A statistical milestone for the Luftwaffe blog - today the Luftwaffe blog passes one million page views over 423 published posts since September 2009 (the page counter below lagging a month or two behind the actual figure..) Being a 'google' blog helps of course - this blog is listed for the majority of 'Luftwaffe' searches on the first two or three pages, certainly well ahead of most similarly titled forum threads. Incidentally, these pages undergo constant revision, addition and correction, so check back often. Thanks to all correspondents and readers.
Correspondents such as Kurt Braatz of 296 Verlag, who, when I stated a while ago that " some sources give Kommandeur IV./JG 51 Oblt. Günther Josten seven victories on one sortie at the controls of a Fw 190 Dora..." kindly sent through the following extract from Josten's book 'Gefechtsbericht' (lit. combat report, better translated as 'war diary')
"25. April 1945. Inzwischen haben wir einige 190 D-9 bekommen und gewaltig abgeschossen. Ofw. Marquardt bei der Überführung vier Jak-3. Ich selbst stelle am 25. 04. einen neuen Tagesrekord auf. Beim ersten Einsatz mit drei D-9 schoß ich eine Jak-3 und drei Il-2 ab. Beim nächsten Einsatz flog Ofw. Rauch mit mir. Wir waren nur in der Rotte und schossen neun Russen ab. Ich selbst fünf. Zuerst trafen wir 50 Boston und 30 Airacobra. Jeder schoß eine Airacobra ab, dann ich eine Boston, anschließend noch eine. Darauf kamen 20 Il-2 und 30 Jak-3. Rauch erledigte zwei Jak-3 und ich zwei Il-2. Damit hatte ich in zwei Einsätzen neun Luftsiege. Am folgenden Tag kam noch eine Jak-3 hinzu. Somit steht meine Abschußzahl auf 178."
" 25 April 1945. Meanwhile we had taken on charge several Fw 190 D-9 fighters and shot down a lot of enemy planes with them. Just ferrying his machine in Ofw. Marquardt accounted for four Yak-3 fighters alone. On the 25th I achieved a new record for D-9 victories in a single day. On the first sortie I shot down a single Yak 3 and three Il-2s. On the next sortie I was accompanied by Ofw. Rauch. We flew together as a Rotte and downed nine Reds. I got five of them. We firstly ran into 50 Bostons and 30 Airacobras. We both shot down an Airacobra and then I got a Boston and then another to finish. Then we encountered 20 Il-2s and 30 Yak 3s. Rauch finished off two Yak 3s while I shot down two Il-2s for a total of nine victories in two sorties. The following day I added a further Yak 3 to my tally to bring my total number of aerial victories to 178.."
Or readers such as Falk Boersch. Back in February 2010 I posted a small piece on the subject of JG 1 Fw 190 checker cowl colours here and recently received the following commentary from Falk at http://www.bernhard-kunze.de/index.htm
".....Hello, I´m very thankful to read your statement on your blog regarding your thoughts on JG 1 checker cowl colours with which I fully agree ! I´m the nephew of Fw. Bernhard Kunze (Fw 190 A5 -White 1, WN 410055) and I maintain a web site devoted to Bernhard Kunze's life . I have researched the circumstances and details of Bernhard´s fatal crash at the controls of his 2./ JG1 FW 190 A6 (Black 1, WN 550884) on 5 January 1944 close to Bergisch-Gladbach, Germany. One thing I've come across very often is the very inconsistent discussion of the checkerboard colour of the fighters he piloted. Corrections of the sometimes wrong published profiles of Bernhard´s 190-checkerbord-colours are really needed. In writing to all the relevant publishers I have attempted to get the truth published - but a pity without success. Everyone should know - as you state - that black/white is correct - there were no black/yellow chequers on Kunze's machines. There were no exceptions at any time - all the different Staffeln of JG1 were painted the same identical black/white colour combination irrespective of the Staffel or Staffel Kennung on every ..."
Or correspondents such as Ron Ferguson and his publisher Wing Leader. A big thank you to Ron and Simon for the surprise that dropped into my mail box recently - a lovely hard bound edition of the Heinkel He 219 Research paper - apparently one of only 40 printed ! The Heinkel He 219 Research paper has of course been covered extensively on this blog...
http://falkeeins.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/he-219-research-paper-2nd-edition-by.html
http://falkeeins.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/the-heinkel-he-219-research-paper.html
here's a quick peak at the hard back edition - the regular edition is available at the link above..
..and to conclude today's post, one or two Ebay sales currently on-going, just listed are these 'new' views of the-then leading Jagdwaffe ace Hermann Graf in Bordeaux, February 1943...
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Fotos-Luftwaffe-Focke-Wulf-Fw-190-Jagdflieger-Graf-Besuch-in-Bordeaux-1943-/200903240966?pt=Militaria&hash=item2ec6c42d06#ht_2809wt_1164
More on Graf's Jagdgruppe Ost Fw 190s at the following link
http://falkeeins.blogspot.co.uk/2010/04/hermann-graf-and-his-jgr-ost-focke-wulf.html
or this image of future JG 27 ace Karl-Heinz Bendert in a JG 26 Emil with raven emblem via
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380592283685&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:1123
