Oswald Boelcke; 19 May 1891–28 October 1916) was a German flying ace of the First World War and one of the most influential patrol leaders and tacticians of the early years of air combat. Boelcke is considered the father of the German fighter air force; he was the first to formalise the rules of air fighting, which he presented as the Dicta Boelcke. Germany's premier ace, Manfred von Richthofen (The Red Baron), had been taught by Boelcke and continued to idolise his late mentor long after he had surpassed Boelcke's tally of victories.
"I am after all only a combat pilot, but Boelcke, he was a hero." (Manfred von Richthofen, September 1917).

Boelcke was killed when his Albatros D.II collided with that of Böhme, a pilot of his own squadron, during a dog fight with DH.2s flown by No. 24 Squadron RFC. By then Boelcke had 40 successes to his credit, a record that stood until von Richthofen exceeded it six months later. Böhme survived the collision but subsequently fell into a deep depression and had to be restrained from committing suicide. However, he achieved 24 victories before he was also killed in action in November 1917. Exactly one year, one month and one day after Boelcke's death.

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