homepage Forums Air Combat & Civil Aviation Wings: Over Flanders Fields DIND Companion

To repeat the original announcement of the continuance of this story:

We will take up the story of Carl Eber of Jasta 18 on 12 Oktober 1917, where we left off with posting 75 back in March.

Oberleutnant Rudolf Berthold has been seriously wounded and is at Kgl. Bayer. Reserve Feldlazarett 45 (Royal Bavarian Field Hospital 45) in Kortrijk (Courtrai) until such time as he is in stable enough condition to be sent to a hospital in the Haimat (Homeland).

Oberleutnant Ernst Wilhelm ‘Vater’ Turck, as the senior officer in the Gruppe, is Staffelfuhrer of Jasta 18 and Jagdgruppenführer for Jagdgruppe 7, for now.


I won't be posting every day as I did before, probably three times a week.

Before we continue, however; as there were a number of readers who were confused about this character, I feel I should summarize what we know about him thus far.

So, I'm be introducing the 'DIND Companion.'

It’s a long story and, especially if you don’t live in 1917, it’s easy to get lost. In the 'Companion' I’ve provided some tools to help. I'll add to the 'Companion' every time I post so that the main story and the 'Companion' are always together.



In the 'Companion' you will find:

1 - A short version of Carl Eber’s backstory. I introduced the back story, mostly in little bites, using flashbacks and dreams to slowly explain the character. Maybe it was less clear than it appeared to me.

2 - A summary of Carl Eber’s personal traits and facts about him.

3 - A glossary of German military terms, slang, and more. I sometimes quit making footnotes on some of these terms after they've been introduced, so this may help.

4 - A cast of the characters, historical and fictional, including ground personnel and pets, with screenshots of their markings and photographs is available.

5 - An index of Spitznamen (nicknames)

6 - List of Characters Jasta 54s

7 - List of Characters Jasta 56

I CARL EBER'S BACKSTORY:

The story begins in the 1980s as a German Psychoanalysis student meets a former pilot of Jasta 18 at Hotel Bayerischer Hof on Promenadeplatz in Munich.

This student is only identified as ‘Bruno’ and has been interviewing this old pilot as part of his hobby, his passionate hobby, research on the colors and markings of German WW1 aircraft.

Bruno has not been given a surname and does not represent any particular individual, living or dead.

The old Jagdflieger has possession of a large and priceless archive of material on the Jagdstaffeln.

In the opening scene Bruno is offered a ‘Devil’s Bargain’ in exchange for this archive.

The bargain is for Bruno to join with this man as one combined personality and travel to August 1917.

Bruno, of course, believes the old man is psychotic but is willing to at least humor his request in the hope of obtaining the collection as well as getting treatment for him.

The purpose of sharing his WW1 experiences with Bruno, according to the old pilot was to help him bear the tremendous mental stress of living for 2,000 years, losing everyone he has ever cared about, over and over, and undergoing the trauma of combat and injury, as well as the guilt resulting from the blood he has spilled.
Bruno, as a future Psychoanalyst, is perfect for this purpose.

The old man was not crazy after all. Using a photograph of a Jasta 18 aircraft lineup dated August 16th 1917 as a doorway, Bruno finds himself transported back in time.

Bruno/Carl subvocalizing to helself, says; “I felt nothing, no electric shock or dizziness, any of the things you might expect from such an experience, nothing. But suddenly I was there, walking on the grass toward the machines with Paul Strähle. I was not a rider in Herr Eber’s body, there was no other apparent personality with which I shared this body. It was just me, one person. I was not even surprised or amazed, everything was as it should be.”

“I am Carl Eber and today is August 16th 1917.”



Now…how was this time travel and personality meld accomplished? I’ll explain part of that later on below.

The protagonist’s present identity is Carl Eber, Visefeldwebel, Jasta 18. According to his records he was born in Konigsberg, Kingdom of Saxony in 1891, older than your average Jagdflieger.

He enlisted in König von Sachsen 4. Infantrie-Reg. Nr. 103 in 1914 and continued in that Regiment until he joined the Fliegertruppe in 1915.

He was born as Marcus Triarius. The exact date of his birth is unknown but it was approximately 20 BCE, during the reign of Caesar Augustus.

A more detailed account of the origin story can be read on post 26 in thread 5. But this is a shorter summary:

The man whom he believed to be his father was one Constantius Triarius, Primus Pilus of Legio XVII.*

His mother’s name was Martia.** Her family name and the exact circumstances of her birth were unknown to him until a later date.

* First File, commanding Centurion of the First Cohort, and senior Centurion of the Legion.

** Meaning, devout to the god Mars.

Both of these parents perished in a plague when Marcus was quite young. He also contracted the plague but survived. He was raised by the Praefectus Castrorum* of the Seventeenth.

*Camp Prefect – a long serving veteran who had been promoted through the ranks of the Centurions and third in overall command of the Legio.

He was not adopted, but was provided with enough education to read and write adequately for his station in life and taught arithmetic.

When he was old enough he served as an orderly to the Praefectus Castrorum until he came of age to join the Legion at seventeen.

Marcus served with the Seventeenth in Germania in the campaigns of Tiberius against the Marcomanni and in the suppression of the Illyrian Revolt, rising to the rank of Optio of the First Cohort.*

*An Optio, meaning to choose, because he was chosen by the Centurion, was a position roughly equivalent to a Lieutenant and was second in command of the Centria. (Century)

In 9 C.E. Marcus took part in the campaign of Publius Quintus Varus to suppress a reported revolt of the Germanic tribes in the area of the Rhine.

This campaign culminated in the annihilation of all three of Varus’ Legions at the well-known, Battle of Teutoburg Forest, Legios XVII, XVIII and XVIX.

CAPTION - Battle scenes are from the video game Totalwar: Rome II, by SAGA


Marcus awoke after the battle, naked, helpless and injured, surrounded by wolves. Rather than eating him, as he expected, these wolves, some of the war dogs that had been used by the Germans, woodpeckers and other beasts and animals brought him food and kept him warm.

These animals being sacred to Mars, also known as Ares among the Greeks, Marcus prayed and made offerings to him and wondered what great plan the god of war had for him that he went to so much trouble on his behalf.

By mid-October, Marcus was strong enough to travel but the wolves blocked his way. After a few days a huge Schwarzpecht * appeared and perched on the tree next to his shelter. He spoke to Marcus, not in words exactly, but in his mind.

This was Picus*, one of the sons of Mars and the same who had brought food to Romulus and Remus.

* Black woodpecker, a crow sized woodpecker common in Germany.

Picus informs Marcus that he was not merely wounded, but did, in fact die and resurrect because of the truth about his parentage.

“Your father is the one to whom you have been praying and giving thanks for your deliverance.”

His mother, Martia, was the daughter of Mars and so half- divine, a demi-god.

I have tried to be delicate about describing the circumstances of Marcus’ birth. If you know what sort of personality Mars/Ares had, you won’t be surprised to hear that he decided upon an experiment to see what would occur if a three-quarters-divine being were created with Martia.

The result of the experiment was seen when Marcus resurrected after his death in battle. He was immortal but not divine. To the gods, an obscenity in two senses.

Picus told him, “You, since your death and resurrection, have come to the attention of the Dii Consentes* of whom your father is one. They have condemned his obscene and irresponsible act in creating an abomination and a threat.”

The abomination part is self- explanatory but the threat was that a non-divine immortal, if allowed to propagate would possibly create an immortal race that would rule the world and could change the balance of power between humanity and the gods, bringing about their end.

Marcus who would one day call himself Carl Eber, along with many other names, was brought to a clearing in the forest to fight with his progenitor to see if he could be killed by a fully divine being. If not, then something had to be decided about him.

He and Mars fought until sundown with no decisive result.

He was left on the field to rest and tend his wounds.

Picus remained with him and advised him.

“You will not win. Whether you can defeat your father or no. Whether he can kill you or no.”

Marcus asked him, “Then what should I do?”

He said, “You should call upon your grandsire, Jupiter, offer yourself as a sacrifice to test whether you can die or no, throw yourself on the mercy of the gods if you cannot die. This is the only hope you have. Know that there are many things worse than death.”


*The council of 12 gods.

In the morning, when Mars appeared to renew the battle, Marcus stood naked and unarmed and called upon Jupiter as Picus had advised.

Marcus, explaining this story to Bruno says: “I presented my bared chest to Mars and he struck me in the heart, splitting it in two.”

“I became conscious again in agony and was again cared for by the wolves, dogs and woodpeckers until I was strong again.”

