Above; Reinsdorf, September 1944. Pilots of 5./ JG 5 soon to become 13./JG 4 in the defence of the Reich. Pilots named in the photo above (see caption reverse below) include Uffz. Friedrich Zink, WIA 2 November, Staka 5./JG 5 Lt. Paul Weitzberg KIA 2 November and Ofw. Hermann Holtkötter. G-14/AS background left, note Morane antenna under the port wing and deeper oil cooler just visible. (see below) - edit; picture sold for 431 euros.
16 October 1944 was the last day the unit fought under the designation "II./JG 5"- two pilots were killed, a single pilot was wounded and no less than sixteen aircraft were lost. Four days later an order emanating from Luftflotte Reich re-designated II./JG 5 as IV./JG 4. The Gruppe, still at Finsterwalde, was organised as follows;
IV./JG 4 (ex-II./JG 5): Hptm. Franz Wienhusen,
13./JG 4 (ex-5./JG 5): Lt. Paul Weitzberg,
14./JG 4 (ex-6./JG 5): Lt. Ernst Scheufele,
15./JG 4 (ex-4./JG 5): Oblt. Lothar Wolff,
16./JG 4 (ex-8./JG 5): Oblt. Hans Schleef.
Staffelkapitän of 5./JG 5 since 1942, Hptm. Franz Wienhusen had spent several months at Lamsdorf in Upper Silesia as an instructor before being appointed to command II./JG 5 in September 1944. He had achieved around twelve victories in air combat.
Lt. Paul Weitzberg had been posted to 4./JG 5 when the unit was still in Norway during 1943 before succeeding Hptm. Franz Wienhusen at the head of 5. Staffel during the spring of 1944. He was KIA on 2 November 1944. Among his pilots was the experienced Ofw. Hermann Holtkötter who had flown for a long period with I./JG 5 prior to moving to 5./JG 5.
13./JG 4 on 2 November 1944 on this blog
https://falkeeins.blogspot.com/2018/08/jg-5-reichsverteidigung-staffelkapitan.html
Uffz. Friedrich Zenk third from right. Also in the line-up of 5./JG 5 (13./JG 4) at 30-minute readiness in Reinsdorf is Ofw. Hermann Holtkötter (4th from left) and Staka Lt. Paul Weitzberg next to him on the right. Most of the pilots here are "gef." (gefallen - KIA)
Below; on 2 November 1944 Uffz. Friedrich Zenk was shot down and wounded in his G-14/AS 'white 4' 'Christel' WNr. 460337. The photo was taken the previous day in Finsterwalde.
Also reproduced in Eric Mombeek's two volume history of JG 4 " Sturmjäger ", translated as 'Storming the bombers' by this blog writer.
Go to the author's web site here
