Hans-Martin Markhoff JG 52, JG 4

 

Fw 190 A seen in early 1945 in Welzow. Attributed by Peter Petrick to Oblt. Hans-Martin Markhoff, Staffelkapitän of 8./JG 4. Previously published by Peter Rodeike in 'Jagdflugzeug 190' ...note in the lower image the new (and short-lived) 'rigid' steel drop tank and mount installation developed for 'rough field' operations. See Rodeike p300.

Hans- Martin Markhoff  had flown more than 100 sorties on the Russian Front as wingman to one of JG 52's greatest aces, Günther Rall, prior to volunteering for home defence duties in early 1944. Charged with screening the Kommandeur of III./JG 52, his chances of achieving victories in aerial combat were few and having witnessed a bombardment of Berlin while on leave in late 1943 he decided that his duty lay in defending his fellow citizens back home in Germany. He volunteered to be a Sturm (assault) pilot flying in the 'defence of the Reich'. As an experienced fighter pilot, Oblt Hans-Martin Markhoff was appointed Staffelkapitän of 8./JG 4 in September 1944 and participated in the attack on B-24s of the 445th BG over Kassel on September 27, 1944 – one of the most serious reverses suffered by the US 8th AF during their bombing campaign of Germany. Post-war he trained as an architect.

 Extract from a 12-page letter written in 1979 - Markhoff describes the 'endless waiting around' for the first combat mission of his new 8.Staffel in II.(Sturm)/JG 4. Depending on the weather the fighter pilots existence revolved around different stages of 'readiness' - 'I no longer recall how often we got airborne and failed to make contact with the enemy, usually because they had already turned for home..' Markhoff's Staffel underwent their 'Feuertaufe' or 'baptism of fire' on 11 September 1944 - '..with good direction from the ground we were guided in behind a formation of B-17s over Chemnitz at around 12:10...'

 

Studying the Luftwaffe through prisoner interrogation reports (1)

A good friend of  ' FalkeEins - the Luftwaffe blog ' has kindly transferred many archival POW reports which make fascinating reading. No apologies for taking my cue from the equally fascinating TOCH thread "Studying the Luftwaffe through POW interrogation reports "....

The 'problem' with POW interrogation reports is obviously one of 'reliability' - note the 'Preamble ' to the report on page 1 below ;  " all three prisoners arrived with elaborate cock-and-bull stories ". On page 2 there are dubious statements;  referring to the formation of I./JG 4 the report notes that "..it is of interest that all these 'old hands' from JG 77 had at some  time or other served sentences for some military offence" ..or even  " Hptm Hahn had over 900 operational flights to his credit.."

The report featured here chiefly concerns the interrogation of Bf 109 pilots from I./JG 4. During early 1944, I./JG 4 was based in Littorio, southern Italy and operated principally over Monte Cassino and Nettuno during this period. Clashes with Allied fighters were frequent and deadly. During the month I./JG 4 lost seven pilots KIA including Kommandeur Hahn on January 22. Although he managed to bail out he struck the airframe and was unable to deploy his parachute. Hahn was replaced by Hptm. Walter Hoeckner and the unit moved to Frabrica di Roma. February 1944 was no better. Twenty victory claims - including three P-51s on February 8 - for seven pilots KIA and two taken prisoner.

On February 6  I./JG 4 carried out at least two escort missions from Fabrica for SG 4 Fw 190s in the Nettuno region. The first started at 09:20 hours. After completing the escort, the mission turned into a ‘free hunt’ which, it appears, was without incident. The aircraft landed at 10:15 hours. The second mission was, on the contrary, far more eventful. The formation (comprising of at least two Schwärme from 2. and 3. Staffeln) took off at 11:05 hours under the leadership of Hptm. Manfred Spenner. Uffz. Edmund Beuth (decorated with the Iron Cross 1st Class) led the Schwarm from 2. Staffel in his 'black 7'. After escorting the Fw 190s to their objective in the Nettuno area, Hptm. Spenner led his men on a strafing attack in the area of the bay. Shortly afterwards the pilots encountered a ‘Dragonfly’ and Spenner added his 9th 'victory' to his scoreboard. However, flying at low altitude, the aircraft were dangerously exposed to anti-aircraft fire. The Bf 109 G-6s of Uffz. Kurt Leopold ('yellow 2')and Uffz. Edmund Beuth were riddled with shrapnel. Leopold related his story to author Erik Mombeeck; 

“..I was flying on Spenner's left flank when the left hand side of my engine was hit by numerous impacts -anti-aircraft fire! I left the formation and banked into a curve, seeking to put distance between myself and the Nettuno sector quickly. I skimmed the tree tops at nearly 750 kph. Seeing a clear space in the Marais Pontins, I nursed the aircraft down for a belly landing. My aircraft careened as far as a large hole, which brutally brought it to a stand. The nose of the aircraft dug in and for a moment I thought it would turn over. Thankfully it settled on its belly and stopped. I clambered out of the cockpit and looked at the hits that had torn into the metal some 50 cms from the cockpit. I considered myself lucky to have survived unhurt! I quickly moved away from the crash site. After about 50 metres two shots rang out behind me. The bullets whistled over my head. Two warning shots! I flung myself full length on the ground and remained motionless. I slowly turned over onto my back to remove my yellow life jacket. Then I crawled towards a bush where I could hide. However I felt a weapon in my back. I became a prisoner of the Americans... "

