| Jasta 22 | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1916–1919 |
| Country | German Empire |
| Branch | Luftstreitkräfte |
| Type | Fighter squadron |
| Engagements | World War I |
Royal Saxon Jagdstaffel 22 was a World War I "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the Luftstreitkräfte, which was the forerunner to the Luftwaffe. As one of the original German fighter squadrons, the unit would score 57 verified aerial victories. Their eleven wins over enemy observation balloons made them a balloon buster squadron.[1]
In turn, their casualties for the war would amount to five pilots killed in action, four killed in midair crashes, one killed in another flying accident, two wounded in action, and two taken prisoner of war.[2]
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Royal Saxon Jagdstaffel 22 was authorized on 25 October 1916; it formed on 16 November 1916. Its genesis was in the 7th Armee area, and its original personnel came from two field flier detachments, FF(A) 11 and FF(A) 29, and an artillery cooperation unit, FA(A) 222. It mobilized on 1 December 1916. First victory for the new unit is debatable; Leutnant Gustav Rose posted a claim for 27 December 1916, but Josef Jacobs was credited with downing a Caudron on 23 January 1917. Jasta 22 would serve through war's end and beyond; the squadron would not disband until 1919, in Marburg. [3]
16 November 1916 - 26 November 1916
26 November 1916 - 15 May 1917
15 May 1917 - June 1917
June 1917 - September 1917
September 1917 - November 1917
November 1917 - 19 March 1918
19 March 1918 - 23 March 1918
23 March 1918 - 29 March 1918
29 March 1918 - 8 April 1918
8 April 1918 - 12 May 1918
12 May 1918 - 8 July 1918
11 July 1918 - 8 August 1918
8 August 1918 - 19 August 1918
20 August 1918 - 11 November 1918[5]
Original equipment at mobilization was nine Halberstadt D.II and two Albatros D.II fighters. The jasta operated Albatros fighters until it gained Fokker D.VIIs in 1918.[11] It had at least one Siemens-Schuckert D.IV during the closing days of the war, as Staffelführer Lenz used one to become an ace on 29 September 1918, and was delighted with the craft.[12]
Jasta 22 was originally formed in the 7th Armee area. It is known to have supported that army until well into 1917. Jasta 22 fought until war's end, and disbanded in 1919.[13]
Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914-1918. Norman L. R. Franks, Frank W. Bailey, Russell Guest. Grub Street, 1993. ISBN 0948817739, 9780948817731.
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