Tuesday 31 January 2017
Luftflotte West no 5 February 1943- Fw 189 Aufklärer im Osten
JG 26 Eichenlaubsträger Major Priller in front of his FW 190 details his latest combat engagement to his fellow pilots; photo by PK reporter/war correspondent Doege.
Recently acquired a selection of these little 16-page publications via wartimepress.com.(link below) 'Luftflotte West' was a weekly and then monthly Zeitschrift or magazine for Luftflotte 3 published 1941-44 and intended for Luftwaffe personnel of Luftflotte 3 based in German-occupied areas of Northern France, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Vichy France. In this particular issue there is little of great interest for the blog, aside from a brief look at the work of Fw 189 "Aufklärer im Osten". Given the date this edition appeared, most of the text unsurprisingly refers to the 'heroic' defeat of 6.Armee at Stalingrad and plays up Germany's role as bulkwark against the Eastern (Mongolian) hordes; " Deutschland - Bollwerk Europas gegen den Osten ". Elsewhere a two-page travelogue about the Russian people describes a journey made by train and aircraft out to the Front in the East waxing lyrical about the great vastness and open space of the Steppe ; " Ich habe vergessen wie vielgestaltig, wie frei, wie lebendig Russland war.." This edition also featured a full one page illustration given over to Arno Breker's work " Kameraden".
" ..every day in the East our Aufklärer face new tasks and challenges ....the Fw 189 - a weapon feared by the enemy because of its high speed, superior maneuverability and heavy armament....here the recce aircraft is at altitude, the crew have put oxygen masks on. While the pilot orbits enemy positions, the observer relays every move and deployment to our own troops on the ground..the type's twin boom configuration enables the three-man crew to be housed in a fully-glazed central nacelle affording all-round visibility.."
wartime press offers PDF issues of this and other German wartime publications
http://www.wartimepress.com/epier.asp
Saturday 28 January 2017
Messerschmitt ME110 II./ZG 76 Haifisch-Geschwader im Flug M8+C -daily Ebay photo find #207
Super selection of shark-mouth Bf 110s on offer from Marko Auer - Messerschmitt ME110 II./ZG76 Haifisch-Geschwader im Flug M8+C
on offer here
and via the Archiv KH, this ZG 76 'ace' presumably flying M8+ZC seen on reel 78. Note the mottled finish, yellow rudders and line of white victory markings on the tailfin.
These stills were captured from footage made available via the Agentur Karl Höffkes film archive AKH and are reproduced here with the kind permission of Karl Höffkes.
Friday 27 January 2017
new AIMS - the Ju 88 web site - Facebook page
Good friend of the Luftwaffe blog John McIllmurray has established a new FB page to show off those marvellous creations realised with the help of AIMS parts, conversion sets and decal sheets. Here a splendid G-6 and Ju 388L conversion. Much more at the link below!
AIMS Facebook page
Wednesday 25 January 2017
Fw 190 Jagdflugzeug JG 2. Wurmhellers Rottenflieger nach einem LS zurück bei seinen Kameraden -daily Ebay photo find #206
"..Fw 190 Jagdflugzeug. Wurmhellers Rottenflieger nach einem LS zurück bei seinen Kameraden..."
According to the seller this is Wurmheller's wingman being carried on the shoulders of his ground crew after a successful sortie in (presumably) "white 21", a machine on the strength of the Geschwaderstab - (cf 'Dans le ciel de France' - 1943 Vol 4)
Also on offer from the same seller, an A-8 with III./JG 301 seen at Stendal during mid-to-late 1944 ('black 10' possibly?)
On offer here
According to the seller this is Wurmheller's wingman being carried on the shoulders of his ground crew after a successful sortie in (presumably) "white 21", a machine on the strength of the Geschwaderstab - (cf 'Dans le ciel de France' - 1943 Vol 4)
On offer here
Monday 23 January 2017
JG 51 (JG 3?) Friedrich Flugzeug Wrack im Osten -daily Ebay photo find #206
shown here courtesy of Marco and currently on offer at koelsch333 this Friedrich 'black 10' of III./JG 51 (or possibly JG 3 -traces of an obscured emblem under the cockpit?) with yellow fuselage Rumpfband has been stood back on its legs after a belly landing (note bent prop blades) somewhere in the East and appears to be undergoing dismantlement (wings removed) for rail transport to a rear area repair facility. Click to view large
Edit- image caption via George Morrison. Thank you!
