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maintain some impact and local command of the air the Jastas began (unofficially) to fly in larger, composite groups. By mid 1917 the first official grouping of Jastas saw JG I formed. Its role was simple; to achieve localized air superiority wherever it was sent and to deny Allied air operations over a specific location. The unit was thus highly mobile, and JG I and its supporting logistical infrastructure traveled to wherever local air superiority was needed, often at short notice.
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445:, the most south westerly airfield they were to ultimately occupy. The newly formed RFC (Royal Flying Corps) however maintained a degree of air superiority, with heavily escorted artillery observation and reconnaissance two-seaters operating effectively over the rapidly moving ground battle below. Most of JG I's victims at this time were the low flying fighter bombers, particularly
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During early 1917, it became apparent to the German High
Command that they would always be outnumbered in air operations over the Western Front. The average Jasta could only muster some six or eight aircraft in total for a patrol, and would often face one Allied formation after another. In order to
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Richthofen returned to JG I on 23 October, and around this time a number of fatal crashes involving the Fokker Dr.I saw JG I Technical
Officer Lt. Konstantin Krefft ground the unit's triplanes until modifications were carried out in early December. The unit meantime soldiered on with the Albatros
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an elite unit, but robbing lesser Jastas of their best pilots also reduced the overall standard of the average unit. JG I itself suffered a dilution of talent when competent members were posted away to command their own Jastas in late 1917, when the number of Jastas were doubled from 40 to 80.
528:(Jasta 4) exhausted and sent on leave. JG I scored just 17 claims during September, despite the month seeing the highest losses for the Allied Air Forces of the war (The Jasta force claiming some 721 victories for the month). For the next three months the likes of Leutnant
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Poor weather in early 1918 saw little opportunity for JG I to score, although the unit were in the forefront of defensive fighter operations during the major German offensive launched on 21 March 1918. By April 1918 the formation was flying from
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battle in August 1918, by mid-September an exhausted JG I was withdrawn from the
British part of the front, having lost all four Jasta commanders by the end of August; Lowenhardt of Jasta 10 was killed, Jasta 6's Co Lt. Paul Wenzel and
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triplane (as the Fokker F.I), the first two examples of which were received on 21 August 1917. Jasta 10's Werner Voss would be the triplane's greatest exponent, scoring 10 victories with it in just 21 days before his death in combat.
374:, Commanding Officer of Jasta 4, took over temporary command and Jastas 4 and 11 shot down nine Allied aircraft the next day. Richthofen reassumed command on 25 July, but left on a period of convalescence leave on 6 September.
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Thereafter until the end of the war shortages of fuel and spares, increasing Allied numerical air superiority and continual retreats in the face of Allied ground advances meant JG I struggled to emulate earlier successes.
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to select his unit commanders and recruit individual pilots into JG I, and alternately to transfer out any pilots he did not feel were up to standard. Thus 9-victory ace
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by 23 November 1917, following the launch of the
British offensive, and did much to stabilise the air war over the battlefield when the bad weather permitted.
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commander of
Jagdgeschwader I (World War I) beside his Fokker DVII 5125/1918. He holds a walking stick "Geschwader Stock" that had been owned by The Red Baron
252:) or "Richthofen's Circus" because of the bright colours of its aircraft, and perhaps also because of the way the unit was transferred from one area of
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477:. Between 31 May and 8 June JG I claimed some 43 French aircraft and balloons, and another 24 between 24 June and 28 June. Jasta 6's Lt.
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From June 1917 until
November 1918, JG I claimed 644 Allied aircraft destroyed, while losing 52 pilots killed in action and 67 wounded.
488:, the first having been tested operationally in late May by Jasta 10. After Reinhard was killed in a flying accident on 3 July 1918,
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became JG I Commanding
Officer. On 10 May JG I claimed its 300th victory while on 20 May the unit received the honorary title of
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air activity to another – moving like a travelling circus in trains, and frequently setting up in tents on improvised airfields.
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217:(fighter squadrons). The first unit of its type formed under that classification, JG I was formed on 24 June 1917, with
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JG I was soon flying intensively over the
Flanders battlefield above the Allied offensive started in June 1917.
