Amazing photo shows gallant German First World War ace and the British fighter pilot he shot down... and then shook his hand and made him a coffee

They were supposed to be the deadliest of enemies, fighting on opposing sides during the darkest days of the First World War.

But this remarkable photograph shows a chivalrous German flying ace posing next to the British fighter pilot he had just shot down in the skies above the battlefields of the Somme.

And in a further display of unexpected gallantry, Oswald Boelcke - who is regarded as the father of the German Luftwaffe - then invited British rival Robert Wilson for a cup of coffee.

Oswald Boelcke, (right) who is regarded as the father of the German fighter air force, shot down Robert Wilson (left), of the 32 Squadron Royal Flying Corps, before inviting him to join him for coffee

The black and white photograph highlights the remarkable chivalry that existed between the rival air forces in the First World War, and has emerged 100 years after it was taken in 1916.

Captain Wilson, of the 32 Squadron Royal Flying Corps, had been flying over northern France when he was shot down by Boelcke and forced to crash land his biplane behind enemy lines.

Leaping from the burning plane, he had to beat out the flames on his arms and legs before he was tracked down by Boelcke - the legendary aviator who trained the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen.

But rather than hold Capt Wilson at gunpoint and send him away for interrogation, Boelcke shook his hand, took him for coffee in the mess and gave him a tour of his aerodrome.

The black and white picture was found in an album of 105 First World War photographs found in an old album amassed by an unknown German airman, which also includes this shot of a tank

An Imperial German aircraft with the pilot and gunner sitting inside. Capt Boelcke (not pictured) was legendary on both sides of No Man's Land for his chivalry

The German later wrote: 'When he went down, his machine was wobbling badly, but that, as he told me afterwards was not his fault, because I had shot his elevator to pieces.

'It landed near Thiepval - it was burning when the pilot jumped out, and he beat his arms and legs about because he was on fire too.

'I fetched the Englishman I had forced to land - a certain Captain Wilson - from the prisoners clearing depot, took him to coffee in the mess and showed him our aerodrome, whereby I had a very interesting conversation with him.'

Capt Wilson was shot down in September 1916 and was Capt Boelcke's 20th 'kill' of the war.

By that stage the German's legendary status had already been secured on both sides of No Man's Land.

Seven months earlier he had risked his life to fly over British lines and drop a letter informing them one of their missing airmen, Lieutenant Geoffrey Formilli, was alive and safe after he had personally visited him in hospital.

After being released at the end of the war, Capt Wilson described his encounter with Boelcke as 'the greatest memory of my life, even though it turned out badly for me.'

A destroyed German plane, as seen in the photo album, which is on sale for £1,000

The photo that has now emerged 100 years later was one of the last taken of Capt Boelcke as he was killed in action a month later after his plane had a mid-air collision with another German aircraft.

Although his crash-landing was survivable, he died from head injuries on impact because he never wore a helmet.

The picture is one of 105 First World War photographs found in an old album amassed by an unknown German airman.

Other images depict German aircraft, battle damage and aerial photos of Verdun, the scene of one of the biggest battles of the conflict that took place between February to December 1916.

Matthew Tredwin, of C&T Auctions of Ashford, Kent, said: 'Flying in the First World War was almost like a gentleman's club no matter which side you were on.

'An unspoken camaraderie existed between Allied and German pilots.

'A lot of these men were celebrities of their time because what they did had a certain romance about it, even though it was deadly.

'It is unlikely that the original owner of the album actually took this photograph. It is more likely this picture was mass-produced for fellow airmen and fans to keep.

'It is a lovely album and has come from a British-based collector. He bought it some years ago from a dealer on the German/Belgian border.'

Boelcke was by far the most important and famous of the German aces of the early years of WWI, and is credited with formalising the fundamental aerial manoeuvres and rules of combat.

The photo album is being sold on March 30 with a pre-sale estimate of £1,000.  

OSWALD BOELCKE: THE GERMAN GENTLEMAN OF THE SKIES

Born in Giebichenstein in 1891, Oswald Boelcke (pictured) was a famed First World War flying ace, who is widely regarded as the father of the German fighter air force

Born in Giebichenstein in 1891, Oswald Boelcke was a famed First World War flying ace, who is widely regarded as the father of the German fighter air force.

He may have stood at just 5ft 7ins tall, but Boelcke was a giant among early pilots and was idolised by Manfred von Richthofen - known to many as the Red Baron - who he taught to fly.

After commissioning into the Prussian Army in 1912, Boelke transferred to what was then known as the Fliegertruppe and passed his final pilot's exam in August 1914.

That same year he won an Iron Cross Second Class for flying 50 missions, alongside his brother Wilhelm but the siblings were so successful they attracted hostility from their comrades, resulting in Wilhelm being transferred out of the Feld-Fliegerabteilung 13 (FFA 13) unit.

Boelcke transferred to FFA 62, where in 1915 he was one of four who were allowed to fly prototypes for the Fokker EI aircraft - which were considered so advanced that the pilots were not allowed to take them over enemy lines for fear they could be captured.

In January 1916 he was one of the first fliers to be awarded Germany's highest military medals, Pour le Mérite, and that same month displayed one of the acts of chivalry which made him so famous on both sides of the trenches.

After shooting down a British plane on January 15, 1916, Boelcke himself landed and approached his two enemy airmen to check they had survived the crash landing.

‘I went straight up to the Englishmen, shook hands with them and told them I was delighted to have brought them down alive,’ he later wrote.

‘I had a long talk with the pilot, who spoke German well. When he heard my name he said with a grin, “We all know about you!”

‘I then saw to it that they were both taken in a car to the hospital where I visited the observer today and brought him some English papers and photos of his wrecked machine.’

Lieutenant Formilli then wrote a letter to a Captain Babington of the Royal Flying Corps that Boelcke dropped to Allied forces, braving French and British fire as he crossed enemy lines. 

The letter said: ‘Just a line to say that Somervill & I are alright. We had a scrap with a Fokker. Willy got a graze on the side of his head & I got one through the shoulder half way through.

‘We had most of our controls shot through & had to land & crashed very badly.

'I am in Hospital now & Willy is in Germany. Will you let my people know please, yours G Formilli. PS. It was Boelcke who brought us down.’

The letter was later forwarded to Formilli’s mother by a soldier, C F Murphy, who watched it being dropped by the German pilot. 

Boelcke downed 40 enemy planes before dying, aged 25, after a mid-air collision with another German plane later in 1916. Although his crash-landing was survivable, he died from head injuries on impact because he never wore a helmet.

The airman was buried with full honors at his aerodrome in Cambrai, and the following day the Royal Flying Corps dropped a wreath which is said to have read, 'To the memory of Captain Boelcke, a brave and chivalrous foe.'

Oswald Boelke takes a picture of Formilli's crashed aircraft in January 1916 after shooting it down