" Detailed interrogation report on the two Me 109 fighter pilots and Fw 190 fighter-bomber pilot shot down on the ANZIO front on 6th and 7th Feb. resp " ;

Bottom paragraph below;

 " ..In JG 4 discretion is considered the better part of valour where encounters with Spitfires are concerned., particularly as the Bf 109 G-6 pilots are aware that not only are their opponents superior in number, but possess the better aircraft. Engagements with Spitfires are therefore avoided when possible.. "

An Eagle's Odyssey - Johannes Kaufmann (trans. John Weal), Messerschmittt Bf 109 Air War Archive - new Luftwaffe books

Johannes Kaufmann enjoyed a long and diverse flying career in the Luftwaffe. He spent the first two years of the war as an instructor before flying his first combat sorties in July 1941, having retrained as a Bf 110 Zerstörer pilot with SKG 210 and ZG 1. He participated in the invasion of the Soviet Union (Barbarossa) and as a ground-attack pilot flew low-level strafing and bombing sorties against Russian tank and troop concentrations. His war ended at the controls of a Bf 109 escorting JG 4 Selbstopfer ('self sacrifice' or suicide) pilots flying against the Oder bridges. He also managed to return twelve victories including a Thunderbolt over the Ardennes and a Shturmovik in the final days of the war over the ruins of a shattered Berlin. That he survived is testament to his flying skills. His memoir 'Meine Flugberichte' ('My flight log') first appeared in German in 1989 - the cover photo depicted him being presented with a wreath to mark his 100th combat sortie in Russia. Brief extracts from his book are featured in the Classic Pubs Zerstörer volumes - and elsewhere on this blog. His career thus spans most of Hitler's war and highlights the ever-changing demands made on the Luftwaffe's pilots. In his role as a ground attack pilot in Russia he had no experience, little training and developed his 'tactical awareness' in the unforgiving apprenticeship of combat. From low-level bombing and strafing sorties, he flew at Stalingrad and subsequently went on to maritime operations over the Atlantic with KG 40, before 're-training' as a Bf 109 fighter pilot thrown into the desperate efforts to stem the Allied bomber offensive. Unfortunately while Kaufmann's account is fascinating, the original text was a 'difficult' if not to say somewhat dull read, with timings for takeoffs and landings repeated throughout, written almost exclusively from the point of view of Kaufmann's logbook. Hence the title no doubt. However translator John Weal is well aware of this and this new English edition -  revised and enlarged from the original - attempts to rectify that situation by cutting out some of the detail and incorporating more context and background information on campaigns, locations and units. So whereas, for example, Kaufmann did not fly his first sorties with JG 4 until late summer 1944 - having seen his Ju 88 ZG 1 Gruppe disbanded and reconstituted as III./ JG 4 - the translator provides an account of this JG's establishment and early history. While Kaufmann had done little combat flying with KG 40 and ZG 1 (chapters are devoted to both units) he saw rather more action flying Reich's defence sorties against the massed formations of US bombers, clashing with Mustangs on the 27 September and 02 November missions which saw heavy losses inflicted on JG 4. 

Below; cover of Johannes Kaufmann's " Meine Flugberichte " (lit. 'My flight reports..' ). 

And while Kaufmann  did not fly on the 1.1 45 Bodenplatte operation, Weal includes an account of JG 4's participation on the New Years Day attack on the Allied air forces and the subsequent changes in command at the head of III./JG 4 resulting from the charges of 'cowardice' filed against Kommandeur Eberle.

Notwithstanding the fact that the translator's 'voice' comes to the fore throughout, the result provides a good insight into the life and times of an 'ordinary' Luftwaffe pilot. While there is a good deal of 'background' on what life with a front-line combat unit was actually like, 'political' comment is notable by its almost total absence and the 'neutral' tone adopted throughout is a little disconcerting- there is no commentary whatsoever on the evolving war situation, nor is there any sense of impending defeat and chaos. Kaufmann does at one point attend one of Hitler's rallies and listens to the three-hour speech with 'rapt attention' while during a fighter leaders training course during March 1945 Kaufmann makes the point that lectures covering the German war economy and 'post-war' diplomacy are still being delivered.. Weal's writing is always a pleasure to read and if you have any of his previous translated personal accounts such as Hanning's 'Luftwaffe Fighter Ace' then this is worthy and interesting book. Rather unfortunately perhaps there are no photographs in this new edition. If you are going to add good chunks of text a photo page insert would have rounded the book out considerably.

The latest Chris Goss-compiled Luftwaffe photo book in the Frontline 'Air War Archive' series has arrived. ' Messerschmitt Bf 109 - the latter years ' covers the period 1941-1945, with a chapter devoted to each year at the front of the book and several chapters thereafter organised according to the theatre of operations, Africa, Eastern Front etc, with a brief look at Jabo operations, foreign operators and 'Captured' machines bringing up the rear.  With a page count of 178 the book represents good value with some decent images reproduced large with comprehensive captions. The main body of the work is preceded by a 19-page look at the capture by the British of Pingel's Friedrich by way of introduction. Units covered primarily include JG 1, JG 2 and JG 26, with coverage chiefly given over to JG 27, JG 53 and JG 52 for the 'theatre' chapters.  I noted just a single photo from JG 300 in the book but highlight for me is a series of very nice images of III./JG 2 Friedrichs and a number of photos of interesting JG 77 machines that were new to me.