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was the star performer of JG I at this time, claiming 27 victories between 18 March and 14 June.
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Richthofen was severely wounded in the head on 6 July, leading elements of JG I in combat with
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meant several other similar formations were then formed in
February 1918, with
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JG I was the first unit to operationally provide a trial of the new
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Military aviation units and formations of
Germany in World War I
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became JG I's third and last commander of the war on 14 July.
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into Jasta 10. This policy had the effect of making the
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Having been subjected to intensive operations over the
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on the Ypres front. At this time Richthofen recruited
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operating against both the French and the British and
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60:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
786:Military units and formations established in 1917
700:but its sources remain unclear because it lacks
565:– 21 victories including 10 observation balloons
653:Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 71 "Richthofen"
751:Richthofen: Beyond the Legend of the Red Baron
512:, was killed in an air collision on this day.
484:By mid-June JG I was fully equipped with the
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540:(Jasta 10) did the majority of the scoring.
452:After von Richthofen's death in April 1918,
335:were soon posted to Jasta 6, and Lieutenant
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508:. JG I's then top scorer, 53-kill Leutnant
532:in Jasta 11, Jasta 6's Commanding Officer
731:Learn how and when to remove this message
500:The Geschwader moved again on 19 July to
120:Learn how and when to remove this message
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7:
763:Franks, Bailey & Guest. (1995).
756:Franks, Bailey & Guest. (1993).
221:as commanding officer, by combining
58:adding citations to reliable sources
69:"Jagdgeschwader I" World War I
27:Fighter wing of the German airforce
400:By the end of 1917 the success of
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781:Imperial German Army Air Service
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45:needs additional citations for
18:Jagdgeschwader 1 (World War I)
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765:Bloody April, Black September
312:(Jasta 11), Cuene (Jasta 4),
424:from two-seater units, and
320:(Jasta 10), Richthofen had
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557:Eduard Ritter von Dostler
329:Eduard Ritter von Dostler
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749:Kilduff, Peter. (1993).
686:This article includes a
331:and the rising Leutnant
240:. JG I became known as "
715:more precise citations.
372:Kurt-Bertram von Döring
611:Wolfram von Richthofen
605:Manfred von Richthofen
587:Friedrich T. Noltenius
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298:Manfred von Richthofen
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389:JG I was rushed from
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563:Friedrich Friedrichs
250:Der Fliegende Zirkus
54:improve this article
530:Friedrich Noltenius
475:American Air Forces
308:Initially based at
688:list of references
413:Jagdgeschwader III
361:Royal Flying Corps
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581:Erich Loewenhardt
510:Erich Loewenhardt
463:JG I 'Richthofen'
407:Jagdgeschwader II
242:The Flying Circus
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658:Luftstreitkräfte
593:Wilhelm Reinhard
479:Hans Kirschstein
459:Wilhelm Reinhard
422:Fritz Friedrichs
402:Jagdgeschwader I
208:Luftstreitkräfte
201:, was a fighter
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575:Arthur Laumann
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569:Hermann Göring
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538:Arthur Laumann
495:Hermann Göring
447:Sopwith Camels
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341:Jagdgeschwader
322:carte blanche
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110:October 2018
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52:Please help
47:verification
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713:introducing
623:Werner Voss
469:, and then
379:Fokker Dr.I
337:Werner Voss
270:Rittmeister
199:World War I
775:Categories
744:References
721:April 2017
635:Kurt Wolff
629:Hans Weiss
617:Ernst Udet
526:Ernst Udet
426:Ernst Udet
80:newspapers
669:Footnotes
663:Luftwaffe
455:Hauptmann
260:Formation
648:Jasta 11
642:See also
502:Soissons
357:F.E.2d's
326:Leutnant
314:Bissegem
709:improve
395:Cambrai
359:of the
151:Country
94:scholar
517:Amiens
386:D.V..
254:Allied
246:German
223:Jastas
214:Jastas
169:Branch
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694:, or
467:Guise
430:Jasta
428:from
391:Ypres
318:Heule
310:Marke
197:) of
101:JSTOR
87:books
436:1918
432:37.
420:and
236:and
203:wing
195:JG I
73:news
393:to
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