Ltn Heinerich Kroll, Jasta 24 Fokker D.VII

[davecww1]

Does anyone have any information (photo or drawing) of Kroll's Fok. D.VII?  I just read an article about Jasta 24 in Over the Front, and he was the Staffelfuhrer of Jasta 24, with over 30 confirmed victories and even won the Blue Max.  But I have been unable to find any photo or drawings of his Fokker D.VII, which was Fok (Alb) 660/18.  I checked the Windsock fokker anthology vol. 2 and also Osprey's Fokker D VII Aces pt 2 and neither has a photo of this aircraft or drawing.
Can anyone help me with this one?
Thanks
Dave

[petrov27]

Hi Dave,

I found the below online from Greg VanWyngarden:

Kroll of Jasta 24 was photographed with Fokker D.VII (Alb) 660/18, not 666/18. This photo appears on page 35 of Alex Imrie's "German Air Aces of World War One" (Vintage Warbirds No. 8, Arms & Armour 1987) and on page 81 of Neal O'Connor's Volume 2 on Aviation Awards of Imperial Germany, Prussia.(1990). The serial is partially obscured but it is clearly 660/18.The photo shows no special markings.

[davecww1]

Thanks Petrov...
Wow I do not have either one of these books.  Seems odd that the photo shows no personal markings, unless it was taken when 660/18 first arrived perhaps... he had a ying yang emblem painted on his Albatros D.V so perhaps he had this on his Fokker.  Seems strange that a winner of the Blue max would not have some kind of personal marking applied to an aircraft that he obtained 9 or 10 victories in before being wounded...
Dave

[petrov27]

I have one of the two books mentioned by Greg and indeed there are no special markings to be seen though the photo does not show the tail of the Fokker (it is a fairly close in  3/4 front view with Kroll standing in front of the a/c)

The a/c does look fairly "fresh" - maybe it was just arrived as you say and could have received markings later, but maybe no photo ever recorded it.

That is a tough call as a modeler - of course we want to do aircraft with personal markings for the pilot, but if no proof one way or the other exists then I guess it is up to us to decide how we want to show it?

[davecww1]

Either that or I will have to do his Albatros DV someday since there is a photo of that one. 
Dave