Captured G-6s in unusual camo finish, WNr. 20790 visible on the tail fin. See pages 84-85 of 'Bf 109 - the latter years'..seen at Fassberg according to the book caption, although A.I.2(g)/131 via Michael Balss states Wunstorf.

Bf 109 F-4/B WNr 7629 10.(Jabo)/JG 2, Oblt. Frank Liesendahl admiring his rudder scoreboard May-June 1942. Liesendahl was shot down and killed on 17 July 1942 and was awarded a posthumous RK. Compare with the image reproduced on page 98 of  'Messerschmitt Bf 109 - the latter years'..

Thanks to Pen and Sword for the review copy.

Bf 109 G-14 of 5./JG 5 (13./JG 4) Reinsdorf, Finsterwalde September- November 1944 - ebay photo find 290

Above; Reinsdorf, September 1944. Pilots of 5./ JG 5 soon to become 13./JG 4 in the defence of the Reich. Pilots named in the photo above (see caption reverse below) include Uffz. Friedrich Zink, WIA 2 November, Staka 5./JG 5 Lt. Paul Weitzberg KIA 2 November and Ofw. Hermann Holtkötter. G-14/AS background left, note Morane antenna under the port wing and deeper oil cooler just visible. (see below) - edit; picture sold for 431 euros.


16 October 1944 was the last day the unit fought under the designation "II./JG 5"- two pilots were killed, a single pilot was wounded and no less than sixteen aircraft were lost. Four days later an order emanating from Luftflotte Reich re-designated II./JG 5 as IV./JG 4. The Gruppe, still at Finsterwalde, was organised as follows;

 IV./JG 4 (ex-II./JG 5): Hptm. Franz Wienhusen,

13./JG 4 (ex-5./JG 5): Lt. Paul Weitzberg,
14./JG 4 (ex-6./JG 5): Lt. Ernst Scheufele,
15./JG 4 (ex-4./JG 5): Oblt. Lothar Wolff,
16./JG 4 (ex-8./JG 5): Oblt. Hans Schleef.

Staffelkapitän of 5./JG 5 since 1942, Hptm. Franz Wienhusen had spent several months at Lamsdorf in Upper Silesia as an instructor before being appointed to command II./JG 5 in September 1944. He had achieved around twelve victories in air combat.

 Lt. Paul Weitzberg had been posted to 4./JG 5 when the unit was still in Norway during 1943 before succeeding Hptm. Franz Wienhusen at the head of 5. Staffel during the spring of 1944. He was KIA on 2 November 1944. Among his pilots was the experienced Ofw. Hermann Holtkötter who had flown for a long period with I./JG 5 prior to moving to 5./JG 5.

13./JG 4 on 2 November 1944 on this blog
https://falkeeins.blogspot.com/2018/08/jg-5-reichsverteidigung-staffelkapitan.html

Uffz. Friedrich Zenk third from right. Also in the line-up of 5./JG 5 (13./JG 4) at 30-minute readiness in Reinsdorf is Ofw. Hermann Holtkötter (4th from left) and Staka Lt. Paul Weitzberg next to him on the right. Most of the pilots here are "gef."  (gefallen - KIA)

Below; on 2 November 1944 Uffz. Friedrich Zenk was shot down and wounded in his G-14/AS  'white 4' 'Christel' WNr. 460337. The photo was taken the previous day in Finsterwalde.

Also reproduced in Eric Mombeek's  two volume history of JG 4 " Sturmjäger ", translated as 'Storming the bombers' by this blog writer.

Go to the author's web site here

JG 5 Reichsverteidigung Staffelkapitän Lt. Paul Weitzberg KIA 2 November 1944

I recently came across two surprising comments on two different threads concerning JG 5 on the TOCH forum;

firstly; that Peter Schmoll's latest book 'Me 109 Production und Einsatz' 'erroneously' depicts a Gustav in JG 5 markings overflying a German town as the jacket illustration, and, secondly, that three JG 5 pilots were KIA over Holland on 15 August 1944 including Lt. Paul Weitzberg of II./JG 5  (thread here)

 Established in January 1942, II./JG 5 was a successful Gruppe in the Eismeer Geschwader fighting in the Far North. Among several ace pilots that had flown with this unit were Major Horst Carganico, Major Heinrich Ehrler, Ofw. Rudolf Müller and Oblt. Hans Döbrich…

However, with an 'invasion' of the Continent looming and the Reich being pounded almost daily by huge bombing raids, the Gruppe -along with I./JG 5 - transferred in late May 1944 from the Artic Circle to southern Germany. Here they re-equipped with new Bf 109 G-6 fighters. In June 1944, both Gruppen were sent to France to oppose the Allied landings in Normandy, I./JG 5 flying out of Herzogenaurach during 6 June. II./JG 5 was still in Gardelegen re-equipping and did not fly to France until mid-June.  (cf. Jochen Prien, JfV 13/III)

Elements of Hptm. Theo Weißenberger's I./JG 5 arrived on the 'Invasion' Front at Montdidier in the vicinity of the French capital on 6 June while Weißenberger himself and the rest of his Gruppe clashed with P-47s coming into Montdidier on 7 June. I./JG 5 also saw combat over Beauvais that same day and in total Weißenberger claimed five victories. He filed a further three claims the following day. In the Bundesarchiv image below he is seen on 8 June 1944 being interviewed by a Kriegsberichter. In the background, left, is Oblt. Lothar Gerlach, Staffelkapitän of 1./JG 5. Weißenberger went on to return his 199th and 200th victories on 25 July and with some 25 victories was easily the most successful Jagdwaffe pilot over Normandy - although a number of his 'invasion victories' cannot be confirmed from Allied records.

