Guy Van de Merckt Collection
Guy Van de Merckt Collection
Before the First World War, Jan Olieslagers was already a very well known person as the motorbike world champion and later
as very successful pilot on his Bleriot monoplanes. Entering military service as a volunteer (with his aircraft) at the start of the war,
Olieslagers quickly became a fighter-pilot and as such was the first to claim a victory. Up to the middle of 1917 he mostly flew
Nieuport type of fighters with n° 1 squadron and later-on Hanriot Dupont HD1's. Olieslagers final score at the end of the war stood
at 6 victories, but this total could have been much higher as Jan never took claiming seriously and hardly claimed any victory.
Last updated 16/09/12 08:43 Daniel Brackx