Me 163 developmental issues (1) - June 1942

 

The development and rigorous flight testing of the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet are documented extensively in the Luftwaffe test centre Arbeitsberichte works reports originating from the central testing ground (Erprobungsstelle) at Rechlin. These primary documents trace the developmental history of the aircraft from its early glider tests to its operational deployment as the world's first combat rocket-propelled interceptor. The Bundesarchiv manages the original military records for the Technical Air Armament directorate via their online Invenio Database. Using the archival signature RL 3 specific technical reports and test records related to the Komet can be retrieved while the Rechlin test and work reports are also available for download. While specific Rechlin test logs and technical handbooks are officially catalogued, direct digital downloads require navigating specific archival databases. If you find Invenio a little tricky, then the Archivportal-D is recommended for ease of use - it offers integrated access to various German state archives such as the deutsche digitale bibliothek from one search function, where you can locate specific entries (such as the Me 163 B-Flugzeug-Handbuch). For independent archival research, expert resources like Rob de Bie's Me 163 Archives provide detailed inventories and breakdowns of where specific Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) documents are held; eg the Me 163 B handbook manual is available in translation as a pdf download at the NASM link on Rob's pages.

as highlighted by General der Jagdflieger Galland to the head of the Erprobungsstelle Rechlin test centre in a 'top secret' memo concerning 'Development of the Me 163 b' received on 22 June 1942...

" The General of Fighters requests....."

"...er bittet der Entwickung der Me 163 mehr als bisher geschehen vorwärts zu treiben. Als wesentliche Verzögerung haben sich die Triebswerkschwierigkeiten herausgestellt. Daneben erscheint die Lösung der Fahrwerksfrage vordringlich. Die Entwicklung einer Startshilfe ist unerlässlich. Die Frage der Luftverlegungen bedarf der Erklärung .."

..that the development of the Me 163 be pursued more vigorously than has been the case to date. The difficulties with the power plant have proved to be a major cause of delay. In addition, resolving the issue of the landing gear appears to be a matter of urgency. For increased endurance and improving takeoff characteristics the development and testing of takeoff assistance aids is essential. The questions of road transport (ie salvage) following off-airfield landings and a towing aircraft for repositioning by air (air transfers) require clarification.

Also on this blog;

Messerschmitt Me 163 V18 speed record, July 1944

Generalfeldmarschall Kesselring visits I./NJG 2 at Gilze-Rijen, late 1940 - archive photo scan #54

 

Two photographs taken during one of Kesselring's visits to I./NJG 2 (Nachtjagdgeschwader 2) at Gilze-Rijen in late 1940. Kesselring was Commander-in-Chief of Luftflotte 2 (Air Fleet 2), a command he held from January 1940 until June 1943. At that time he held the rank of Generalfeldmarschall (Field Marshall), having been promoted after the campaigns of 1940. As commander of Luftflotte 2, he was one of the most senior operational commanders in the Luftwaffe and was responsible for air operations in the sectors assigned to his air fleet. During late 1940, Luftflotte 2 was heavily involved in the latter stages of the Battle of Britain, prior to launching night-time raids over England and the so-called Fernnachtjagd or long-range intruder missions. Major Karl-Heinrich Heyse, a Spanish veteran with 1.K/88 and first Kommandeur of II./NJG 1 and then I./NJG 2, was killed in action on 23 November 1940, his Ju 88 C shot down over the North Sea by an RAF Hampden returning from a mission. He was replaced by Hptm. Karl Hülshoff, formerly Staffelkapitän of 3./NJG 2. Ironically Kesselring had flown into Gilze-Rijen the previous day - 22 November 1940 - to review I./NJG 2 and, according to H. Rökker, ‘congratulate the unit on its successes’. Kesselring returned to Gilze-Rijen in his Siebel Fh 104 about one month later with 'presents' for the Gruppe (according to Möhlenbeck) and is seen (bottom) in conversation with Kommandeur Hülshoff and his Adjutant Oblt. Gerhard Böhme.

'Red 12' back in England for the Duxford/Shuttleworth airshows

'Red 12' spent the night at Headcorn before departing this morning in humungous temperatures for the weekend's flying displays. Photos courtesy Dale and Jonty... 

Storming the bombers - Egon Mayer's first 'frontal' attack, 23 November 1942

 

The air war in the West and over the Reich determined the fate of the Luftwaffe - with a higher percentage of casualties to participants than in the East, it was by far the most costly theatre for the Luftwaffe. And the Allies for that matter. The USAAF lost over 79,000 airmen between 1942-1945 and the RAF lost over 8,000 aircraft in the period 1939-1945 resulting in similar numbers of air crew killed. Over 60% of these losses were attributed to enemy fighters, both day and night respectively. The USAF lost over 8,000 bombers from November 1942 to May 1945 with German fighter pilots shooting down over 6,000 American and 7,000 RAF bombers, at a cost of 150,000 Allied airmen combined. The Germans themselves lost almost 20,000 fighter and 'destroyer' crews men and pilots, more than half killed fighting against the heavy bombers and their fighter escorts on the Western Front. Attacking a bomber formation was dangerous. Initial encounters with US bombers flying by day during mid-late 1942 were inconclusive, but the Germans quickly grew to realise that the American four-engine bombers with their heavy defensive armament - well able to absorb punishment especially when flying in their mutually protective ‘combat boxes’ - were tough opponents.  

