Messerschmitt Bf 109 K-4 - a brief combat history (Part 1)

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 K-4 was the final production variant of the 109, the ultimate refinement of the long-serving 109 design, which had first flown in 1935. 

The K-series (Kurfürst - or maybe Konrad according to 'new' evidence, or perhaps Karl ) was introduced in late 1944 as an attempt to standardize the numerous earlier G-series sub-types (G-1 through G-14), which had become increasingly complex to produce and maintain. Production started in Regensburg during August 1944 while the various Gustav sub-types continued to be manufactured in parallel, including from September 1944, the G-10. Production and assembly was soon widely dispersed in the Bavarian forests while completed airframes were flight tested at two main centres, Amberg-Schafhof and Obertraubling. The K-series machines were planned as 'complete' aircraft - most of the Gustav 'options' were considered as 'standard' on the K-4, so 'add-on' Rüstsätze sets were basically limited to the R6 automatic pilot PKS 12. The K-4 was the only version of the K-series to enter mass production, as other planned variants (K-2, K-6 etc.) were only built in very limited numbers - perhaps just one prototype in the case of the K-6. Around 1,200 examples of the K-4 were delivered. The design featured a more refined fuselage/cowling with a fully retractable tall tail wheel, the larger vertical tail with bigger main wheels with new gear doors and amended wing bulges, all for better stability, along with a standardised Erla Haube for better visibility and MW 50 power boosting - the filler point of which is moved forward on the starboard fuselage. Other (external) recognition features could be the position (on the port side) of the fuel filler point, moved forward by one frame - as is the radio access hatch, also now higher up on the fuselage in comparison to the Gustav, while the DF loop is moved back one frame. Internal detail differences were numerous, including a new fuel circuit and instrument panel based on that of the Me 262. The K-4 primarily equipped Gruppen of Jagdgeschwader JG 4, JG 27, JG 52, JG 53, and JG 77.  The idea that the K-4 could be a dangerous machine with its excellent climb rate and speed is difficult to prove in the face of overwhelming Allied air superiority, especially from P-51s and P-47s.

Having already given up a Staffel - 9./JG 77 - to the 'defence of the Reich' earlier in the year as well as pilots and aircraft to I./JG 53, III./JG 77 under Hptm. Armin Köhler abandoned their remaining Gustavs and departed Hungary during mid-September for rest and refit in Germany, transiting via Vienna to land in Neuruppin, Berlin on or around 13 October 1944. By the end of the month they had taken on strength a full complement of brand-new Bf 109 K-4s, around 75 machines. V./KG 2 was incorporated into the Gruppe as a fourth Staffel  (see Prien JfV Teil 13/VI, page 46).

By 1 November 1944 around 155 K-4s had been delivered; in addition to III./JG 77, both JG 4 and JG 27 had K-4s. III./JG 27 were scrambled for the first time against a huge USAAF raid on 2 November. Ten K-4s were lost, along with nine pilots (four KIA) - only Uffz. Arno Mittmann (11./JG 27) filed a claim, a P-51 shot down south-east of Aschersleben. The first K-4 'victory'...

During the 'calm' that followed in November,  III./JG 26 received some 35 K-4s and a further similar number went to III./JG 4 at Alteno. Intercepting a force of 200 B-17s raiding hydrogenation plants at Merseburg and Leuna on 21 November, the K-4s of III./JG 4 accounted for four Viermots but lost at least four to the P-51s, including 'black 5' (WNr. 330321) flown by Uffz. Rolf Langestroer of 10. Staffel. On 26 November III./JG 27 up from Grossenhain (east of Leipzig on the Elbe) intercepted another huge USAF bomber formation raiding fuel installations in central Germany, well over one thousand aircraft including some 500 escort fighters. Some 13 K-4s were lost, four pilots were KIA while ace and Staffelkapitän 12./JG 27 Oblt. Emil Clade who had only recently returned to combat after injury was downed by P-51s but managed to bail out over Vechta. In his memoir he recalled;

"I was hanging from my parachute, but the wind was spinning me around and this pendulum motion threatened to slam me violently into the ground as I descended at about eight metres per second. But it stopped just before I hit the ground - I landed in a trench with soft soil. Once again, I had been lucky. That same evening, I was back with the unit and noticed the many empty spaces within the Gruppe. The next day we went back into battle..."

27 November saw another large-scale USAF raid  (1149 bombers accompanied by 900 escorts).   Luftwaffe fighter losses totalled some 81 machines. Both II. and III./JG 27 lost K-4s as did III./JG 26 - WNr. 330372 'white 21' flown by Oblt. Gottfried Schmidt of 9./JG 26 came down near Münster, the 4th victory of 356th FG P-51 pilot Cpt. Ray Withers. Having lost most of its K-4s III./JG 26 converted onto the D-9 during January 1945..