Eichenlaubträger Hauptmann Weißenberger, Gruppenkommandeur in einem Jagdgeschwader bei einer Nachbesprechung. Prop.-Kp. Lw.KBZ 15 Film-Nr.: 8279/10 Bildberichter: Schödl 4.10.44

Both Gruppen of JG 5 fell back to the Reich in late July. II./JG 5 occupied a number of airfields through this period, moving from Herzogenaurach, Salzwedel, Werl, Sachau and Rheinsdorf before finally arriving at Finsterwalde. During August 1944 combat over the Reich was particularly murderous for II./JG 5 - some seventeen II./JG 5 pilots were killed in combat with  four-engine bombers, one of the bleakest months in the unit's history. However Lt. Paul Weitzberg was not one of them.. in the image below taken during August 1944 Lt. Paul Weitzberg, Stk. 5./JG 5 was photographed in front of the Me 109 G-6 "gelbe 1" assigned to his friend Staffelkapitän 4./JG 5 Oblt. Günther Schwanecke...

16 October 1944 was the last day the unit fought under the designation "II./JG 5"- two pilots were killed, a single pilot was wounded and no less than sixteen aircraft were lost. Four days later an order emanating from Luftflotte Reich re-designated II./JG 5 as IV./JG 4. The Gruppe, still at Finsterwalde, was organised as follows;

 IV./JG 4 (ex-II./JG 5): Hptm. Franz Wienhusen,

13./JG 4 (ex-5./JG 5): Lt. Paul Weitzberg,
14./JG 4 (ex-6./JG 5): Lt. Ernst Scheufele,
15./JG 4 (ex-4./JG 5): Oblt. Lothar Wolff,
16./JG 4 (ex-8./JG 5): Oblt. Hans Schleef.

Staffelkapitän of 5./JG 5 since 1942, Hptm. Franz Wienhusen had spent several months at Lamsdorf in Upper Silesia as an instructor before being appointed to command II./JG 5 in September 1944. He had achieved around twelve victories in air combat.

 Lt. Paul Weitzberg had been posted to 4./JG 5 when the unit was still in Norway during 1943 before succeeding Hptm. Franz Wienhusen at the head of 5. Staffel during the spring of 1944. Among his pilots was the experienced Ofw. Hermann Holtkötter who had flown for a long period with I./JG 5 prior to moving to 5./JG 5.

 Leutnant Ernst Scheufele had joined 12./JG 5 as early as 1 July 1942 and had seen almost constant front line action ever since. Posted to II./JG 5 on 1 October 1943, he had been appointed to command 6./JG 5 on 15 March 1944 - his experience and length of service meant that he was regularly called upon to replace the Kommandeur in the air. Scheufele had tallied eighteen victories, including a Thunderbolt and a number of four-engine bombers. Among his pilots were Fw. Erhardt Mecke and Uffz. Berthold Klaus, both of whom had achieved around ten victories.

 Oblt. Lothar Wolff was an experienced Zerstörer pilot. Gruppenadjudant in IV./KG 40 since 1943, he had fought most notably in the bloody clashes over Normandy before undergoing a single-engine fighter conversion course.Officially he had tallied four victories - two Wellingtons, one B-17 and a single B-24- which he had achieved at the controls of a Ju 88. He had been posted to II./JG 5 at Finsterwalde just in time to undergo his baptism of fire at the controls of a Bf 109 during the bitter battles of 16 October. Among his experienced pilots was Uffz. Hubert Schubert.

 Oblt. Hans Schleef was one of the seven Ritterkreuzträger to serve with JG 4. He had received the award on 9 May 1942 for the 41 victories he had achieved while serving with 7./JG 3- during this period he had been shot down behind the front but had managed to return to German lines some four days later. Schleef had subsequently been appointed to command 8./JG 5 on 21 July 44. At the time IV/JG 4 was stood up, he had downed some 97 enemy aircraft.

"... Finsterwalde - 2 November 1944. Weather conditions were poor. The cloud ceiling was at 800 metres. The Gruppe was put on thirty-minute readiness. After about an hour's waiting an 'Alarmstart' was suddenly ordered - the signal flare shot up from the operations building - scramble! The four machines of our Staffel were led off by our Kapitän, Lt. Weitzberg - heading due west. We hadn't been in the air for very long - no more than about fifteen minutes - when we came across the first Pulk of bombers at around 4,000 metres altitude. I waded in to set up for a head on attack on a box of six B-17 G Fortresses, squeezing off the first bursts from about 400 metres. It was then that I realised that I was all on my own and could only imagine that my comrades had been caught up in a tussle with Mustangs somewhere behind me. As I hurtled in towards the bombers I now bore the brunt of their defensive fire - a number of hits slammed into my 109 - in particular the oil tank was perforated and great gobs of the viscous liquid coated the canopy severely restricting my forward vision. Thick bitter smoke seeped into the cockpit and then suddenly flames erupted from the engine cowl and the engine seized. I quickly jettisoned the canopy, which flew free. I tore off my flying helmet and prepared to jump. At this point I noticed that the chute which lay in the seat-pan appeared to have been damaged which made me think twice about bailing out- I elected to try and glide down for a crash landing. Pointing the nose down into the cloud layer I soon had ground visibility and headed for a field running alongside a village. By now flames were whipping around the cockpit but I successfully guided the 109 down for an emergency landing and managed to scramble clear of the blazing machine. I ran clear in the direction of the village. Suddenly I heard a shout behind me - "Halt- stehen bleiben!". A bicycle-mounted police man had a pistol trained on me - as I was covered in oil and my face was charred by second degree burns I suppose he may have taken me for a black American. My life jacket also concealed the rank insignia on my uniform. I was marched into the village at gun-point - my eyes had closed up with the burns - before I managed to persuade my 'captor' that I was in fact a German pilot - I was then taken to hospital in Dessau .."
(Uffz. Friedrich Zenk, 13./JG 4)

