Photo album Ofw. Günther Kurth 4./Seeaufklärungsgruppe 126 Crete/Aegean 1943-44 - Arado 196 - ebay photo find #257

nice photo album featuring Arado 196 pilot Ofw. Günther Kurth and his Seeaufklärungsgruppe 126 crew on Crete. Includes his first victory confirmation credit slip - a Beaufighter downed on 01 June 1944 - and a newspaper clipping recalling the action.

 " .. a bold feat of arms by our Arado crews -  an Arado 196 recce Staffel on Crete claim four Beaufighters shot down. Our crews had flown cover tirelessly throughout the day over a German convoy steaming north of Heraklion ...(.....) but during the early evening of Thursday a raid at altitude by a large formation of bombers protected by fighters was followed moments later by an attack from 18 Beaufighters. Within a matter of minutes four Beaufighter torpedo bombers were shot down, three plunging into the sea and the fourth breaking off trailing a banner of smoke and crash-landing on the coast..(..) Several more sustained heavy damage resulting in the enemy attack being broken up...(...) time and again the German machines covering the German ships parried the attacks despite the enemy machines' far superior firepower and speed....."

Another clipping features post-war Flottilenadmiral Paul Kriebel, Kurth's wartime Staffelchef. Kriebel was shot-down twice and achieved the Frontflugspange in Gold for more than 300 combat sorties.  He ended the war with the rank of Hauptmann beim Fliegerführer Ostsee. Post-war he flew Gannets and became Kommodore of Marinefliegergeschwader 'Graf Zeppelin' in Nordholz

on offer here

" die Fw 189 Uhu der 1.(H).Aufkl.Gr.21 NAG 9, 1/21, zurück vom 2000sten Feindflug" - ebay photo find #253

Focke Wulf Fw 189 "Uhu" of 1.(H).Aufkl.Gr.21 on successful return from 2000th combat flight of Nahaufklärungsgruppe 9 seen on the airfield at Kertsch, Krim, 1943.

"Besatzung Oblt. Lüders, Fw. Has, Fw. Eickel, 1./21"

http://stores.ebay.de/crainsmilitaria

More Nahaufklärungsgruppe 13 NAG 13 Fw 190 at Cuers, south of France, April 1944 -ebay photo find #243

more scenes from Cuers in the south of France, home to short-range recce Staffel 2./NAG 13 pre-D-day, " one of our Fw 190s, April 1944.."

on offer here

More Channel Front early Fw 190s

here

and Flugplatz Orel in the East via Marko Auer

Bf 110 3U+ ZG 26, Me 110 C-2 "CF+NS" WNr.3078 Mannheim-Sandhofen 1939/40, Aufklärungsstaffel See/88 - AS 88 -daily ebay photo find #239

Me 110 C-2 "CF+NS" WNr.3078 Mannheim-Sandhofen 1939/40

A selection of ZG 26 Bf 110s via Heiko Fuchs ebay sales

on offer here 

Seeflughafen Cadiz 1936-7 - Einsatz bei der Legion Condor LC, Aufklärungsstaffel See/88 - AS 88

on offer here

Some of the rarest Luftwaffe types to see service during the Spanish Civil War served with the Aufklärungsstaffel See/88 (AS./88 or Maritime Reconnaissance Squadron) of the Legion Condor including a single Nationalist Ju 52 3m (W) and torpedo carrying He 59 seaplanes complete with Totenkopf emblems on their noses. More details in the book As de Picas or "Ace of Spades" by Galland Books devoted to the seaplane Staffel AS./88 of the Condor Legion which was translated and republished by Schiffer books. It is a slim A-5 hardback volume of only 186 pages retailing for well over £35. More on the Aufklärungsstaffel See/88 (AS./88 or the Maritime Reconnaissance Squadron) of the Legion Condor in Spain on this blog here.