Egon Mayer scored his first heavy bomber kills as Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 2 on 23 November  1942 - this may well have been his first such encounter with the '4-mot. Kampfflugzeuge' or “Viermots.” Having been appointed Gkr. at the start of that month, Mayer - known as a conscientious, studious and pragmatic fighter pilot and leader - had studied tactics and angles of attack to develop procedures against the 'Viermots' - most notably the B-17.  Other pilots in his unit had been doing likewise - Jules Meimberg recalled in his memoir;

“ we sought out as much information on these machines as we could find..first flight in 1935, steadily upgraded and improved..three revolving turrets, eight heavy machine guns for defence..and only one point of weakness – the cockpit. Whereas Mayer wanted to launch attacks from all directions simultaneously to disperse the defensive fire, I argued that head-on – hitting the B-17s where their defensive fire was at its weakest - was the only certain way to bring a Fortress down..”  

US bombers were increasingly penetrating the airspace of western and northern France. Mayer's Gruppe was specifically tasked with defending the U-boat bases in Brittany.  While JG 2 was not scrambled on the 9 October 1942 attack on the 'Lille industrial area', this was the first raid for which the US VIII BC managed to assemble over 100 bombers. However events elsewhere (North Africa) meant that it would be another six months before such a large force could be put together again over Western Europe. 

On 7 November, some 34 B-17s and B-24s raided Brest. Oblt. Bruno Stolle claimed one B-24, the first of this type shot down by the Richthofen Geschwader. St. Nazaire was the target of 36 bombers on 23 November 1942. Mayer led off 7. and 9./ JG 2 from Vannes at around 12:00 mid-day. 

As the Fw 190s sighted the bomber formation, Mayer made a rapid assessment of the situation and elected to attack the bomber formation 'head-on'. Climbing almost a mile above and three miles ahead of the formation, he turned and started  a shallow diving attack from the front. Receiving light defensive fire he held his approach for several seconds, focusing his aim on the port engines.  Perhaps less than thirty feet above the bomber 'box' he veered away as the target headed to earth. He repeated this pass on a second B-17. Fifty calibre rounds pounded his armor plate around his cockpit and according to one account, damaged two cylinders in his engine. Pulling up and gaining altitude, he then closed on a box of B-24s, an attack timed at  14:00.  By this stage he was probably almost out of ammunition and running low on fuel. Mayer decided to return to base. While he claimed two B-17s and a B-24 on 23 November 1942 (his victories 52-55) and brought back a relatively unscathed aircraft, no B-24s were lost. Four B-17s in total did fail to return - two credited to Mayer, one for Uffz. Friedrich May of 8./JG 2 and the fourth was credited to Oblt. Siegfried Schnell, StaKa of 9./JG 2, his 72nd victory. Mayer's 7. Staffel wingman Uffz. Theo Angele was the only loss suffered by III./JG 2- Angele's Fw 190 A-4 was hit by the bombers' defensive fire and went down into the sea. Angele's body was later washed up on the coast.

General der Jagdflieger Galland was quick to praise Mayer's initiative against the Viermots on 23 November 1942. In a message sent to all units  (below, dated 14 December and received at I./JG 54 on 13 January 1943) he urged all formation leaders to adopt this frontal attack method where possible in order to increase the 'lethality' of the German fighters and overwhelm the bomber formations. 

RL 10/291 contains a combat report 'Erfahrungsbericht' (a  'retour d'experience' written for the JG 54 pilots shifting  to the Western Front) which indicates that Mayer almost certainly employed the new frontal attack method for the first time during this raid. The traditional attack from the rear had proved risky, with attacking fighters likely sustaining many hits from the defensive fire of a typical staggered trail formation. 

 There were of course several 'negatives' to the frontal pass - attacking from head-on gave the German fighter pilot only a few seconds to line up, aim, fire and either pull up or dive away after a closing speed of 500 mph or more. Few German pilots could do this, which was considered an acquired skill and required steely nerves. Those who did master this method risked collision and damage or destruction once they pulled up, or in most cases rolled into a 'split-S' manoeuvre and dove away following the attack. On the other hand, only the top turret twin fifties on the B-17 F models could engage the incoming aircraft, reducing exposure to the numbers of guns in a formation until the fighter passed underneath or overhead. But by then the German was too fast for the ball turret to track and engage. Waist gunners had to be cautious in firing for fear of hitting the bomber on their flank. But the frontal pass directly concentrated fire on the most vulnerable part of the bomber - the cockpit. In response to this new method of German attack, the Americans introduced new models - the B-17 G and B-24 H both incorporated the forward firing “chin” mounted twin fifty calibre machine guns to defend against the head-on attack. This soon led to the exclusive use of the more heavily armed Fw 190s to attack the bombers, leaving the Messerschmitts to engage the American escort fighters.

Below; Oblt. Egon Mayer (fifth left) with his 7. Staffel seen in Poix during October 1942. Uffz. Theo Angele KIA on the 23 November raid is fourth right.

