Of all of the German aerial units which served during World War I, Jastas 15 and 18 shared the most unusual history. After assuming command of JGII in March, 1918, Hptm Rudolph Berthold tried to have his old unit, Jasta 18, attached to JGII. After failing to do so, he then arranged to have all of Jasta 18’s flying personnel, aircraft, and unit markings swapped out with those of Jasta 15, a unit already attached to JGII. Jasta 18 became Jasta 15, and Jasta 15 became 18.
After the transition, Jasta 18 was commanded by Ltn August Raben and the unit became unofficially known by its commander's name - Jasta Raben (German for "ravens"). The unit's new colors featured a distinctive red and white color scheme with a black Raven emblazoned on the fuselage.
Though the unit was mostly made up of Albatrosses, and later, DVII's, this particular Pfalz DIIIa was also assigned to the unit. Ltn d R Hans Müller, a 12 victory ace, is known to have flown this aircraft during the spring of 1918. Müller's personal insignia included diagonal fuselage bands and a chevron striped tailplane, however no photographic evidence is known to exist to suggest that this aircraft carried those markings.
Jasta Raben Pfalz9" x 18"
oil on linen
Detail shots can be found on my website:
http://www.russellsmithart.com/Small%20pages/Jasta%20Raben%20Pfalz.html