"Batz-birds" - Willi Batz JG 52 Bf 109 photo reference

Oblt. Wilhelm Batz was awarded the RK after his 101 st Luftsieg in late March 1944 as Staffelkapitän of 5./JG 52. He had been posted to II. Gruppe as Steinhoff's Adjutant some ten months previously with over 5000 hours in his logbook as a fighter-pilot trained Fluglehrer instructor in 2./Erg.Gruppe Ost. During April 1944 he was promoted to Hptm and appointed to lead III.Gruppe (replaced in charge of 5. Staffel by Ltn. Otto Fönnekold). On 31 May 1944 during heavy fighting over the southern sector of the Eastern front (Jassy, Romania) Batz claimed 15 Soviet aircraft downed in 7 sorties during the course of the day, including 7 Il-2s and 5 Airacobras. He downed his 141st at 06:50 and his 155th at 19:14 (cf. JfV 15/II 'Einsatz im Osten' p.233 and 262 - III./JG 52 made 25 claims in total). Two Messerschmitts were lost in combat - Fw. Karl Schumacher of 8. Staffel was shot down and killed south of Jassy in his 'black 2'. By the time of his Eichenlaub award (the 526th) in July 1944, Batz had filed some 180 claims. Batz departed III./JG 52 in February 1945 (replaced by Borchers) to lead II. Gruppe. On 13 March in the vicinity of Stuhlweißenburg (central Hungary) he claimed two Il-2s for his 228th and 229th, downing another two Il-2s (and a Boston) the following day. On Thursday 5 April he claimed his 236th. Under Kommandeur Maj. Batz, II./JG 52 was able to extricate itself from Hungary and to return to the Reich, more specifically Austria. The Allies however, were closing in and entered Austria in early April 1945, with the 11th US Armor Division advancing from the north and the Soviet 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Front from the east. Batz was awarded the Schwerter (the 145th award of the Swords) later that month. The Gruppe’s last claim was filed on 24 April 1945 (a Sherman tank for Lt. Düttmann, his 151st 'kill'). To avoid falling into Soviet hands the order was given to fly all aircraft over to US-held territory. Major Batz and his Gruppe landed in Neubiberg and were thus the only unit in JG 52 to elude Soviet captivity. 

From GRM; "..30+ years ago Noro Hideki published a photo-book of Luftwaffe wrecks from 1944-EoW entitled LO+ST. I never bothered with it, as my chief concern is operational aircraft, not 'autopsies,' and my shelves have long since overflowed (they're now stacked in multiple piles in several rooms, and when I gaze upon them I think, "My poor widow."). The Batz Bf 109 K-4 is on page 161. There's a copy offered on eBay, but not cheap. Perhaps this question is related to the forthcoming Kotare 'Bf 109 K-4', but if you are seeking earlier 'Batz-birds,' there are several Bf 109 G-4, G-6s. He regularly flew "5" when Staffelkapitän of the 5./JG 52, and a conventional "Doppelwinkel" when leading the III./JG 52 (nice takeoff sequence in the Karl Höffkes archiv, see below), and at the end, the II. Gruppe..."

Below; Gruppenkommandeur III./JG 52 Batz gets airborne on 24 August 1944 from the forward landing ground south of Warsaw, flying off behind (presumably) his wingman at the controls of 'Yellow 12' also of III./ JG 52. It was on this day that Hartmann claimed 11 victories to pass 300. Batz had claimed six in the vicinity of Sandomierz on 17 August 1944 to reach 202 'kills'.

from SD; " Two different Bf 109 K-4s one marked as 'Winkel 1' and the other 'Doppelwinkel ' with both apparently assigned to Batz (now as Kommandeur of II./JG 52) according to differing sources. Interestingly, Fine Molds have used the first option for their kit markings, and Eduard the second, with both referring to Batz as the pilot..."