These developments deterred all but the most dedicated and efficient bomber 'killers'. Those aces who 'specialised' in the frontal attack simply changed their angle of attack, above the chin turret guns’ elevation, rolling over exposing the undersides of their Fw-190s, where the armor plating absorbed the impact of the enemy rounds. Most of the German fighter pilots who amassed many bomber kills paid a heavy price and fought a long war. For example, Georg-Peter Eder was shot down on multiple occasions and wounded numerous times. He had three kills confirmed after colliding with his targets, surviving the crash and being thrown from the wreckage, the last being in a Me-262 jet, breaking both legs in January 1945, ending his war. Anton Hackl was shot down eight times and also wounded on four occasions, including a collision. Eder was not that an unusual case. Most of Germany’s pilots were shot down and often wounded several times. Returning to combat was expected unless the loss of sight, a limb or other crippling injury was the result. The fortunate few became instructors until they healed, passing on their knowledge to the next group of future fighter pilots. This protection was far less available in the front of a formation, and an attack described by Heinz Knoke shows how on the job training often developed a better result, but was a much more difficult and dangerous proposition: 

“We draw closer to the bomber formation…I can distinguish the individual enemy aircraft now. Most of them are Liberators….They look as if their fat bellies are pregnant with bombs. I pick one of them as my target…I shall make a frontal attack. The Yank is focused in my sights. He grows rapidly larger. I reach the firing buttons on the stick. Tracers come whizzing past my head. They have opened up on me! Fire! I press both buttons, but my aim is poor. I can see only a few hits register in the right wing. I almost scrape the fat belly as I dive past. Then I am caught in the slipstream, buffeted so violently that for a moment I wonder if my tail plane has been shot away. I climb up steeply and break away to the left. Tracers pursue me, unpleasantly close. “Damn all this metal in the air! Three hundred heavy bombers carry a total of 4,800 super heavy machine guns. Even is only one in ten has a chance to fire that still means we run into quite a barrage. I come in for a second frontal attack, this time from a little below. As I swing round I turn my head. Flames are spreading along the bottom of the fuselage of my Liberator. It sheers away from the formation in a wide sweep to the right. “Twice more I come in to attack, this time diving from above the tail. I am met by heavy defensive fire. My plane shudders under the recoil from the cannon and two 13 mm guns. I watch my cannon shell bursts rake along the top of the fuselage and right wing, and then I hang on to the stick with both hands. Fire spreads along the right wing. The inside engine stops. Suddenly the wing breaks off altogether. The body of the stricken monster plunges vertically, spinning into the depths. A long black trail of smoke marks its descent. “One of the crew attempts to bail out. But his parachute is in flames. Poor devil! The body somersaults and falls to the ground like a stone. At an altitude of 3,000 feet there is a tremendous explosion, which causes the spinning fuselage to disintegrate. Fragments of blazing wreckage land on a farm 200 or 300 yards from the Zwischenahn Airfield, and the exploding fuel tank sets the farm buildings on fire.”

Also on this blog;

rare images of Georg-Peter Eder JG 2

Storming the bombers ! IL2 movie based on Heinz Knoke's memoir - in two parts

Gefechtsverband Kuhlmey Stuka in colour

 

A Ju 87 D-5 of the Gefechtsverband Kuhlmey seen about to depart on a sortie from Immola during July 1944. Earlier D-series aircraft generally retained the 7.92 mm MG 17 wing machine guns, but the D-5 replaced them with a pair of MG 151/20 cannon to improve the Stuka's ground-attack capability. This may be an SA-Kuva image (see p71 of Falconer's "Haynes Manual") and may be (period) colorised.

On the Ju 87 D-5, the underwing racks were not simply generic ETC racks. The D-5 could carry a variety of underwing stores on specialized wing-mounted bomb carriers or Schlosslafetten (bomb-carriage mountings) as here. The D-5's ground-attack role made extensive use of these wing stations for SC 50s, SC 70s, fragmentation bomb containers and other stores. The underwing ETC 50/VIIIdTp bomb racks allowed bombs and containers weighing up to 300 kg to be suspended... The fuselage racks: 1000/500/IXb — centreline rack for the heaviest bombs. 500/IXc — centreline rack for lighter bombs. Detachment Kuhlmey (Gefechtsverband Kuhlmey) took 33 Ju 87 D-5 Stukas to Finland as the dive-bomber component of I./SG 3. The complete force that arrived at Immola in June 1944 consisted of approximately 70 combat aircraft, including: 33 Ju 87 D-5 dive bombers (I./SG 3) 29–62 Fw 190 A-6 fighters (II./JG 54) 16 Fw 190 F fighter-bombers (I./SG 5) 1–8 Bf 109 G-8 reconnaissance aircraft (I./NAGr 5)

more KG 100 He 177s - archive photo scan #53

 

Loading a KG 100 He 177 for a raid on England on a French airfield, perhaps Châteaudun just south of Paris - this is most likely an He 177 A-5 which featured the broader wing and heavy under-wing bomb carrying capability. The bomb being manhandled under the wing is likely either an SC 1000 'Hermann' or possibily an SC 1800 'Satan'. The SC 2500 'Max' was the heaviest air-dropped bomb used by the Luftwaffe and could be carried by the He 177. It was also too large for the internal bomb bay of the He 177 which was divided into two longitudinal 'sections'. Given that the ground crew are still able to manipulate the bomb on a wheeled trolley the ordnance being loaded is probably not the 'Max'.. The SC 1000 had a length of 2.5 m and a width of 0.65 m.

Kurfürst K-4 cockpit revisions

 

The cockpit of the Bf 109 K-4 was not simply a late-war Gustav cockpit with a few new instruments. One of the most noticeable internal changes was on the starboard sidewall, where Messerschmitt redesigned the layout as part of the K-series standardization program.

