About Fritz Kempf
Frederich "Fritz" Kempf was born in May 1894 in Freiburg in Breisgau (father Dr.h.v. Friedrich Wilhelm Kempf, mother Adelgunde Kempf). At age 19, he joined infantry in October 1913 and was promoted to Unteroffizier in August 1914. In Battle he was seriously wounded and remained in the hospital until February 1915. During the healing process he applied for a transfer to the Luftstreitkraefte arriving at FEA 3 in Gotha on May 6, 1915. He was then sent back to Freiburg to complete training and then on to FEA 9 at Darmstadt at the end of November 1915. In January 1916, at Kampfstaffel 20 of Kampfgeschwader 4, he fought on the Somme and at Verdun. With Halbgeschwader I he fought in Romania and Macedonia, then returned to the Western Front in February 1917. On March 20th, 1917, he received the Iron Cross 1st Class and joined Jasta 2 "Boelcke". He shot down a BE2d on 30th April, a Sopwith Pup on 5th May, a Sopwith Camel on 20th October and, after a period at Jastaschule I, another Sopwith Camel on 8th May 1918. He returned to Jastaschule Iwhere he served until the end of the war. He died in August 1966.
His favorite phrase was "do you remember me?" (kennsch mi noch?) something he said to everyone, known and unknown. This also stood on the wing of his Fokker Dr1 aircraft.
The Kempf family would like to thank Walter Waiss, Archivar Traditionsgemeinschaft Boelcke e.V. We also recommend his latest book: Des Kaisers Flieger in Macedonien 1914 - 1918
