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| Jagdstaffel 5 | |
|---|---|
 Jagdstaffel 5 flight line (1 September 1917) | |
| Active | 1916–1918 |
| Country | German Empire |
| Branch | Luftstreitkräfte |
| Type | Fighter squadron |
| Nicknames | "Greentails"; "Green-Tailed Devils" |
| Colors | Green tails with red piping; red nose; various personal fuselage insignia |
| Engagements | World War I |
| Website | http://www.jasta5.org |
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Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 5, commonly abbreviated toJasta 5, was created on 21 January 1916,[1] and mobilized on 21 August 1916, as one of the first fighter units of theLuftstreitkräfte, the air arm of theImperial German Army duringWorld War I. Many of the first pilots of the Jasta came out of KEK Avillers, itself an early attempt to organize and utilize fighter planes as winged weapons.Jasta 5 began its service career at Bechamp near Verdun, in support of5 Armee. On 29 September 1916, it moved to the Somme to the1 Armee area of operations. On 11 March 1917, Jasta 5 moved into Boistrancourt; it spent the next year operating from there, in support of the2 Armee. In March 1918, the Jasta was joined byJasta 46 thus forming the beginning of Jagdgruppe 2; the new JG was commanded by Flashar, along with his command of the Jasta. In July, command passed to Otto Schmidt; in August, it was joined in the JG byJasta 34 andJasta 37. With approximately 253 victories at war's end,[2] Jasta 5 had the third-highest victory total of any squadron in theLuftstreitkräfte. Its casualties came to 19 pilots killed in action, 3 killed in flying accidents, 8 wounded in action, and 1 injured in an accident.[3]
There were several notable pilots andflying aces who served and scored with Jasta 5. Pilots earning Prussia's highest decoration for valor, thePour le Mèrite ("Blue Max") who served at one time or another in Jasta 5 included (alphabetically):[2]
Könnecke and Rumey were two of the three members of the "golden triumvirate", who were responsible for 40% of the total victories of the Jasta. The third member of the triumvirate not listed isJosef Mai, who although nominated and eligible for the award, was not officially awarded thePour le Mèrite prior to the end of hostilities.
One member of Jasta 5 was rocket expertRudolf Nebel.[citation needed]
The squadron was originally equipped withFokker Eindeckers. It progressed to use ofAlbatros D.IIs andHalberstadt D.IIs. In 1917, it was usingAlbatros D.IIIs andAlbatros D.Vs. In 1918, it used both theFokker D.VII and theFokker Triplane. At one time, theJasta was one of only three squadrons not belonging to aJagdgeschwader (fighter wing) that was totally equipped with the Triplane.[3] It also reputedly operated thePfalz D.XII,[1] which entered service in July 1918.[4]
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