Four IV./JG 4 pilots were shot down and killed during this sortie on 2 November 1944 - among their number was the Kapitän of 13. Staffel, Lt. Paul Weitzberg. Weitzberg fell to a Mustang while he was lining up to come in for an emergency landing at Zerbst.

Just six Bf 109s of IV./JG 4 managed to return to Finsterwalde. Both here and at Welzow, there was deep dismay at the outcome - each of the Gruppen had lost a Staffelkapitän. Hptm. Erich Jugel would be succceeeded by Oblt. Werner Vorberg, while Lt. Paul Weitzberg was briefly replaced by his friend Oblt. Günther Schwanecke until the latter was posted to a Gruppenführer training course. Lt. Josef Kunz was appointed Kapitän of 13. Staffel on 10 November. He had recently completed the Verbandsführerlehrgang - formation leaders training course - at Königsberg/Neumark and had been a member of III./JG 5 since the Gruppe had been set up in June 1942.

- Note the account of the sortie flown on 2 November is a translated extract from Erik Mombeek's "Storming the bombers" Volume II  (translation by this blog author). 
- Image of Weitzberg via Peter Neuwerth and his excellent site devoted to JG 5 and JG 7 here
- Jochen Prien's Jagdfliegerverbände series including the latest tome, Teil 13/ III, is available via jagdgeschwader.net here

Bf 109 G-14 Rolf Schlegel of JG 4, AZ Model inspired by "Storming the bombers - the Luftwaffe's 4th Fighter Wing"

New from Jan Pavlik and inspired by the JG 4 history..

Bf 109 G-14 flown by Rolf Schlegel of 10./JG 4, kit is the AZ Model in 1/72 scale...

From the publisher;

 "..The concluding volume in our history of JG 4 covers the story of the Geschwader from Operation Market Garden in Holland during September 1944 to the final desperate battles over Berlin and capitulation in May 1945. The combats flown by the pilots of JG 4 throughout this nine month period are related with the aid of rare oral testimony and illustrated with photographs from private albums, including a selection of new images for this English-language edition. Covered in detail are the 'Storm' missions flown by the Sturmgruppe (including ramming attacks against USAAF bombers), ground-attack bombing sorties during the Ardennes offensive of December 1944, the fullest account yet of the unit's participation in the 1945 New Year's Day Operation Bodenplatte, the last desperate sorties flown on the Oder front against the Red Army with, for the first time, accounts in English of German kamikaze attacks flown against the Oder bridges and the final air battles over the ruins of Berlin.

"....Over the course of 20 years research I was able to track down and interview virtually every surviving pilot and compile their very often moving and desperate accounts into this book, giving it a uniquely human dimension which will undoubtedly be of interest to all former Allied aviators and their descendants as well as enthusiasts of the period....

Once again Neil Page has produced the translation and his knowledge of both the French and German languages as well as WWII aviation history has enabled us to present this superb English language edition. The work is illustrated with several hundred photographs and is completed with loss and victory listings, a table of commanding officers and Thierry Dekker's superb full-colour profile artworks. This is an unmissable 232-page A-4 format hardback, with much new information on WWII air combat over Europe, the pilots and their machines....."


More info and ordering details from http://www.luftwaffe.be/

Fw 190s surrendered at Flensburg - Ebay Luftwaffe find #87

..two pilots of 7./JG 26 seen during October 1944 in Coesfeld on the wing of an FW 190 A. On the left Fw Erich Ahrens, shot down on the Bodenplatte operation on 1.1.1945 and taken captive (shipped to Canada) and Uffz.Heinz "Muli" Meihs, who made two claims before being KIA on 13.3.1945.

More from Michael Meyer's current Ebay sales here

captioned by the seller as 'Flugplatz Westerland' -located on the Sylt peninsula- these are likely to be Fw 190s from II./ JG 4, this Geschwader being one of a handful of JGs to surrender in northern Germany in the area of Flensburg.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/3-Fotos-1945-Flugplatz-Westerland-Sylt-FW-190-11-5-mal-17cm-/161341144485?pt=Militaria&hash=item2590ae7da5

Fw 190s JG 1 JG 4 - daily Ebay photo finds

comment on the above from Jakub Plewka;
" F-3/R1. Location of the Erste Hilfe pack + underwing ETC + MG flat cowl denotes the type. The BSK presence is interesting. Cool bird but what is the one on the left? Ju 188 nose...?"

Below; two images of late 1944 Fw 190 A-8s; given the camouflage and style of Kennziffer, these are almost certainly JG 1

below; two previously unseen images of belly-landed Sturm Fw 190 from 5.(Sturm)./ JG 4. Of course this might be an A-6 from the Sturmstaffel, it is difficult to tell whether the MG cowl cover is flat or bulged.

