Fokker Dr.I, 1:48, Eduard, Ltn. Karl August Raben, Jasta 18, 4 victories

This iconic aircraft of the Great War has its collection in almost every modeler who deals with this period. I was not one of them, so I decided to build three of them. Today I would like to present the first of them.
The construction was relatively simple (relaxing) without any major complications. The parts fit well and I think that the Eduard kit is much better than the Dragon that I once built. Basically, I only added or changed a few details.
As for the history and development of the aircraft, there are many detailed descriptions and articles available, so I will only briefly talk about the pilot.
"Born on 2 December 1892, Raben had first served in the 2. Thüringisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr 55. His service in this field artillery unit earned him the prestigious Ducal Saxe-Ernestine House Order on 22 March 1916. On 18 April, 1916, he transferred to the air service. After pilot training his first aviation combat assignment was with Kampfstaffel 25 of Kampfgeschwader 5 in August 1916. On 1 January 1917, the Kampfgeschwader were dissolved and their Staffeln were redesignated as Schutzstaffeln (Schusta) or protection/escort squadrons. Raben's unit became Schusta 7, and he continued to fly with that unit until the end of January, when he converted to flying fighters. His first fighter squadron assignment was Royal Prussian Jasta 36 on 17 February 1917. After gaining experience with Jagdstaffel 36, Raben was transferred to the new Jasta 39 as Staffelführer on 2 August 1917. Soon after he formed this new unit it was selected as one of three Jagdstaffeln that were to be sent to the Isonzo Front in Italy to bolster the Austro-Hungarian forces. It was there that Raben appropriately achieved the first successes of his squadron, when he shot down two Caproni bombers on 26 September. Jasta 39 performed admirably under Raben's leadership, notching up 25 victories in just six weeks. Then Raben was seriously wounded by anti-aircraft fire at Ste Dona de Piava on 17 November 1917, and left for the hospital. He returned to the Western Front in time for the Kaiserschlacht of 1918, and was placed in command of Jasta 15 on 14 March 1918, just six days before the swap with Jasta 18.
He was injured in a crash on his first day as commander of the "new" Jasta 18, on 20 March. However, he returned to command the unit and bring his score up to 4 victories. According to Neal O'Connor, he was wounded five times but apparently some of the wounds were not severe enough to count towards a wound badge in gold."
After the November Revolution, he formed the Raben Freikorps in Berlin in 1918, which fought at the Berlin Palace and the Marstall. The Freikorps was considered "particularly strong" in Hamburg. The Freikorps was later incorporated into the Heinz Assault Regiment. He subsequently fought in the Baltic States as an adjutant to Russian General Pavel Mikhailovich Bermondt-Awaloff, participated in the Kapp Putsch, and subsequently joined the Erhardt Marine Brigade. He fled to Hungary and returned after his amnesty, becoming a member of the Orgesch and subsequently in the Upper Silesian Border Guard.

After returning from Upper Silesia, he moved to Hamburg-Altona. There, with the rank of retired Rittmeister (captain), he built a secret organization with the help of his former Freikorps followers under the code name "Stammtisch der Raben" (Ravens' Regulars' Table) or "Die rändende Hand" (The Avenging Hand). He hired dozens of former Russian White Army officers as dockworkers with the aim of restoring the monarchy in the Soviet Union. His secret society pursued the goals of overthrowing the Weimar Republic, financially exploiting and murdering Jewish individuals, and harming members of left-wing parties. The secret society was uncovered by the Altona police in 1922; Raben and other of his followers were arrested, and the Russian dockworkers were expelled from the country. In February 1923, he was arrested again during a meeting of the Altona local branch of the banned Greater German Workers' Party, which he chaired. Along with Raben, the well-known Freikorps leader Gerhard Roßbach was also arrested. Roßbach, Raben, and others were released after 24 hours. He subsequently worked for the African Fruit Company in Cameroon.

During World War II, he commanded a battalion formed from the SA Standard "Feldherrnhalle" and was killed in action during the breakthrough of the Maginot Line in France with the rank of major in the reserve.

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8 additional images. Click to enlarge.