The German military has been testing fighter designs at Adlershof. A series of fighter evaluation flights by front line pilots are taking place.
One of the aircraft under test is the Zeppelin-Lindau D.I, a single-seat, all-metal stressed skin, monocoque, cantilever-wing biplane fighter which had first flown only a month earlier on 4 June 1918.
Willhelm Reinhard
The aircraft was supposed to have been grounded at the time for structural improvements but both Lieutenant Hermann Goering (the Commander of Jasta 27 and Hauptmann Wilhelm Reinhard (the commander of Jagdgeschwader 1 since Manfred von Ricthofen’s death), flew the plane.
Goering’s flight ended without incident, but Reinhard was killed when the top wing broke off as he pulled out of a dive.
Goering was appointed commander of Jagdgeschwader 1 a few days later.
Despite Goering’s later career there is no suspicion that Reinhard’s death was anything other than an accident.
airwar19141918 