“You might imagine that, having died times without number that the dread of death would not trouble me.”

“I will tell you now, death is often quite painful and traumatic and on the occasion when it is so instantaneous that you feel little or nothing, the resurrection and recovery more than compensate.”

“There is also the shock of discovering yourself in a pile of corpses or buried alive or worse, burning or burnt. This type of immortality is not something to be desired. My very existence is a curse.”

“During this time, I thought about the injustice of what had been done to me and of my sator, I will not call him my father. How was he ever a father to me? He created me as an experiment of the most perverse kind and what was his punishment? To have to kill me?”

“He did not acknowledge me or so much as speak one word to me. He struck me down without hesitation. No…he is no father of mine!”

“All the gods, what do they do but use men for their entertainment!”

“When I was strong enough, Jupiter himself appeared in the meadow in the form of the great eagle I had seen when I did battle with Mars.”

“He said to me that he and the council had judged that my valor in battle with my sire and the willing sacrifice of myself made me worthy to be elevated to join them as the personification of soldierly courage and discipline.”

“I was young and angry, having been badly used. My reply was, ‘I want nothing to do with gods and their amusements! You are all despicable parasites, feeding on the prayers, offerings and blood of men, and it is no honor to be counted among you! I would remain as I am, a man and a soldier among soldiers.’”

“Jupiter was angered at this rejection and granted my wish. I would be, for all time, just what I was. I would suffer all that men suffered, I would be spared nothing and never have the release of death. I would never rise above the level that I had achieved in my Legio and no matter how I attempted to avoid it, war would always find me.”

“No god would give me aid.”

“Too, I could not be allowed to father children, just in case this immortality would be passed to them. So, Liber appeared as a goat and touched me with his horns as I stood, frozen in place.”

“I was left there with nothing except the rags the wolves had brought me.”

I won't go further into his subsequent life, except to say that, because of his immortality and his curse, he has seen kings and emperors rise and fall, fought in hundreds of wars, killed thousands, died hundreds of times, only to be resurrected for more pain and violence, love and loss.

Marcus, presently known as Carl Eber is haunted by the ghosts of his past and is something of an insomniac.

This is the curse Bruno has agreed to share with him.

Battle scenes are from the video game Totalwar, by SAGA

Now… to the part about how this time travel and personality blending is achieved. Well, some of it you’ll just have to accept, the way you often have to do in low-class fiction and schlock.

I can explain part of it however. I’ll just reproduce what you’ll find already written in posting 26 or thread 5;

Carl is speaking to Bruno: “For decades at a time I have gone, forgive me for using such a layman’s term, insane. Wandered in the wilderness, living like an animal on instinct alone or locked in a lunatic asylum until my unhinged mind could heal itself.”

“Seeing this, one of the goddesses took pity on me, defied Jupiter and aided me…Anna Perrena, the circle of the year. Do you remember her story, the trick she played on Mars?”

Bruno answers, “Yes…she disguised herself as Minerva, the virgin goddess Mars wanted and tricked him into marrying her.”

“Yes, my grandmother. She granted me this ability to revisit the past.” (this is also another clue to Marcus/Carl Eber/Felix’s pedigree.)

Bruno asks, “To what purpose?”

“I have found, over time, that sharing this burden with another, helps me to maintain my equilibrium. Do you not understand that this is the thing that you who choose, in these times to be psychoanalysts, actually do? Share the burdens of others. It is no wonder that so many who choose that profession end their own lives. This and your passion for these relics you see before you, are why you are the perfect candidate for my bargain.”

“You must realize that what you ask is an impossibility.” (Blending his personality with Cark Eber and traveling back in time to WW1.)

Carl laughs. “Jünger, time is not as linear as is generally believed. What did Shakespeare say?”

In English, Carl says, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy?”

“So can you see, from this story, fantastic as it may seem, for me, dead is not dead.”

“I beg you to accept my bargain, I am weary beyond measure.”

So, that’s all the explanation there is to give. Take it or leave it.

2 -CARL EBER'S PERSONAL TRAITS AND FACTS


Carl Eber’s Spitzname (nickname), Felix, is explained below when we come to the discussion about our period, 1914-1918.

The surname Eber has its origin in Old German and Old English. It is from the given name ‘Eber’ meaning strong and brave boar.

This man has used the name a number of times as both a surname and given name.

This name was chosen because of the boar’s association with the 10th Cohort, Roman Legio XVII, the first military command in which he served.

Carl/Felix smokes like a chimney.

Felix/Carl loves dogs and they like him.

Felix always carries a Mauser automatic pistol known as the broom handle. A 9 is engraved on the handle in red, indicating that it was 9mm to avoid confusion as to its ammunition.

Carl has chosen to fight for the German Empire during this war because he has a long association with the Saxon people.

He avoids close relationships with both men and women, there being no future in these and they only cause pain in the end.

Carl is usually able to predict what sort of person others are when he first meets them. After so many centuries he’s interacted with so many people that he finds there are only so many ‘types’ of personalities. Few people surprise him.
Berthold was one of these surprises.

It often seems as though he has encountered and known some people over and over again. They’re basically always the same, even though they may or may not look similar or have different nationalities and backgrounds.
Paul Strähle is one of these.

He is subject to the same pain and injury a normal man suffers but these wounds and injuries, because of his semi-divine birth, heal much faster and completely. They leave scars but do not permanently debilitate him no matter how severe.

He drinks somewhat in moderation and always the best, which he obtains from what he calls, backstairs methods. The same goes for his tobacco.

When Carl Eber is narrating, he uses contractions. When he is speaking he does not. This is to simulate the types of speech patterns he would be using when he’s speaking something other than English, usually German.

Picus still visits him from time to time and occasionally, despite Jupiter’s prohibition, aids him.

The Mars side of Felix’s genetic makeup sometimes takes over in a stressful combat situation and he is taken by the jagdfeber (hunting fever or Berserker rage)
.
Felix/Carl’s present aircraft is an Albatros DIII OAW which he has named Beomia after a former wife.

Beomia is a Saxon name meaning battle maiden.

Felix’s ground crew have no last names but they are; Dieter, his Motorschlasser {motor mechanic) responsible for the mechanical parts of the aircraft and George and Heinrich, his riggers.

Felix seldom makes a victory claim as he wishes always to remain in the shadows. If he had known that Jagdflieger would receive so much publicity he would not have followed Berthold to Jasta 14.

He thought that when he joined the Fliegertruppe in 1915 that this would be an interesting adventure and something of an out of the way, easy place to spend this war.

At present he has three confirmed aerial victories, or Luftsiege.

The actual total of his Luftsiege, confirmed, unconfirmed and not reported, as of 10 Oktober 1917, is 8.

His awards up to this time include the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class and the Friedrich August Medal, in silver, a Saxon award given to enlisted men, Feldwebel and below for meritorious achievements. In this case, 300 combat missions against the enemies of the Fatherland. The medal was given in two grades, Bronze and Silver.

Felix’s personal aircraft marking is related to his Spitzname (nickname), Felix. It is the horse shoe and four leaf clover. This is an authentic Jasta 18 personal marking which appears in a number of photographs but the pilot who used it is unknown.

WOFF assigned this emblem to Walther Kleffel but it has no more to do with him than it does with our fictitious character. What personal symbol he used is unknown. WOFF did not make a Pfalz, an Albatros DIII OAW or Fokker DVII for Kleffel’s later service under Berthold in Jasta 15.

So, I took it and gave Kleffel other personal markings in my Mods.

Carl keeps a diary, takes pictures of many of the aircraft he sees and makes notes about them, and the pilots associated with them. He also collects copies of documents such as combat reports and the War Diary of the Staffel. He knows that this will be important to him in some way in the future but doesn’t know just how. Perhaps he will write a book.

This is the Bruno part of his personality and is part of the bargain made with Bruno in exchange for sharing the mental burden of his long life.

When the Armistice is signed these two personalities will separate, into Carl Eber and Bruno, and will return to the 1980s. Both will have knowledge of these years and the years that proceeded them in Carl’s life.

Over many lifetimes he has acquired wealth significant enough to provide him with just about anything he might want. This takes the form of caches of treasure, to well selected investments and Swiss bank accounts in various names.

He has his fingers in the Black Market and has contacts which can provide many luxuries not otherwise available to his Staffel-mates.

If rich, powerful people were ever to come to know about him they would make a laboratory rat of him so they could try to find out a way to cheat death. That would be a living death for him.