On the Bf 109 G-series, including the G-6, a prominent fuel line associated with the external drop tank system ran along the upper part of the starboard cockpit sidewall. It featured a 'clear' window cut-out to enable the pilot to detect the first air bubbles indicating that the tank was approaching empty. All Friedrichs and Gustavs had the fuel line for the drop tank running on the upper right hand side of the cockpit. On the K-4 the fuel system routing was revised. The conspicuous starboard-side fuel feed pipe was eliminated from the cockpit sidewall, reducing exposed 'plumbing' within the cockpit. As a result;

- the K-4's right sidewall appeared cleaner and less cluttered than that of a G-6.

- the large exposed fuel feed pipe characteristic of the Gustav cockpit was absent

- equipment and controls on the right side were rearranged around the new sidewall structure.

- the Kurfürst starboard cockpit wall features a circuit breaker box. (below) Note the FuG 16 and FuG 25 to the bottom right. 

K-4 instrument panel showing the Revi 16 sight which could be folded aside when not in use. In this view the Revi has been re-positioned out of the pilot's line of sight to improve visibility (eg, when taxiing). Below this the classic six instruments of the blind flying panel. Note too just under the coaming three ammo indicators for the K-4; one for the 30 mm MK 108 cannon firing through the propeller hub and two for the engine cowl 13 mm MG 131 machine guns. (thank you Charlie!) 

Wurmheller receives the DKiG - Bundesarchiv photo find#14

 

This brief report by PK Brütting consists of just three images entitled 'Frankreich.- Feldflugplatz. Auszeichnung eines Piloten'. (A field strip in France - a pilot is presented with an award). These show Oesau pinning a DKiG to the tunic of JG 2 ace Wurmheller who received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (German Cross in Gold) on 21 August 1942. He was awarded this 'honour'  - the 'Spiegelei' or 'fried egg'- just days after the actions over Dieppe where he supposedly shot down 7 opponents with a broken leg!  At the time he was an Oberfeldwebel. He would soon be promoted to Leutnant and be nominated for the Eichenlaub. He is seen here in front of 'yellow 3' of III./JG 2.

Also on this blog

Wurmheller at Vannes, August 1943

Wurmheller at Dieppe, August 1942

Maj. Helmut Leicht - St.G 77 - archive photo scan #53

Helmut Leicht enrolled at Luftkriegschule 4 (Air Warfare School No. 4) in Berlin-Gatow on 6 April 1936 and, on 1 July 1937, joined I. Gruppe of Stuka Wing 165 as a Leutnant; this unit became I. /Stukageschwader 77 in May 1939. With 1. Staffel he took part in the campaigns in Poland and the West, flying sorties over both France and England during the summer of 1940. On 6 February 1941, was appointed Staffelkapitän  of the Ergänzungsstaffel des Stuka-Geschwaders 77. On 28 June 1941, he returned to 1. Staffel and was seriously wounded during his first mission over Russia. Following his recovery, he served as Staffelkapitän of 2./ StG 77 from 3 January 1942 to 10 January 1943 and also as acting Kommandeur of I. Gruppe. After around 400 combat sorties, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross with the rank of Hptm. on 3 September 1942. From 11 January to 22 April 1943, he served on the staff of IV Fliegerkorps and took command of II./Stukageschwader 77 in April 1943. Promoted to Major on 1 October 1943, he was seriously wounded on 9 November 1943. After his recovery, on 5 May 1944 he resumed command of II. / Stuka-Geschwader 77, which became III. / Schlachtgeschwader 10 in May 1944. On 26 June 1944 Leicht failed to return from his 600th combat mission. Sellhorn who flew with him in 1./St.G 77 indicated that he was lost on 22/06/44 in his own caption to this image, while 'Kracker' states this occurred on his 900th sortie! Flying Fw 190 F-8 WNr. 930483 "Green 1" he was reportedly last seen attacking enemy columns in the area south-east of Vitebsk. Probably the first Ju 87 Stuka 'ace' to be shot down and killed in a Fw 190, Leicht was awarded a posthumous Eichenlaub. In this rare image Leicht is seen at the controls of a Storch, probably during 1942. Click to view full screen,

Lt. Frommlowitz of the Gruppenstab I./St.G 77 in front of a Ju 87 D, 1943

 

Ju 87 Stukas in the Blitzkrieg

 

On 10 May, 1940, the Wehrmacht launched the Westfeldzug, code-named 'Fall Gelb', the campaign in the West. All Ju 87 units (except I./St.G. 1) were committed over France, Belgium and the Netherlands, i.e. around 350 machines. The Ju 87s were quickly feared by their adversaries as they pursued their Blitzkrieg (lightning war) in close collaboration with German ground and Panzer forces. Flying up to four sorties per day, the Stuka units suffered about 30% losses. With barely any rest period they were then dispatched on missions over England. This dusty, slightly battle-worn Ju 87 of III./St.G. 51 was photographed at the end of the campaign. This Gruppe would soon be incorporated in St.G. 1.

