The expansion of the Royal Flying Corps on the Western Front, coupled with the offensive strategy of its commander Hugh Trenchard and that of the French, has left the German Air Service at a distinct disadvantage.
This has become increasingly obvious during the current Battles at Verdun and on the Somme. In an effort to combat this, the German Air Commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Thomsen, decided to reorganise the fighting units into special pursuit squadrons β Jagdstaffeln Jasta. The German Air Service already had some fighter only units in place with the Kampfeinsitzer Kommando KEK , single-seat battle units that had been formed in February The plan now is to greatly expand the number of fighter squadrons.
In addition to this, these units will be equipped with the latest fighters and manned by carefully selected officers who have already proved their fighting worth on active service. The officers are also to undergo a special course at the single-seater fighting schools in Grossenhain Saxony and Paderborn Westphalia and then passed on to an advanced fighting school at Valenciennes.
They will complete training at their units. Jasta 7 was formed on 23 August under Fritz von Bronsart-Schellendorf, but has not yet been mobilised. Since being grounded on June, Oswald Boelcke has not just been twiddling his thumbs.
He has been discussing his experiences with German commanders and has come up with a list of rules for success:. Following the death of Max Immelmann on 18 June, the German High Command is so concerned that it might lose another high-profile pilot, especially one who is the leading ace of the war with 18 victories, that it has ordered him to be grounded for a month. Boelcke signed off with a flourish by shooting down a French Nieuport over Douamont.