Below; III./JG 4 Bf 109 K-4.  Visible in this poor-quality image are the outer main gear doors, retractable tail wheel, tall tail, Morane antenna and the vertical bar of III. Gruppe on the RV bands.

In III./JG 77 the mostly new pilots were virtually straight out of flight training  and flying under the guidance of a handful of experienced 'mentors'. There were relatively few losses during conversion training  -  which given the Luftwaffe 'fixation' on the 'Big Blow' was largely focused on 'group' takeoffs and flying in large formations. On 27 November Lt. Ottmar Zieher (flying 'gelbe 8' WNr. 330 176) and Ofw. Karl Gabriel in 'gelbe 3' (WNr. 330 221) collided during a training flight and were killed.

III./JG 77 was declared 'operational' ('einsatzbereit') with 55 serviceable Bf 109 K-4s (68/55) and 58 pilots (62/58) at the end of November 1944. The first combat sortie of the 'new' III./JG 77 was flown in concert with the rest of the Geschwader on 2 December  -  scrambled against 8th AF bombers attacking rail targets in the south-west of the Reich, Fhr. Willi Schmitz of 10./JG 77 flying  'red 2' (WNr. 330 151) crashed attempting to get airborne from Neuruppin while Obfhr. Bartholomäi had to belly-land WNr. 330 185 with engine damage. The Gruppe subsequently shifted to Düsseldorf  to support the imminent Ardennes offensive.  

At the end of the November, III./JG 3 had received its first 10 Bf 109 K-4s. Eleven more arrived in December - the first loss was an 11. Staffel machine, WNr. 330455, reported on 2 December. 

Below; Bf 109 K-4, WNr. 330 230, "white 17" assigned to the newly reconstituted 9./JG 77 in Neuruppin, November 1944. Visible is Lt. Hans-Werner Renzow, leader of 10. Staffel (in cap) leaning on the windscreen. This early K-4 (note antenna mast on canopy) was lost on 1 January 1945 with 10./JG 77 pilot Uffz. Heinrich Munninger at the controls. (shot down and killed north-east of Antwerp).'White 17' is just one of the subjects on the new AIMS decals 'Bf 109 K' decal sheet designed for the Kotare 1:32nd Bf 109 K-4 kit.

Below; Uffz. Alfred Nitsch - former recce pilot and instructor - in the cockpit of his 12./JG 77 'blue 3' at Neuruppin, late October 1944. The aircraft is K-4 WNr. 330 177. Note the antenna mast on the folding hood section, a feature of an early series machine.  WNr 330 177 was lost during the Ardennes campaign on 23 December at Houverath with Fw. Hans Rossner at the controls. 

Below; seen in Neuruppin during November 1944 Kapitän of 11./JG 77, Lt. Heinrich "Heinz" Hackler led III./JG 77 on the January 1st Bodenplatte operation in his Bf 109 K-4 "gelbe 10". 56-victory ace Hackler was hit by anti-aircraft fire while attacking Deurne airfield near Antwerp and failed to return.

 

Note the 'C3' fuel-filler stencil indicating that the K-4's DB 605 D has been uprated to take 96 octane fuel in conjunction with MW 50 power boosting. Note on the lower part of the engine fairing one of the four fixation points for the transformer powering certain cockpit instruments. WNr of Hackler's machine may have been  330 196. Another 'gelbe 10' WNr. 331 503 was lost on 26 December near Liege, pilot Uffz. Benno Kobsch KIA.

All fighter Gruppen flying the Bf 109 K-4 were in action on the Western Front from 17 December in support of the German 'Wacht am Rhein' ground offensive through Belgium. III./JG 4 lost five K-4s in combat with 366th FG P-47s, while III./JG 27 lost three K-4s and two pilots. At least 20 Bf 109 K-4s were lost on 18 December, including ten III./JG 27 machines. III./JG 77 lost its first K-4s on operations during the course of this second day of the offensive. Victories were increasingly rare. From 2 November to 29 December, only three Luftsiege were awarded to 12./JG 27, two of which were credited to StaKa Clade: one P-47 on 25 December and another on 26 December, both Thunderbolts shot down during defensive patrols by III./JG 27 in the Saint-Vith sector.  Operating over this front no fewer than 12 III./JG 77 Bf 109 K-4s were lost on 23 December in combat with 373rd FG P-47s.  Lt. Hans Renzow, StaKa of 10./JG 77, claimed two P-47s. That same morning Maj. Karl-Heinz Langer's III./JG 3 claimed three B-26 Marauders west of Liège. After the guns of his K-4 jammed, Fhr. Adolf Tham of 10. Staffel (Bf 109 K-4 WNr. 330456) voluntarily rammed the 574th BS B-26 coded 4L-P (s/n 42-107597 flown by 1st Lt Ralph Lesmeister). Tham's wing sawed into the tail of the B-26 instantly killing the tail gunner. The rest of the American crew bailed out and were taken captive. Despite having his port wing torn off in the collision Tham himself managed to take to his chute and thus also survived the attack..he re-appeared at Lippspringe several days later with it under his arm..