Probably unsurprisingly the Junkers Ju 87, the Luftwaffe’s 'Sturzkampfflugzeug' (dive-bombing aircraft) or 'Stuka' has inspired myth and urban legend.. As Spanish Civil War historian Gerald Howson  described, a veteran of the International Brigades who was at Dunkirk related how the Stukas operating over the Low countries and France during May 1940 had not been a novelty for him since he had already encountered them in Spain... Unlikely since the Germans sent only a handful of Stukas to Spain and, in all probability what had been seen in Spain was another type entirely. Similarly, Italian Ju 87s flew from Belgian bases in May 1940 to bomb columns of refugees in the south of France. The Italians though did not receive Stukas until much later, and the Stuka's endurance hardly allowed it to operate at those sorts of ranges. But then Ju 87s were 'omnipresent' during the Second World War. Popular TV 'historical' documentaries - including episode 1 of a brand-new WW II history series- generally feature footage of panicked columns of refugees fleeing in May/June 1940 interspersed with clips showing the 'shrill screams of the Stuka's sirens' as they dive-bombed these same columns. Horrific stories accompanied by 'blood-curdling' sound effects are related over background scenes of the ever-present Ju 87s swooping down accompanied by film of entire buildings collapsing like a house of cards. Even 'serious' authors are not immune;

"..with its distinctive cranked wing and vulture-like looks, the blood-curdling shriek of a Stuka in a near-vertical power-dive was certain to strike fear and panic into the most battle-hardened soldiers as well as defenceless civilians.." (Falconer, Haynes Workshop Manual, 2018)

Of course, by the time French, Belgian and Dutch refugees had started to flee southwards during May 1940, the 'Jehrico trumpet' sirens had been removed from the aircraft. And Ju 87 pilots had more than enough on their hands than setting out to massacre unfortunate civilians. As for flattening towns and cities, the Stukas' usual payload could at best barely penetrate a single building, far less collapse an entire block of flats/apartments. But worth noting perhaps -  as per Marc Hazard in his 'Stuka in the Blitzkrieg' (Lela Presse, 2023) - that somewhere between 80-100 Stuka pilots who took part in the campaign of May/June 1940 went on to receive the RK, ie some 25% of all Stuka pilots who took part in the Westfeldzug. And that the defeated Allies (Britain and France) did much to 'demonise' the Ju 87 and its crews - the "Teutonic harbinger of destruction [... and] stylised figureheads of the invincible German war machine " (Falconer)  - as part of the explanation for their rapid collapse and defeat in May/June 1940..

Below; a newspaper account published in a March 1942 issue of the NS Leipziger Tageszeitung newspaper written by Schlachtflieger ace Oblt. Dieter Pekrun relating his shooting-down (by Spitfires of course) on his second sortie of the day while piloting a Stab I./StG 2 Stuka on the third day of the Westfeldzug, 12 May 1940 - Pekrun managed to bail out and came down in a field of 'irate' cows at Geetbets, Belgium - behind  the lines. With his BS dead, Pekrun evaded the various search efforts mounted to locate him and returned home some 24 hours after being presumed MIA. Pekrun was awarded the RK in June 1941.

Also on this blog

Stuka crew of LG 1 relaxes ahead of the attack in the West

'Stukas in the Blitzkrieg', Marc Hazard, Stukageschwader 77, summer 1940

German WWII warbirds at La Ferté-Alais 2026

'Red 12' calling in at Headcorn on Sunday evening for a first stop in the UK. Louis Prebble photos.

Displays representing the wartime Luftwaffe featured at Le Temps des Hélices 2026, including the traditional three-ship of Junkers Ju-52/3M, Pilatus P-2* and MS-505 Criquet**, and a solo display by Charlie Brown in Bf 109 E-4 "Red 12". The P-2 is not an authentic German WWII type, but was commonly used to represent the Luftwaffe in war films before genuine Luftwaffe aircraft became available, hence its inclusion here. The MS-505 is the French version of the Fi 156 Storch.

 

Fw 190 A-8, WNr.732197, Fw. Rudolf Artner JG 5

 

Fw 190 A-8 'White 10' WNr.732197, Herdla. Photos dated 8 March 1945, after Fw. Artner (standing on the wing and then seated on the stabiliser with his 'Abschussstock') had scored his 20th victory, a Beaufighter (RD 132) of 455 Sqn.  'White 10' features the JG 5 yellow/black 'Bauchbinde' RVT fuselage bands, the 'new' setting-sun 'Eismeer' cowl emblem and the typical 9. Staffel white-painted armoured ring protecting the oil cooler. Ago-built WNr.732197 was scrapped in Norway at the end of the war. Also in the images are Uffz. Siegfried Ballerstädt and Uffz. Martin Ullman of 9./JG 5. Previously published in Rodeike's 'Jagdflugzeug 190', decals for 'white 10' are available via EagleCals.

Also on this blog;

Hptm. Theo Weißenberger's I./JG 5 on the Invasionsfront

Hptm. Horst Carganico's Bf 109 G-6/AS Kommandeur I./JG 5

Fw 190 Jabos - archive photo scan #52

 

Two armourers preparing to mount an SC 250 bomb on the belly rack of Fw 190 A-2/U1 WNr. 2081, ‘Blue 3’ of 10.(Jabo)/JG 2 at Saint-André-de-l’Eure in the summer of 1942.

Below; III./SKG 10 Fw 190 A-4 in Tunisia, La Fauconnerie, March-April 1943. Gruppenkommandeur was Oblt. Fritz Schröter. Schröter departed the front early in April to get married. His A-4 (WNr. 0142327) displaying command chevrons was lost on 8 April, shot down by ground fire with Gruppe Ia (operations officer) Lt. Clemens Graf von und zu Westerholt und Gysenberg at the controls.

