2000. Feindflug einer Fernaufklärerstaffel - Werner Breese 5.(F)/AufklGr. 122

published in the 15 October 1942 issue of Flieger- Funker- Kanoniere (Luftflotte 1 Frontzeitung)

The 2,000th Sortie of a Long-Range Reconnaissance Staffel

 It is early morning at a forward airfield in the northern sector of the Eastern Front. Following the previous night’s thunderstorm, the sky is hazy and overcast. The September sun peeks through streaks of blue-grey cloud. The activity on the airfield reflects the familiar routine of daily aviation life. Yet, over by the hangar at the edge of the runway, the Staffelführer has gathered with the officers of the long-range reconnaissance squadron, the mechanics, and the ground crew. They are awaiting "Paula-Nordpol" and her crew, who took off at sunrise for the squadron's 2,000th mission and are due to return in just a few minutes. 

 There is the aircraft! It roars over our heads at low altitude. After one more circuit, it begins its landing approach, rolls to a stop, and is guided into its parking position. The crew climbs out. The mechanics hold up the proud figure—"2-0-0-0"—displayed in large white numbers . 

 The 2,000th sortie of a long-range reconnaissance squadron—this is no mere statistic. Other figures lie behind it, revealing the true extent of the squadron's achievements. Staffel aircraft have flown a total of two million kilometres —the equivalent of circling the equator forty times. This distance was covered over the course of 5,000 flight hours or 201 days of continuous flight. 

 Celebrating the milestone mission of the long-range reconnaissance Staffel 5.(F)/AufklGr. 122. Framed by the numbers are the pilot, Leutnant Werner Breese; the observer, Leutnant Misselwitz, radio operator, Feldwebel Koch and Bordmechaniker Fw. Fink. 

 The film stock containing vital imagery brought back by the reconnaissance crews from their flights measures 45,000 meters in length. The enemy territory captured in these aerial photographs covers an area equivalent to that of Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands combined. The selfless nature of these reconnaissance missions can hardly be conveyed adequately in mere words and figures. Yet, faced with these numbers, one realizes the magnitude of the achievement accomplished by this long-range reconnaissance Staffel. In the course of 2,000 perilous, solitary flights, their aircraft have penetrated deep into enemy territory. The resulting imagery provided excellent targeting data for combat aircraft and thus contributed to the Luftwaffe's successes in this sector of the front. 

The 2,000th combat sortie naturally calls for a celebration by the entire Staffel. In keeping with age-old aviation tradition, champagne corks are popping. The Staffelführer briefly addresses the crew—seasoned by so many missions—and hands them glasses of the fine vintage. Laughter rings out. Witty remarks are exchanged. Joy is visible on every face. They toast to the success of the next thousand flights. Then, the familiar demands and duties of service reclaim each individual. For even today, the first flights of the third thousand will follow the 2,000th mission. 

War Correspondent Schulz.

PDF copies available from wartimepress.com

Thanks to Stefan Kruse for assistance with this blog post. Tim Oliver's extensive biography of Werner Breese featured in Vol IV of Axis Wings (Chandos)

Werftzug. mot 3/20 Ju 88s of KG 76 - archive image scan #50

 

#50 in our ongoing series of rare images scanned for this blog from various 'professional' and 'personal' collections. A selection of these KG 76 Ju 88s recently appeared for sale on ebay.de but obviously the seller didn't post them in this quality. Professionally photographed, they depict the activities of a motorised Werftzug on an Eastern Front airfield (Kursk) during the summer of 1942. The Werftzug was an organizational unit, specifically a technical or maintenance platoon/section, typically attached at the Gruppe level. Its primary function was to provide essential maintenance, technical support, and repair services for the aircraft within its assigned Gruppe, which usually consisted of approximately 30-40 aircraft. The personnel in the Werftzug included ground crew, mechanics, and other technical specialists responsible for keeping the aircraft operational. The Werftzug was an integral part of the operational structure of a flying unit, ensuring that the aircraft were maintained and ready for combat missions. The term Zug translates to "platoon," indicating a relatively small but vital body of specialist personnel and equipment. Note the 'F1' code on the Ju 88 (KG 76) and the 'C' heavy fighter with the 'fake' over-painted nose intended to 'disguise' the heavy forward firing armament. 