On the last day of 1944 and following recent aircraft losses, particularly during the bombing of Düsseldorf/Lohausen, a group of pilots from III./JG 77 left for Regensburg to pick up new aircraft. A few new recruits arrived from Neuruppin to fill the gaps in the pilot ranks. Although still 'top secret', the next day's operation 'Bodenplatte' did not prevent offensive patrols from being flown;

" On the afternoon of 31 December, 20 Bf 109 K-4s from what remained of our III./JG 77 were airborne under the command of Lt Hackler (StaKa 11./JG 77). Our mission was hunting enemy fighter-bombers attacking ground targets. We were then to land at Dortmund. Visibility was very poor: the cloud deck was at 300 m, while wisps of fog and cloud descended to the tree tops. Uffz Heinrich Munninger was my wingman. Over Münster, Spitfires dove down on us through a break in the clouds. Two Bf 109s were shot down." (Uffz Johann Twietmeyer, 10./JG 77)

During the two-against-one combat, three JG 77 pilots were in fact downed.. Ofhr Fritz von Rath (10./JG77) was killed near Memer, Lt Gerhard Eck (11./JG 77) was reported missing in the Münster sector; finally, Fw Karl Böttner (11./JG 77), a veteran of North Africa and an ace with 25 victories, was wounded in the leg. He was able to jump clear of his K-4, but the shock of the parachute opening caused him to lose a fur-lined boot and he hit the ground with a partially frozen foot. He did not return to the front..

Below; Fw Karl Böttner in Bf 109 K-4 'yellow 6' at cockpit readiness  Note antenna mast on folding hood.. Born 11 Aug 1921, Hanover. In 1942 in EJG Ost. Went to 8./JG 77 in Jan 1943. Claimed his 25th victory on 23 Aug 1944. Was at that time in 11./JG 77. Shot down by Spitfires in 'yellow 2' (WNr. 330196) and WIA on 31 December 1944 and in Lazarett until 8 May 45. Deceased in 1995.

For more on the K-series see Jochen Prien, Peter Schmoll ('Me 109 Produktion und Einsatz'), Christophe Cony and Jean-Louis Roba - the four-part series on the Bf 109 K in issues 242-245 of 'Avions' is one of my preferred reference sources on the type.

Bf 109 K-4 'Chevron 1+ I ' of the Gruppenstab III./JG 53 - AIMS decals

 Starting a series of posts looking at some of the K-4s featured on the superb new AIMS Bf 109 K-4 decal sheet. Artwork courtesy of John MacIllmurray. And if you don't want the decals John's artwork for this decal sheet can be purchased separately for a small sum from John directly - aimsmodels1 at gmail.com

'Chevron 1+I' was the regular machine flown by Lt. Ernst-Dieter Bernhard, Adjutant of III./JG 53 during the first few months of 1945. He described his K-4 as 'well polished' and as 'quite a hot ship' - ein ganz heißes Schiff- until it was lost on 19 April 1945. As an  Oberfähnrich Bernhard was posted to 12./JG 53 on 3 December 1944 (under Hptm. Siegfried Luckenbach) and flew the Bodenplatte attack on 01/01/45 when JG 53 “Pik As” dispatched 80 machines and lost 33 Messerschmitts for eight pilots  KIA, five WIA, and another five taken prisoner. Promoted to Leutnant on 20 January 1945 (back-dated to 01 November 1944) he had volunteered for the ramming-fighter unit “Sonderkommando Elbe”, but was declared unsuitable and became Adjutant on 17 February after the loss of Lt. Westphal. On 19 April, a small number of machines from his III Gruppe were scrambled at around 17:30 from Otterfing to intercept a formation of some 50 or so B-26 medium bombers which they quickly ran into and attacked with all guns blazing. The JG 53 pilots claimed one B-26 and two P-47s. After the fight Lt. Bernhard´s K-4 was low on fuel, so he planned an intermediate stop at Kaufbeuren before returning home. Whether his machine had been damaged in the combat is not known but he was unable to properly lower his undercarriage with one gear leg staying up. A series of wild manoeuvres on his last drops of fuel - steep dives and sharp pull-ups, described as 'ausgedehnte Toberei'-  failed to dislodge it and Bernhard was forced to belly-land his nicely polished 109 right outside the maintenance hangar on the airfield  at around 18:45. Bernhard survived the last few weeks of the war, managed to 'avoid' American captivity by going 'underground' in Munich before resuming a 'normal' life. He later rose to high rank in the post-war Bundeswehr. He had claimed one enemy aircraft, a P-51 Mustang shot down on 19 March 1945. 

