Rittmeister Rittmaster () is usually a commissioned officer military rank used in a few armies, usually equivalent to Captain. Historically it has been used in Germany, Austria-Hungary, Scandinavia, and some other countries. A is typically in charge of a s ...

Carl Bolle (also as Karl Bolle) (20 June 1893 – 9 October 1955) was a German fighter ace with 36 aerial victories during World War I and a recipient of the Order

Pour le Mérite The (; , ), also informally known as the ''Blue Max'' () after German WWI flying ace Max Immelmann, is an order of merit established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. Separated into two classes, each with their own designs, the was ...

, Prussia's highest award for bravery. He became a ''

Jagdstaffel A ''Jagdstaffel'' (plural ''Jagdstaffeln'', abbreviated to Jasta) was a fighter ''Staffel'' (squadron) of the German Imperial ''Luftstreitkräfte'' during World War I. Background Before April 1916, ''Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaise ...

'' commander during that war, and an advisor to the

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Life before flying

Karl Bolle was born in Berlin on 20 June 1893,Franks et al 1993, p. 80. to a family owning a well-known dairy. He studied economics at

The University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

in 1912, and was also well known for his athletic prowess, playing ice hockey while there.Franks et al 2001, pp. 60–62. He returned home to Germany to enlist as a

leutnant () is the lowest junior officer rank in the armed forces of Germany ( Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High German «locum ...

(lieutenant) in the 7th (Magdeburg) Cuirassiers "von Seydlitz"

Regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

in 1913 as a one-year volunteer. At the start of World War I his regiment served on the Western Front, fighting in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne or known in France as the Miracle on the Marne () was a battle of the First World War fought from the 5th to the 12th September 1914. The German army invaded France with a plan for winning the war in 40 days by oc ...

. It was then transferred to the Eastern Front; Bolle seeing action in Poland and in

Courland Courland is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. Courland's largest city is Liepāja, which is the third largest city in Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland as they were ...

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

.Franks, VanWyngarden 2003, pp. 74–75. By the end of 1915, Bolle had won an award for bravery, the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

, Second Class and transferred to the ''Luftstreitkräfte''.

Aerial service in World War I

He undertook his initial training at Johannistal, then was forwarded to ''Fliegerersatz-Abteilung 5'' in

Hannover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Later he trained to become a fighter pilot at Valenciennes,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, at ''Jastaschule I''. The standard German practice was to be trained initially and serve initially in a two-seater unit, in this case ''Kampfgeschwader der

Oberste Heeresleitung The ''Oberste Heeresleitung'' (, "Supreme Army Command", OHL) was the highest echelon of command of the army (''Heer'') of the German Empire. In the latter part of World War I, the Third OHL assumed dictatorial powers and became the ''de facto'' ...

IV'', and then later transfer for training as a fighter pilot at a ''Jastaschule'' where they would be closely tutored by experts with frontline experience. They also had access to captured British and French fighters to familiarize themselves with their opponent's aircraft. At any rate, upon completion, he was assigned to the bombing group ''Kampfgeschwader der Oberste Heeresleitung IV'' in July 1916. Bolle was wounded in October, 1916 in combat with five French fighters. He crash landed within friendly lines and despite his own injury dragged his injured observer safely out of the shell-fire directed at their downed aircraft. Upon his recovery, he had been assigned to ''Kampfstaffel 23'' of ''Kampfgeschwader der Oberste Heeresleitung IV'';

Lothar von Richthofen Lothar Siegfried Freiherr von Richthofen (27 September 1894 – 4 July 1922) was a German First World War fighter ace credited with 40 victories. He was a younger brother of top-scoring ace Manfred von Richthofen (the ''Red Baron'') and a di ...

was assigned as his observer/gunner. It was about this time that Bolle was awarded the

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg ( ) was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Electorate of Württemberg, which existed from 1803 to 1806. Geogr ...

's 2nd Class Knight's Cross of the

Friedrich Order The Friedrich Order ( or ''Friedrichsorden'') was an order of merit of the German Kingdom of Württemberg. It was instituted on 1 January 1830 by the second king of Württemberg, Wilhelm I in remembrance of his father, King Friedrich I. In 1918, ...

. He was the only fighter ace to win this award. Bolle went to Jastaschule (fighter pilot's training) in early 1917. He joined ''

Jagdstaffel 28 Royal Württemberg Jagdstaffel 28, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 28, was a "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. As one of the original German fighter squa ...

'' in April 1917, while still recuperating from a leg wound. While assigned as a non-flying adjutant, he began tutelage on the fighter pilot's craft with two aces, Karl Emil Schaefer and Otto Hartmann, as well as Bolle's friend,

Max Ritter von Müller Max Ritter von Müller (birth name Max Müller) (1 January 1887 – 9 January 1918) PlM, IC, MOMJ was a German World War I fighter ace credited with 36 victories. He was the highest scoring Bavarian pilot of the war. A prewar pilot, Müller b ...

. In July he commenced operational flying with ''Jagdstaffel 28''. His first victory was over an

Airco DH.4 The Airco DH.4 is a British two-seat biplane day bomber of the First World War. It was designed by Geoffrey de Havilland (hence "DH") for Airco, and was the first British two-seat light day-bomber capable of defending itself. It was desig ...

of No. 57 Squadron RFC 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.