Below; II./JG 27 Kommandeur Hptm Gustav Rödel (RK on 22 June 1941 + EL on 20 June 1943) officiating at a Ferntrauung or 'proxy' distance wedding where one of the partners was not present. (seated, facing camera). “Ferntrauung” was introduced as a celebration of marriage for women whose men had been KIA. They then became entitled to a widows pension and their children were deemed to be born in wedlock. The practise was later extended to two living partners separated by the circumstances of war. Presumably as here. Also dubbed "Stahlhelm Trauung" or 'steel helmet wedding' as can be seen in the picture - bride and groom being represented by Stahlhelme. Seen here in the fall of 1942 in Nordafrika or spring 1943 in Italy. Marked with a cross is Emil Wirthmann of the Gruppenstab and fourth from the left Gustav Rödel.

Michael Meyer's current ebay sales are here

2./Nahaufklärungsgruppe 13 Frankreich, NAG 13 Fw 190 at Cuers, south of France, June 1944 -ebay photo find #235

" ..our birds in front of the airship hangars.." NAG 13 Fw 190s presumably at Cuers-Pierrefeu, north of Toulon, around May-June 1944.

on offer here

Below; via wiki a view of the French naval air base Cuers-Pierrefeu, located 5 km north of Toulon, in September 1944. The U.S. Navy blimp squadron 14 (ZP-14) was based at Cuers-Pierrefeu, blimp K-112 (shown) was the first to arrive on 17 September 1944. Also visible are Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. VIII fighters of No. 451 Squadron, RAAF (in the forground is s/n MT952).


2./Nahaufklärungsgruppe 13, equipped with Bf 109 G and Fw 190 A, was commanded by Oberleutnant Walter Erhard, and sent to Cuers "a few weeks" before the Allied Landings in Normandy. On 14 June 1944 Erhard was reported missing near Ajaccio in Fw 190 A-3 W.Nr. 130340 during a sortie over Corsica.

On 29 June Ofw. Wilhelm Stockburger was reported missing in Fw 190 A-4 W.Nr. 145656, MIA following combat five km south of Nice.

Ju 290 A-5 "9V+DH" Ex "KR+LA" der 1./FAGr.5 in Mont de Marsan - daily Ebay photo find #202

Ju 290 A-5 "9V+DH" Ex "KR+LA" der 1./FAGr.5 in Mont de Marsan 1943 (image sold for 181 euros)

Ju 290 A-3 "9V+DK" WNr.161 Ex "PI+PO" of 2./FAGr.5 1943. Lost on 26 December 1943 when colliding with high ground in the Pyrenees with Oblt. Nedela at the controls. Below; Ju 290 A of an unidentified unit in Russia.

On offer here

ICM/Italeri Henschel HS 126 in 1:48th - Recon for Rommel - 2.(H)/14 in Africa

Laurent Freidine has just finished this very neat model of the ICM Henschel HS 126 (Italeri re-box), as an aircraft flying with 2.(H)/AufklGr14 in North Africa. Inspired by the colour photos in and the jacket illustration of the recommended book " Recon for Rommel" by Stefan Ommert, Laurent's model was built with the Eduard etch set, using Quickboost exhausts and Montex masks.

Laurent comments that because the instruction sheet is so 'vague' the Mushroom Hs 126 volume is essential as reference - for example note the absence of generator on the 'B' variant, although there is no mention of this on the sheet and a number of parts are 'mis-numbered'. The hard plastic makes the small parts difficult to remove from the sprues without breaking them and there is little or no surface engraving on the parts. Laurent describes this as 'short-run Italeri'. While the decal sheet is good, the painting instructions are vague and studying the pictures in Ommert's book, Laurent elected to paint his model in the Italian desert colours, nocciala chiaro, verde olivia scuro and grigo azzuro which appear to be better matches than the more typical RLM 78/79/80.

Also by Laurent Freidine on this blog;

Luftwaffe hangars and airfield equipment for the modeller