(text adapted from Jochen Prien's correspondence in Flugzeug magazine issue 4/87)

Well-known Kaufbeuren Schrottplatz (dump) shot with Bernhard's K-4 top right with the broad black fuselage band of JG 53. (WNr unknown)

1/32 Kotare Messerschmitt Bf 109 K-4

 

Model build/text by Dave Atkin

" This is my 1/32 Kotare Messerschmitt Bf109 K4 with the red tulip nose design as flown during March  1945 from Deutsche Brod ( possibly by Erich Hartmann)**. I have used AIMS decals and Montex masks for the main markings..."

"..I enjoyed the build very much and hope you like my take. I tried my best for accuracy but used a little artistic licence on this late WW2 fighter! The landing gear legs are turned stainless steel rod as I broke one and just think they look better in metal Air speed indicator Tamiya sparkling silver.
The Morane antenna as per references and panel un weathered as possibly replaced wooden panel for new FuG radio. Just the Ez line aerial wires to add. Added most Kit decal stencils and lightly weathered but panel lines more so underneath! Am using the VMS XXL Matt varnish on this build!
The red and green lights are Tamiya Clear green and Red just a dot of paint in the recessed hole provided,magic! Thanks for your interest and I think I may deserve a beer or maybe a strong Martini tonight! Thanks goes to Kotare Ltd, Mark Robson and Richard Alexander and their team for a superb kit of this aircraft..."

** The Stab JG 52 had Bf 109 K-4s with tulip designs. According to a number of sources Obslt. Graf flew WNr. 332529 'green 4'. Hartmann's I./JG 52 shared a field with them - Deutsche Brod some 20 km from the town of Iglau in Czechoslovakia - along with other machines and units, including the Hs 129s of SG 9 (in the background below). 'Green 4' features the typical pattern and colours seen in the WNr 332 xxx series utilising medium grey and the dark green variation of RLM 81 while rudder/fin are painted in the 'brownish' variation of 81. The nose 'tulip' recalls Graf's spectacular Fw 190s from his time in France.

JG 77 Herz As in the 'East', January -February 1945 (Bf 109 K-4)

From the Luftflotte 6 KTB, 25 January 1945

.. a partial listing of just some of the units transferred to and/or already operating on the 'Eastern Front' in late January 1945 included the three Gruppen of JG 77...

Below; Uffz. Alfred Nitsch - former recce pilot and instructor - in the cockpit of his 12./JG 77 'blue 3' at Neuruppin, late October 1944. The aircraft is K-4 WNr. 330177 which was lost during the Ardennes campaign on 23 December at Houverath with Fw. Hans Rossner at the controls. Note the 'Deutsche Luftwaffe' armband over Nitsch's flying suit, worn to identify the wearer as a Luftwaffe pilot to German civilians. The antenna mast is visible on the folding hood section, a feature of an early series machine.  Previously published on the cover of 'Avions' magazine No. 243 - the first part of an extensive three-part feature on the Bf 109 K-4 in combat. (This issue was 'notable' in the long history of 'Avions' magazine for the being the first to feature the same aircraft type on consecutive magazine covers, in this instance a Bf 109 K-4 of III./JG 77).

  
The last fortnight of 1944 operating over the Ardennes and western Germany were some of the hardest days yet endured by the men of JG 77 -  there was hardly a single sortie flown that was not marked by heavy losses. In total that short period saw 26 pilots killed, 13 seriously injured and one taken captive and around 80 Messerschmitts lost! No fewer than 26 of these were III. Gruppe Bf 109 K-4s. Among the losses were the Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 77 Hptm. Lothar Baumann, the Staffelkapitän of 2./JG 77 Oblt. Iring Englisch (replaced by Lt. Ulrich Peiper), and 133-victory ace and Geschwaderkommodore Maj. Johannes Wiese. Ordered up by Galland on the morning of 25 December, and heading north-west over the Ruhr at 8,700m, Wiese and what was left of his Stabsschwarm (Fw. Hansch) failed to rendezvous with I./JG 77 over Duisberg and found themselves caught up with 401 Sqd Spitfires over Euskirchen;

