Sunday 27 January 2019

new AIMs decals - tulip-nose Bf 109s, Graf JG 52, JGr. 50



John McIllmurray at AIMS is keeping Luftwaffe modellers busy with a stream of new releases. New and forthcoming in all the major scales is a sheet of 'tulip nose' markings for a selection of Bf 109s. Printed by Microscale in the US this sheet goes on sale shortly at the AIMS web shop. A look at some of the subjects on the sheet..and link below..






Bf 109 K-4 W.Nr. probably in the 332 000 335 241 block range given the low visibility camouflage demarcation line, typical of later Mtt-Flössenburg or other Mtt operated Waldwerke in 1945. Given the black tulip decorating the nose, the unit is almost certainly II./JG 52 - pictures taken at Deutsch Brod (today Havlickuv Brod) some time during April 1945. During the last two weeks of the war both airfields housed Hs 129s of SG 9 as well as the Bf 109s of JG 52



AIMS web site 

Below; still captures filmed on 16 September 1943 at Wiesbaden as Graf's Bf 109 G-6 W.Nr. 15 919 (?) "Grüne 1" featuring red spinner and 'tulip' cowl markings and two Werfer rocket grenade launchers taxy out for a flypast for the cameras. Note what some have referred to as the outer Bf 109 K-style gear doors - which here may hve been trialed as simple blast protectors for the exposed tyre from the Werfer launch.







Schulungsmaschine - more Ebay Emils - ebay photo find 302









on offer here

Wednesday 23 January 2019

engine maintenance Bf 110 ZG 26 Erprobungsgruppe 210 Calais Marck - ebay photo find #301




..   .Techniker führen regelmäßige Wartungsarbeiten durch. Sie arbeiten hart am Limit, leben monatelang aus dem Koffer...

 'Ringelpitz' ('ring o roses') emblem  (German 'pike' in a tail-chase with a British 'fish') seen on a Bf 110 C/D of the Stab ZG 26 undergoing maintenance at Calais Marck


 " ...Most frustrating moment: this is ongoing - not yet finding a single confirmed photo of Rubensdörffer's S9+AB..." interview with John Vasco on this blog here.

Now I'm not saying that is Rubensdörffer at the controls above but that is him two images below..







still on offer at the time of posting from ebay seller kriegsjahre here

Tuesday 22 January 2019

Uffz. Heinz Born JG 1 Fw 190 A-3 - ebay photo find #300


17 August 1942, around 14:00, Husum. Uffz. Heinz Born of 9./JG 1 has just dismounted from his  Fw 190 A-3 'yellow 11' and celebrates his first victory with 'ein Glas Sekt'. His victim was a reconnaissance Spitfire of 1 PRU, piloted by Belgian Andre Cantillion, SW of Jüderoog...note below the Waffenwart  already at work replenishing the onboard armament..

Two rather different images taken on the same occasion appear on page 178 of the Prien/Rodeike Jagdgeschwader 1 und 11 history (Teil 1).  The 'Maltese Cross' Geschwader emblem is prominently displayed below the cockpit sill..




Born returned his second victory, a B-17 on 15 May, 1943 while in 1/JG 11. His third was another B-17 SE of Nordhorn on 10 February 1944. and his fourth, a B-17 at Diepholz-Sulingen on 6 March 1944. His 5th and final Abschuss was a B-24 at Triberg-Rottweil on 18 March 1944. He was KIA on 4 May, 1944.

Sunday 20 January 2019

Claes Sundin's Centura Publishing - Luftwaffe Gallery JG 26 now reprinted - JG 26 FW 190


Claes Sundin's books are still available from his own Centura Publishing at sensible prices for such high quality productions - no need to get caught up in bidding wars on ebay !


Some silly prices still being paid for the LuGa 'special album' on JG 26, this one sold for £54 this morning!. Note this issue/volume has been reprinted and is available at 'regular' prices from luftwaffe.be

The latest 'special album' will feature new and unpublished photos and personal accounts from JG 5 and is due at the end of February 2019.