He has been very successful at staying hidden. He has been discovered on a few occasions and had to kill a number of people to suppress that knowledge, witch hunters, an inquisitor that thought he had found some sort of demon. It was necessary to spill a lot of blood on that occasion.

He always has multiple new identities, a new mask, ready to put on. He has had many names, but he always avoids his birth name of Marcus as it is associated with his sire, Mars, and this is too much a compliment to him.

This constant change of identities is necessary, but exhausting, and sometimes hard to keep track of.




1914-1918:

The framework for the day to day activities of Jasta 18 is the diary of Paul Strähle, a portion of which was reproduced in Volume 11 of Cross and Cockade International Journal, and various other references, primarily: “Iron Man, Rudolf Berthold” by Peter Kilduff and Osprey “Jasta 18; the Red Noses,” Greg VanWyngarden.

The weather in the story is from Strähle’s Diary and “Hunting with Richthofen, Jagd in Flanderns Himmel, the Bodenschatz Diaries” translated by Jan Hayzlett and some internet sources.

At the beginning of the war, Carl belonged to the König von Sachsen 4. Infantrie-Reg. Nr. 103. He wears the tunic of that regiment with gray air service straps piped in the blue of his regiment and the number 4 in red below the red Fliegertruppe insignia. On his cap he wears the white green white cockade of Saxony below the black white red one of the Empire.

After his transfer to the Fliegertruppe and Fliegerschule at Liepzig-Lindenthal, Carl was assigned to Feldflieger-Abteilung 23 in late March 1915,; where he met, the Leutnant, Rudolf Berthold.

They did not hit it off.

After a number of incidents in which Carl’s observers were killed while he survived, he began to be considered bad luck to fly with and requests were made that he be transferred.

In a bit of dark humor, one of the observers started referring to Carl as glücklicher Felix, Lucky Felix, rather like saying, that lucky guy, the fortunate one, and the name stuck, or at least Felix did.

It was at this time that Berthold, now a pilot himself, stepped in for his own reasons. He criticized the superstition of the others and proposed to fly as Felix’s observer for a while to shame them.

The two men didn’t become friends exactly, but did develop a grudging respect for one another. At this point, Carl knew that the two of them would be bound together in some way.

This was confirmed when, after Berthold became Staffelführer of Jasta 14 he asked for Felix and made him his wingman.

Part of the reason for this was that Berthold, who was rather superstitious himself, despite his ridicule of the other officers in FFA 23, believed Felix’s luck enhanced his own.

Berthold found Felix to be useful in several other ways as well.

He used him as his Scherge (thug) to discipline certain troublesome but useful enlisted men.

Felix is well suited for this role, having the experience of millennia as a soldier, he has no equal as a fighter with or without weapons.

Berthold suspected Felix of having criminal connections and tasked him with helping the Offizier zur besonderen Verwendung (Special duties officer, Ozbv) obtain things that were difficult or impossible to get through normal channels.

After Berthold was severely wounded in the leg he was reassigned to command Jasta 18 in Flanders. He took with him a number of Jasta 14 personnel, Felix included.

That;s where Felix has been during the period this story has spanned, from 16 August to 10 October 1917 when Berthold was again wounded and hospitalized.

The story will in the main thread from that point. in time.

GLOSSARY

Here also, for your convenience, is a glossary of German terms that may be useful since I don’t always explain them after they have been used a few times.


A’ la bonheur – a French phrase used by the Germans to express approval or as an exclamation of recognition, meaning’ to happiness,’ or ‘to good fortune.’ An English equivalent would be something like, ‘Here’s to you’, or ‘allright Dude!

Abendbrott, - evening meal

Abendessen – evening eating/dinner

Abfallplatzes – waste dump

Abgekämpfte – fought out, war-weary, burned out as Americans say.

Abgeschloßen – shot down

Abgeschmiert! – literally greased/lubricated. In aviation slang it means you are going down/nose diving out of control.

Abschießer- the term translates as simply, shooter. Walter Böning used this term when he was being interviewed by Bruno Schmäling to describe an ‘egotistic shooter.’ A pilot who cared about nothing but making kills and running up his score. He talked about how this was particularly dangerous when the man commanded a Staffel or Gruppe.

Abschnitt - sector

Abschüsse – kill/aerial victory

Abschuẞmeldung – shooting report/claim for a kill

Abteilungsführer – Commander of a ‘working’ air unit, such as an Artillery Observation squadron or Reconnaissance unit.

Abtrudeln - to spin downwards either wing over wing, or end over end as an escape tactic or simply to lose altitude quickly without stressing the wings.

Abwehr - air defense mission. The British would call it a ‘Barrage Patrol.’

Abwehrgeschütze – defensive guns flak or machine guns or both

Abwehrkannonen – defensive cannon, another name for Flak or Archie

Abzeichen fur Militär-Flugzeugführer - Military Pilot’s Badge, initially awarded for passing your pilot’s course but later it was only awarded after 40 combat flights

Affenfahrt Monkey ride at full throttle so that the bracing wires rattle. Diving or just running as fast as possible. Can also be used as Monkey or Ape Speed as in ‘they steamed off at monkey speed.’ It would literally be nach unten und dampfte mit Affenfahrt nach Westen weg - down and steamed away to the west with a monkey ride.

Aktiver Offizier – Active officer, as opposed to an Offizier der Reserve

Albatros-Kisten – Albatros crate, could apply to any Albatros model. Mostly used in a derogatory way later in the war when.

Alte Kiste/alten Kisten – Old crate, singular and plural.

alt Klamotte – old clothes, euphemism for an old worn out machine

Ami – slang for American.

Amtßchidmmel – office mold, red tape.

Anfänger – beginner, novice, rookie. Singluar and plural are the same.

Anterkennung – Acknowledgement/confirmation.

Angriff - Attack

Angriffsgeist – attack spirit, often translated as dash.

Angriffszeichen – Attack signal

Anpfiff – Kick off, a bawling out not as bad as Schimpfkanonade.

Apparat - device/apparatus, Hermann Göring sometimes used this term to describe an aircraft, rather like calling it a machine.

Arbeitsflieger – working flyer, two seater recon. and artillery machines

Arbeitsmachine – Working machine, yet another term for two-seaters.

Artillerieflieger – Artillery aircraft.

Artillerieflug. – Artillery flight, often abbreviated as Afl.

Artilleriehaschen – Artillery bunny/rabbit. Artillery spotter aircraft.

Artillerievögel – Artillery bird. Another slang term for Artillery spotter aircraft.

aus dem Hauschen wacky/off the rails applied to engine going off the rails when prop is shot half off.

Ausklärungsflugzeuge – literally, clarification aircraft, meaning reconnaissance aircraft.

Ausführung – variant/version, as in an improved aircraft such as the Pfalz DIIIa, an improvement over the earlier DIII.

Ausgefallen – equipment is out of service.

Ausweis – leave, as in home leave or leave of absence.

Bahnlinie - railway line

Balkenkreuz – beam cross, new national marking for aircraft order by Idfleig on 20 March 1918.

Ballonangriff – Balloon attack

Ballonkorb – balloon basket

Ballonlinie - balloon line

Ballonreihe – Balloon Row or as it would be in English, Balloon line.

Ballonsieg – Balloon victory, plural Ballonsiege

Ballonspezialisten Balloon specialists

Bändchen – Ribbon as in EKII- Bändchen (Iron Cross 2nd Class ribbon)

Baumlandung – tree landing, also Waldlandung – Forest landing.

Bazi – This term has a number of meanings. In Bavaria and Austria it is used to describe a mischievous boy and is somewhat derogatory. It is also a slang term for a Bavarian. It was used as a spitzname for some Bavarian pilots in the Luftwaffe during the 2nd war, Josef Menapace and Robert Weiss.

Beauty cream – There was an anti-freezing cream that was issued, but this term was applied to any type of grease that was used on the face to protect it from frostbite.

Befehl ist Befehl – Orders are orders, the Prussian holy words.

Begleitschutz - escort

Benzintank – Gas tank

Benzinwagen – benzin car or truck

Benzmotor – Benz engine.

Beobachter – a Beholder or observer in this case for a reconnaissance machine.

Beobachterabzeichen – Observer badge.

Beobachtersitz.- Observer’s seat.