"..the wingless 109F "schwarze 10" is indeed from 8./JG 3, and can not be from JG 51. JG 51 invariably used a white vertical Balken on their III Gruppe machines, beginning on their 109 F-2s, then the 190 A-3/4/5/6, then again when they reconverted to 109 G-6s. This was true across the Gruppe, irrespective of the color of the Kennung. III./JG 3 used a rather-tall vertical bar on their 109Es and 109Fs..."
JG 77 Special Album -review by Andrew Arthy
The photo albums and accounts of former members of Luftwaffe fighter wing JG 77 have been extensively exploited for this second "Special Album" of the "Luftwaffe Gallery" series. This is not a day-by-day history but a compilation of very nice photographs (many published here for the first time) and new translated personal accounts (by this blog author) from the pilots and ground crews who were there, superbly illustrated with the aircraft profile artwork of Thierry Dekker, one of the best in his field.
The story of JG 77 is told here in broad strokes and to all intents and purposes for the first time in English. Characterized by the diversity of its origins, the unit fought on all fronts where the Luftwaffe was committed (hence the title of the album) and its pilots flew the Messerschmitt Bf 109 virtually from first to last. JG 77 was notable not only for the number and quality of its emblems and personal insignia but also for the presence in its ranks of a very large number of the leading Luftwaffe fighter aces. As was the case with the first "Special Album" dedicated to the "Abbeville Boys" of JG 26, the limited print run of this latest title in the series will make it a sought-after collector’s item
Soft cover, 96 pages, landscape format ......
Around 200 photos and 30 profiles
The following appraisal was posted by Andrew Arthy on the Luftwaffe Research Group
" I recently bought a copy of the JG 77 Special Album, and wanted to add to the very favourable comments about it. More than just a photo album, this is an excellent little book that provides a great overview of the unit's history. The Thierry Dekker artwork is just as good as you'd expect, and I really enjoyed the numerous first-hand accounts included throughout. Given my interest in the 1943-1945 period, I was hoping for a little more coverage of those years, but of course more photographs are available for the early war period. And those Bf109 E and F photographs are quite fascinating, with so many different emblems, camouflage schemes and victory tallies. I bought my copy directly from the author, and it was worth every euro..."
Sunday 22 January 2017
Bf 110 Pulkzerstörer 'bomber destroyers' -daily ebay photo find #205
Pilot Flugzeugführer Uffz. Herbert Weiner of 1./ ZG 26 seen wearing his EK I in Wunstorf in late 1943 in front of his Me 110 G-2 toting the BK 37mm Flak 18 cannon.
On offer here
More on the BK 37mm Flak 18 cannon equipped Bf 110s in the Defence of the Reich on this blog
http://falkeeins.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/bf-110-g-with-37mm-flak-18-cannon.html
Saturday 21 January 2017
Special Hobby Ju 88 C-4 1:48 scale - Ofw Hermann Sommer NJG 2 ace, Fw Robert Lüddecke
"..The original ICM sprues are accompanied by a new sprue with grey styrene nose section parts and additional armament. We have also tooled a new set of clear parts, detailed resin items and a large decal sheet that brings the modeller a choice of three rather attractive machines. The sheet is printed in superb quality by Italian company Cartograf, and has marking options for two all-black aircraft and one wearing a camouflage scheme. The model will be released as a limited edition only..." More on the Special Hobby site here
Spring/summer 1942, a Ju 88 C of 2./ NJG 2 at Benghazi-Berka. Note the open Bola, the Nachtjagd emblem on the nose and the white fuselage band. The drums in the makeshift fuel depot are marked B4 (87 octane avgas). The inscription on the reverse of the lower pic simply reads "Benghasi"..
Junkers Ju 52 Wasserflugzeug on the Aegean island of Samos - daily ebay find #204
II./JG 54 Friedrich snakeskin Tarn finish - daily ebay find #203
'Yellow 3' with 39 Abschussbalken possibly assigned to Oblt. Franz Eckerle- click on the image to view large
More on this machine and more photos at the Luftwaffe Research Group
On offer here
Reinhard Seiler on offer here
More planes and aces of JG 54 on this blog
http://falkeeins.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/planes-and-aces-of-jg-54-bf-109-aces-of.html
Friday 20 January 2017
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
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
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