" ...Flying at about 8700 m over Duisberg, I saw the Rhine in front of me and a little behind me - flying from west to east - enemy fighters. After a brief wing waggle, I immediately made a steep turn to the left towards their formation and, as I started the attack, I recognised further aircraft, now clearly identified as Spitfires, above, below and beside me. In the course of the ensuing sharp turn, I had difficulty jettisoning my drop tank. Behind me I saw a machine burning brightly. This was probably Fw. Hansch's aircraft. Despite all my evasive manoeuvres I came under repeated attack from all sides, received hits in the engine, a hit in the cabin and felt several impacts in the fuselage and tail. I had thrown the machine into such wild manoeuvres that it was now out of control. With the cockpit icing up and the engine smoking and losing power, I decided to parachute clear.." 

Hansch had been quickly shot down and killed. Wiese bailed out but his chute failed to correctly deploy and the Kommodore was badly injured in the heavy landing.. On 31 December one of the last 'veterans' of 11./JG 77, Fw Karl-Heinz Böttner, led a recce Rotte in the direction of Münster. Both Böttner (Bf 109 K-4 'yellow 2', injured) and his wingman Lt. Gerhard Eck (Bf 109 K-4 'yellow 12', killed) were shot down by Spitfires..

On 1 January JG 77 flew the Bodenplatte mission  against Allied air bases in Belgium (mostly) -  JG 77 took part in a futile 'raid' on the airfield at Deurne (Antwerp). Kapitän of 11./JG 77 and leading III. Gruppe on the operation against Deurne  in his Bf 109 K-4 "yellow 10", ace 'Heinz' Hackler was hit by anti-aircraft fire and failed to return. Johann Twietmeyer at the controls of his K-4 'red 7' was hit by ground-fire while strafing an American road column during the raid. He made a forced landing in a field (Rosendaal) and escaped unhurt. Although ‘Bodenplatte’ was an abject failure for JG 77, taken as a whole the operation nevertheless put a brake on Allied air attacks in the early days of 1945. JG 77 took advantage of the situation to organise ferry flights of Bf 109s from factories. On 2 January, two I./JG 77 pilots were killed during these delivery flights. At the end of the first week of January, support operations over the Ardennes resumed. By this time, the German offensive in the Ardennes was in its final days.

14 January 1945 saw major battles in the air over the south-eastern corner of Germany. I. and II./JG 77 operated primarily to counter Allied ‘Jabos’ around Bastogne and St. Vith. While I./JG 77 suffered two fatalities over Münster/Düsseldorf, II./JG 77 had six killed and four wounded including Uffz. Fritz Giere who was forced to bail out of his G-10 in the region of Hamm (presumably Hamm am Rhein, a municipality south of Darmstadt). According to the loss listing Giere was shot up under his chute and came down in the Rhine and drowned. A Spitfire and a Beaufighter were claimed by II./JG 77.

On 15 January I./JG 77 received orders to transfer to the East, under new Kommodore Maj. Erich Leie - previously Kommandeur of I./JG 2 and high-scoring ace with JG 51 in the East (117 claims by October 1944). Below; part of a photo-set to mark the award of Leie's RK (21 victories) taken on August 1, 1941.

The stragglers reached Ohlau on 18 January (today Olawa in south-west Poland) some 25 kms south-east of Breslau (Wroclaw). Recently appointed Kommandeur of I./JG 77 was 15-victory ace and former Staffelkapitän of 6./JG 77, Hptm. Joachim Deicke. Kommandeur of II./JG 77 was Maj. Siegfried Freytag and III. Gruppe was led by Hptm. Armin Köhler. As with all the other fighter Geschwader hurriedly transferred to the East, the three Gruppen would be tasked with Straßenjagd - strafing road columns. (according to Lft 6 figures over 4,000 sorties were flown by fighter Gruppen in the East  during January 1945 - for just 134 victories, which suggests that either combat was avoided or the Soviets were not flying much in the poor weather or both. Either way, not an indicator of 'air superiority'. See Prien JG 77 Teil 4, p2280 )

 The last JG 77 pilot lost in the West during January was Gefr. Hans Körner who was killed in the crash of his G-14 'blue 9' on 24 January near Gütersloh (Verl) during the transfer flight.(shot down according to one source)

The situation on the 'Eastern Front' was catastrophic. The pilots of JG 77 flew several sorties per day, with the futile aim of slowing the Soviet advance. Casualties, mainly due to the Red Army's solid anti-aircraft fire, were severe and the incomplete official lists for this period give only a small idea of the scale of the losses. Nevertheless, although the Soviet air force enjoyed numerical superiority equal to that of the Western Allies, a handful of German aces continued to add to their scoreboards - undoubtedly due to the fact that the Soviet Boston and Pe-2 medium bombers were, for example, less ‘sophisticated’ than the B-24s and B-17s of the US bomber formations and the Soviet pilots less well trained (even if they were more of a handful than those encountered during ‘Barbarossa’).