Beobachtungoffizier – observation officer englische Beobachtungoffizier

Beobachtungsbalon – Observation Balloon

Bevau – German pronunciation of B.V., which is itself, short for Ozbv, the abbreviation for Offiziere zur befonderen Verwendung (equivalent to Adjutant in English)

B.F. - Bristol Fighters – The Germans often referred to Allied types as SEs, BFs, RE, FE and other abbreviations.

blaue Männer – blue men. Bavarian ground crew often wore blue work clothing instead of the usual black.

blauen Bohnen – blue beans, slang for bullets, still used today.

Blauer Max -Blue Max

Blechesel – Tin donkey. Nickname for the armored Infantry machines made by Junkers and AEG. This translates as tin donkey, but individually the words are Blech- sheet and esel-donkey. Tin in German is Zinn. It’s a bit confusing. The name is used by Kurt Jentsch in his memoir.

Blitzshnell – lightening fast/like lightening

Blue bird - yet another slang term for the Blue Max.

Bochehaschen – a German rabbit. A term used to say that the enemy pilot must have taken you for a rookie pilot.

Bockmist – Bullcrap! das ist einen Bockmist ein! – That’s Bullcrap!

Bodenpersonal – Ground staff/ground crew

Bombenfilm – literal translation bombing film. It means bombing mission, like saying night bombing ‘show’ in English.

Bombengeschwader – bomber formation or squadron

.Bombenkähne – Bombing barges

Bombenschweinen – Bombing pigs.

Boot – boat fuselage-also and aircraft.

Brandmunition – incendiary ammunition. Another term for tracer rounds.

Brauerstern brewer star, a gild symbol frequently used by pilots as personal markings. Often confused with the six pointed star of Judism. This is explained by Bruno Schmäling on page 122 of OTF, issue 31, no. 2.

Bräuten – Brides – slang for girlfriends

Breguetmaschinen - - Breguet two-seaters.

Bremsklötz – break blocks/wheel chocks.

Bristol-fighter-Doppelsitzer – Bristol F2b

Bruchlandung crash landing

Brüder mit öligen Fingern -oily fingered brethren

Brüdern – Brothers, a slang term for enemy pilots.

Bumslandung bum landing

Bundfarbenaufdruck -waistband color print – this term is used as a generic description for colored prints, including the Lonzenge camouflage patterns used by the Germans.

Bursch – Officers orderly. Literally, ‘boy.’

Burschen, Die Burschen – the boys, as in the men on your command. Also used sometimes as slang for the enemy. Rudolf Berthold sometimes referred to the British pilots as ‘the boys,’ and also referred to his own men with the same term.

Butterlandungen – Butter landing, were carried out on estates and large farms, where one might expect to get invited to be entertained.

Büros - offices

Bürooffizier – Adminstrative officer.

C-Kiste – C Box – slang term for C type aircraft – armed two-seater biplanes.

C-Maschine – C type aircraft – armed two-seater biplanes.


canons spéciaux – French name for anti-aircraft artillery.

Chefin or Chef – Boss, sometimes translated Chief, borrowed from the French.

Dachschaden – roof damage, head wound, also more commonly gone bonkers from wicki german mil terms

Dackel - Dachshund

das sich die Balkan biegen – phrase meaning make your toes curl. A nice way of saying your entertaining each other with risqué stories.

Dämmershoppen – sundowner, an evening drink, nightcap.

Deutschland-Geschwader – Enemy long range bombing squadrons

Damendarsteller – cross dressers portrayers of women.

Damenlandung – Ladies landing. Turning turtle with the aircraft’s ‘legs’ in the air.

Dicke Zigarre-Big Cigar, a euphemism for a dressing down, more like a good reaming out. This was used by Josef Kister of Jasta 1 in his journal, from Propellerblatt, Nr. 51.

Die Grippe – the flu

Die sehen weisse Mause - seeing white mice, something like seeing pink elephants, seeing things.

Dienst ist Dienst – service is service equivalent to duty is duty.

Donnerbalken - thunder beam, latrine

Donnerschlag - low German expletive, ‘Thunders!’

Doppeldecker – two decker, a biplane.

Doppelsitzer – two-seater

Dorthin! - There!

Draufgänger – Daredevil, used as a title, as in, Draufgänger (Daredevil) Voss.

Draufgängertum - recklessness, bravado

Dreidecker – three decker, triplane.

Dreisitzers – Three seater, usually referring to a Caudron.

Drillchjacke – Drill jacket, a fatigue jacket used by enlisted men on detail. Could be gray or white.

Dummheiten – stupid things, silliness, fooling around, gags.

Ehrenbecher – Honor Cup. Awarded to a pilot for his first aerial victory. Usually silver.

Ehrenrunde - Lap of honor, meaning that one has misjudged their landing and must go around again.

Eierlandung egg landing. Landing very carefully.

Ein Scheißding - a piece of sh*t.

Eisenbahn – Iron road – rail line.

Eisenbahngleise – Iron tracks/railway tracks

Eisenbahnzüge – railway train

Eisernes Kreuz erster Klasse – Iron Cross 1st Class

Eisernes Kreuz zweiter Klasse – Iron Cross 2nd Class

Eiserne Kuh - evaporated milk

Empfangsstation – receiving station (for wireless telegraphy)

Ententland – the Allied side of the lines in Fliegersprache – (aviator slang.) The German side is referred to as ‘Germany’

Entenschwarmformation – Duck flock formation

Er hat das Schießpulver nicht erfunden – He did not invent gunpowder. An expression that means that a person lacks intelligence.

Erdmaschinegewehren – Earth machine guns. MG groundfire. Often abbreviated to Erd-MG



Erkennungsmarke – identification tag/dog tag.

Etappe – rear area, also the rear area bureaucrats.

Ettapendepot – rear area supply depot

Etappenschwein rear swine, rear area personnel, derogatory

Fallschirm – parachute/plural Fallschirme

Familienvater – head of family

Feiertagsessen – holiday mean/dinner.

feindlicher Schwanz – Enemy tail, another reference to hunting enemy aircraft

Feldgendarmerie military police

Feldgotesdienst front worship service. The German Military required Catholic troops to attend Xmas, Easter and Sunday Mass, unless duties prevented it. The level of enforcement of this requirement was up to the commander.

Feldgrauen – Field Gray, German soldiers, used much like ‘grunt’ or G.I.

Feldküche – field Kitchen

Feldsoldat – front line soldier.

Feldwebelleutnant – like the rank Offizierstellvertreter, an enlisted rank with the responsibilities of an officer, but with none of its perks.

Fesselballon – Captive balloon

Fesselballonschutz – Captive balloon protection

fette Hilda – fat Hilda, an observation balloon.

Feindflug – Enemy flight/flight over enemy lines.

FLAK – Flieger-Abwehr-Kanone

Flakartillerie – AA artillery

Flakbrüder – AA crews

Flakgeschütze – AA guns

Flakeinheit – anti-aircraft unit

Flakfeuer, Das Flakfeuer - anti-aircraft fire

Flak-Granate – Anti-aircraft grenade, high explosive anti-aircraft shell.

Flakkannone - semi automatic anit-aircraft cannon

Flakschusses – anti-aircraft fire

Flaksplitter – Flak splinters

Flaktreffer – Anti-aircraft hit.

Flakwölkchen – Flak clouds or cloudlets.

Flamga – Fugawehr-Maschinengewehr-Abteilung – Anti-aircraft machine gun detachment.

Flandernschlecht reference to the Ypres battles.

Fleischkonserve – canned meat

Flieger – Flyer, pilot, but also used, at times, where it would be more conventional to use the word aircraft in English. Fuchs p 20

Fliegerangriff – air attack/air raid.

Flieger Ersatz Abteilung - pilot replacement section.

Fliegerbeobachtungoffizier – air observation officer

Fliegerbrille -Aviator glasses/goggles

Fliegerehe – Aviator’s marriage

Fliegergeist – Flying spirit

Fliegerheim – Flier’s home/Pilot’s quarters.

Fliegerkopfhaub – Leather pilot’s cap.

Fliegerschütze (air gunner)

Fliegerkombination - the bulky flying suit issued standard in late 1917 early 1918.

Fliegersprache – aviator slang

Fliegerverbände – flying club or association – tongue in cheek reference to a Staffel or Squadron. A similar term is Verein, association or club, which was used to refer to either one’s own Staffel or another air unit, friendly or enemy.

Flliegerwetter – Flyer’s weather. Bad weather in which no flights take place.

Flugabwehrbatterie – Flight Defense Battery/Anti-Aircraft battery.