Contending with torque - late war Messerschmitt 109s - and the limitations of German engineering

"..The day was rounded off with a demonstration of captured American aircraft, in particular a P-51 Mustang – it was stressed that our Bf 109s and Fw 190s were generally superior to this type. We soon realised on our first combat sortie that this statement was not entirely accurate.."

Uffz. Kurt Scherer II./JG 4 (quoted in Mombeek " Storming the Bombers")

As Bob Goebel explains so eloquently in his fine memoir  'Mustang Ace' all pilots flying single-engined fighters have to contend with torque - the heavy spinning engine and propeller causes the small light fighter airframe to veer off its centre-line axis. This is obviously inconvenient, especially for a gun-platform when you are trying to keep the sight pipper on the target. Trimming or re-trimming, usually through applications of rudder is essential to keep the aircraft flying straight without yawing. And -as my good friend 'Crump' points out- there are are other contributory factors to the left-swinging tendencies at work on high-performance tail-draggers, eg P-factor (propeller effect) - the blade on the left side upswing has the wing and the ground interfering with its thrust production compared to the right side down-swinging blade. The right side produces more thrust and therefore pushes the aircraft to the left.

On the P-51 a light off-set of the vertical fin was built into the design which generated an aerodynamic force which helped to balance out the torque. But even here any zero-yaw condition enhancements incorporated into the airframe are only true at one given airspeed and power setting- at a high power setting and low airspeed, as during a steep climb, the torque is greater than the correction. Conversely in a high speed dive aerodynamic forces are greater than the torque.

The average Bf 109 pilot enjoyed no such refinement as an off-set tail fin - with its small airframe and control surfaces the Bf 109 pilot had more to do in the cockpit than most. Of course as Messerschmitt himself put it, he had set out to produce a small fast fighter " and not a barn door.." ( as quoted in Isby, ' The decisive duel' P378) But with its small wing, narrow-track undercarriage, an overloaded airframe and large engine driving a broad-three-bladed propeller there were potentially lethal handling difficulties to contend with. At high speeds the Bf 109 required considerable stick forces. Well-trained pilots could handle this, but the Bf 109 could nonetheless be quite a handful even for an experienced pilot, especially on the ground! On the afternoon of 25 August 1944 the Kommandeur of I./JG 4 Major Walter Hoeckner taxiied out at Ziegenhain to lead his Gruppe on a transfer to France and the Western Front ;

"..It was on 25 August that I saw Hoeckner kill himself at Ziegenhain. His fighter powered off but flipped over at a height of around twenty metres and smashed into the ground. Those pilots that were already airborne and those just lifting off were completely stunned.... I almost met the same fate. The cockpits of our Me 109s were extremely cramped. With parachute, equipment and personal items it was sometimes difficult to get much leverage on the stick, wedged as it was in-between our knees. On one takeoff my machine veered off to starboard without me being able to do much about it - my knees got in the way of the stick movement. Fortunately I was already over the valley that ran along one side of the airfield. I was able to push the stick forward and pick up speed and managed to keep the aircraft under control by the skin of my teeth..." 

Ogfr. Horst Jaekel, 3./JG 4 ; (extracted from 'Storming the bombers' - a chronicle of JG 4, Mombeeck, trans. Neil Page )

Aged nearly 30, Walter Hoeckner had been flying the Bf 109 since 1940. On 25 June 1941 as Staffelkapitän of 6./JG 77, he had claimed no less than eight SB-2s during a freie Jagd sweep. At the time of his death he was a 68-victory Ritterkreuzträger, with sixteen of his victories notched up in the West, of which at least six were four-engined bombers. The Bf 109 was a particularly unforgiving aircraft, both for the novice and the seasoned ace. The tendency of the Bf 109 to swing badly on landing and take-off could of course be countered - but it required plenty of rudder. And if the tail was " lifted aggressively ", in the words of the late Mark Hanna (who also died at the controls of a Bf 109!), " the left swing tendency was difficult to stop and happens very quickly ". At altitude and high speed the Bf 109 tended to swing “like a pendulum combined with a rolling movement” to paraphrase an RAF translation of comments by test pilot Heinrich Beauvais;

".incompletely trimmed ailerons and rudder ruin the feel of the aircraft to uselessness. Therefore, the aircraft must be carefully flown in.. " At high speed, the Bf 109 was " like a brick..", requiring both hands to move the controls. Oscar Boesch commented;

" ..When turning the FW 190 as high speed, it only took one hand on the stick to control the aircraft. In the 109 it took two hands and a lot of strength to make a tight turn if you had some speed. This destroyed the feel for flying the aircraft...."

The following data for the Bf 109 E is extracted from a British test document "Messerschmitt Me 109 Handling and Manoeuverability Tests by the Ministry of Supply. September 1940" (via Olivier 'butch2k' at the allaboutwarfare forum) "...More detailed aileron tests (measurement of stick forces and time to bank) were made.. These tests showed that although the Me 109 ailerons felt much heavier than those of the Spitfire at speeds between 300mph (483kph) and 400mph (644kph), the a/c could be made to bank at about the same rate as the Spitfire at these high speeds. The more ‘solid' feel of the Me 109 ailerons at high airspeeds is attributed to the smaller stick travel (± 4 in. compared to ± 8 in. on the Spitfire), fairly rigid control circuit, and partly to the awkward seating position of the pilot...at 400mph (644kph) the Me 109 pilot, pushing sideways with all his strength, can only apply about 1/5 aileron, thereby banking 45 deg. in about 4 secs.; on the Spitfire also, only 1/5 aileron can be applied at 400mph, and again the time to 45 deg. bank is about 4 secs..."  