Above; FW 190 A "schwarze 12" of 8./JG 26 Wevelghem 1943. In the cockpit is Ofw. Bernd Stegmann, engine tech (Motorenschlosser)

Ogfr. Norbert Holtz in Wevelghem, late 1943. Die 4./JG 26 welche am 1.10.1943 durch Umbenennung der 8./JG 26 in 4./JG 26 entstanden ist und wurde damit die 4 Staffel der I./JG 26. Diese Staffel lag bis zum 18.10.43 in Grimbergen und ab 18.10.1944 in Florennes somit müßte das Foto eigentlich dort entstanden sein. Ogfr. Norbert Holtz playing on a scooter, liitle is known about him, no victory claims, on 7 June 1943 noch bei der 8./JG 26 mit seiner FW 190 A-4 schwarze 4 WNr.5730 bei Deinze-Nazareth nach Motorschaden abgestürzt und verwundet. Angeblich am 13.8.1944 gefallen.






FW 190 A Bruch der 8./JG 26 in Wevelghem im Winter 1942/43 . Beschriftet mit Bruchlandung in Wevelghem bei Schneesturm. Von links: unbekannt, Willi Lürding, Paul Thuilot und Waldemar Goedecker




FalkeEins - the Luftwaffe blog passes the 4 MILLION page views milestone !




Thursday 17 January 2019

Clostermann & Demozay - 'modest and exemplary heroes' . Two controversial French aces in the latest issues of 'Avions' and 'Aces' magazines







Above; Probably one of the most famous Tempest photos ever taken!  The date is 27 August 1945,   Pierre Clostermann's last day in the RAF, and he is seen here on his new JF-E NV 724 (note no 'Le Grand Charles' inscription but with the addition of the white cross of Lorraine on the radiator. This aircraft made a wheels-up landing on 10 November 1945 at Fassberg). Photo reproduced here with the kind permission of 'Avions' magazine. See the latest issue 'Avions' (no. 227) for the best and most authoritative recent account of Clostermann's RAF career and more especially his combat record.


Clostermann's NV 724 was the last of his JF*E Tempests. Although barely visible in this washed-out repro note the scoreboard ahead of the cockpit - 23 confirmed and nine probables. Perhaps best known today as the author of one of the finest of all WWII flying memoirs with over 3 million copies sold, "Le Grand Cirque - The Big Show", Pierre Clostermann's record has in recent years been the subject of some considerable controversy and re-evaluation. The doyen of French aviation historians Christian-Jacques Ehrengardt wrote in his 1999 history of French fighter pilots; " the official archives are there to prove it, only 12 victories of Clostermann's can be identified with certainty....in Clostermann's case 'probable victories' would tend to mean 'improbable.."

In the subsequent court case (Clostermann sued during the year 2000!) the offending book was pulped and substantial damages awarded. Indeed Clostermann spent the latter years of his life seeking to redress and re-establish the 'official' record, even writing in to Scale Aircraft Modelling back in 1982 to rebutt accusations that he had over-claimed his number of actual aerial victories and that he was now wearing a medal (the D.S.O.) to which he was not entitled. Clostermann responded thusly:

" ..As to my claims, they never changed. They were painted on my Tempest, (see accompanying photo,  NV724, JF.E of 3 Sqn., circa July 1945, showing the twenty-three black crosses representing his accredited confirmed 'kills', and the nine white outline only crosses for 'probables' and 'ground kills') and are substantiated by the following citations and letters. My two DFC citations, by Air Marshal Slessor and AOC 83 Group Sir Harry Broadhurst, are enough for me - "DFC 26/8/44 This officer has displayed outstanding courage and devotion to duty throughout his operational career in the course of which he has destroyed at least 11 enemy aircraft and damaged other military objectives". "Bar 28/5/45 since being awarded the DFC this officer has participated in 70 new operational missions during which he has destroyed a further 12 enemy aircraft. Throughout, Lieutenant Clostermann has displayed outstanding courage and ability, and has proved to be a source of inspiration to all". 23 black crosses and 23 confirmed by my DFC citations. I never personally asked for anything else.... "