On 30 January, Lt Walter Wildenauer (11./JG 77), who had already been shot down and wounded on 23 December, disappeared during the strafing of an anti-aircraft position in the Ratibor region. Lt Gerhard Staroste, a veteran of 2./JG 77, was wounded. The next day, Fw Gerd Lenke (3./JG 77) disappeared south-west of Gleiwitz (now Gliwice); the same fate befell Uffz Walter Wawoczny (12./JG 77) and three pilots from II/JG 77. The losses were not only the result of enemy action. On 31 January, Uffz. Gerhard Letzbor (8./JG 77) took off from Beneschau. The three Staffeln were set up in a triangle at the edge of the runway. In the event of the entire Gruppe being ordered up they were supposed to taxi out in turn. The signal was given too early for 6./JG 77, who started up the engines of their Bf 109s and began to move out onto the strip. Meanwhile the hapless 8. Staffel pilot had only just lined up at the threshold. Moments later Letzbor's G-10 ploughed into another Bf 109 in the middle of the runway. (Zusammenstoß Start)  The injured pilot was evacuated to a hospital in Prague, where he was later captured by Soviet troops. By late January I./JG 77 was split between Beneschau and Prerau. II./JG 77 was in Beneschau (today Benešov, a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic). III./JG 77 was in Proßnitz, some 200 kilometres east of Prague.

 According to Uffz Bartholomäi (8./JG 77) the mood among some JG 77 pilots was relatively upbeat, despite the atmosphere of defeat, fear and gloom;

 '..contacts with the Czech people were excellent. I stayed with locals in Buslawitz, near our Beneschau airfield. Food and drink were plentiful. Although it may seem surprising at the moment, our morale was high, as was our spirit of comradeship. We continued to believe in final victory against all odds. I did relatively little ground strafing, most of our missions were free hunting and escorting bombers or fighter-bombers (including Rudel's unit). In our spare time, we played cards, listened to music or wrote letters to our families '. 

Even so, Bartholomäi was shot down three times in the East. He had to parachute once and made one belly-landing at Beneschau, getting clear of his Bf 109 just before it exploded. 

Also on this blog;

JG 77 in Italy, September-October 1943

JG 77 photo highlights

As usual, thanks to Jochen Prien and team for presenting all the data featured in posts like these in their Jagdfliegerverbände series, most notably here in JfV 13/VI 'Einsatz in der Reichsverteidigung und im Westen' and the forthcoming Teil 16/I 'Einsatz an allen Fronten', the first of two volumes to cover 1945. The JfV series is available directly from the publisher at jagdgeschwader.net

"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

Did the Bf 109 G-10 and K-4 variants feature a wider track undercarriage ?

I read the following statement on a forum a while back;

"..if I remember correctly, the track of the undercarriage was widened on the G-10/K-4 compared to earlier variants. The Revell G-10 kit made the mounting points further apart, IIRC, but failed to depict the cutouts in the wheel bays that were inboard of the main gear struts. See the link to detailed photos and description of the G-10 as published by IPMS Stockholm..."

 And on the IPMS site you can read;

 " ....Despite the seemingly identical configuration, the undercarriage of the G-10 and K-4 was miles away from that of the earlier variants. Some of the changes are visible here: the undercarriage track was considerably widened, resulting in the prominent "gaps" between the leg and the inner end of the wheel well, the legs were made thicker and the wheel covers split into two-part assemblies...."

 To be honest this is the first time I have read of a wider track undercarriage in the G-10 series. I immediately wondered how this would have been feasible, given that the undercarriage legs were fitted to the fuselage and not the wings. And if it applied to the G-10, the same must have been the case for the K-4, the G-10 being intended to supplement the K-4 production being technically as similar as possible to the K-series. I spoke to one notable 'Experte' much more knowledgeable on the Bf 109. He responded with the following;

"..I have found nothing that would substantiate the widening of the undercarriage track on the G-10 series, or the K-4. Whatever the photos on the IPMS site show, it doesn’t match with the technical documents I have. The track of the landing gear of the G-6 series is given as 2062 mm in the Handbücher of the G-5, G-6 and G-8 series, wheres in the respective Handbücher of the G-10 and K-4 series the track is given as 2065 / 2100 mm. The difference between the earlier series and the G-10/K-4 seems to come solely from the different main wheels used, the 2065 mm referring to the original main wheels, the 2100 mm to the enlarged 690 x 160 wheels. As you stated, G-10s were equipped with the original G-6 wings and with those of the K-4 with the large upper-surface bulge. The original G-6 wings with the small wheel blisters couldn’t have been used if the track was widened. So in my opinion the attachment points of the undercarriage legs remained unchanged throughout..."