Both aircraft types thus have their rolling maneuverability at high speeds seriously curtailed by aileron heaviness. The Spitfire's ailerons do not feel as ‘solid' at 400mph as those of the Me 109; this is because there is rather more 'stretch' in the aileron control circuit of the Spitfire. Note the detail for the maximum sideways force a pilot can exert on the stick - which worked out at around 60 lb. on the Spitfire, but only about 40 lb. on the Me 109; as indicated in the personal account above the reason for this difference is that the cockpit of the Me 109 is so cramped that a pilot cannot bring his arm round into the position most favourable for applying a large side force to the stick.  And it was not only the ailerons that caused problems for the 109 pilot. The following is again from the "Messerschmitt Me 109 Handling and Maneuverability Tests by the Ministry of Supply. September 1940":

 "..It is at high speeds that lack of a rudder trimmer most seriously inconveniences the pilot. At 215 mph (346 km/h) the a/c is trimmed directionally, no rudder being required. At higher speeds left rudder must be applied, and at 300mph (483 km/h) about 2 deg of left rudder are needed. The rudder is very heavy at high speeds, and a large force is required to apply even such a small amount; this becomes very tiring, and affects the pilot's ability to put on more left rudder to assist a turn to the left. Consequently at high speeds the Me 109 turns more readily to the right than to the left...."  

Test programmes to improve the flying characteristics of the Bf 109 ran virtually throughout the career of the aircraft. But it was only with the introduction of the high powered AS variants that certain refinements were introduced into the Bf 109 design to improve directional stability and reduce stick forces at high speed.  These essentially involved redesigned and enlarged tail surfaces (with better aerodynamic profiling - see diagram above), Flettner rudder tabs controllable from the cockpit, the introduction of a taller tail wheel strut and larger main wheels giving better ground control and visibility. All these options were tested from 1941 onwards in an effort to reduce aileron and rudder forces and eliminate yaw.  

 But, although the taller rudder as well as the Flettners made the 109 a more agile machine, the tall rudders were generally only introduced on the AS engined variants, and the Flettner tabs, – as on Friedrich-Karl Müller’s Bf 109 K here and Specht's G-6/AS below- were only incorporated on a smallish percentage of production - in the case of the Bf 109 K-4 only some 200 were equipped with Flettner rudder tabs

 Messerschmitt testing never resulted in widespread introduction of the possible 'improvements' - dispersed production and quality-control issues, to cite just a few reasons, saw to that. At war's end plenty of Bf 109s were of course still flying with the short vertical stabilizer and rudder and still featured the short tail-wheel strut. 

As mentioned above yaw is a vitally important factor in aerial gunnery - if the aircraft is yawing then the line of sight is not pointing in the direction of travel. It is perhaps significant that as bigger, faster turning engines were introduced in the same basic Bf 109 airframe the numbers of high-scoring aces on the type dried up; only 8 Luftwaffe aces out of the supposed 100 + who achieved more than one hundred victories started their careers after 1942. Of course this mostly has to do with the quality of the opposition too eg the performance of the P-51 over the Reich. Performance was also impacted by the various upgrades in the Bf 109's firepower. But you have to wonder whether any of this was of any benefit to the average Bf 109 pilot. In February 1944 alone over one thousand Luftwaffe aircraft were lost in accidents, a good proportion of which were due to inadequate training (quoted in Isby 'The decisive duel' P361). As Bob Goebel points out, all fighter pilots - certainly all US P-51 pilots - could probably fly well. However only relatively few could shoot well. The Luftwaffe Nachwuchs at the controls of their high-powered and heavily armed Bf 109s could do neither. They didn't stand a chance. 

Also on this blog  - Pilot training, discipline and procedures - " the Luftwaffe's greatest failure.." 

Storming the bombers Volume II - first review. JG 4 Sturmgruppe Defending the Reich

During March 1945, high-ranking Wehrmacht officers undertook a number of tours of Luftwaffe aerodromes with the aim of relaying the following exhortations emanating from the Reichsmarchall Göring and Genraloberst Stumpf:

" The battle for the Reich, for our people and our homeland is entering its decisive phase. In blind hatred the nations of the world have come together to destroy us. We must draw on our last remaining forces to resist this evil tide. Never in our history has our German homeland been threatened with such total destruction from which there will be no rebirth. We can resist this danger only by manifesting the highest qualities of German combativeness. This is why I am turning to you in our most decisive hour of need: save the nation through the sacrifice in battle of your own life! I call upon you now to one last taking up of arms from which there is only a small probability of return. Those who respond to this appeal will immediately enrol for a flying training programme. Comrades - a place of honour awaits you in the roll call of the Luftwaffe's most revered fighting men. By your sacrifice you will give the German people renewed hope of victory and become an example for future generations in this hour of their greatest danger." (s) Göring

Several dozen pilots responded to this appeal - among them senior and experienced pilots from diverse backgrounds. It was explained that they would be called upon to dive their aircraft onto those of the enemy, as well as troop concentrations, pontoon bridges and other kinds of strategic objectives. Many of the contingent of volunteers were to train for the 'suicide' mission mounted by the Sonderkommando Elbe mentioned previously, while other volunteers were kept in reserve for other types of Selbstopfer – or 'self-sacrifice' - operations. For many of them life itself had already lost all meaning following the death of loved ones and the destruction and loss of all their possessions. Having lived since a young age in the Third Reich, they had in all likelihood been convinced by the Nazi Party propaganda machine of the superiority of their nation and their race. Many doubtless considered that their own fate was indivisible from that of the nation. If this value system was to collapse then everything they held dear would be destroyed for ever. For most the only possible outcome was to die in action - to go down with the Third Reich in its death throes.