Having covered Clostermann's record in detail in previous issues of Avions magazine ( nos 100 and 151, a commemorative issue devoted to Clostermann's life) 'Avions' editor and friend of Clostermann, Christophe Cony examines Clostermann's wartime record in detail over 42 pages in the latest issue of 'Avions' (no. 227)

Cony writes;

" When I first met Clostermann in 2004 we spent a lot of time discussing Spitfires, Tempests and air combat, but he was unable to respond with any certainty to one of my questions about his exact victory tally...

" Understand ", he said to me, " that during the war I just carried out my job as a fighter pilot. I fired on enemy aircraft. But after that I had nothing to do with the attribution of victory confirmations. That's why I can't say with any certainty what my final victory tally might have been. All I know is that the British validated 23 claims for aircraft destroyed as confirmed. That total is all I've ever claimed. And nothing else.."

Cony continues;

"..That's why I believe that 'Cloclo' might have appreciated this latest study in which I have detailed for the first time his complete wartime record and how he earned his victories. I have done so by thoroughly examining all the sources - his two logbooks, including the Tempest logbook, the ORBs of the five squadrons he flew in and the existing combat reports. This article is the result of more than ten years of research. Many surprises, but also many mysteries solved!.."

Modellers should note that Clostermann flew at least four Tempests - only one of them, SN222, carried the inscription 'Le Grand Charles' despite what you can read almost anywhere on the internet. Clostermann's JF-E NV 724 in July 1945 as seen in the photo above is thus a postwar machine with "parade" markings. For a wartime version wearing similar markings, use NV 994, minus the kill markings, the "Grand Charles" inscription, rudder crest and cross of Lorraine. The spinner is black and the upper wing roundels should have the yellow outline (as seen on a period photo). Closterman shot down 2 FW-190 D-9's  on April 20 1945 with this aircraft. For more on this encounter on this blog go here

In their previous Clostermann special (issue 151) Cony refers to 'The Big Show' as a 'roman' - or novel - and no attempt was made to detail his score. In 'Avions' No. 100 Clostermann's score was given as 24 confirmed and nine probables, making Clostermann the leading French ace of WWII. His 'official' score as promulgated by the French Air Force historical service (formerly SHAA, now SHD) is still 33 victories.

Thierry Dekker artwork from 'Avions' No. 151 reproduced here with the permission of editor Michel Ledet and the artist


Above; S/Ldr Jean Demozay (second from the left) leaning against the prop of one of 91 Squadron's Spit Vbs, September 1941, Hawkinge, Kent. (photo credit via Peter Hall of Ashford, Kent. Peter's history of 91 'Nigeria' Sqn in the Osprey Aviation 'Elite' series is still the best English-language reference on Demozay)

If Clostermann was an enigma then French ace Jean Demozay was a riddle wrapped in a mystery!  Editor of 'ACES' magazine Many Souffan has just published part one of a very lengthy bio of France's second ace in the latest issue of 'ACES' (no. 9) having previously published an in-depth review of his career in 'Avions' magazine and a multi-part series in Replic before that.  But there is much new material here. Not only that but 'ACES' magazine is a fine glossy A-4 card-covered publication with spine, each issue has around 100-pages (text in French) with quality production values.

