Saturday 27 July 2013

A history of Jagdgeschwader 53 'Pik As' part 4 - Batailles Aériennes 65 Jean-Louis Roba






Just published from Lela Presse is the fourth and final part of Jean-Louis Roba's history of JG 53 in the usual 98-page A-4 soft cover format, content covers the period July 1943 to the final sorties flown during April 1945. Detailed accounts (French language) and pilot bios illustrated with plenty of rare photos and Flugbuch extracts. Even non-French speaking enthusiasts and modellers of my acquaintance snap these up for the 200 photos and 20 Thierry Dekker artworks for 12 euros. Highly recommended to all, contact Sylvie at http://avions-bateaux.com for your copy...Previous issues in this series have been extensively reviewed on this blog, see, for example, the following coverage devoted to part 2 ..
http://falkeeins.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/history-of-jagdgeschwader-53-pik-as.html


Above, Bf 109 G-6 "black 11" flown by Uffz. Heinz Girnth of 8./ JG 53, Bad Lippspringe in late July 1944. Yellow lower cowl and rudder.




Contents-  
The « Pik As » and 'Husky'  (10 July – 17 August 1943)
Italian capitulation (18 August – 7 September 1943)
The early months of 1944 
The beginning of the end ( June-December 1944)
II./JG 53 over Normandy
II./JG 53 goes back to France
III./JG 53 leaves Italy and returns to the Reich
II. and III./JG 53 during September and October 1944 - hunting the hunters
The establishment of IV./JG 53 and the final months of 1944
I./JG 53 in late 1944
Fighting over Romania
I./JG 53 in Hungary, late 1944
II. and III./JG 53 and 'Bodenplatte', 01 January 1945
III./ JG 53 at Étain
JG 53's attack on Metz-Frescaty
II. and III./JG 53 in 1945
I./JG 53 during 1945
 






Also due from Roba later this year is this 'Avions' magazine special "Luftwaffe rudder markings" and part one of a new unit history series. Issue 1 will cover KG 100. More info as soon as the Lela Presse team return from their summer hols..