Night ground attack Bf 109 K-4 NJG 11

Bf 109 K-4 W.Nr. unknown "Weisse 5", 1./NJG 11, Holzkirchen, summer 1945 (original image in collection of Hideki Noro)

and a nice representation in scale model form via Lukic Dejan...

long lost Bf109 K-4 "white 16" JG53 Reichenbach photo - pops up again (and again) on Ebay !

"..a 3x5 original photo taken by my uncle. On the back of the photo he states: ....by a Messerschmitt 109 that had been forced down in the woods. Taken April, 1945 near Aschaffenberg, Germany..". 

This Bf 109 K-4 has been seen again and again ...and again. And not just on Ebay.

- P. 55 in Messerschmitt Bf 109 K, JaPo, Janda / Poruba. Also a colour profile on P93. Captioned as 'White' 16 from 9./JG 53. Found in Lechfeld

- page 177 of "Messerschmitt Bf 109 F, G & K Series" by Prien & Rodeike along with a caption that claims it is:  "The remains of "White 16", a Bf 109 K-4 of 9./JG 53 as it looked at a forward airfield in Southern Germany after the wars end. Note the broad band with the Gruppe bar behind it. Clearly visible are the large mainwheels and broad propeller blades  "

- on the web @ messerschmitt109.de. Go to section Me109 version K4, page 1/4, " white 16 Staffel 9, Gruppe III JG53 in Reichenbach in April 1945"

- P103 'Bf109 Late Versions Camouflage & markings' by MMP; profile artwork by Krzysztof W Wotowski. Attributed to 9./JG53, location Reichenbach.

http://falkeeins.blogspot.com/2010/10/bf-109-late-versions-camouflage-and.html

- P1087, JG 53 history (Prien). Also two further photos which clearly show the III Gruppe bar.

- P148 ‘Captured Me109s’ by Jackiewicz and Wawrzynski

- P81  Kagero Monographs #29 Bf109G/K vol.III by Janowicz, two nice clear images credited to Crow. No GIs in the pictures.

As I mentioned not only does 'white 16' appear in lots of different books and on the web, it also pops up regularly on Ebay - it was last discussed in detail in 2007 on TOCH after another Ebay appearance. According to Richard Lutz contributing at the time, Jim Crow  "got these from a GI Photographer on 4x5 negs. Captioned as from Bf 109 K-4 white 16, I./ JG 53 at Lechfeld, Jun 45 ". 

" ..an original photo taken by my uncle .." ..very possibly given the number of GIs who posed for souvenir photos with 'white 16'. Or until next time perhaps.

Waldwerke - late war Luftwaffe fighter production in 'forest factory' complexes

The field of German late war production is a fascinating aspect of Luftwaffe history - from underground facilities such as mines or tunnels to so-called "Waldwerke" - literally 'forest factories'. Examples of these were the KUNO I Waldwerk set up to turn out Me 262 jet fighters or the Cham-Michelsdorf site in northern Bavaria which produced the latest Bf 109 K fighters. Allied bombing raids starting early in 1944 with ‘Big Week’ set about dislocating aircraft and aero engine production. At their Augsburg and Regensburg plants Messerschmitt quickly organised the ‘relocation’ and ‘dispersal’ of some of their manufacturing capacity.

Kuno I was one such ‘plant’ established in pine forests in the vicinity of Leipheim. Issue 16 of ‘Luftwaffe in Focus’ gives a description of the production ‘facilities’ in the KUNO I Waldwerk set up to turn out the Me 262. So-called Waldwerke usually comprised a production line set up on a long forest road, so-called "Holzrückewege". Concentration camp internees – production line workers - would be housed in wooden barracks alongside the ‘production line’. Paint shops and compass platforms were all built under cover with various airframe components arriving at different points along the ‘road’ for final assembly. On completion airframes were towed out of the forests onto a stretch of the nearby A8 Stuttgart - München Autobahn comprising a two kilometre long straight which was also camouflaged with green paint from where the freshly turned out Me 262s were flown off to Memmingen or Leipheim to be handed over to the Luftwaffe. With dispersed facilities under heavy cover, the KUNO forest complex was turning out five completed Me 262s per day from late April 1944 in complete impunity from prowling American Jabos almost right up until the complex was captured by American troops on 21 April 1945. In fact Leipheim was heavily damaged on 28 April 1944, and no fewer than fifty Me 262s were written off, while KUNO I was untouched until a raid on 18 November 1944 caused slight damage, resulting in the setting up of KUNO II south of the original Kuno Waldwerk.

