Jasta 11 at La Brayelle, March 1917 - 19" x 13" Giant Enlarged WWI Photo

Description

Offered for Sale, a
Giant Enlarged 19" x 13" WWI Photo, Jasta 11 at La Brayelle, Douai, March 1917.
This gorgeous super-enlarged reproduction would make a great addition to any WW I Collection - especially if you can't have the original!
This is the famous photograph that first appeared in Manfred
Freiherr
von Richthofen's Book
" Der Rote Kampfflieger"
. You've never seen a reproduction as beautiful as this one!
Licensed by the
Bundesarchiv Deutschland
(Federal Archives of the Republic of Germany)
, the original (measuring only 4.6" x 6.5") has been painstakingly restored, carefully enlarged and reproduced. This gorgeous old-style sepia-toned image measures 12.5" wide x 17.7" tall, and has been beautifully printed on heavy weight 13" x 19" semi-gloss photo paper. This Print would look beautiful matted and mounted in an antique style frame.
The print you receive, will not have the overlay "The Wizard's Hold" shown in the listing photo to protect licensing-image-reproduction rights.
The original photograph was snapped by one of the Jasta 11 ground crew, ordered up into a tree in the foreground to archive this amazing image. These are the aircraft of
Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 11
under von Richthofen's command, lined up on the manicured field of their first posting at La Brayelle airfield about 5 km west of Douai, France, in March 1917.
Jasta 11 was first based at La Brayelle for operations over the 6 Armee on the Arras front. The Jasta was equipped with the Albatros D.III. Between 22 January 1917 and the end of March 1917, the Jasta claimed 36 victories. The beginning of the
Battle of Arras
in early April, had Jasta 11 logging 89 victories (from a total of 298 made by all German fighter units for that month). This decimation of the Royal Flying Corps became termed 'Bloody April'. The Jasta's performance is all the more extraordinary as the unit usually flew in small flights of six or fewer.
Points of Contention about the Photo
It is asserted by some, that this photo shows the aircraft of Jasta 11 and Jasta 4. Other experts feel that all 14 aircraft shown in the photo, are the Albatros D.IIIs of Jasta 11.
I believe both are partially correct. Read on!
The field location has often been misidentified as Roucourt (also near Douai). However, La Brayelle airfield was verified based on map research, and actual visits to the site in 1972 (the brick building & smoke stack were still there). The site has since been demolished and developed into a Renault factory. Jasta 11 moved to Roucourt about a month after the photo was taken.
This site is positively identified as La Brayelle airfield, sometime in March, 1917.
The first plane in line, is generally considered Constantin Krefft's plane. This is one of those "urban myths" which - no matter how absurd - refuses to die. Color-tinted reproductions of this photo, show the first plane with red stripes on the fuselage. This wild "guess" about colors, has further helped to promote the nonsensical idea that this plane could belong to Krefft or some other "mystery" fighter pilot of Jasta 11. This is just more of the same speculative fiction.
T
here isn't the slightest evidence, logic, or German Military Protocol to suggest this is Krefft's plane, or Hans Hintsch's plane.
The second plane in line is Squadron Commander von Richthofen's plane.
Who's plane would be granted a position first in line
ahead
of the squadron commander's own plane?
Only a visiting dignitary, visiting ace, or visiting squadron commander would have been given that honor.
This could also explain why the plane's SN was censored from the original photograph.
So who's plane is first? The answer is logical. If the true colors of the fuselage stripes are black over the factory natural wood finish, then the plane belongs to
Oberleutnant Kurt-Bertram von Döring
, newly transferred from FFA 227 and here as von Richthofen's guest. Richthofen promoted Döring to Squadron Commander of Jasta 4 (also stationed near Douai) less than 2 weeks after this photograph. Richthofen recognized Döring as an able Administrative Officer and leader, as well as a steady and reliable pilot. Discussion of his impending promotion might well be the reason Döring is here.
I believe the "Mystery" Plane belongs to
Oberleutnant Kurt-Bertram von Döring, promoted to Jasta 4 Commander not long after this photograph.
The Best Evidence suggests the following line-up on the field at La Brayelle (front to back):
Albatros #1 -
Jasta 4
Oberleutnant Kurt-Bertram von Döring, shortly promoted to Commander of Jasta 4.
Albatros #2 -
Jasta 11
Commander Manfred
Freiherr
von Richthofen.
Albatros #3 -
Jasta 11 L
eutnant Kurt Wolff.
Albatros #4 -
Jasta 11 L
eutnant Karl-Emil Sc
h
ä
fer.
That's about as far back as we can see, as the image into the distance becomes more blurry and indistinct. Rest assured however, the other famous aces from the "Bloody April" photograph are all here in this line-up somewhere:
Leutnant Karl Allmenröder
Leutnant der Reserv Hans Hintsch
Vizefeldwebel Sebastian Festner
Leutnant Georg Simon
Leutnant Otto Brauneck
Leutnant Karl Esser
Leutnant der Reserv Konstantin Krefft
Leutnant Lothar
Freiherr
von Richthofen
See if you can pick out their planes, and feel free to email me with your conclusions!
Douai
is situated in the north of France, near the Belgian border. Refer to the map photos in the listing (photo #2), to reference the
La Brayelle
airfield to the west of Douai.
Roucourt
is also visible on the first map, to the south-east of Douai.
The close-up map (photo #3) shows on the north side of the field, a road that runs approximately west by south-west to east by north-east. The tent hangars were south and parallel to that road. There is a short road that runs south by south-east, at the west side at the end of that road stands a very large laundry with a smoke stack. Beginning on the east side of the short road, opposite the laundry are the 14 Albatros .D.III aircraft shown in this photo. The planes were lined up across the field, facing south-west (in other words, towards the enemy).
The site was finally demolished around 1980, and is currently a
Renault
factory (photo #4).
If you have any questions, or need more information, please ask before making the purchase.