Flugbetrieb – flight operations, takeoffs, landings et cetera

Flugfeld – airfield, plural Flugfelde

Flugformation – Flying formation

Flughafen – flight harbor, another word for airport or airfield

Flughalle – Flight hall, another way of saying hangar. Probably something more elaborate and permanent than a shed or tent hangar.

Flugjägers – flight hunters, huntsmen of the air.

Flugmaschine – flying machine.

Flugmeldedienst- Flight Reporting Service, ground observers.

Flugplatz – flight place, airport or airfield

Flugplatzwechsel – change of airfield

Flugschüler – Student pilot

Flugtätigkeit – flight or flying activity.

Flugwart – Flight attendant, another term for a fitter or mechanic.

Flugwetter – flying weather, good weather for flying, as opposed to Fliegerwetter, which means you can stay in bed.

Flugzeugwarte – Aircraft maintenance (crew) I believe this to also be Bavarian aviation slang.

Flugzeugabwehrkannonen – Anti-aircraft cannons.

Flügel – wing

Flugblätter – leaflets dropped by aircraft

Flügelenden - wingtips


Flügelkurven – Wing curves/turns.

Flugformation – Flying formation

Flugzeugzelt – airplane tent/tent hangar

Franzen (Franzing) activities carried out by observer.

Franzmänner - Franchies

Französin – French Woman, sometimes used to refer to a French machine

Frontbeobachtungsstellen – Front line observation post.

Frontflug - front flight

Frechdachs - translates as cheeky badger, used like Smart A$$

Frontschwein -Front hogs, usually those with the will to fight, somewhat ironic as opposed to Etappenschwein.

Frontsoldat – Front line soldier.

Frostschutzsalbe – Anti-freeze ointment, to prevent frost bite.

Frühstück - Breakfast

FT – (Funk-) Flügen – FT (Radio) flight

Führerflugzeug – leader or pilot aircraft of a formation.

Führermachine – Leader machine.

Führersitz – pilot’s seat

Fussballindianer – Football Indians. Yet another slang term for the English.

Gasblasen gas bag

Gaukler – litarally translates as juggler. But it can be used like jester. If someone were to refer to someone else as a Gaukler it would be something like being called a joker, as in “Whose that joker over there.” Jentsch p 50

Gefechtslandeplatz - combat landing site

Gegenwaertiger -most current status

Geilheit - randyness, lust

Gekurbel – wind-up, slang for a melee. Kurbel means crank such as that on a coffee grinder or the automobiles of this time.

Gell – is used in many of the southern dialects, such as Swabian, Bavarian and Franconian. It’s an expression like Nit Wahr /Nicht Wahr. Is this not so? Rather like a Canadian uses, “eh?”

Geschlechtsehre - sexual or gender honor

Geschnirpst – sniff. The term used for pausing a rotary engine with a Schirpsknapf - blip switch.

geschwader -The term geschwader (squadron or formation) can be used to refer to any formation from a half-flight of three machines to a complete squadron of 12 to 18. It was used interchangeably with Schwarm.

Geschwaderflug – Squadron flight/flying in formation.

Geschwaderkämpfen – Squadron battles

Geschwarderverband – a squadron in formation

Geshoßgarten – Garden of shots, used like ‘shower of bullets.’

Gewehre – guns, sometimes used instead of Machingewehren for the machine guns, sometimes translated as rifles.

Giftblumen – poison flowers, Flak bursts.

Gitter-Caudrons – lattice Caudron, just another way to describe a Cardron because of it’s pusher motor design.

Gitterrumpf – lattice hull, pusher type machines. Plural - Gitterrumpfe

Glückwunsch – congratulations

Granate - Explosive shells sent up by Anti-aircraft guns are often referred to as Granaten, Grenades. A number of other types of high explosive ordinance is referred to in this way, such as mortar shells.

Die Grippe – the flu

Gras beißen mußte - have to bite the grass – like bite the dust.

Großkadrigen Lange – translates as ‘large-scale, long’ slag for French Caudrons

Großkampftag - major day of combat

Großkanone – Big Cannon, is an ace pilot with over ten aerial victories.

Grüner Bengel – green brat, an insult.

Güterzug – Freight train.

Gruja– acronym for Jagdgruppenführer.

Grüngrau – green-gray, the field uniform color adopted for Jäger, Schützen and Jäger zu Pferd troops.

Haifisch – Shark, nickname for the Albatros fighter

Hakenkreuz - hooked cross, swastika

Halberstaffel – formation of approximately half the Staffel’s strength. It was a common tactical practice in most Jagdstaffeln to split the Staffel into two parts during most of 1917.

Halberstädter – Halberstadt CL type two-seaters.

Hals und beinbruch – break your neck and legs, used like ‘break a leg.’

Halsorden – throat medal, the Pour le Merite, an allusion to the medal being worn at one’s throat.

Halßchmerzen – sore throat, the ambition to acquire the Pour le Merite at all costs.

Hamsterflüge – Hamster flight. The German word for hoarding, "hamstern," which means to store like a hamster. A Hamster flight is one used to transport luxuries.

Hannoveraner – slang for the Hannover CL type two seaters

Hasen -Das Hasen – Hare, the Hare. Prey. The term Hase is also used to refer to the Guardian Angel, or Schutzengel.

Häschen- young hare, bunny. Also has another meaning, see below.

Häschen -das Häschen – Hare, the Hare. Prey. The term Häschen is also used to refer to the Guardian Angel, or Schutzengel and also der Späher (the scout

Haubitzbatterie – Howizer Battery.

Häuptling – Chief/ Häuptlinge plural. Unser Häuptling – our chief/der Häuptling – the chief

Haushöhe – House high/house or roof level.

Hawa – another nickname for the Hannover CL type two-seater.

Heeresbericht - short for Heeresbericht der Oberste Heeresleitung – the Supreme Command’s Daily Reports.

Hei – Hay, as in ‘hay, all’s well that ends well.”

heiliger Hass - holy hatred of the enemy

Heim also – So, home.

Heimat – literally home town but refers to the civilian population of Germany which the Feldgrau protect

Heimathafen – Home port, used as a euphemism for home base/home airfield.

Heimatschuß- homeland shot, a blighty wound not permanently disabling but enough to get evacuated home.

Heinecke-Fallschim – Heinecke parachute.

Heldenkeller – Hero cellar/air raid shelter.

Herr Meinernerven. - Lord of my nerves

Hexenkessel – witches cauldron

Hexensabbat – witches sabbath, a difficult and dangerous/ hair-raising situation

Himmelwurst - sky sausage

Hintergelände – back area

der Hohenzollern – short for Knight’s cross of the order of the house of Hohenzollern with Swords. Interesting factoid on this is that an Offizierstellvertreter or Feldwebelleutnant, unlike the Pour le Merite, receive der Holhenzollern. Karl Thom of Jasta 21 did receive it as an Offizierstellvertreterbefore he was elevated to Leutnant.

Holzschuppen – wooden shed, meaning wooden hangar. I believe this to be a Bavarian slang for a hangar.

Hosenscheißer – pants crapper

Hui! - Wow!

Hummel - bumblebee

Idflieg – Inspektor der Fliegertruppen. Founded in 1911, the Idflieg was part of the Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches (Imperial German Flying Corps) which became the Luftstreitkräfte in 1916, handling administration, including regulation of service names applied to aircraft produced by domestic companies, characterised according to the armament, wing configuration, crew and role which was intended for the aircraft.

Infanterieflieger - The Contact patrol flyer “Infanterieflieger” had the task of watching the progress of an offensive and reporting to the staff by signals or wireless the changes in the front. As it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe when flying high enough for safety, the infantry were supposed to signal their positions by lights or by laying down strips of cloth on the ground. When circumstances presented them from undertaking their regular work, the Jagdstaffeln were generally detailed to assist the Infanterieflieger.

Infanterieflug – Infantry flight – ground forces contact mission. Often abbreviated to Ifl.

Jagdeinsitzer - single-seater hunting vehicle

Jagdfieber - hunting fever

Jagdfliegertruppe – The hunting pilot troop.

Jagdfliegerwetter – Ideal weather for fighter operations.

Jagdfliegrie – fighter (hunter) aviation.

Jagdflug – hunting or fighter flight

Jagdgflugzeugen fighter aircraft

Jagdgebiet – hunting area

Jagdketten – hunting chains/flights, used like geschwader to indicate a formation of fighter aircraft

Jagdmachinen- Hunting machines.

Jagdschutz – hunting protection/fighter escort

Jagdstaffelführer – just another title for a squadron commander, like the shorter, Jastaführer.