Completed - even down to the camouflage paint finish - Me 262 discovered at the KUNO I forest factory complex - note the line up of Me 262 tail assemblies under the pines



Messerschmitt also shifted production of other major types such as the Bf 109 K-4 into the dense pine woods in northern Bavaria, adhoc facilities manufacturing major assemblies such as wings and fuselages all under cover of dense foliage. Wings and fuselages would then be delivered usually by rail to final assembly plants. There were a number of known or no doubt some unknown Waldwerke in the area around Regensburg. The designations of the production sites are for the most part deliberately misleading. The records name the next larger town - little settlements with a railway station in most cases.
Mtt Flossenbürg is KZ Flossenbürg
Mtt Flossenbürg is Altenhammer
Mtt Vilseck is Heringnohe
Mtt Bodenwöhr is Mappach
Mtt Cham is Michelsdorf

These sites would very often exploit labour sources locally – KZ or concentration camp internees for the most part. There is thus little information in the respective town administrations, at least none about technical details and production. Most research on these sites – such as it is – has been carried out by private individuals eg the discovery of abandoned rail tracks leading from Vilseck to Heringnohe airfield. The site itself nowadays is part of US Grafenwöhr training ground and thus not accessible.
The subject of the MTT delocalised assembly lines in the Vilseck, Cham-Michelsdorf area, north-east of Regensburg, was given new impetus in a recent lengthy thread on the TOCH forum. One particularly interesting shot taken in December 1944 at Cham - Michelsdorf, shows a wingless BF 109 G-10 or K-4 parked outside a restaurant in the old town and was no doubt being pulled from Michelsdorf through the centre of Cham to Cham freight yard- an indication of just how tortuous the transport route of these particular wingless Bf109 fuselages was. Similarly for the transport arrangements from the KZ Flossenbürg production site to Flossenbürg railway station. These logistical difficulties were imposed by Messerschmitt for the sake of concealment.




Other Waldwerke sites near Regensburg, Hagelstadt (Gauting) and Stauffen produced the Me 262 to the end of war. Gauting also produced K4 types in the 330105-330491 Werknummern Block. From 331323-335210 Cham is named as supplier. It would appear that Gauting was more specialized on G-6 and G-14/AS types to the end of war although the Bf 109 K-4 was also produced there. By night the completed – but wingless -airframes were towed by tail on a truck to the airfield of Obertraubling via the Reichsstraße 15 (now B15). Here the wings were attached and the acceptance flights were made. Me 262s produced at Stauffen were transported to Obertraubling via a small railway track along the Autobahn. Acceptance flights were conducted at Obertraubling.

The method of transport of the various Bf 109 assemblies being produced at dispersed sites was similar at Flossenbürg - by truck to the railway station. Here the completed fuselages were loaded on stake cars and ferried to Vilseck-Heringnohe, where the wings were attached. Acceptance flights were made at Amberg-Schafhof, Messerschmitt test pilots ferrying the Bf109s from Vilseck to Schafhof.

In Bodenwöhr the finished fuselages where brought to the narrow train station here: ( 49°15'52.39"N / 12°22'47.00"O ) by trucks. Resilent bridges up to 10 tons can still be found in that forest.

A number of books by local German historians have shed further light on the so-called Waldwerke in this area such as Timo Bullemer’s "Das Kriegsende in Cham: Ereignisse und Entwicklungen - November 1944 bis Mai 1945". This work is illustrated with photos taken by US Army Signals Corps photographers, including shots of the 50 fighter aircraft found when the Michelsdorf complex was overrun.

"Beiträge zur Geschichte im Landkreis Cham" Band 23 ("contribution on the history of the district of Cham" vol 23 ) includes on pages 203-212 a short essay on the Cham-Michelsdorf airfield, including pictures taken by the U.S army. The aerial overview photo presented here depicts every step of the final assembly and test flying process. This was a Messerschmitt production site, were wings were attached to the fuselages delivered from Waldwerk Bodenwöhr. The Cham-Michelsdorf site exploited a small patch of forest to conceal these ‘production’ facilities.






Aircraft found at Cham-Michelsdorf include this Bf109 lying alongside a FW190A and a rare Fw 190D-9 with a Stkz, ?S+DH with the old style canopy. Fw 109D-9 W.Nr. 210034 is totally undocumented so far, both by Jerry Crandall or by Eric Larger and al.