An Fw 190 F-8 of III./SG 3 takes off on a mission from Tilsit airfield in July 1944.  The gear retraction sequence is underway. Note the yellow wingtips. The SC 250 bomb is fitted with a steel 'tip' to prevent it from ricocheting on impact. (ECPAD - PK Doege)

Establishment of II./JG 77 - Oberfeldwebel Georg Ries (Stabskompanie JG 77) - archive photo scan #52

 

Ofw. Georg Ries seen in Norway during 1940 with II./JG 77

 In 1934, the Kriegsmarine had formed a Staffel in Kiel to protect the German Bight (Deutsche Bucht) region: 1./JG 136. This naval air unit was subsequently split in two, and the unit became a Gruppe with a third and even a fourth Staffel. The Gruppe, based mainly at Jever, was taken over by the Luftwaffe. Its Kommandeur was Major Carl Schumacher, a former artilleryman from the Great War who had joined the navy and then, in 1934, the Luftwaffe. In 1938, the Gruppe abandoned its He 51s to fly Bf 109 Bs. Leaving Jever for Fürth and Weiden, the unit, now stripped of its fourth Staffel, was renamed II./JG 333. Like the future I./JG 77, II./JG 333 was based for a time in the Sudetenland, being stationed in Pilsen in 1939. In May of that year, II./333 was renamed II./JG 77 and received Bf 109 Es. At the end of August 1939, the Luftwaffe High Command transferred the Gruppe to Nordholz on the Baltic Sea, an area well known to many of its pilots. Its Staffelkapitäne at the time were Oblt. Helmut Henz (4./JG 77), Hptm. Alfred von Loijeswski (5./JG 77), both Legion Condor veterans, and Hptm. Franz-Heinz Lange (6./JG 77). 

Below; II./JG 333 (renamed II./JG 77 in 1939) received its first Bf 109 Es in May 1939. Well camouflaged under netting and foliage, the Gruppe Adjutant’s aircraft is seen with its engine covered with a tarpaulin bearing the aircraft’s WNr. (609). 

Click on the image for a full-screen view.

Georg Ries had joined the Kriegsmarine in 1930 and served on the cruisers Leipzig and Köln before taking a position on Göring's 'yacht' 'Carin I'. For 'personal reasons' he decided to leave the navy and trained as an aircraft mechanic before being posted to Jever as an Unterfeldwebel and joining the Stabskompanie of JG 77 via a spell in Spain with the Legion Condor.  By the time of the invasion of Norway during 1940 Ries was - in his own words - " ..responsible for all of II./JG 77's aircraft." This Gruppe was the only single-engine Luftwaffe fighter unit sent to Norway. Ries served as Werkstattzugführer in Stavanger and Trondheim. 

His Gruppe initially assembled on Norwegian soil at Kristiansand/Kjevik. The first few days were quiet: the outgunned Norwegian fighter forces mainly flew Gladiators, which were vastly outclassed by the Bf 109s. But the RAF soon appeared in Norwegian skies. On 12 April, in poor weather, twelve Hampdens from No. 44 (Rhodesian) and No. 50 Squadrons made an incursion in search of German ships, appearing at around midday over the port of Kristiansand. German anti-aircraft guns opened up and downed two Hampdens. Several II./JG 77 Bf 109s managed to get airborne and caught up with the bombers. A fierce dogfight ensued in which six RAF bombers were claimed by the fighters - among the victorious pilots were Staffelkapitän Lange and Fw. Robert Menge – the latter had recently been transferred to 5./JG 77 from 6./Tr.Gr.186. British records partially confirm these losses: two twin-engine aircraft from No. 50 Sq. were shot down by anti-aircraft fire; three others (one from No. 50 Sq. and two from No. 44 Sq.) were shot down by Bf 109s. Below; wreckage from one of the Hampdens shot down over Kristiansand/Kjevik on 12 April 1940.

Above, a II./JG 77 Emil following a 'Kopfstand'. A good view of the 'classic' 1940 scheme.

Ries departed Norway in late 1940 for Brest, II./JG 77 covering those Channel front fighter units returning to the Reich for rest and refit as the 'Luftschlacht um England' petered out. The advance detachment of II./JG 77 left Norway on 10 November, passing through Kiel, Charleroi-Gosselies and Paris before reaching Brest. Bad luck was to mark the transfer: on the 16th, one of the two Ju 52s carrying ground crew crashed near Brest, killing around ten men. The ground crews were accommodated in buildings on the airfield at Guivapas. 

Ries participated in all of JG 77's early campaigns including the Balkanfeldzug and Barbarossa. He departed the Eastern Front in March 1942 posted to a training school as 'technischer Leiter'. In his correspondence dated 1989 he mentions that much of his documentation was lost at the end of the war, but that he still had a few photos from Norway and the pre-war period.  Some of these show Ries (below, centre) supervising the dismantling and loading of Me 109s onto trucks for recovery back to Germany and/or onward rail transfer to Brest in France.