Kampfgeschwader 54 Volume II by Peter Taghon (Lela Presse 28/02/25)

Another imminent publishing event for Luftwaffe enthusiasts - volume II of Peter Taghon's huge history of KG 54 is due at the end of next week. From the publisher's blurb; (adapted and translated by this blogger) 

 " ..With its skull and crossbones emblem Kampfgeschwader 54, the Totenkopfgeschwader, was one of the few Luftwaffe bomber/combat units to fly from the first to the final days of WWII, and has long warranted a detailed history. With its origins in KG 254, KG 54 made a modest entry into the war, with just a single Gruppe engaged in September 1939 in Poland. In April 1940, its second Gruppe, formed during the Phoney War, took part in the fighting in Scandinavia. Then, the following month, the Geschwader was increased to three Gruppen and launched in the Westfeldzug: the campaign in the West. With its third Gruppe disbanded after suffering heavy losses throughout the May/June engagements, KG 54 fought in the Battle of Britain, continuing its missions over England during the Night Blitz. In June 1941, the two Gruppen were deployed in the USSR during ‘Barbarossa’, completing large numbers of missions but suffering such heavy losses that they were recalled to the Reich at the end of the year. However, the military situation had become such that the Totenkopf was forced to disperse its forces, with I./KG 54 moving to the Mediterranean and II./KG 54 returning to the USSR (with a brief period in France). During the aerial assault against Malta, I./KG 54 operated in concert with K.Gr. 806, subsequently renamed III./KG 54. These two Gruppen supported Rommel's Afrika Korps before being joined in 1943 in Sicily by II./KG 54, the Gruppe taking part in the final battles over Africa (Tunisia) which is where this new Volume II picks up the story..

Now at full strength, KG 54 fought the Allied landings in Sicily before being withdrawn to mainland Italy. The Totenkopf left the Mediterranean for good at the end of 1943, returning to the West. It was then deployed again over England as part of the bloody and futile operation ‘Steinbock’. Casualties were so high that II./KG 54 was disbanded in April 1944. Two months later, the Geschwader - once again reduced to two Gruppen - faced the Allied landings in Normandy on missions that were just as costly in terms of men and equipment. Fighting tooth and nail, KG 54 returned to the Reich where, in September 1944, it became a fighter unit equipped with the famous Me 262 jet. However, the aircraft still suffered from serious ‘teething problems’, and KG (J) 54 - despite having been reinforced by a second Gruppe - was hardly able to stand out against the vastly superior Allied air forces, and was decimated. On 8 May 1945, the surviving personnel of the skull and crossbones Geschwader surrendered, their numbers then being mainly dispersed in Austria and Czechoslovakia. 

Volume II contains 392 pages, over 650 photos, 17 colour profiles and period documents. Volume I has been available since October 2024..."

Below; from volume II, a 6./KG 54 Ju 88 in Bergamo, Italy

Hello Peter, many of us are no doubt eagerly awaiting Vol II of your KG 54 book. Can I please ask you a couple of questions for my blog report?

How long did you spend researching KG 54 and how much time did you spend writing these two huge volumes?

Hello Neil,

It’s not easy to say exactly how much time I’ve spent researching KG 54. It all started for me in the mid-1980s with my research on Luftwaffe operations during the Westfeldzug. Through this, I made a lot of contacts with pilots and crew members of the Lehrgeschwader. Some of them had extensive documentation and had also been active in Belgium in 1944. It didn’t take much encouragement from them for me to start writing the history of their Geschwader. That KG 6 would follow was only natural.

Once I had finished working on KG 6, I looked for a new subject. During my research on the Westfeldzug, I had already made quite a few contacts with crew members and pilots of KG 54. I also had extensive communication with Sigmund Radtke from the Traditionsverband KG 54. However, most of my contacts had only been active during the western campaign or had been shot down over England as early as 1940-41. A few went on to have rather impressive careers. So, I already had a decent amount of documentation on KG 54.

By coincidence, the archive of Sigmund Radtke, the author of the book on KG 54, had been passed on to my good friend Ulf Balke. Part of it had already been given to Morten Jessen, but both Ulf and Morten were willing to make the archive available to me. That’s when I discovered that Radtke had far more information than he had used in his book. In addition, I found a lot of supplementary material in the Bundesarchiv.