 Demozay's story - if you don't know it- is pretty incredible. He had attempted to join the French Air Force pre-war but had been turned down. He thus never joined the l'Armee de l'Air and  never trained as a pilot - apparently he just 'pretended' he had when he was finally sent to the RAF's 'Advanced Air Strike Force' in September 1939 in Reims in northern France as an interpreter - his English was fluent as he had spent a number of his teen years at boarding school in Southsea near Portsmouth where a family friend was a teacher. His first flights were in the liaison Magister used by No. 1 Squadron and it was the British pilots that taught him to fly circuits in their off-duty hours. He claimed he need a bit of refresher training, his pre-war pilot's licence having long since lapsed ( another big 'fib'). He was subsequently one of the first French 'pilots' to reach the UK after the fall of France arriving on 17 June 1940 having piloted a Bristol Bombay twin and a complement of passengers across the Channel. At the time he didn't even possess a (car) drivers licence, let alone any flying qualifications! He then managed to wangle his way into operational training unit 5 OTU which as luck would have it was commanded by his 'old' Squadron CO 'Bull' Halahan, proving the old adage 'its not what you know...'. He started his first 'real' flight training course on 20 June 1940 - but really there is no way he should have been there. His CO in 'E flight' 5 OTU was another former 1 Squadron Hurricane ace, Pilot Officer 'Boy' Mould, the first RAF pilot to shoot down a Luftwaffe aircraft over France on 30 October 1939. Demozay finished his training in October 1940 and joined 1 Sqn at Wittering and flew several sorties before 31 October 1940 - the 'official' Battle of Britain cut-off date. As such he was one of just thirteen French pilots that officially participated in the Battle of Britain and his name is inscribed on the memorial wall at Capel-Le-Ferne, between Folkestone and Dover. As for his achievements in combat - well it is a matter of record that he commanded 91 'Nigeria' Squadron at Hawkinge and there is a street named after him in the village..officially he returned some 19 victories although many of his claims were made when flying alone out over the Channel and over France...


This well known image of Jean 'Moses Morlaix' Demozay was taken on 16 November 1941 at Hawkinge. At this time Demozay had around 11 victories and four probables. One month previously he had been awarded the DFC, presented to him by Leigh Mallory Trafford. A few months later he received a bar and a DSO. The Spitfire behind him is the Mk V of his S/L J N Watts Farmer W3175/ DL.W. Under his wings you can see (from L to R) the ribbons of Ordre de la liberation (Green & black) the 7 palms of his Croix de Guerre and his new DFC

An in-depth look at ACES magazine from Heimdal on this blog here

The latest issue no.9 does have some specific Luftwaffe content -a lengthy photo feature on the Luftwaffe's RK award winners for the year 1940 based on Chris Goss' recent Frontline 'Knights of the Battle of Britain' book - and while it has a terrible title, this Goss volume ( and ACES article ) features comprehensive biographical details on Knights Cross holders well illustrated with contemporary photos, a number of which were new to me and is certainly a worthy addition to the library.

Heimdal's site for ACES back issues and more
https://www.editions-heimdal.fr/en/aces/982-aces-n9.html

Saturday 12 January 2019

Kampfgeschwader 53 "LEGION CONDOR" Oberleutnant Dietrich Kornblum, Staffelkapitän of 4./KG 53 4000.Feindflug - He 111 - Piloten - ebay photo find #299





The bespectacled Oblt. Dietrich Kornblum, Staffelkapitän of 4./KG 53, seen here proudly wearing his Knight's Cross awarded on 9 June 1944. Note the 500 kg bomb (filled with the highly explosive Trialen mixture). The distinctively camouflaged He 111 coded 'KM' may have participated on the Poltava raid less than a fortnight later. Kornblum was posted from II./KG 53 to convert to night fighters. He is credited with one kill (10-11 Nov 44) before he was KIA attacking "a British mine-layer" with 9./NJG 2 on the night of 27-28 Nov 44 flying Ju 88 C-6, Wnr. 620510 code '4R + AT'. Also in the image below right (middle). The auction site Ratisbons have his pilot's licence on offer ... " Hauptmann Dietrich Kornblum was awarded the Knight's Cross serving with II./KG 53. In November 1944 he served with 12./NJG 3 and later with 9./NJG 2. Kornblum and his crew destroyed a British ship and were hit by the explosion of the ship. His Ju 88 sunk on 27./28.11.1944...."







via Manuel Rauh here