Ries' 'Bestallung' document appointing him to the rank of 'Feldwebel' (below). Note that 'Unterfeldwebel' was an NCO rank in the Wehrmacht, admittedly not a common one. Many or most in the Luftwaffe - especially flying personnel - went from Unteroffizier directly to Feldwebel, skipping Unterfeldwebel, a rank that seems to have been reserved for 'specialist' technical personnel. (a reviewer on amazon.com mentioned in his 'review' of my 'Day Fighters Aces of the Luftwaffe' (Casemate, 2021) that he had read all of Caldwell's books and had never encountered this rank before, suggesting somehow that this author must have made an error. Well, no.)

"On Freedom's Wings " - life-size Lancaster memorial sculpture opens to the public

 

" Aviation enthusiast Gary Lewis travels to Lincolnshire to take a sneak (but totally above board) preview of the incredible installation of a full size Lancaster bomber memorial sculpture - known as "On Freedoms Wings' - at Norton Disney, close to the A46 between Lincoln and Newark. .."

Eight years in the planning and installation, the Bomber County Gateway Trust have created a stunning tribute to all those Bomber Command crews who made the ultimate sacrifice so we can enjoy the freedom we have today. Standing taller than the 'Angel of The North' and weighing in at around 100 tonnes it is certain to create a lot of attention. Kudos and admiration for those who designed and assembled it ... many congratulations to Charlie White and the team for their dedication and determination to see the project through to completion. More of Claire Hartley's photos can be seen currently on the BBC news website..

 Bomber County Gateway Trust website: https://www.bombergatewaytrust.co.uk/

A single click on the 'red triangle' to view here

 

Also on this blog

Stuka Denkmal im Maßstab 1:1 - life-size Stuka sculpture at the Capel Battle of Britain memorial (Kent, England)

RAF Tempest vs. the V1 - Newchurch airfield 1944

Nachtjagd Ost - Heinz de Fries " Wir waren Nachtjäger - Kriegserlebnisse der Besatzung de Fries an der Ostfront"

AWP have a new book on Eastern Front night fighters due soon. From the recent posts on the TOCH  forum it seems that not much is generally known about the subject but it is of particular fascination to this blogger and I shall hopefully order the book as soon as it becomes available on the AWP site. (see link, right)

One of the first to present his research on the Eastern Front night fighters of the Luftwaffe was Theo Boiten. Published in 2022, his "Nachtjagd Combat Archive - Eastern Front and The Med" (Red Kite) was 144 pages covering  German night fighter operations on both the Eastern and Mediterranean fronts. 

Theo's book is excellent, ground-breaking. This blogger translated Günther Bertram's recollections for the book. Bertram flew He 111s in KG 4. Here are a couple of paragraphs that did not feature but which explain some of the early ad-hoc beginnings of an Eastern Front night fighter force in the Luftwaffe.

"....I was born on 2 November 1920 in Hamburg. In 1939 I sat my Abitur school leaving certificate and in November 1939 enlisted in the Luftwaffe. After the usual period of induction for new recruits I went to flying school in Guben in January 1940. Flight training for the A+B Scheine took six months to complete. Those cadets displaying officer potential went on to C-Schüle at Lömeritz for a furthur six months training. It was during this period that I was promoted to Leutnant. As I had applied to the bomber arm I completed four weeks blind flying training in Copenhagen before being posted to the large bomber training school at Tutow near Demmin in Mecklenburg. From here I was assigned to KG 4 based at Fassberg, situated between Hamburg and Hannover. This Geschwader was tasked with mining harbours and ports along the British coast. After a further period of blind flying training on the He 111 in France, some thirteen crews were transferred to Riga on the Eastern Front, assigned to fly supply dropping sorties for units encircled on the ground. As these flights were flown at low level there was always a great risk of taking hits from ground fire. After thirteen sorties we were withdrawn to fly mine-laying sorties from Königsberg over the bay of Kronstadt, which was the mission being carried out at that time by our Geschwader. After some twenty sorties the situation on the Eastern Front had become precarious and accordingly our Geschwader was shifted to Sestchinskaya on the central sector of the front in order to support our hard-pressed ground forces. I flew some eighty sorties over this sector. It was at this point that the first steps were taken to establish what would become the so-called Nachtjagdschwärme Ost. A single crew - flying the He 111- was selected from each Kampfgeschwader. A crew was also made available from the Fernaufklärer (long-range reconnaissance) under Oberleutnant Schneeweiss. As the first Schwarm only comprised three machines (two He 111s and a single Ju 88), fuel and munitions replenishment, along with maintenance and servicing requirements for the aircraft were always undertaken at the airfield of whichever larger unit we happened to be operating from. As luck would have it, in Sestchinskaya this happened to be my old unit KG 4, while later in Smolensk we were based on the field used by a Nachtaufklärungsstaffel and later still in Orsha we came under the umbrella of the Fernaufklärungsstaffel, with which our Schwarmführer Oblt. Schneeweiss had previously seen service..."

Bertram's unit was tasked with hunting and engaging the small Russian aircraft, mostly U2 and R5 biplanes, that operated every night supplying partisan groups located behind the front lines. The large and ponderous Heinkel He 111 was hardly suited to this form of aerial interdiction but there were no other available aircraft. While slow, the Russian machines were even slower - they could only manage speeds of between 150-180 kph, while the Heinkel had to maintain 200 kph at least. Bertram's favoured method of attack was to close from astern then sweep past presenting the Bordfunker with the opportunity to unleash a long salvo from his MG. Nor were the Heinkels fitted with AI radar so they could only effectively operate on clear nights. As Bertram put it, '..achieving a downing was always very much down to good fortune..' Later on, an additional MG was mounted in the forward fuselage, operated by the Bordschütze, firing through a side window. This weapon was particularly suited to strafing aircraft on the ground..

