The Royal Bavarian Flying Corps (German: Königlich Bayerische Fliegertruppe) was the Army Air Force of the

Bavarian Army The Bavarian Army () was the army of the Electorate of Bavaria, Electorate (1682–1806) and then Kingdom of Bavaria, Kingdom (1806–1918) of Bavaria. It existed from 1682 as the standing army of Bavaria until the merger of the military sovereig ...

from 1912 to 1920 and, together with the Royal Bavarian Airship Department, formed the air force of the Kingdom of Bavaria. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the troops were used as part of the German Air Force (Luftstreitkräfte) and then disbanded in accordance with the provisions of the Versailles Peace Treaty. The nucleus of the air force was stationed at the Oberschleißheim military air station (today Schleißheim airfield) which was created in 1912, under the direction of Luitpold Graf Wolffskeel von Reichenberg (1879-1964). The first standard machines of the newly formed Bavarian air force were the two-seat Otto double-deckers supplied by

Gustav Otto Gustav Otto (12 January 1883 – 28 February 1926) was a German aircraft and aircraft engine designer and manufacturer. Otto was born in Cologne to Nicolaus August Otto, the founder of '' N. A. Otto & Cie.'' and inventor of the four-stroke intern ...

. The Bavarian Flying Corps also had a training station at Gersthofen, near Augsburg. In addition, an aviation detachment was stationed in Ottoman controlled

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

in 1917. By the end of the First World War, the Bavarian Air Force suffered 933 dead and missing from crashes.Harald Potempa: Die Königlich-Bayerische Fliegertruppe, 1914–1918. P. Lang, Frankfurt am Main 1997, ISBN 3-631-30508-7. On May 8, 1920, the Bavarian

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

was officially dissolved as a result of the

Versailles Treaty The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. As the most important treaty of World War I, it ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allied Powers. It was signed in the Palace of Versailles, exactl ...

. A monument to the pilots of the Royal Bavarian Air Force who died in World War I can be seen in front of the 'Old Palace' in Oberschleissheim. There is also a memorial for fallen German pilots in the First World War in

Jenin Jenin ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and is the capital of the Jenin Governorate. It is a hub for the surrounding towns. Jenin came under Israeli occupied territories, Israeli occupation in 1967, and was put under the administra ...

, (Palestinian Autonomous Region).

References

{{Reflist 1920 disestablishments 1912 establishments Military units and formations of Bavaria Imperial German Army Air Service