Below; II./JG 52 G-10s at Neubiberg with their distinctive small black numerals, May 1945

Also on this blog

JG 52 war diary extracts -January to  February 1944

Bf 110 nightfighters in colour -Lt. Herbert Ludwig (Adrian Matthes 'Fliegerschicksale im Landkreis Nürnberger Land 1918-1949')

Lt. Herbert Ludwig was an instructor and one of the leading aces in II./NJG 101 and flew the Bf 110, Do 217 J/N as well as the Ju 88 G. This Bf 110 is coded '9W+BO' and has 10 Abschussbalken on the tail fin - 9 British roundels and 1 Soviet star - and was likely one of Ludwig's machines. Ludwig claimed two RAF Halifax bombers during Allied resupply ops flown over Warsaw in support of the Polish uprising in late August 1944.  Ludwig was officially credited with around 13 kills although in a March 1945 letter to his wife  he mentions that he was getting close to 20. On the night of 16-17 March, 1945, he downed two Lancasters over Nuremberg before his Ju 88 G-6 was set alight (also coded '9W+BO'). He and his crew bailed out with slight injuries. This colourful machine is Profile no. 109 in Claes Sundin's "Luftwaffe Night fighters Profile Book No. 5 ". The 81 'meander' squiggle over the standard greys would be a challenge for any modeller. Screen grabs from the Fritzlar colour footage. 

 

As a result of his injuries sustained that night over Nuremburg, Ludwig was unable to fly for several weeks. On 4 April 1945, II./NJG 101, which was based in Unterschlauersbach, was disbanded. The three best crews of II./NJG 101 were Ludwig with 13, Rasper with 11 and Dörscheln with 8 kills. These three crews were transferred to IV./NJG 6 (under Kommandeur Hptm. Martin Becker) in Ingolstadt. The remaining personnel of NJG 101 were transferred to ground combat units. From Ingolstadt and Schleissheim, Becker's Gruppe flew night ground-attack sorties against US columns. Ludwig and his crew failed to return from one of these dangerous low-level missions.

Adrian Matthes has researched and written about Ludwig and his crew and their last weeks and published his in-depth research in a book Fliegerschicksale im Landkreis Nürnberger Land 1918-1949 and on the net. Please visit his web-page at the following link.

Erlebnisberichte aus erster Hand - Zeitzeugen-versand.de - the last tragic weeks of night-fighter ace Lt Herbert Ludwig and his crew

Also on this blog;

Hasso von Zieten, II./NJG 101 - archive photo scan

Uffz. Kunze Fw 190 A-6 JG 1

Some time ago now I received a message from Falk Boersch, the nephew of JG 1 Fw 190 pilot Uffz. Bernhard Kunze, seen here (above) standing between his two mechanics. Unfortunately Falk's web site is now defunct but Falk had researched the circumstances and details of his uncle's fatal crash at the controls of his 2./ JG 1 FW 190 A-6 (Black 1, WN 550884) on 5 January 1944 close to Bergisch-Gladbach, Germany. A subject that Falk and I agreed on was the very inconsistent discussion of the checkerboard colour of the fighters he piloted. Falk had written to all the relevant publishers to get what he himself called the 'truth' published - but unfortunately without success. Nowadays of course everyone knows that black/white was the only combination of coloured checks on JG 1 Fw 190s - there were no black/yellow checkers on Kunze's machines such as can be seen on those old profiles published in the Mombeek JG 1 book series (and on EagleCal decal sheets) There were no exceptions at any time - all the different Staffeln of JG 1 were painted the same identical black/white colour combination irrespective of the Staffel or Staffel Kennung...