I got even luckier—through my contacts at the AMC, I was able to access their archive as well. They turned out to have a large collection of photographs, some interesting logbooks, and, most importantly, the diary of Hauptmann von Brunn. He had been very active in the final years of the war, and his notes proved to be of great value for that period.

How long I spent researching/writing is hard to say. A large part of it was done in the 1980-90s (mainly focusing on 1940-41), and after that, I worked on it in small steps until I finally decided to tackle the chronicle in earnest, which led me to resume intensive research. That was during the peak of the COVID period. Writing itself took about 3 to 4 years, partly alongside the research. I did this partly in my free time while I was still working, and then for about a year and a half as a retiree—spending a considerable number of days working on it full-time.

Peter, there were plenty of great images in volume I and I've already been fortunate enough to have seen some of the highlights from volume II. Do you have any particular favourites?

Which photos interest or appeal to me the most? Most readers will undoubtedly be very interested in the photos of the Me 262. There are so many photos that I find fascinating, but the ones I have the strongest emotional connection with are the photos that started it all. For example, during my research on the Westfeldzug, I came across a couple of photos in an infantryman’s album showing the crashed Heinkel 111 of Hauptmann Willers in Scheldewindeke. Through Sigmund Radtke, I got in touch with Willers himself. He was very eager to visit his crash site again. That was a truly special experience, and his information proved very valuable for the chronicle.

Even more significant was a photo of a He 111 that had crashed in Oudekapelle—also a KG 54 aircraft. I had no idea who the crew could be, but one of the infantrymen had taken a clear photo of the pilot. I sent the photo to Sigmund Radtke, and he immediately recognized him as the future Ritterkreuzträger Ernst Petzold. I was able to get in touch with him, sent him the photos, and he turned out to be very interested. He immediately invited me over, and through him, I gained an incredibly interesting insight into his long career within the Geschwader. So, if you ask me which photos appeal to me the most, then yes—it would have to be the photos of Willers and Petzold.

Peter, thank you for helping to put together a nice presentation for the Luftwaffe blog and thank you for allowing me to to translate some extracts of your KG 54 history into English (coming soon)

No problem! Many thanks for the publicity! I know Lela Presse appreciate it. Can I conclude by saying that I’m very lucky that Michel at LeLa Presse took the risk of publishing two such voluminous books. Cheers!

Below; ground crew pose for a souvenir snapshot in front of "B3+AP" flown by Staffelführer of 6./KG 54 Oblt. Karl-Egon Hellwig. Hellwig and his crew were shot down over Kent on the evening of 21 January 1944, crashing at Sellindge (between Ashford and Folkestone). Hellwig was killed.

 

Oblt. Eberhard von Brunn, attached to the Stab./KG 54 noted in his diary; 

 "..In the late evening of 21 January, the crews received their instructions on the the airfield where I. Gruppe was also located. We learnt that the attack we had been planning would be aimed against London, which few had anticipated. We had assumed that this operation ('Steinbock') would concentrate on ports, airfields, certain industrial installations or even Allied troop concentrations and supply depots in order to disrupt the invasion preparations. None of us were happy about the situation... We were loaded with  high explosive 'Sprengbomben' (1000 kg container) and a 500-kg  incendiary 'Brandbombenbehalter' container and took off from Marx at 6.33pm in the dark. Given the weight of the ordnance, I could only with difficulty maintain 330 km/h and the climb performance of the Ju 88 was just as abysmal. Of the fast bomber designed as such in 1940, there was nothing left. We flew alone over Deventer and Ijmuiden (on the coast of the Netherlands) to within twenty-five kilometres of central London. We then turned towards the city and dropped our cargo. In the sky, but also on the ground, the target was well marked by light ('Leuchtbomben') or incendiary bombs. We attacked horizontally. The defences were terrible. Over London, we were greeted by searchlights and flak. But the enemy appeared to have been caught by surprise because no night fighters intervened. During subsequent operations, the defences strengthened. One weapon surprised us. We called it 'Fliegerschreck' - airman's terror. It consisted of rockets fired in salvoes. We could see fifty rockets going off below us (later there would be more) and a few seconds later, the same number of explosions in the sky at around five thousand metres. After three seconds, a large cloud of dark smoke rose from some two hundred points. We assumed that the rockets were dispersing highly explosive projectiles. Hence this cloud of smoke. We also thought that some of the shells were coming down by parachute. During our four subsequent missions over London, no one could tell us anything about this weapon..." 