Jägerblick - hunters gaze, the ability to see the enemy.

die Jungfräulichkeit des Häschentums - The virginity of bunnyhood.

Jungvögel – fledglings.

K-Munition – K or Kern ammunition. An armor piercing small arms bullet deigned to penetrate tank armor.

Kahns – boat, or barge. Berthold used this term for his DVII, “mein neuen Kahns.”

Kampfmeßer - combat knife

Kampfmoral – fighting morale

Kanone – literally, Cannon. A pilot who has achieved ten Luftsieg. There are variations on this title. A – Big Cannon, Großkanone is an ace pilot with over ten aerial victories and an Ober Kanone it a ‘top gun’ like Richthofen or Voss.

Karussellfahrt – carousel ride, slang for an uncontrollable flat spin or other loss of control of the aircraft.

Kartoffelstampfer – Potato Masher. The Germans and British used the same term for the German stick grenade.

Kasino – Officers Mess

Kasinoabenden – an evening in the Kasino.

Kientopp-Pilot – slang for cinema pilot, used for observers who took film of the enemy lines with a series camera. Keintopp or Kintopp is a slang for Kino/cinema.

Kiste – Crate, aircraft

Klar? – clear/is that understoof?

Klöße – dumplings, slang for wheel chocks.

Kennzeichen – personal or identification marking.

Kette – section of 3 to 4 aircraft

Ketten – plural of Kette

Kettenhund - chained dog, military police because of the gorget they wore. This term was also used to refer to the members of a Kette, rechter Kettenhund and linker Kettenhund/left and right chain dog on either side of the Ketteführer

Klöße – dumplings, slang for wheel chocks.

Klötze – blocks/chocks.

„Klötze weg!" – “blocks/chocks away!”

Kogenluft – Kommandeur der Flieger.

Kokarde -Cockade, plural Kokarden

Kokardenjagd – Cockade hunting. A Phrase used by Otto Fuchs in his book, ‘Wir Flieger’.

Kokardenträger – Cockade wearer or bearer

Kraftwagen Abteilung - Motor Vehicle Department, what in English speaking armies would be called the Motor Pool.

Krankenschwester - The word for nurse in German, literally, sister of the sick. Often shortened to Schwester , sister. This can confuse them with nuns, which they sometimes are.

Kriegsersatz - war subsitutes

Kriegsflug- war flight/combat flight

Kriegsgott - a war god.

Kriegslieder – war songs

Kriegsmüdigkeit war weariness

Kruzifix – crucifix, a milt explative, the Bavarian form is Zefix.

Küchenbullen – Kitchen Bull, Head Cook.

Küchenhengst – Kitchen Stallion, another slang term for Head Cook.

Kugelfanger – bullet catcher – wounded often

Kugeln – bullets

Kühler – Cooler, radiator.

Kunden – Customers, slang for an opponent. Brzenk 45

Kurvenkempf – corner battle, in English, turn fight

Kurvenspiel – corner play another term for a Kurvenkempf in English – a turn fight.

Küken – chick, Küken is both the singular and plural form.

Kurbelei – cranking, slang for melee. It means cranking such as turning the handle of a coffee grinder or an automobile starter of the time. Hand Jungwirth used the term wilde Kurbelei to describe a fight with DH9s. Gekurbel – wind-up, is a similar term that is used as slang for a melee.

Landestelle - die Landestelle/landing site.

Landekreuz – Landing cross/Landing T. At some airports, a landing tee is installed, which indicates wind direction but not speed. The wind tee swings with the wind so that it is readable as the letter "T" when you are facing into the wind. At some airports, the landing tee might be manually set by persons at the airport.
Note from Jentsch p42 So I fly to the airfield and turn off the engine over the landing cross, which is made of white cloth and is always laid in a T-shape facing the wind. It is landed in the direction of the longitudinal beam to the cross beam.

Landgaul – country nag or cart horse.

Landser – a Saxon term for a foot soldier, in WWII it was adopted as a general term for a German infantryman, used like G.I.

Landsleut – Fellow countrymen/compatriot

Latrinenparole - latrine talk, rumors

Laufjunge – running boy, an insult

Laurigkeit moodiness/unpredictability

Lausoleum - Humerious slang for a steam delousing oven

Lazarett – Military hospital, short for Feldlazarett, pluaral Larzarette

Lebensmüde – Life tiredness. Used in connection with doing something dangerous, risking one’s life in doing so. An English equivalent would be, “the guy must be tired of living.” Suicidal.

lebenslustig – fun-loving.

Lebt wohl – literally translated - live well, equates to farewell.

legen Sie den Löffel weg - put the spoon away/put the spoon down. Used like ‘when you kick the bucket.’

Leibbinde – Waistband, a term used for a band around the middle of the fuselage. This term was used by Ritter von Schliech. So, it is probably Bavarian aviation slang, I have not seen it used elsewhere

Leibstaffel – not really translatable, but it means the staffel with which you identify. Someone might say something about their alten Leibstaffel, meaning my previous squadron.

Leichen-Vertriebs-Gesellschaft – Corpse distribution company, a disapproving slang for LVG aircraft.

Leichenfinger – corpse fingers, a slang term for tracer bullets.

Leichte Beute - easy prey



Leuchtkuge - Luminous ball/flare

Leuchtmunition – illuminated ammunition/flare cartridge.

Leuchtspur- Tracer

Leutchen - little people, usually a reference to the workers at HQ

Lewisgewehr – Lewis gun

Lieb – body, the fuselage is often referred to as the body of the plane, as in, ‘the body of his bird.’

Litewka – pre-war pattern uniform jacket, retained in some Landstürm units during the war. This was Rudolf Bertholds favorite tunic and he wears it in many of the photographs of him.

Los! - Come on!

Lufterkundung – Literally; Aerial exploration, meaning aerial reconnaissance.

Luftgesecht, ein - ein Luftgesecht is an air battle. It doesn’t translate quite the same without the ein in front. Don’t know why.

Luftkampf-Novizen – air combat novice

Luftkampfaktivitäten – air combat activity

Luftkampfberichte – Air combat report

Luftkampfes – aerial fight – usually translated as dogfight.

Luftkampfregel – air combat rule, standard operating procedure, either from Staffel/Geschwader policy or an understanding between two pilots who work together as wingmen.

Luftkampfübung – air combat exercise

Luftnachrichtenoffizier - air intelligence officer

Luftsieg/Luftsiege -Aerial victory, singular and plural. Sometimes shortened to just Sieg.

Luftsieger – aerial winner, as in 7-fache Luftsieger/7 time aerial winner

Luftstreitkräfte – German air forces

Lufttüchtigkeit - airworthiness

Maikäfer – cockchafer or May beatle

Maschine – Machine/aircraft, plural Maschinen

Machinengewehren – Machine guns, usually referred to as just MG

Meldung war Meldung – A report is a report, rather like orders are orders. If it has been reported, it has to be looked into.

Mannschaften – enlisted men

Mannschaftenfliegern – enlisted pilots

Marschbefehl – marching orders.

Maßenkempf – mass struggle

Mechaniker - Mechanic

Mensch! – Man! Used much like it would in English like ‘Man… that’s good!’

Methusalem – an old machine is often referred to as an alter Methusalem/old Methuselah

MGK – acronym for Maschinen-Gewehr Kampagnie (Machine Gun Company)

.MG-Mann- Member of a Machine Gun unit.

Militärgeistlich – Military Chaplain/plural Militärgeistliche

Minimaxes – a type of fire extinguisher

Mister – ein Mister is yet another slang word for an English or American flier

Mittageßen - lunch

Mittags – mid-day

Mittagsstunde – mid day hour/lunch hour/noon

Mittagszeit – another way of saying lunchtime.

Mitternacht - Midnight

Möbelwagen – Furniture van, slang for a large bomber.

Molle – a trough formed container, synonym for bed. This term, according to “Im Kampf wider Kokarde und weißen Adler: Jagdflüge des Leutnants der Reserve Hans Brzenk” Brzenk’s memoir, is a slang term for an aircraft.

Monteur – fitter or just mechanic/technician, plural Monteuren. Also erster Monteur – first mechanic and Monteur des Chefs – Chief Mechanic or Fitter.

Morgen Muffel – Morning grouch.

Müble – Mill. This term, according to “Im Kampf wider Kokarde und weißen Adler: Jagdflüge des Leutnants der Reserve Hans Brzenk” Brzenk’s memoir, is a slang term for an aircraft.

