# Jagdstaffel 21

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Jasta 21 Active 1916–1918 Country German Empire Branch Luftstreitkräfte Type Fighter squadron Engagements World War I

Military unit

**Royal Saxon Jagdstaffel 21** was a "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the *[Luftstreitkräfte](/source/Luftstreitkr%C3%A4fte)*, the air arm of the [Imperial German Army](/source/Imperial_German_Army) during [World War I](/source/World_War_I). As one of the original German fighter squadrons, the unit would score 148 verified aerial victories,[1] including at least 30 destructions of enemy observation balloons.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

In turn, their casualties for the war would amount to eight pilots [killed in action](/source/Killed_in_action), six [wounded in action](/source/Wounded_in_action), and one fallen [prisoner of war](/source/Prisoner_of_war).[1]

## History

Jagdstaffel 21 was founded on 25 October 1916, drawing from FA 40 and Kagohl 7 for its initial assignment of men. It was mobilized on 6 December 1916. It suffered its first casualty on 10 February 1917, and scored its first victory on 24 March 1917. It would serve through war's end.[1] Two of its members would soldier on after war's end, and eventually wear general's stars in the *[Luftwaffe](/source/Luftwaffe)*.[7][2]

## Commanding officers (*[Staffelführer](/source/Staffelf%C3%BChrer)*)

Eduard Ritter von Schleich

1. Richard Schlieben: 15 November 1916 – 26 May 1917

1. [Eduard Ritter von Schleich](/source/Eduard_Ritter_von_Schleich): 26 May 1917 – 23 October 1917

1. [Oskar Freiherr von Boenigk](/source/Oskar_Freiherr_von_Boenigk): 23 October 1917 – 27 August 1918

1. Josef Schulte: 27 August 1918 – 11 November 1918[9]

## Aerodromes

1. AFP 3: 25 October 1916 – 15 November 1916

1. [Neuflize](/source/Neuflize), France: 15 November 1916 – 1 July 1917

1. [Chassogne Ferme](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chassogne_Ferme&action=edit&redlink=1), Verdun, France: 1 July 1917 – 26 December 1917

1. [Saint-Loup](/source/Saint-Loup-en-Champagne), France: 26 December 1917 – 10 January 1918

1. [Saint-Mards](/source/Saint-Mards), France: 10 January 1918 – 18 May 1918

1. [Sissonne](/source/Sissonne), France: 18 May 1918 – 6 June 1918

1. [Boncourt](/source/Boncourt%2C_Aisne), France: 6 June 1918 – 23 September 1918[10]

1. Sissonne: 23 September 1918 – 11 October 1918

1. [Plomion](/source/Plomion), France: 11 October 1918 – 11 November 1918[9]

## Notable members

Jasta 21 was fortunate to spend most of its existence under a pair of leaders worthy of the *[Pour le Mérite](/source/Pour_le_M%C3%A9rite)* and [Iron Cross](/source/Iron_Cross): Eduard Ritter von Schleich[7] and Oskar Freiherr von Boenigk;[2] the former also rated the [Military Order of Max Joseph](/source/Military_Order_of_Max_Joseph).[7] Both would continue their military careers postwar, and ascend into the ranks of the generals.[2][7]

The unit also had a third *[Pour le Mérite](/source/Pour_le_M%C3%A9rite)* in its ranks in [Karl Thom](/source/Karl_Thom), who also had won the [MMC](/source/Military_Merit_Cross_(Prussia)), [Royal House Order of Hohenzollern](/source/Royal_House_Order_of_Hohenzollern), and [Iron Cross](/source/Iron_Cross).[11] [Emil Thuy](/source/Emil_Thuy) made the fourth *Pour le Mérite* winner in the squadron; he also had the Hohenzollern and Iron Cross.[8]

There was a little coterie of balloon aces in Jasta 21. Foremost was [Fritz Höhn](/source/Fritz_H%C3%B6hn), Hohenzollern and Iron Cross, although Max Kuhn[3] and Heinrich Haase[5] were also [balloon buster](/source/Balloon_buster) aces.

