OVERVIEW:
AN AVIATOR'S FIELD BOOK by Captain Oswald
Bölcke is a historical account written during the First World War. The book
consists of field reports from the brave German aviator Oswald Bölcke,
detailing his aerial experiences and military operations from August 1914 to
October 1916. The narrative captures the excitement and dangers of aviation
during wartime, providing insight into the life of military pilots and the
evolution of air combat. The opening of the work introduces the life and
beginnings of Captain Bölcke as a fighter pilot, highlighting his early
military aspirations, training, and the onset of the war. He recounts various
experiences, from mobilization to flying missions alongside his brother
Wilhelm, to emphasizing the educational aspects of aviation and his innate
desire for action. The entries showcase the camaraderie among pilots and the
challenges they faced, including navigating enemy fire, aerial dogfights, and
the psychological toll of their experiences, all while describing their thrilling
encounters in the skies.
The following excerpt from AN AVIATORS FIELD BOOK is titled 1. FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR TO THE FIRST VICTORY: P., January 27, 1915 –
D., May 25, 1915
1. FROM THE
BEGINNING OF THE WAR TO THE FIRST VICTORY
P., January 27, 1915
This morning our
Captain gave K. and me the Iron Cross of the First Class.
P., April 25, 1915
Tomorrow I leave
here; I have been transferred to the ---Flying Squadron, which is just being
established. Tomorrow I go to Berlin to
report at the inspection of aviators.
P., May 16, 1915
Safely back in
P. The trip was made in comparatively quick time.
P., May 17, 1915
We
had to leave here this afternoon, after we had hardly arrived. I am very glad.
New scenery and something doing.
D., May 22, 1915
I
had hoped to have plenty to do here, but the weather cancelled our plans. We
had plenty of time to establish ourselves, assemble our machines and tune them
up with a few flights. The city is entirely unharmed and the greater part of
the inhabitants are still here. The city gives an impression similar to
Zerbst---a modern section with cottages and an old section with older houses:
the city hall, remains of the old city wall, and so forth. The inhabitants
are prosperous. All the stores, hotels, coffee-houses and cafés are open.
Every day two of my friends (Immelmann and Lieutenant P.) and I go to one of
these coffee houses.
D., May 25, 1915
By chance, I witnessed a great military spectacle. As I
did not have to fly in the afternoon, I went to the artillery observer’s post
with our Captain. About four o’clock we reached V.; from here we had another
half hour’s walk ahead of us. From a distance we could see there was heavy
firing going on. The Major, in the company’s bomb-proof, told us that the
artillery would hardly have time now to avail themselves of airplanes to find
the range for them. The French were just at the time trying to get revenge
for an attack we made the day before, and the artillery was very busy. From
there we went to the observer’s post and were very lucky. Our batteries were
just firing at the enemy’s, our airplanes finding the range for them. Suddenly
the non-commissioned officer at the double periscope yelled over to us that the
French were bringing up reinforcements through the communicating trenches. The
Lieutenant of Artillery ran over to the field artillery and showed them the
beautiful target. Soon after that a few of our shrapnel burst over these
positions. Bang! And the enemy was gone. Suddenly a ball of red fire appeared
in the first French trench. This meant---shells fall ahead of trenches;
place shots further back. Just then, over a front of one and a half kilometers,
a whole brigade of Frenchmen rose from the trenches, shoulder to shoulder, a
thing I had never seen before. We have to admire them for their courage. In
front, the officers about four or five steps in the lead; behind them, in a
dense line, the men, partly negroes, whom we could recognize by their baggy
trousers. The whole line moved on a run. For the first four hundred meters (in
all they had seven hundred meters to cover) we let them come without firing.
Then we let them have our first shrapnel. As the artillery knew the exact
range, the first shots were effective. Then came the heavier shells. We
now opened a murderous fire; it was so loud that we could not hear each other
at two paces. Again and again our shells struck the dense masses and tore huge
gaps in them, but, in spite of this, the attack continued. The gaps were always
quickly closed. Now our infantry took a hand. Our men stood up in the trenches,
exposed from the hips up, and fired like madmen. After three or four minutes
the attack slackened in spots; that is, parts of the line advanced, others
could not. After a quarter of an hour the French on our left wing, which I
could see, reached our trenches, shot and stabbed from above, and finally
jumped in. Now we could plainly see the hand-to-hand combat: heads bobbing
back and forth, guns clubbed (they seemed to be only trying to hit, not kill),
glistening bayonets, and a general commotion. On the right wing, things
progressed slower, almost at a standstill. In the middle a group jumped forward
now and then, and into them the artillery fired with telling effect. We could
see men running wildly about, they could not escape our artillery fire. The
whole slope was strewn with bodies. After about a quarter of an hour the
Frenchmen started to retreat. First one, then two, then three, came out of our
trenches, looked all around, and started for their own trenches. In the
meantime more troops came up from the rear. But after the first few
started to run more came out of the trenches, until finally all were out and
retreating. Our men also got out to be able to fire at the retreating enemy to
better advantage. Again and again the French officers tried to close up their
ranks, rally their men, and lead them anew to the attack.
But in vain, for more and more sought safety in flight.
Many dropped---I think more than in the advance. In the center, the French had
advanced to within fifty meters of us, and could get no closer. As the retreat
started on the left, some in the center also lost heart, and fled like frightened
chickens. But almost all were killed. I saw six running away when a shell
exploded near them. The smoke disappeared; there were only four left. A
second shell, and only one was left. He was probably hit by the infantry. The
following proves how completely we repelled their attack: Four Frenchmen rose,
waved their arms and ran toward our trench. Two of them carried a severely
wounded comrade. Suddenly they dropped their burden and ran faster toward us.
Probably their comrades had fired on them. Hardly were these four in our
trenches when fifty more of them got up, waved their caps and ran toward us.
But the Frenchmen didn’t like this, and in a second four well-placed shells
burst between them and us; probably they were afraid that there would be a general
surrender on the part of their men. The retreat was now general. At 6:15
the main battle was over. Afterward we could see here and there a few Frenchmen
running or crawling to their trench.
I was very glad I had the opportunity to see this. From above,
we aviators don’t see such things.
You can find the complete eBook AN
AVIATOR’S FIELD BOOK by Captain Oswald Bölcke at: https://tinyurl.com/mumbsxr5
Next time: NORMAN PRINCE
by George Franklin Babbitt .
. . . .
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