Those remaining members of JG 4 who had some contact with the activities and operations of these suicide pilots - usually as a result of being assigned to escort them into action - would remain deeply affected by the experience. Lt. Ewald Kraas, of the Stab III./JG 4 recalled;

" In early April 45 - as the Soviet advance along the Oder front was showing signs of stalling - there were a number of discussions on the subject of suicide missions at the level of the Geschwaderstab in JG 4 - we had become aware that a group of volunteer pilots were being called upon to fly their aircraft - packed with explosives - into the pontoon bridges that had been thrown across the Oder. During this period of inflammatory calls to the German fighting spirit it came as no surprise that some of our pilots were coming forward to undertake these kinds of 'self-sacrifice' missions - after all there had never been any shortage of volunteers for the Sturmstaffeln in our Geschwader. However a Rammjäger always had the option of bailing out at the last minute after ramming an enemy bomber - but these Selbstopfer pilots were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice, diving their fully fuelled fighters onto enemy targets..

During the middle of April our Kommodore, Obstlt. Michalski, accompanied by several staff officers paid a visit to Jüterbog/Altes Lager - the aerodrome where the suicide volunteers were assembling. On his return he described the situation there to Hptm. Gerhard Strasen- I was present during this conversation. Michalski had seen eighty volunteers - pilots of all ages, ranks, backgrounds and experience. There was even an Oberfeldwebel among their number who had been decorated with the Ritterkreuz. The discussion turned to the motivations of these men and what drove them to want to sacrifice themselves in this way. Michalski turned to me and said : "well, Lt. Kraas, would you ever consider putting yourself forward to fly this kind of mission?"

Without hesitation I replied: "Herr Oberstleutnant, frankly - not at all!" _" No, neither would I" he admitted..

A link to Adam Norenberg's review of "Storming the Bombers - Vol. 2".

" ...The rare oral testimonies found here are backed up by excellent photographs from pilots and crew’s private collections. Credit must go as well to Neil Page who has produced the translation of the text and has made sure the book is never just a dry account of history as many books are when translated into the English language..."



http://www.themodellingnews.com/2012/01/review-storming-bombers-chronicle-of.html

new Luftwaffe books from Erik Mombeeck; JG 4 Vol II and Luftwaffe Gallery 3 - JG 26 special issue

Belgian author and publisher Erik Mombeeck has been in touch with news of two books due for publication in November;

 the second and last volume of his history of Jagdgeschwader 4 “Storming the Bombers, a chronicle of JG 4 – The Luftwaffe’s 4th Fighter Wing " and a new Luftwaffe Gallery 'special' devoted to JG 26 “The Abbeville Boys – JG 26”.

"...In our Luftwaffe Gallery series I am pleased to present this expanded 'special' edition devoted to JG 26, the famed "Abbeville Boys” or "Abbeville Kids” of RAF and USAAF legend. This super new title is a 96-page A-4 landscape format book with the emphasis on the finest photographic illustrations, exceptional artwork and new and exciting personal accounts. The heart of the book comprises some thirty high quality profiles drawn and painted by Thierry Dekker and a collection of rare and, in many instances, previously unseen photographs. The selection of new first person accounts, specially translated for this volume by Neil Page, provide an unparalleled view of air combat in the skies of Britain and France, from dog-fighting between Messerschmitts and Spitfires during the campaign in the West and the Battle of Britain, to fighter bomber missions over southern England, to the Allied invasion of Normandy and the desperate sorties flown by the unit's Fw 190s against the huge USAAF bomber streams...."

"..The concluding volume in our history of JG 4 covers the story of the Geschwader from Operation Market Garden in Holland during September 1944 to the final desperate battles over Berlin and capitulation in May 1945. The combats flown by the pilots of JG 4 throughout this nine month period are related with the aid of rare oral testimony and illustrated with photographs from private albums, including a selection of new images for this English-language edition. Covered in detail are the 'Storm' missions flown by the Sturmgruppe (including ramming attacks against USAAF bombers), ground-attack bombing sorties during the Ardennes offensive of December 1944, the fullest account yet of the unit's participation in the 1945 New Year's Day Operation Bodenplatte, the last desperate sorties flown on the Oder front against the Red Army with, for the first time, accounts in English of German kamikaze attacks flown against the Oder bridges and the final air battles over the ruins of Berlin.

Over the course of 20 years research I was able to track down and interview virtually every surviving pilot and compile their very often moving and desperate accounts into this book, giving it a uniquely human dimension which will undoubtedly be of interest to all former Allied aviators and their descendants as well as enthusiasts of the period.

Once again Neil Page has produced the translation and his knowledge of both the French and German languages as well as WWII aviation history has enabled us to present this superb English language edition. The work is illustrated with several hundred photographs and is completed with loss and victory listings, a table of commanding officers and Thierry Dekker's superb full-colour profile artworks. This is an unmissable 232-page A-4 format hardback, with much new information on WWII air combat over Europe, the pilots and their machines.."


More info and ordering details from http://www.luftwaffe.be/