Also notable in the squadron were [Rudolf Matthaei](/source/Rudolf_Matthaei), the Iron Cross winner who would move on to successfully command [Jasta 46](/source/Jasta_46),[6] and [Werner Wagener](/source/Werner_Wagener), who won not only the Iron Cross, but also the Silver [Wound Badge](/source/Wound_Badge) and the [Austro-Hungarian](/source/Austro-Hungarian) [MMC](/source/Military_Merit_Cross_(Austria-Hungary)).[12][1]

## Aircraft

Schleich in his Albatros while commanding Jasta 21

The squadron used both [Albatros](/source/Albatros_Flugzeugwerke) and [Pfalz](/source/Pfalz_Flugzeugwerke) fighters. Their squadron's basic paint scheme featured a black and white band circling the fuselage just aft of the cockpit, along with striped elevators.[1]

It would begin to switch to [Fokker D.VIIs](/source/Fokker_D.VII) in the early summer of 1918.[1]

## Operations

When the squadron went operational on 6 December 1916, it was working on the *[3rd Armee](/source/3rd_Army_(German_Empire))* front. By July 1918, it had joined *[Jagdgruppe 5](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jagdgruppe_5&action=edit&redlink=1)*, and finished the war there.[1]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFranksBaileyGuest199338_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFranksBaileyGuest199338_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFranksBaileyGuest199338_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFranksBaileyGuest199338_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFranksBaileyGuest199338_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFranksBaileyGuest199338_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFranksBaileyGuest199338_1-6) [Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993)](#CITEREFFranksBaileyGuest1993), p. 38.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-boenigk_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-boenigk_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-boenigk_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-boenigk_2-3) ["Oskar von Boenigk"](http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/boenigk.php). *The Aerodrome*. 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2015.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-kuhn_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-kuhn_3-1) ["Max Kuhn"](http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/kuhn.php). *The Aerodrome*. 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-hohn_4-0)** ["Fritz Höhn"](http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/hohn.php). *The Aerodrome*. 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2015.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-haase_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-haase_5-1) ["Heinrich Haase"](http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/haase.php). *The Aerodrome*. 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2015.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-matthaei_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-matthaei_6-1) ["Rudolf Matthaei"](http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/matthaei.php). *The Aerodrome*. 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2015.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-schleich_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-schleich_7-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-schleich_7-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-schleich_7-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-schleich_7-4) ["Eduard Ritter von Schleich"](http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/schleich.php). *The Aerodrome*. 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2015.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-thuy_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-thuy_8-1) ["Emil Thuy"](http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/thuy.php). *The Aerodrome*. 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2015.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-theaerodrome_9-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-theaerodrome_9-1) ["Jasta 21"](http://www.theaerodrome.com/services/germany/jasta/jasta21.php). *The Aerodrome*. 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Boncourt Nord – Saint-Acquaire – ANCIENS AÉRODROMES"](http://www.anciens-aerodromes.com/?p=2629).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-thom_11-0)** ["Karl Thom"](http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/thom.php). *The Aerodrome*. 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-wagener_12-0)** ["Werner Wagener"](http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/wagener.php). *The Aerodrome*. 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2015.

**Bibliography**

- [Franks, Norman](/source/Norman_Franks); Bailey, Frank W. & Guest, Russell F. (1993). *Above The Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service, and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918*. London, UK: Grub Street. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-948817-73-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-948817-73-1).

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Jagdstaffel 21](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Jagdstaffel_21).

v t e Jastas of the Imperial German Army Air Service Prussian 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 25 26 27 29 30 31 33 36 37 38 39 41 42 43 45 46 48 49 50 51 52 53 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 73 74 75 81 82 83 85 86 87 88 89 90 Bavarian 16 23 32 34 35 76 77 78 79 80 Saxon 21 22 24 40 44 54 72 Württembergian 28 47 64 84

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Jagdstaffel 21](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagdstaffel_21) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagdstaffel_21?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.