prompt reply!! Rob

Could someone identify the specific section of the front under control of the 6. Armee from 9/1 thru 11/11/18?

Many thanks Dave! This is exactly what I was looking for! I appreciate your fast reply! W

I am trying to put together a short history on my grandfather's WW1 'career'. He served in this regiment from January 16 - August 30, 1915. This unit served on the Russian front as part of Armee Abteilung Woyrsch. His Militarpass notes specific battles of: (Kielce - Radom 5/12-17), (Osiny 6/15) and (Sienno 7/17). Is there a definitive source showing the movement of this unit? There are some general references of Woyrsch's movements on the web but nothing of great substance. Gramps was lucky. He was wounded in the left arm by machine gun fire, hospitalized for two months and then transferred into aviation. He served 3 years as a Funker (radioman) for a Flieger Abteilung on the Western Front. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! W.