These 'anti-aircraft rockets' were undoubtedly the so-called 'Z' rocket batteries. The first were equipped with a single launcher, the Projector, 3-inch Mark 1. As this equipment did not give complete satisfaction, it was improved, with rockets subsequently being launched in large numbers in powerful salvos. The Projector, 3-inch, No 2, Mk 1 was a double launcher, while the N°4 Mk 1 and Mk 2 could fire thirty-six rockets simultaneously. On this first ‘Steinbock’ mission, London's defences were limited. Despite this, one of the KG 54 Ju 88s 'B3+AP' flown by the crew of Oblt. Karl-Egon Hellwig (the Stafü of 6./KG 54, below) was shot down by F/Lt John Hall and F/O ‘Jock’ Cairns flying a 488 Sqd Mosquito for their first victory..

 

(blogger note;  the  grave of the 30-year old Karl-Egon Hellwig who was from Hamburg can be visited in Hawkinge cemetery. His crew Uffz. Johann Jehle, Uffz. Walter Flossmann and Fw. Roland Kühnert bailed out successfully and were taken captive)

 

Oblt Albrecht Bellstedt - a novice Fw 190 pilot in III./JG 2 ..and an ace in V./KG 40

For a brief period during September and October 1944 the 22-year-old Albrecht Bellstedt from Bremen was Staffelkapitän of 9. /JG 2. He had been posted to the newly reconstituted III./JG 2 – sent to Königsberg/Neumark (Poland) for rest and refit after heavy losses in Normandy. Here he converted onto the Fw 190 and was appointed to lead 9. Staffel on 17 September 1944. But Bellstedt flew just a handful of sorties in the Fw 190 - he would be shot down and killed over the Rhineland/Palatinate on 21 October 1944 in combat with US fighters.

But Bellstedt was no novice aviator - in fact he was a leading fighter ace on the Ju 88 C-6. He had made his ‘name’ with V./KG 40 and during the course of 1943 had claimed around 10 aircraft downed over the Bay of Biscay. His most ‘notorious’ victory (participation) was returned on 1 June 1943 - a KLM DC-3 flying civilians between Lisbon and Whitchurch, Bristol in England. Seventeen passengers including women and children and the famous American film star Leslie Howard were killed. The Ju 88 crews were apparently not aware this was a regular 'civilian' service - it would perhaps have been a better option to escort the DC-3 into a French airfield.

 Below; 500th Feindflug in 14./KG 40,  - Obslt Kurt Necesany (left) and Albrecht Bellstedt, 21 May 1943.

Bellstedt’s 14./KG 40 was re-designated I./ZG 1 in October 1943. The ace flew his last sortie over the Bay of Biscay on 16 May 1944. With the Allied landings in Normandy on 6 June I./ZG 1 along with III./ZG 1 was hastily deployed to fly strafing attacks against the beaches, for which neither the aircraft nor the crews were prepared. Losses were heavy. In the space of just four days, 33 ZG 1 airmen were killed, three captured and five wounded. Among those killed were Oblt. Ulrich Hansen (Gruppenadjutant III./ZG 1), Lt. Kurt Löw (Staffelführer 7./ZG 1) and Lt. Knut Gmelin (Staffelführer  1./ZG 1). Bellstedt flew his fourth and last mission over Normandy on 10 June 1944. He was fortunate that for the rest of the month I./ZG 1 was withdrawn from the front and Bellstedt recorded seven so-called Bandbekämpfung or ‘anti-partisan’ missions against the Resistance in southern France. His last flight of the month took place on 30 June 1944. It was his 116th Feindflug.

The date 5 August 1944 marked the end of I./ZG 1. With its disbandment,its members were posted to other units. Until then, Bellstedt had only flown the Ju 88 and was now sent to Königsberg to retrain on the Fw 190. On 17 September 1944 he began flying fighter missions as the Staffelkapitän of 9. / Jagdgeschwader 2. Mombeeck published a poor quality image of Bellstedt and his new Staffel in his JG 2 history (volume 6). It is presumed that he did not survive his third mission after clashing with US fighters. He may have fallen victim to the 365th or the 368th Fighter Group. His Fw 190 crashed in the Limburg-Montabaur area (north-west of Frankfurt). Still only 22 years old, he was buried in Neuwied. To paraphrase Chris Goss, his 'successes', just like those of many of his pilot comrades in V./KG 40, have mostly been forgotten. 