Munitionslager – ammunition dump/depot

Na na! - well,well used like yeah-right

Nach Hause! - Home! As in let’s go home or home James.

Nach Hause! - Home! As in let’s go home or home James.

Nach Tisch – after a meal. Example, we went up after the meal. Tisch by itself is ‘table.’

Nachtbombenfilm – night bombing film, night bombing mission, like saying night bombing ‘show’ in English.

Nachmittag - afternoon

Nachrichtenblatt - weekly Intelligence summary, credited aerial victories are published here.

Nerven wie Bindfäden - nerves are as taut as twine, as in ‘his nerves are at taut as twine.’

Neuling – newbie, plural neulinge

Niemandsland – No man’s land.

Nieuportkampfeinfitzer – Nieuport fighter single seater. Jentsch 137

noch nicht entschieden - (not yet determined.) as applied to a victory claim.

Notlandung – emergency landing

.Ober/der Ober – The translation of “Jagdstaffel 356” interprets der Ober as, the Chief when referring to the Staffelführer. Litteraly this is the word for waiter, but obviously has a different meaning in this case.
The Staffelführer in the book above was an Oberleutnant Olden, he was called der Ober or just Ober by his pilots and men as short for Oberleutnant and a sort of spitzname.


Ober Kanone - a ‘top gun’ like Richthofen or Voss.

Oesche - Ox, idiot

.Offizier zur besonderen Verwendung - Special duties officer sometimes shortened to Ozbv or Offizier zbV. Something like an Executive Officer in charge of just about everything the commander doesn’t want to do to keep the Staffel running well. This position is the equivalent of Adjutant.
Sometimes Ozbv was shortened to B.V., pronounced Bevau.


Offizierstellvertreter - like the rank Feldwebelleutnant, an enlisted rank with the responsibilities of an officer, but with none of its perks. OffzSt is the abbreviation, not much better.

OffzSt is the abbreviation for Offizierstellvertreter

Orden Pour le Merite des kleinen Mannes - Order of the Pour le Merite for Lesser Men, a slang term for the Knight’s cross of the order of the house of Hohenzollern with Swords, This phrase was used by Carl Degelow on page 126 of “Black Fokker Leader.”
This term was also used for the Golden Military Merit Cross, which was the highest award that could be given to an enlisted man.

Ordonnanzen – orderly, a more dignified term than Bursch, which is also used.

Ostereier – Easter eggs/bombs. Also verspäteten Ostereier, belated Easter eggs.

Ostermontag – Easter Monday (Ostermontag) is an annual public holiday in Germany that follows Easter Sunday, which remembers Jesus Christ's resurrection, according to Christian belief. It is observed with various local customs. These include early morning candle-lit parades, walks in the countryside and egg races.
As all of you Engländer will be aware, it is a Bank Holliday over across the pond.

Ostfront -Eastern Front.

Patrouillenflüg, Patrouillenflüge - patrol flight, singular and plural.

Pendelkurven – Pendelum curves. Swinging an aircraft back and forth to throw off a pursuers aim.

Personal-Abteilung – Personnel Department

persönliches Abzeichen – personal badge

Pfalzeinsitzer – Pfalz single seater. Pfalz translates as Palatinate, a region in Bavaria.

Pfelger – male nurse

Ph –Munition – Phosphorus ammunition for igniting observation balloons.

Phosphorbrandpatronen - phosphorus firing cartridges

Pilotenkasino – Pilot's kasino, what the British and Americans would call the Officer’s Mess.

Piloterie – Piloting, as in her is a master of piloting.

Platz - place or maybe pitch, referring to landing strip

Platzkommandant – airdrome commander.

Portwein-Augen - port wine eyes -bloodshot eyes, reference to the cockades on the English machines.

Propellerwind – Propeller wind/slipstream

Prost/Pröstichen – Bottom up/Cheers

Ps - PS was created to be the metric equivalent of horsepower. The letters stand for “pferdestärke,” which actually translates to “horsepower” in German. One PS is equal to about 0.9863 of one horsepower.

Purzelbäumen - somersaults

Pustrohren – blowpipes, euphemism for machine guns.

Putzer – literal translates as cleaner. It is used as slang for a valet.

Quasselstrippe – chatterbox, a humorous slang term for a telephone.

Rabenschwarz – Raven black, like pitch black in English.

Räuberhauptmann – Robber chief/captain.

Rauchwölkchen – little clouds of smoke

Radlandung – wheel landing, landing so that the aircraft rolls along the ground without the tail skid on the ground until it has slowed almost to a stop.

Raubvögel – bird of prey

Rasender Teufel – racing demon

RbZ - Reihenbildzug – units created to use new double cameras march 1917.

The primary aircraft used was the Rumpler Rebuild, a stripped down version of the Rumpler CIV, taking out such things as the forward gun and other extraneous equipment to lighten them up. It c ould go as high as 7,300 meters.


*RE – Reconnaissance Experimental – The Germans often referred to Allied types as SEs, BFs, RE and other abbreviations.

Regentagen – rainy days

Regimentschef – colonel of regiment

Regimentskameraden - regimental comrades

Reisemaschine – Travel machine/squadron hack.

Reihenbildzug – RbZ units created to use new double cameras march 1917.

The primary aircraft used was the Rumpler Rebuild, a stripped down version of the Rumpler CIV, taking out such things as the forward gun and other extraneous equipment to lighten them up. It c ould go as high as 7,300 meters.


Rasender Teufel – racing demon

Rollen – taxi, as in taxi your aircraft/Rollte – taxied/ rollte er seine Kiste-taxied his crate

Rumplerkiste – Rumpler box or crate, a Rumpler C type aircraft

Sanitäter - a combat medic, sani for short

Sanka acronym for for field ambulance

Sattler - leather worker

Schäferhund - German Shepherd

Schar - Flock

Schaukel – swing. This term, according to “Im Kampf wider Kokarde und weißen Adler: Jagdflüge des Leutnants der Reserve Hans Brzenk” Brzenk’s memoir, is yet another slang term for an aircraft.

Scheinwerfern – Headlights/searchlights

Schiedsgericht - Arbitration council for kill disputes within a Geschwader. The board had one rep from each Staffel and one from Geschwader HQ. After arbitration the claim is sent to Armee HQ. I assume there must have been other such councils within every local air command.

Schimpfkanonade – Rant cannonade, a bawling out, cannonade of abuse, bollocking etc.

Schlachtroß – warhorse, slang for a fighter aircraft.

Schlachtfelde – battlefield

Schlachtflug – battle flight, usually refers to a ground attack.

Schlagboltzenbruch - Firing pin breakage.

Schlagels – a slang for French soldiers. The "Schängel" is the symbol and nickname of the Koblenz population. During the French rule in Koblenz in the 19th century, the name was used as a local variation of the French "Jean", a name for the occupiers from France and for the children, the "Schängelchen", who arose from the fraternization.

Schlagenden Vertdinung student association with ritual dueling

Schlechtens – bad experience

Schnauze – snout, euphemism for the nose section of an aircraft.

Schneebälle – snowballs/shrapnel

Schnirpsflieger – pilots who fly rotary engine aircraft, usually Fokkers. The name comes from the Schnirpsknopf or blip switch used in operating these machines. K.F. Kurt Jentsch’s ’Jagdflieger im Feuer’ published in 1937, K.J. Sander Berlag, Magdeburg.

Schnirpsknopf - blip switch

Schnurshuh – military laced ankle boot.

Schönwetterpiloten – fair weather pilot

Schrapnells – Shrapnel

Schrapnellbällchen – little shrapnel balls

Schrapnellwölkchen -Shrapnel clouds

Schreiber – writer/clerk

Schreibstube – literally, writing room, or office. Used for what the American military calls the ‘Orderly Room.’

Schutzengel – Guardian Angel. The rearmost position in a flying formation which is centered on and above the others is called the Guardian Angel position. It is occupied by an experienced flyer and they are responsible for preventing the formation from being surprised from the rear.

Schützengrabenzigarre – Trench cigar. Nasty Army and Fleet issue.

Schwanzlandung – tail landing, a three point landing.

Schwarm – any formation larger than a Kette. Used interchangeably with geschwader. (Bruno J11 p 140)


Schwarzer Mann – Black men. Ground crewmen.

schwarzen Rußßtupfer – black swabs (dots) of soot….flak.

Silbergrauen – silver-gray, the aluminum dope often used on the Pfalz and Nieuport.

Sieg – victory/win. A short version of Luftsieg.