Bolle in command

He was then promoted to

Oberleutnant (English: First Lieutenant) is a senior lieutenant Officer (armed forces), officer rank in the German (language), German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. In Austria, ''Oberle ...

and transferred to command ''

Jagdstaffel 2 Jasta 2 (Jagdstaffel Zwei in full and also known as ''Jasta Boelcke'') was one of the best-known German Luftstreitkräfte squadrons in World War I. Its first commanding officer was the great aerial tactician Oswald Boelcke, and it was the incubato ...

'' on 20 February 1918 at Marcke, France. This was the squadron that

Oswald Boelcke Oswald Boelcke PlM (; 19 May 1891 – 28 October 1916) was a World War I German professional soldier and pioneering flying ace credited with 40 aerial victories. Boelcke is honored as the father of the German fighter air force, and of air ...

had commanded as he invented the first fighter tactics, strategy, and organization. It was being re-equipped with Fokker Dr.I triplanes as it was being incorporated into

Jagdgeschwader 3 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 3 (JG 3) "Udet" was a ''Luftwaffe'' fighter aircraft, fighter Wing (air force unit), wing of World War II. The ''Geschwader'' operated on all the German fronts in the European Theatre of World War II. It was named after Ernst ...

. It was a dispirited squadron, having lost three consecutive

holding commanding officers killed in action.Franks et al 2001, pp. 55–56. Bolle was destined to be the final commander of ''Jagdstaffel 2''. Despite seemingly modest credentials, Bolle set his mark upon the squadron. The Fokker Dr.I triplane supplied was a plane of limited speed but great maneuverability and climb rate. Its slower speed made it more difficult to close to short distance for gunnery against faster fighters. Bolle's solution was the use of an Oigee telescopic sight for his guns. He also painted distinctive white stripes on his upper wings, to denote his leadership role, along with a yellow fuselage band edged by black and white to honor his old cavalry regiment. Bolle's command of English turned out to be handy upon occasion, when he questioned downed British Empire fliers. He opened his tally with ''Jagdstaffel 2'' on 25 April 1918, as part of a huge air offensive launched to support ground assault on Kemmel Ridge. He then began a steady collection of single and double victories, with five in May, seven in June, nine in July and three in August. In August, 1918, when he had scored 28 victories, he received the Military Merit Cross, and the

Royal House Order of Hohenzollern The House Order of Hohenzollern ( or ') was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various versions of the order were crosses an ...

; the

(commonly known as the Blue Max) was bestowed on the 28th. Bolle did not score again until 1 November. On 4 November, he downed four Allied fighters: two

RAF SE.5a The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 is a British biplane fighter aircraft of the World War I, First World War. It was developed at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Royal Aircraft Factory by a team consisting of Henry Folland, John Kenworthy and ...

s of 56 Squadron RAF and two

Sopwith Snipe The Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe is a British single-seat biplane fighter of the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed and built by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War, and came into squadron service a few weeks before the end of the ...

s of 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps. The Snipes (claimed with Leut.

Ernst Bormann Ernst Bormann (5 November 1897 – 1 August 1960) was a German World War I ''Luftstreitkräfte '' flying ace and a ''Generalmajor '' of the ''Luftwaffe '' during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with ...

) were flown by aces Captain Thomas Baker (12 victories) and Lt. A. J. Palliser (7).Franks et al 1993, p. 83. These were Bolle's final victories. A week later, he and his pilots defiantly marked their

Fokker D.VII The Fokker D.VII is a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the '' Fokker-Flugzeugwerke''. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII ...

s with their names and victory scores before surrendering them into British hands at

Nivelles Nivelles (; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. The Nivelles municipality includes the former municipalities of Baulers, Bornival, Thines, and Monstreux. The Nivelles arrondissement ...

, Belgium. Bolle's final score of 36 victories included a preponderance of wins over enemy fighters; he downed 25. The other 11 victories were two-seater reconnaissance, ground attack, and bomber aircraft. More importantly, he led ''Jagdstaffel 2'' through the intense battles of 1918 to the second highest victory total in the German Air Force, with a total of 336 victories to the Jasta.

Post World War I

After war's end, he became a flying instructor. He also became the Director of the

Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule The Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule (DVS), German Air Transport School, was a covert military-training organization operating as a flying school in Germany. It began during the Weimar Republic in Staaken, Berlin in 1925 and its head office was tr ...

(German Air Transport School) in the 1920s. Subsequently, he helped in the covert training of pilots for the

. During World War II, he served as an advisor with the

, reporting to

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...

. Karl Bolle died in his native city of Berlin on 9 October 1955.

Honors and awards

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

: Order

(28 August 1918) * Kingdom of Prussia:

, Knight's Cross with Swords (August 1918) * Kingdom of Prussia:

, First Class * Kingdom of Prussia: Iron Cross, Second Class (1915) *

Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin The Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin () was a territory in Northern Germany held by the House of Mecklenburg residing at Schwerin. It was a sovereign member state of the German Confederation and became a federated state of the North German C ...

: Military Merit Cross, Second Class (August 1918) *

, Knight's Cross Second Class with Swords

Sources of information

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, 1914–1918''. Grub Street, 1993. , . * Franks, Norman, et al. ''Fokker Dr.I Aces of World War I''. 2001, Osprey Publishing. , . * Franks, Norman; VanWyngarden, Greg. ''Fokker D VII Aces of World War 1''. Osprey Publishing, 2003. , . * VanWyngarden, Greg, et al. ''Jagdstaffel 2 Boelcke''. 2007, Osprey Publishing. , .

External links

Directart.co.uk Accessed 14 September 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolle, Karl 1893 births 1955 deaths Alumni of the University of Oxford German World War I flying aces Luftstreitkräfte personnel Military personnel from Berlin Prussian Army personnel Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class