NJG 2 nightfighters - ebay photo find #383

Above; a 2./NJG 2 Do 17 Z-7 at Gilze-Rijen in September 1940. Finish is all black with white spinner tips and the new Nachtjagd emblem on the nose. The infrared Spanner lamp appears to have been removed from the nose - or not yet fitted. Below; Ju 88 C-6 of 9./NJG 2 in the summer of 1942 at Gilze-Rijen. In the cockpit is Uffz. Günther Riemann, BM (flight engineer) in Ofw. Wilhelm Baier's crew. 

Michael Meyer ebay sales are here

Maj. Karl-Heinz Schomann, Gruppenkommandeur I./LG 1 - PK Berichter Hans Gross

 

 Seen here supervising the mechanics working on his Ju 88 A-4, Maj. Karl-Heinz Schomann was a 'veteran' of the campaign in the West (May-June 1940). As Oblt. in 9./LG 1 he was WIA in combat with Spitfires during May 1940. LG 1 carved out its reputation in the Med and North Africa. Operating out of Heraklion, Crete, in support of Rommel's DAK and flying convoy escort as well as night bombing raids, Schomann as Staka 5./LG 1 was again injured on 8 December 1942 off the coast of Libya, his Ju 88 A-4 attacked by an RAF fighter. Schomann replaced Helbig assuming the role of 'acting' Kommandeur of I./LG 1 in January 1943 before being named as Helbig's replacement and promoted to Major in March 1943. He was awarded the RK in October 1943 for his leadership having claimed 29000 GRT of shipping sunk. During July 1944 Schomann was appointed Ia with the General der Kampfflieger and concurrently Inspekteur der Erganzungsgruppen der Kampfgeschwader. In 1945 he held a staff position with the General der Kampfflieger. Schomann survived the war having flown around 265 combat sorties. He passed in August 2006.

The ECPA-D caption gives the location as Greece during April 1944. LG 1 had previously operated from Heraklion between 14 November 1942 and 2 April 1943 and Eleusis between 2 April 1943 and 11 June 1943. Schomann is clearly wearing his RK which was not awarded until late October 1943. Note the Wellenmuster finish applied to the lower surfaces of the Ju 88, presumably in an attempt to 'tone down' the clear lower surfaces for night missions..

Photos by PK Bildberichter Hans Gross, below, wearing his EK 1 awarded in mid-1942. Gross was killed in January 1945 in Belgium - 80 years ago. His images - more than 1000 of them - are thus freely available on the ECPA-D website. Unfortunately 95% of them are landscapes of Greek islands and scenes of local inhabitants in North Africa including camels, which is particularly disappointing. Post war his various reports were collected together in a book entitled "Als Kriegsberichter im Einsatz"..

A modellers guide to the Ju 88 G-6 - John McIllmurray with David E. Brown

 

I just learnt that John McIllmurray's new e-book on the Ju 88 G-6 is available to purchase and download from KLP Publishing. So that's exactly what I've just done...While I'm not really a big fan of e-books I did purchase KLP's ebook on building the Revell 32nd scale  Me 262 night fighter, which was very well done, and I knew that John and David's publication on the Ju 88 G-6 would be a 'must-buy'!  Small disclaimer here - the Luftwaffe blog provided a big chunk of text for the 'Nachtschlachter' chapter of John and David's ebook.  After all, what 'traditional' publisher in their right mind would produce a 1,031 page volume on a single Luftwaffe night fighter aircraft type in colour?  (not to mention an additional 135 pages of losses, victory claims, plans and artworks in separate files..) And while I probably won't be building a 32nd scale G-6 anytime soon (..although I might feel inspired to try..), I will be studying the 'Crow Collection' Ju 88 G-6 photo archive and the loss and claims lists. And unlike some Ju 88 specialists, John is a draughtsman so his plans and artworks are likely to be spot on. Well done John and David ! And kudos to Del and Paul for making available what must be virtually the entirety of their extensive Ju 88 G-6 photo collections which are mostly scanned in very large, reproduced over the full (screen) page and 'zoomable'. And to Kevin for creating such a professional product, great to look at, easy to purchase and download, just click on the image to go straight to the KLP order page

Price by the way is AUD..not USD...