SmK -Munition - SmK stands for “pointed bullet with core”. The 7.92 mm cartridge had a hardened steel core. Also referred to as K or Kern-Munition.

SE – Scouting Experimental – S.E.5 - The Germans often referred to Allied types as SEs, BFs, RE and other abbreviations.

Scherge -thug

Soldatenheim – Soldier’s mess

Sopwitze – Slang term for Sopwiths, Sop-jokes, this is a play on the word Sopwith, Sop + witze/jokes. Sometimes it is hässlichen Sopwitze, ugly jokes.

Spad-Verein – Spad club, slang for any size group of Spad aircraft.

Späher – scout. Several different slang terms were used to refer to the pilot who flew above and behind the formation, primarily responsible for detection any enemy threat. Among these was der Späher; der Schutzengel – Guarding Angel and dad Häschen- the Hare.

spanischen Reiter – Spanish Rider - The "knife rest" or "Spanish rider" is a modern wire obstacle functionally similar to the cheval de frise, and sometimes called that. Triple concertina wire fence. A complex obstacle belt of low wire entanglement backed by a double apron fence. Both obstacles have movable openings that can be blocked with knife rests.

spaßhaften Beschimpfungen – funny or joking insults/ribbing

Spateinsitzer – literally late one seater, means Spad single-seater. This term was used by Werner Dittman, Jasta 13, when writing a letter to a fallen pilot’s sister.

Spatzen – Sparrows, slang for Spad single-seaters

Speisesaal – dining room/hall.

Sperreflug - Barrier flight/Barrage patrol.

Spiess – acronym for Sergeant Major. Used like ‘Top Sergeant.’ It literally means pike, the weapon, not the fish.

Sprengpunkten – (Flak/Archie) detonation points.

Sprengwölkchen – explosive clouds (Flak/Archie)

Spurnase - sense of smell, an awareness of what is going on around you and feel anything out of place.

Staffelkennung – squadron marking

Staffel-Kameraden – Squadron mates

Staffelbemalung – Staffel livery

Staffelfarbe unit color

Staffelerfolg – Staffel success, the tally of a Staffel’s victories, some not attributed to an individual pilot.

Staffelführer – another way of saying squadron commander, like Jastaführer and Jagdstaffelführer.

Staffelführung – Staffel leader ship. Staffelführung in der Luft – Staffel leadership in the air.

Staffelsieg – Staffel victory

Stammflugzeug – literally, parent aircraft. In English we would say ‘regular aircraft.’ This is the personal aircraft assigned to and used by a pilot.

Ställe – stables, sometimes used to refer to a hangar

Stammpersonal permanent staff Gastepersonal – Temporary staff.

Standpredigt – standing sermon, yet another slang term for a butt chewing.

Startmann – Starter, these people help with the aircraft at, to and coming from the ‘Start’ or takeoff place.

Stammeinheit parent unit

Stammregiment – main or partent regiment. The unit a pilot belonged to before he jointed the Fliegertruppe. Pilots often continued to wear the uniform of their regiment.

Startmannschaft. – starting team

Steckrube – turnip, plural Steckruben.

Steckrubenwinter- turnip winter, the 1916-17 starvation winter in Germany.

Stießtrommler - Bum Dunmmer (teacher, derogatory)

Stellvertretender Staffelführer -Deputy Squadron Leader

Stiftenkopf – short, military haircut, known as a crew cut in the American military

Stundenkilometern – Kilometers per hour.

Sturzflug – nosedive

Sturzhelm – crash helmet.

Strippe – litarily strip/string/line. Colloquially it is used for telephone, as in English, I got on the line with HQ.

Taube – Dove. All aircraft were usually described as a Taube by ground personnel. The British also used this same term on occasion, to indicate a German aircraft.

Teufelsfaust – Devil’s fist, 3 to 6 hand grenades bound together at their heads. Officially they were referred to as a Geballte Ladung (Consentrated Load)This causes all to go off together. These were used by aircraft, especially among the Schlachtfliegern, to drop on tanks.

Tierarzthelferin - Veterinarians Assistant

Tragdecks - die tragdecks, supporting decks, euphemism for wings as in Doppledecker (double decker) or Dreidecker (three decker). die unteren Tragdecks are the lower wings.

Trikoleren - Tricolors

Trommelfeuer – Drumfire, the heavy bombardment that precedes an attack.

Trudeln – spin; kommt ins Trudeln – goes into a spin.

Ubrutschen – slipping/side slipping

uralte Kanonen – Ancient Cannons, a slang term for old, experienced pilots, especially pre-war flyers. Rodenbach FA23 p20

Umlaufmotoren – Rotary engines

Underarzf – NCO medical officer

Ungehörigkeit - impropriety

Unhöflich – impolite, rude, ungentlemanly, a word Paul Bäumer used to describe Werner Voss.

Unkraut Verdirbt Nicht - bad things never end/when it rains it pours

uns einmal die Knochen ordentlich durchpusten laßen- Let our bones get shot up

Unteroffizierspiloten - noncommissioned pilots

Überlebensfest – survival celebration.

Überzieht – overdraw. To overdraw your machine means you have lost too much power and will stall or slip or spin.

Vaterlandsverteidiger – ein Vaterlandsverteidiger is a defender of the Fatherland.

Verbandpäckchen – first aid wound dressing.

Verfranzt – lost

Verein – association/club. Some pilot’s von Tutschek among them, referred to their Staffel as their club.

Voll Blüter – full blood, a thoroughbred. The Fokker DVII was described this way by Rudolf Stark

Verschlimmbeßerung – an attempted improvement that makes things worse.

Verstanden? - understood?

Versteh’ mer’ richtig! – Understand correctly! In English vernacular this would be ‘Are we clear!’

der Vertreter Old-Englands – The representative of Old England, slang for an English airman or aircraft.

Vize – Slang for Vizefeldwebel, used like Sarge or Gunny.

voll gas – Full gas/full throttle.

Vormittag – late morning

Waffenmeister – Armoury Master/Armorer. Non-commissioned officer with special training, who is responsible for the maintenance of weapons and equipment related to them.

Waffenrock – uniform tunic.

Wagelagererwetter - highwayman’s weather because you can doge around in the clouds to surprise enemy.

Wagenschmiere – Wagon grease, a euphemism for poor quality margarine.

Waldlandung – Forest landing, also Baumlandung – tree landing.

Wanderlung – change, as in a transformation

Waschküche – Laundry room. Passing through the laundry room means going though clouds.

.Wassermantel – water jacket, radiator

Wegtreten! Step away/fall out

weißen Häubchen - die weißen Häubchen-the white caps, slang for nurses.

Walfisch – Whale. Nickname for the Roland CII.

Weichlich - soft

Weltbrand - global conflagration

Weltschmerz - the pain of the world, depression.

Werkmeister - Engineering officer sometimes NCO

Wetterfroch weather frog/ weather man. This name for a weather forecaster comes from a German/Swiss tradition of using a Laubfrosch (leaf frog or in English, tree frog) in a glass jar with a ladder in it. If the frog climbed the ladder, the weather was supposed to be good, if it stayed in the bottom of the jar it would rain.

Wie gehts? - Hows it going

Wespen– Wasps. A slang term for fighter aircraft, more often used by two-seater crews.

Wilhelmsgeschütze – Wilhelm’s guns. The railguns that started firing on Paris 23 March 1918.

winkende Häuschen Unglück (yes caps as they are) something like a walking disaster area person.

Wilden Mann – Wild man.

Wir fliegen nach Hause! - We're flying home!"

Wolkenkugeln – cloud balls/Flak bursts.

Wolkenreiter – Cloud rider.

Wundertier - Wonderfull or magical beast man/machine combo like a god flying over battlefield. From Adolf Ritter von Tutschek’s autobiography, translated and editied by Jason Crouthhamel for “Memorirs of German Pilots in the First World War, Vol.1” from Aeronaut Books.

Zelte - tents

Zickzackkurs schlängeln – Zig zag, meandering course.

Zielvorgabe! Target/mission

ziemlich die Nase – wet our noses, get sloshed

Zigarettenstummel – cigarette butt.

Zlazw- see zur Landung gezwungen

Zuckerfabrik - sugar factory

Zum Wohl – to your health.

zur Landung gezwungen or zlgzw – victory claim that counts only as an aircraft forced to land behind its own lines. Does not count as a Luftsieg.

Zweikampf – a duel between two warriors.

Zweimotorige – twin-engine, as in zweimotorige Friedrichschafener or Gotha.

Zwischengeparkt – parked

CHARACTERS