Following re-equipment with the Ju 88 the Nachtjagd Ost was put on a more organised footing. NJG 100 was formed at Brjansk from IV./NJG 5 which had shifted to the Russian Front in early 1943. Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn Wittgenstein was appointed Kommandeur of I./NJG 100 during the summer of 1943.

Boiten's book also exploits another unpublished memoir, Heinz de Fries " Wir waren Nachtjäger - Kriegserlebnisse der Besatzung de Fries an der Ostfront"   -    or 'We were night fighters  - war stories of the de Fries crew on the Eastern Front'.

Along with eight other crews, Heinz de Fries and his crew departed Berlin in early November 1943, destination Orscha in the central sector of the Eastern Front. They were posted to NJG 100 where they were assigned to 1. Staffel under Staffelkapitän Hptm. Lechner, ".. ein alter Hase mit 42 Abschüssen.." De Fries had passed through his A/B Schule, the C-Schule, the Blindflugschule and finally the Nachtjagdschule in Lechfeld. At that time de Fries and his crew knew little about the 'Eisenbahnnachtjagd' or 'rail night fighting' - but soon grew to know it well - and appreciate it. 'Mobile' night fighting on the Eastern Front meant living and operating from 'night-fighting trains'. These comprised some 18-20 wagons fitted out with living accommodation - with 'creature comforts' such as hot-water central heating, a 'mess' and a 'wash room' -  a Gefechtsstand, radar tracking stations and anti-aircraft positions. The Eastern front night-fighters moved from airfield to airfield operating more or less independently. They had to be to even hope to cover the vast expanse of the Russian front where there could be little in the way of 'permanent' infrastructure. 

There is more on Eastern Front night fighting in a recent Casemate volume, 'Night Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe 1943-45' (Roba/Page, Casemate, 2025) which features some decent material on NJG 100, profiles of aces such as Lechner, Scheer, and August Fischer, along with Claes Sundin's artwork. August Fischer was a Staffelkapitän in I./NJG 100 and the last Kommandeur of the Gruppe.

This blogger's "Nachtjagd Ost - Eastern Front night fighters of the Luftwaffe" is a 20-page article in 'Luftwaffe fighters -Combat on all Fronts 2' (Mortons, 2023). Page view shown covers IV./NJG 6, a night fighter Gruppe established to defend the Ploesti oilfields in Romania...

 

  

See also "Gustav Francsi: Nightfighter Ace" [leading night fighter ace on the Eastern Front] Axis Wings vol. 2 by Sven Carlsen pages 106-111  

Also on this blog;

Oblt. Gustav Francsi, leading night fighter ace on the Eastern Front I./NJG 100

Hptm. Josef 'Jupp' Pützkuhl, Eastern Front nightfighter ace

Eastern Front night fighter - zu Sayn Wittgenstein's Ju 88s

1/48 Luftwaffe Modelling Workbook by Oliver Peissl

 

Oliver Peissl has a new book - "1/48 Luftwaffe Modelling Workbook" was published at the end of 2025 and is a superb modelling 'how-to' volume focused on Luftwaffe subjects released by Dai Nippon Kaiga. Details according to their 'blurb';

For all aircraft modellers — from beginners to experts:
• Step-by-step builds of 15 Luftwaffe aircraft (including a Bundesluftwaffe F-104)
• Detailed guides on tools, materials, and techniques
• Construction, Painting, weathering, and finishing tutorials
• Over 500 full-color in-progress photos. Text is dual Japanese/English

The book is available officially in three countries beside Japan - Canada, Cyprus and Slovakia - links to these sellers can be found on Oliver's Facebook page, Erla's Werke.  In Europe Oliver's Slovakian partner is 77propeller.com

Oliver tells me that Dai Nippon sent a photographer from Tokyo to photograph the 15 subjects featured in the book; 

 " the first contact I had with Dai Nippon was a request for one article but the conditions were not so good - I had to send my finished model to Japan for the pictures. So I said no thanks! Then they came back and asked for a whole book with 15 models. My answer: when I won’t send you one, I surely won’t send 15 models. They replied that for fifteen models they would send the photographer to me. Noah came all the way from Tokyo, spent two days with me, took 7000 images and then left..!"

 Looking through the book ,the results are stunning - with Oliver's okay, here are a few page views ...

The Franco-German modeller also features on the cover of this month's Air Modeller magazine with his superb GWH Fw 189 and his work has been published by Modell Fan, Wingmasters, Cocardes, Modelâr, Tamiya Model Magazine, Ammo and Model Airplane International. Having just written a blog post in praise of AK Real Colors, I asked Oliver about his preferred paints; 

".. Yes, I use a number of different brands. ATOM by Ammo are for me the best acrylics. Mr.Paint are for me the best lacquers. Also I like HATAKA and AK-RC of course. But Mr. Paint do the best RLM references. You should try them! "

Oliver (middle) and Noah (right)

Not featured in the book - Oliver's recently completed Eduard K-4. While the 109 is one of Oliver's  preferred modelling subjects (natch!), Oliver's recent completion of the MiniArt P-47 is superlative. And I can see an Eduard P-40 in his future! Thank you, Oliver..