August Delling

Leutnant August Delling was a German World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.

On 19 October 1895, August Delling was born on a farm at Braunetsrieth in northeastern Bavaria. As World War I began, Delling joined the Bavarian artillery service in August 1914. By September, he was an Unteroffizier. On 1 September 1916, he was commissioned as a Leutnant and placed in command of an artillery unit.^[1]

On 25 June 1917, Delling transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte (German Air Service). He underwent pilot's training at the Bavarian Jastaschule 2 in Furth. Upon graduation, on 16 March 1918 he was posted direct to a fighter squadron, Royal Bavarian Jagdstaffel 34.^[1] In accordance with German custom, Delling was allowed to mark his own Albatros D.V, serial numbered D.4483/17. Over the basic silvery white of the fuselage went a light red wash from nose to cockpit, with the same red in a wide band around the fuselage. Wings remained standard five-color lozenge camouflage. The tailplane maintained its stock coloring of green and lavender on top, but the undersides were light blue and the rudder was painted white.^[2] Delling is also known to have operated a third or fourth hand Fokker Dr.I triplane, though probably without his personal markings.^[3]

Between 6 April and 23 June 1918, Delling was credited with five confirmed aerial victories, but denied confirmation on a sixth credited to an anti-aircraft unit. On 3 August 1918, Delling left combat duty with Jasta 34 because of ill health. He would recoup to fly again as an instructor at Bavaria's Fliegerersatz-Abteilung (Replacement Detachment) 2.^[1]

August Delling survived the war and went on to become a director of the firm of Huecke and Buhren. He died on 17 June 1962^[1] in Battenberg.^[4]

• Kingdom of Bavaria's Military Merit Order (Fourth Class with Swords)
• Iron Cross Second and First Class.^[1]

• Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank W.; Guest, Russell. Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918. Grub Street, 1993. ISBN 0-948817-73-9, ISBN 978-0-948817-73-1.
• Franks, Norman. Albatros Aces of World War 1. Part 1 of Albatros Aces of World War I. Osprey Publishing, 2000. ISBN 1-85532-960-3, ISBN 978-1-85532-960-7.
• Norman Franks, Greg VanWyngarden. Fokker Dr I Aces of World War I. Osprey Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1-84176-223-7, ISBN 978-1-84176-223-4.