Albatros D.V, Ltn.d.R Wolf, Jasta 5, July 1917

In the deadly life or death struggle for supremacy of the skies during WWI, many airmen wanted to make their association with a particular aircraft as successful as possible, not only a visual representation of their combat prowess, but also creating a psychological bond between man and machine. 

Once this practice had become established, there was an explosion of colour over the trenches of the Western Front, as aircraft were adorned with personal schemes and regional or family emblems, some being so elaborate that they had historians questioning how aerodrome personnel had the time, skill or basic materials to apply these schemes. 

Jasta 5 would earn a reputation as one of the units possessing some of the most colourfully presented fighters and were given incredible freedom when it came to painting their aircraft, something which reflected the combat prowess the unit had earned. Of all the distinctively decorated aircraft to have represented the ‘Green Tails’, perhaps none was more flamboyant that the personal aircraft of Leutnant R Wolf, a pilot who may not have been one of the most successful pilots of the unit, but certainly knew how to decorate an Albatros. 

His scheme was linked to his heritage and featured an elaborate fuselage of blue and white diamonds, a representation of the Bavarian coat of arms and crest. Wolf used this aircraft following the introduction of the Albatros D.V during the summer of 1917.