Bernard Kunze had been shot down the previous summer attacking B-17s as the U.S. 8th Air Force launched one of its first large-scale bombing raids against aircraft factories in Oschersleben on 28 July 1943. As the formations of over 300 B-17s struggled to their targets they were widely dispersed by repeated attacks from the Jagdgruppen - over 300 Fw 190s and Bf 109s were scrambled. Up from Deelen just before 10:00, Kunze, flying 'white 12', attacked a lone, damaged B-17 in the vicinity of Groningen with his Rottenflieger. Kunze was relatively inexperienced, having claimed his first victory only on 13 June, a B-17 downed during a raid on Kiel. He added a second on 22 June and had claimed his third B-17 just two days prior to the 28 July interception. The two Fw 190s immediately closed with the straggler to finish it off. An easy target. As Kunze maneuvered into a firing position and opened up, the American bomber suddenly returned fire. The gunners' bursts of fire struck Kunze’s aircraft hard, sending it into a steep dive. Though he managed to pull out, his Fw 190 was barely controllable and continued to lose altitude rapidly. To his horror, Kunze realized he was on a collision course with a public outdoor swimming pool in Drachten (Netherlands) — and there was nothing he could do to steer clear. It was a warm summer day, and the pool was packed. The aircraft skimmed just above the water and clipped a woman standing near the pool's edge with its wingtip, throwing her into the water but miraculously leaving her unharmed. The plane came to a stop at the far end of the pool. Swimmers, still in their bathing suits, fled out into the streets. Meanwhile, Kunze calmly walked across the road to a garage and phoned the nearby Leeuwarden airbase to request a car to come and retrieve him. In total six I./JG 1 Fw 190s were either brought down or made forced landings after attacking the bombers - a second sortie was flown by those fighters that could be refuelled and rearmed in time. For no visible result... 

Model of Kunze's 'white 12' by 'Elger'. Thanks to Elger for the images and text outline of Kunze's July 43 sortie. Elger presented Falk with a model of this machine for his aunt, Bernhard Kunze's sister, who was still alive in the early 2000s. This is his most recent superb representation of 'white 12' using the Hasegawa 1:32nd kit.

 

Eduard Bf 109 Friedrich - Rudi Pflanz JG 2

 

Great work on this Eduard Friedrich in 1/72 from 'Ingram'. 

" This is the Eduard kit with Aerobonus pilot cast and Kits-World number decals. Had a lot of fun with it, especially creating the pilot. The pose had to be customized in order for him to fit in to the aircraft, and I needed to change the parachute from a backpack to the proper low hanging position..Also getting the semi gloss finish to approximately what I saw on references was an interesting challenge. The build itself was super smooth and straight forward!"

The pilot pose/aircraft reminded me of this nice and rarely seen image of Rudi Pflanz exiting his machine. Oblt Pflanz was Staffelkapitän of 1./JG 2 in November 1941 prior to taking over the (high altitude) 11. Staffel of JG 2 in May 1942 flying the Bf 109 G-1 with pressurised cockpit. On 5 June 1942 he claimed three Spitfires downed over the Somme. According to his comrade Bigge, Pflanz by this time was almost completely 'flown-out' and on 31 July 1942 he was shot down and killed in combat with Spitfires, his Bf 109 G-1 (WNr. 10318) coming down south of Moncheaux, northern France. He was credited with 52 victories - the last usually awarded when an ace was KIA. He was succeeded by Oblt. Julius Meimberg in charge of 11. Staffel. Pflanz is buried in the Bourdon German war cemetery, on the Somme.

Oblt. Rudolf Smola Stukageschwader 'Immelmann', Schlachtflugzeug Luftflotte 4, April-May 1944 - Bundesarchiv photo report #9

 

from Bernard Roland's excellent two volume history of Stukageschwader 'Immelmann' (Lela Presse)

" ..New crews joined the Immelmann as the unit's losses began to accumulate. The arrival of the Austrian Oblt Rudolf “Bazi” Smola during September 1943 was of particular note. From Vienna, Smola had been a Gebirgsjäger (light infantry 'mountain' troops) before applying to fly as an observer in various Hs 126 reconnaissance units. In March 1943, he submitted a request to be trained as a pilot. It took him just six months to join the Immelmann, where he carved out his reputation..[..]..during April 1944 II./SG 2 operated out of Karankut before being called up at Chersones and flying missions over the Crimea. Appointed Staffelkapitän of 5./SG 2, Smola made a name for himself and his Staffel. According to one report, Smola's Staffel destroyed numerous armoured vehicles to the north of Sebastopol in just a few days, as well as thirty-six enemy aircraft in combat and twenty on the ground. Three of these victories and fourteen ground destructions were credited to Smola himself.." 

