Jagdstaffel 4


Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 4, commonly abbreviated to Jasta 4, was a "hunting group" of the Luftstreitkräfte, the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I. The unit would score 192 confirmed victories; in turn, it would suffer 11 killed in action, 9 wounded in action, and two taken prisoner of war. It was one of the units in the famed Flying Circus.

History

Jasta 4 was founded on 25 August 1916, drawing personnel from FFA 23 and other two-seater reconnaissance units within 2 Armee, as well as from Kampfeinsitzerkommando Vaux and Armee-Flugpark Nr. 2. In June 1917, it switched to support and control of the 4 Armee. On 24 June 1917, it became part of the forming Jagdgeschwader I. Also during that summer, the unit suffered a partial leadership vacuum, with its commanding officer Kurt-Bertram von Döring double-tasked with command of JG 1 due to the wounding of its CO, Manfred von Richthofen.
Membership in the peripatetic Flying Circus kept Jasta 4 on the move, as they moved from hot spot to hot spot. During 1918, the Jasta operated for the fronts of 2 Armee, 6 Armee, 7 Armee, and 17 Armee. They ended the war on the 5 Armee front. Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 4 passed into history on 16 November 1918, when it was disbanded at FEA 9, Darmstadt.

Commanding officers

The following served as Staffelführer of Jasta 4:
Besides the Staffelführer aces that led the squadron, a number of other notable aces served and scored with Jasta 4. They include:
Upon formation, the Jagdstaffel was equipped with Halberstadt D.II and Fokker E.III fighters. By February 1917, it was operating Albatros D.IIs. It also operated Pfalz D.IIIs. Squadron markings during this time included black and white bands around the fuselages in addition to national markings. In early and mid-1918, it had Fokker Triplanes on strength, reportedly striped red and turquoise on wings and fuselages.
The squadron also reportedly operated, at some time, Albatros D.IIIs, Albatros D.Vs, Halberstadt D.Vs, and Fokker D.VIIs.