Oswald Boelcke family name Boelcke
Early years
The son of a schoolmaster, Oswald Boelcke was born on 19 May 1891, in Giebichenstein (since 1900 a district of Halle), Prussian Province of Saxony. The Boelcke family had returned to the German Empire from Argentina six months before Oswald's birth. His family name was originally spelt Bölcke, but Oswald and his elder brother Wilhelm (1886–1954) dispensed with the umlaut and adopted the Latin spelling in place of the German; the pronunciation is the same for both spellings.Boelcke caught whooping cough aged three, resulting in lifelong asthma. When he was four, his father moved the family to Dessau near the Junkers factory in pursuit of professional advancement. The planes flying overhead were Boelcke's first exposure to aircraft.As Boelcke grew, he turned to athletics despite his asthma. In later life, he was described as being about 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 meters) tall, broad-shouldered and well proportioned, with great agility and strength. He played soccer and tennis, skated and danced, and was considered the best gymnast in his school. He was an oarsman, and a prizewinning swimmer and diver. When he was 17, he became an alpinist capable of out-climbing his father and elder brother. His athletic prowess made him a popular leader on the school playing fields.He got along well in school with both his fellow students and the teachers; his frank and friendly demeanor, blond hair, and intense blue eyes made him memorable. One source says Oswald Boelcke was studious as well as athletic, excelling at mathematics and physics.Boelcke's family was a conservative one; they realized that a military career could move their son up the social ladder. Under this influence, while in the third or fourth form, the ten-year-old Boelcke wrote a personal letter to Kaiser Wilhelm requesting an appointment to military school. His wish was granted when he was 13, but once his parents were apprised of the opportunity by the belated letter of reply, they objected and he did not attend Cadet School. He attended Herzog Friedrichs-Gymnasium (Duke Frederick's High School) instead of interrupting his education.Boelcke's interest in a military career seemed undiminished. While in school, his favorite author was the nationalist writer Heinrich von Treitschke. Boelcke also read publications from the German General Staff. At age 17, for an elocution class, he chose three subjects—General Gerhard von Scharnhorst's military reforms, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin's life before his aeronautical experiments, and the first airship flights. Despite his principal's reservations about his scholarship, Boelcke was awarded his Abitur honors degree on 11 February 1911.
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