Still at the head of his 5.Staffel SG 2, Smola was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 27 July 1944 after some 530 combat sorties including approx 130 as an observer with 7.(H)/21, 12.(H)/13 and NAG 13 from the Polish campaign and including the opening phases of ‘Barbarossa’. During September 1944, he was named Kommandeur of IV./SG 151 (with the rank of Hptm.) then commanded I./SG 3. He was shot down and killed on 27 March 1945 by Russian flak at Zinten (East Prussia). In total Smola was credited with some 600 war flights and 17 victories.

Uffz. Josef Stenner of 14./JG 300 - archive photo scan #39

 

Little is known about Uffz. Josef Stenner of 14./JG 300 – here seated on his Bf 109 G-10 during March 1945. He survived the war despite volunteering for the Sonderkommando Elbe ramming mission. He had arrived in JG 300 via JG 76 and having been shot down and wounded in combat on 11 September near Kassel Waldau in Bf 109 G-6 Wnr. 412 406.

Kent Battle of Britain museum Fieseler Fi 156 Storch Walkaround

 

You may be aware that the Kent Battle of Britain museum in Hawkinge, Kent (England) has taken delivery of another Luftwaffe airframe from RAF Cosford - a Fieseler Fi 156 Storch. 

" ..The proud Trustees and Volunteers at the Kent Battle of Britain Museum Trust at Hawkinge, a Registered Charity, are very excited and proud to announce their latest acquisition of a Fieseler Fi 156 C-7 Storch to the ever-expanding collection of airframes. For many years the Museum has been searching for several key airframes to add to the Collection and to depict critical aircraft flown during the Battle of Britain including those that would have been seen over Great Britain had Operation Sea Lion taken place..."

Dave Brocklehurst MBE (in blue overalls) and volunteer team after re-assembling the Storch in Hawkinge in late June 2025. 

The Storch is currently outside during July and August where museum visitors can take photographs prior to the aircraft being moved indoors for the winter and a repaint. The Luftwaffe blog was recently given access on an unfortunately rather gloomy evening courtesy of BoB Museum Trust Chairman  Mr Dave Brocklehurst MBE.  Note that although the museum has a no-photography policy, that specifically applies inside the hangars. Airframes currently outside - like the Storch, He 111 and Ju 52  - may be photographed by arrangement. 

 

Dave is of course extremely pleased and excited to have acquired this rare and important airframe. Built by Mraz, at Chocen, Czechoslovakia in 1944, it was one of three Fi 156s that were surrendered at Flensburg, Germany, part of the British Occupation Zone, in May 1945. This particular machine participated in the Battle of Britain Open Day at RAF Hendon in September 1945 where it was flown by Lt/Cmdr. Eric M. ‘Winkle’ Brown, who was a good friend and supporter of the BoB museum. Dave is still mulling over what colour scheme she will carry for 2026 but if decent reference photos can be located it may be repainted to depict the personal aircraft of Generalfieldmarschall Albert Kesselring, the commander of Luftflotte 2 in the Battle of France and Battle of Britain.

This is a great acquisition for local enthusiasts, especially as it comes just prior to the release of a new-tool kit from the brilliant IBG Models (due in 2026). Incidentally the museum shop has the Hasegawa 32nd scale kit in stock. Note that the wheels and some of the cockpit instruments are currently not the original German items..see below

Note the museum's Storch is tied down - the aircraft had a stalling speed of around 30 mph and winds occasionally exceed that in south-east Kent two miles from the coast...