 

Also on this blog

Zerstörer- und Nachtjagdverbände book series by Paul Stipdonk & Michael Meyer

Building the Zvezda Ju 88 G-6 in 72nd with AIMS resin 

Hasegawa Junkers Ju 88 G-6 in 72nd

Ju 88 G-series nightfighters - Dragon Ju 88 G-6 in 48th by VolkerR

 

The G-series were the first Ju 88 variants not based on the Ju 88 bomber ‘A’ fuselage. Re-designed and streamlined, the Ju 88 G-series had a new 'nose' and omitted the A-series' Bola ventral defensive gun position and featured a single ‘fish-eye’ armoured defensive weapon mount in the rear cockpit. It was fitted with the enlarged squared-off vertical fin/rudder tail unit/rear fuselage of the Ju 188 (making it slightly longer than the C-series) - this was an attempt to compensate for the increased torque of the BMW 801 D-2 radials which "due to manufacturing difficulties" (Becker, p75) did not rotate in opposing directions. The wing had the extended tips with enlarged ailerons and the tailplanes also had extended tips.  As with the C-series there was no 'standard' armament fit, although the 'G' usually toted a quartet of cannon in a ventral weapons tray.  See John McIllmurray's new 'Modellers guide to the Ju 88 G-6' for discussion and drawings on the location and variations  in the G-6 of the 'Schräge Musik'. The G-6 used the Jumo 213 in-line engine with the characteristic raised supercharger intakes.

Above; Ju 88 G-1 with ventral Waffenbehälter (‘weapons gondola’) toting MG 151/20 cannon. Probably an NJG 2 machine, autumn 1944. Below; another NJG 2 Gustav, note Totenkopf death's head painted on the ventral gondola and open cockpit access hatch. Pilot is Lt. Johannes Strassner..

Below; one of the most modern nightfighters in the Luftwaffe's fleet was this G-6 'C9+AR' (WNr. 623211) used by 21-victory NJG 5 ace Hptm Werner Hopf to desert to Switzerland on the night of 30 April 1945 in a flight from Lübeck-Blankensee to Dübendorf. Note nose-mounted FuG 218 VR  Neptun AI radar and associated tail-warning antenna on the enlarged 'Ju 188' vertical fin..

Above;  the dark camo finish and bomb racks indicate the nature of  Hopf's last sorties around Berlin - night ground attack sorties against Soviet troops. Also on board Hopf's aircraft were two fellow officers, two women and a child. Hopf was a former Staffelkapitän of 8./NJG 5 and had been awarded the DKiG..



Ju 88 G-6 coded 'B4+SA', W.Nr. 623363 of 4./NJG 3 (formerly Nachtjagdstaffel Norwegen) which landed at Bredakra, Sweden on May 8, 1945. The aircraft had been ordered to fly to Kurland from Trondheim and assist in the evacuation of encircled German forces but landed in Sweden. Crew was Hptm. Werner Hüschens and Ofw. Sebastian Falk.  Dragon 48th build of 'B4+SA' by VolkerR. Read his report below.

by VolkerR

" ...This Ju88 G-6 is equipped with FuG 218 which looks quite different from the usual FuG 220. It was quite difficult to scratchbuild the radar antenna. The basic "cross" is from the old Revell Me262 Nightfighter kit. Unfortunately the dipoles could not be used because they are at a different angle. So I tried to scratchbuild the dipoles from metal rod but failed miserably. Then I ordered the Master FuG218 which is perfect, but does not contain the basic "cross". So I drilled tiny holes in the Revell part and it turned out ok. Decals are from the AIMS Ju88 Nightfighter sheet. 'B4+SA' was not equipped with rear warning radar, so I had to extend the rudder (like it was used on the Ju188) with plastic and putty. 'B4+SA' was stationed in Norway and on May 8, 1945 it was ordered to help in the evacuation of German troops from the Kurland pocket. On the flight from Norway the aircraft encountered engine problems and diverted to Sweden (or the crew considered that a better idea). Note the cockpit framing was not RLM 66, but 76. You can also see the type of green overspray over the 76/75 factory paint and the black underside of the starboard wing..."