You may also be aware that the National museum of the USAF (Dayton, Ohio) is currently restoring a Fieseler Storch and preparing to put it on display.  The images of the instrument panel come from their FB page..

ECPA-D images from the DAK files. 

Rommel in his machine. The lower image provides a good view of the Kraftstoffstandanzeiger (fuel level indicator) gauge in the lower wing. 

Fw 190 D-9 in JG 300 (part 2)

 

Apparently Burkhard Otto of jg300.de believes my accounts of the Dora-9 in JG 300 are 'fakes'. Despite the fact that they were first published in 2003 and based on material in the Lorant/Goyat history of the Geschwader! 

Incidentally I do have a copy of Hubert Engst's (unpublished) 'memoir' written during 1966 for East German magazine 'Aero Sport'. In it he describes seeing "our last three Langnasen" getting airborne from Holzkirchen (a JG 300 airfield in southern Germany) for a transfer flight to Ainring during the last days of April 1945. He then 'spoils' it somewhat by referring to these 'long noses' as Ta 152s  - which is obviously incorrect..

So just for Burkhard Otto, here's part 2 of the "Dora-9 in JG 300" Extract from the Lorant/Goyat history of JG 300 (my translation). 

Major Rall’s Geschwaderstab of JG 300 underwent re-equipment with the Fw 190 D-9 from 21 April 1945. Two days later, four Focke-Wulf 190 D-9 Langnasen destined for II./JG 300 came into land at Holzkirchen. These aircraft, delivered with no spare parts, were powered by in-line Jumo 213 supercharged engines able to develop 1,900 hp rather than the 1,650 hp of the standard Jumo 213 at altitude. But it was at sea level that its performance was astonishing; with the methanol-water boost activated the speed of this thoroughbred was within a hairs breadth of 730 kph! Two of these superb aircraft apiece were allocated to the Gruppenstab and 7. Staffel. The fact that these aircraft were becoming available now just as Germany was sinking into chaos served only to reinforce a feeling of bitterness among the pilots. For want of sufficient fuel reserves, training flights in these “long-noses” were limited to a few circuits of the airfield for a handful of pilots selected by Oblt. Radener. The pilots of the Stab/JG 300 were often assigned to fly sorties with II./JG 300 according to requirements. One of these pilots was Uffz. Günter Ritzka, who recalled:

 "..I had already had an opportunity to fly the Fw 190 D-9 before being assigned to Jagdgeschwader 300; I was probably the only Stab pilot familiar with the aircraft. During the last days of the war, I was detailed to ferry one of these Dora-9s from Altenburg to Zwickau. The machine had no armament. Shortly before reaching Zwickau, I came under fire, probably put up by our own flak whose crews were doubtless unfamiliar with the new fighter’s silhouette. As I overflew Zwickau, I could see that the airfield had been hit by a heavy air raid. Landing there was out of the question. I turned back to Altenburg and again came under heavy flak fire at the same location as on the inbound flight. I then realized that the front line had moved up considerably, which was obviously something that they were not aware of back in Altenburg… Suddenly, just as I had left the danger zone, my aircraft was caught in a burst of tracer fire which this time was zipping past me in the horizontal plane! I opened the throttle wide and hugging the ground tore back to Altenburg. I could see that I had been hit as oil was spattered all over my windscreen. I managed to put down at Altenburg with no further problems and taxied to the edge of the airfield. I clambered down from the cockpit and surveyed the undersides of the aircraft and counted five impacts. Just as I was assessing the damage, the air raid warning siren began to wail. I ran to the nearest foxhole. Two or three Thunderbolts flew two firing passes machine-gunning my Dora-9. It is entirely possible that the new Kommodore, Major Rall, flew the Fw 190 D-9. However I do not have any actual recollection of him doing so .."

Part 1 of Fw 190 D-9 in JG 300 is here