Also on this blog;

Kärcher de-icing equipment in the Ju 88 G-1  

Ju 88s of KG 66 - ebay photo find# 376

 

some nice KG 66 Ju 88s on ebay at the moment. ('archive being broken up following the death of a collector') Ju 88 S-3 with wing-mounted FuG 217

Below; identified as a T-3 coded '6M' from the 2. Staffel of Aufkl.Gr 11 - the last recce version of the Ju 88, only some 23 examples of this type were constructed by Henschel. FuG 101 beneath the port wing, FuG 217 on the upper wing. Camera ports visible. 

Go to AIMs site for decal options for some of these Ju 88s of KG 66. Link in the side panel, right. Thanks to John/Marc for ID info.

Lehrgeschwader 1 Junkers Ju 88 - archive photo scan #23

 

During May 1941, Gruppen of LG 1 were supporting the DAK in north Africa and then flying against shipping around Crete. During this period they were based in Krumovo, Bulgaria and then Eleusis, Greece.  'L1+AH' was lost on August 5, 1941 over Egypt. Note the yellow rudder and the 1000 kg bombs, almost certainly destined to be dropped on shipping. Click on the image to view in 'wide-screen' mode.

Loss data via Peter Taghon's LG 1 history;

1./LG 1. Ju 88 A-5 'L1+AH' (WNr 6220). 100%. Combat over Ismaïlia. Fw Erich Mager (FF), Fw Otto Mann (B), Fw Robert Daig (BF) and Ofw Fritz Kitzelmann (M) killed.

Peter Petrick repro archive sale - Nachtjagdstaffel Norwegen, JG 300 - ebay photo find #373

 

many of the repros in the on-going Peter Petrick archive sale are  previously published. Here's a few recent examples of PP auction repros that have been seen before. 

From 'Jet & Prop' issue 4/99, a nice Ju 88 G-1 with the Verbandskennung 'B4+DA' flown by an Ofw. Keilig from the Nachtjagdstaffel Finnland/Norwegen in a feature by Petrick on this unit. This small 'independent' Staffel was assigned to Luftflotte 5 before becoming 4./NJG 3 in 1945. Here the crew are carrying out a pre-flight inspection before a flight to Norway on 7 October 1944. Incorrectly labeled as a 'G-6' on p66 of the 'Jet & Prop' article. Note BMW engines, no Bola and vertical antenna aerials. Not published in the recent 'Axis Wings' feature by Carlsen reprising the 'history' of this same unit. 

 Also published by Peter Petrick in a 'reader's letter' in Jet & Prop 4/99 were these images taken by US personnel at Ainring. I've seen a number of comments online from guys not familiar with these. They show examples of 'Personenabwurfbehälter' (lit, 'people dropping containers ') produced for agent drops by KG 200 as featured in Peter Stahl's 'Geheimgeschwader 200' 

Peter Petrick photo previously published depicting a Bf 109 G-14/AS of the 'Kometen' Staffel - 10. (N)./JG 300.

A paragraph from a piece I compiled for the Eduard Saudämmerung boxing of their wilde Sau late Bf 109 kits;

 " By the late summer of 1944 'wilde Sau' operations were a distant memory for the majority of pilots in JG 300. All night-fighter actvities in the Geschwader had been concentrated in a ‘specialised’ Moskito-hunting Staffel designated 10. (N)/ JG 300. This was the so-called ‘Kometen’ or Comet Staffel, established to combat the almost nightly incursions over Berlin by DH Mosquito bombers of the RAF's LNSF (Light Night Striking Force.). Operating out of Jüterbog, south of Berlin, under Staffelkapitän Hptm. Boettcher, 10. Staffel flew a 'modified' wilde Sau system— guided by two vertical searchlight beams and a ground controller, the unit’s high performance G-14/AS fighters loitered at high altitude (10,000 meters) above the 'corridors' used by the Mosquitoes flying into Berlin.."

Junkers Ju 88 G-6 -ebay photo find #367

 

Two nice views of a Ju 88 G-6. Note the flame dampers on the Jumos and the prominent supercharger intake. Starboard wing lower surfaces appear to be in black. Two key 'identifiers' for a G-6 are the angled antenna (with the later SN 2d -frequency V AI radar) and the absence of a lower fuselage gondola. Naxos fairing is visible on the canopy.

On offer here

Hptm. Helmut Fuhrhop Gkr. I./KG 6 - archive photo scan (9)

 

Seen here in Soesterberg during March 1943, Hptm. Helmut Fuhrhop - hand on rudder gust lock - helps push his Ju 88 out of its hangar. The Gruppenkommandeur of I./KG 6 was shot down and killed during February 1944. 

KG 3 Ju 88 crew photo album -ebay photo find # 360

From the estate of Luftwaffe Ju 88 crewman Hans Burkhardt from Görlitz (born 14 December 1916)
April to October 1937 labour service with the RAD-Abteilung 1/105 in Sagan, Silesia.
Rekrutenzeit/recruit period/boot camp with the 1st / Infantry Regiment 30 in Görlitz from 14 November 1938.
With this unit, as part of the 18th Infantry Division, deployment in the Polish campaign.
In 1940 to the Luftwaffe; October 1940 to May 1941 at the Große Kampffliegerschule Thorn.
May 1941 to February 1942 with 11./ Kampfgeschwader 3 at Chièvres, Belgium.
February 1942 transferred to 2./KG 3 KG.3 on the Eastern Front as an observer-gunner Beobachter-Bordschütze.
He served in the Junkers Ju 88-A crew of pilot Helmut Rösner (DK holder).
March 1943 transferred from Zaporozhye to Creil, France, for special England operations.
Spring 1943 to IV./KG.3 at Istres airfield, southern France for operations over Africa.
Here he was awarded the Ehrenpokal (honour goblet) on 30 April 1943. He was also proposed for the DK (German Cross).
In 1944, he was posted as a crew instructor ("Lehrbesatzung Rösner") to Lüneburg airbase.
November 1944 until end of war with the 3./TG 20 (Transportfliegergruppe) in Fornebu, Norway.
He made a total of 176 combat flights in the East, 11 over England, and 3 in Africa.
He survived the war and escaped from French captivity on 31 July 1946.

 On offer from crains militaria here

 

More Aufklärungsgruppe Junkers Ju 88s - Ju 88 H with Aufkl.Gr. 123

 

The Junkers Ju 88 H was a development of the Ju 88 D intended for long range reconnaissance missions over the Atlantic in support of the U-boats. Powered by BMW 801 engines the design incorporated two additional sections in a fuselage 'stretched' to 17m - 99 cm was added forward of the leading edges and another 230 cm section was incorporated aft of the trailing edge root point to house an extra fuel tank. The wings were taken from the G-1. Three Robot Rb 70/30 and 50/30 cameras were mounted in the rear fuselage. The variant was also notable for the absence of a cupola under the forward fuselage. Prototype machine, the Ju 88 V89 (W. Nr 430820, RG+RP) was fitted with a FuG 200 Hohentweil search radar, two MG 81s in a WT 81Z ventral pod, and one MG 81 in the windshield and rear posts. It was first flown on November 2, 1943.

The Ju 88 H-1 was the reconnaissance version with BMW 801 Ds (1700 hp) and FuG 200. Maximum range was 5130 km. Ten were built. The H-2 was a more heavily armed Zerstörer sub-type not fitted with radar or cameras. Wing span was 20.08 m and engines were BMW 801 D-2s. Armament – two MG 151/20 cannon in the closed nose and four in a ventral pod. Five were built. (Smith and Kay)

Below; ECPA-D images possibly depicting an H-1 (note FuG 200 just visible) operational with 3.(F)/Aufkl.Gr.123 in France.  AufklGr. author Harald Rabeder comments;

".. The photos were taken early 1944 during a visit of General Ulrich Keller at 3.(F)/123 to inspect the Ju 88 H. Beside General Keller is Staffelkapitän Hptm. Höfer and an unknown officer -most-likely the adjudant aide-de-camp of General Keller or Technical officer of 3.(F)/123. The "German mastif" is the Staffelhund of 3.(F)/123 - unfortunately I do not know it's name .."

 

Ju 88 D of 1.(F) / Aufkl. Gr. 122 based in Greece in early 1944. Note the unit spinner marking. More on this blog at the links below 

Also on this blog;

Aufklärungsgruppe Ju 88 D of 1. (F) 122,  Greece 1944 

Two RK holders of 3.(F)/Aufkl.Gr. 122 - Hermann Hemmer, Ludwig Wagenfeld

Churchill and Chamberlain on Knullenkopfstaffel Dornier Do 17