differences between the FW190A-8/R2 and A-8/R8 sub-types in the Sturmgruppen

Photo print in my collection of Uffz. Peter Bock of 8./JG300 in front of his 'schwarze 2' Fw 190 A-8/R2 seen in early 1945. Note the Panzerplatte side armour, the outer wing Mk 108 cannon bulges and the armoured windshield quarter pane. Bock claimed a P-51 on 14 February 1945 over the Chemnitz-Leipzig-Dresden sector


A perennial question on forums and modelling sites is the request for more info on the 190A-8/R2 and A-8/R8.

" ...Does anyone know the difference between the FW190A-8/R2 and A-8/R8? The reason I ask is I have both the 1/48 Tamiya A-8/R2 and the 1/48 Hasegawa A-8/R8. In the instructions for the Tamiya kit it is advised that the fuselage guns for the R2 version be removed, but in the Hasegawa instructions for the R8 they have you leave the fuselage guns in. My understanding is the A-8/R2 and R8 had the extra armour on the fuselage side under the cockpit and it has the 30mm cannon added to the outboard wings and the fuselage guns were removed and this plane was made for attacking bombers and if the pilots could not shoot the bomber down they were suppose to ram it but few ever did.."

Well for most modellers the debate is entirely redundant - I'd go further and say that in fact the R2/R8 debate is a complete can of worms since they were essentially the same thing!
A brief round-up of the various 'Sturm' variants of the Fw 190 was provided by 'squirrel' on ARC a while ago. I've reproduced the bulk of his text further down, but amended it where it is incorrect! It should of course be born in mind that the 'R2' was the designation introducing the 'definitive' Sturm variant which entered service with IV.(Sturm)/ JG 3 during April/May 1944 when Sturmstaffel 1 was incorporated into the unit as 11./JG 3. II./JG 300 became a 'Sturmgruppe' some time in July 1944 ( the exact date is not known) while II./JG4 was not established until late July/ early August 1944

Firstly, the following is excerpted from the September 1944 edition of “D. (Luft) T.2190 A-8, Fw 190 A-8 Aircraft Handbook.” This is the Luftwaffe erection and maintenance manual for the A-8 series aircraft.

“Technical description No. 284, Fw 190 A-8 Fighter, Page 4 – 5”

Armament: The normal armament of the Fw 190 A-8 consists of:

2 MG 131 in the upper cowling with 475 rpg.
2 MG 151 in the wing roots with 250 rpg.
2 MG 151 in the outer wing with 140 rpg.

An armament modification currently in production is the:
Fw 190 A-8/R2 with MK 108s in the outer wing panels with 55 rpg (replacing the outer MG 151s.)

Fw 190 A-8/ R7 with increased cockpit armour for use by the Stumstaffeln, with the following armament: 2 MG 131 and 4 MG 151 as per the standard Fw 190 A-8.

Fw 190 A-8/R8 also with the increased armour, but with 2 MK 108s in the outer wings as per the Fw 190 A-8/R2.

So much for the 'official' manufacturer's documentation.

A-6: When the first Sturmstaffel - Sturmstaffel 1 - was formed in the autumn of 1943, ie a full year before the handbook quoted above - the A-6 model was in production. It had a lightened wing structure and was designed to mount four MG 151s firing armour-piercing and incendiary rounds. It received the additional "Sturmjägerausrüstung", consisting of an armoured glass windscreen, triangular glass panels and side panels (otherwise known as "Scheuklappen", i.e. blinkers) and cockpit armour plates. This additional armour package had no Rüstsatz-number at the time, although it is sometimes designated "R7" as above. In order to save weight, the MG cowl machine guns were removed on these aircraft.

Besides one prototype, there was no A-6 with MK 108 in the outer wings; i.e. an A-6/R2 did not exist.

A-7: a good percentage of the approximately 700 A-7 models were built as A-7/R2- this version was fitted with the heavy MK 108 cannon in place of the MG 151/20 in the outer wings. These aircraft were flown by other Reichsverteidigung units in early 1944 - not only by Sturmjäger. A good example is JG 11. The aircraft for the Sturmjäger additionally had the "Sturmjägerausrüstung" (i.e., additional armour), and the MG 131 were usually removed.

A-8/R2: A-7/R2 were quickly supplanted by the similar A-8/R2; the aircraft for the Sturmjäger additionally had the "Sturmjägerausrüstung", and the MG 131 were usually removed. The additional armour was not popular with the pilots. 'squirrel' writes that in II./JG 300 the "blinkers" "were always removed". This is not stricly correct as Lorant shows several JG 300 machines in a lineup with the 'blinkers' but was a common modification carried out at unit level in the various Sturmgruppen. The formation of ice at altitude restricting visibility was a problem with these fittings.

A-8/R8 and A-9/R8: These aircraft were "planned" to replace the R2 in the Sturmgruppen. The R8 had the armament of the R2 (i.e. 2 x MG 151/20, 2 x MK 108, no MG 131) plus the armoured windscreen and quarter panes. However the key change here relates to the uprated TU or TS engine to replace the BMW 801 D - if available. There were other detail amendments for 'R8' mainly involving additional internal armour protection (for the oil cooler) which would not be an issue for the modeller..

However when 'squirrel' writes " It is hard to tell how many A-8/R8 and A-9/R8 were actually built, and the only distinguishing feature between the R2 and R8 on pictures is the armoured glass windscreen and triangular glass panels.." I'm not quite sure what he is trying to argue since these features were present on all Sturm variants.

When the MK 108 cannon armed Fw 190 A-8/R2s entered service with IV./JG 3 in April/May 1944 they already had the armour in the optimal 'Sturm' configuration with the armoured windshield glass and quarter panes. To go into combat against Pulks of B-17s and B-24s, the Fw 190 was modified with bolt-on 5 mm armour plates, so-called "Panzerplatten", scabbed onto the fuselage sides. Additional 30 mm armoured glass panels were mounted on the canopy and extra glass was added to the windshield quarter-panels. The outboard 20 mm wing guns were replaced by the MK 108 30 mm cannon. Most A-7 machines of Sturmstaffel 1 were so-equipped long before an 'official' 'R2' designation existed. The first A-8s arrived in the Sturmstaffel during April 1944 (cf. Siegfried Mueller Flugbuch)- this combination was thus the 'classic' Fw 190 A-8/R2 "Sturmbock" (Ram). In an effort to save some weight, the 13 mm machine guns that were mounted over the engine were often removed.

However - and it's a very big however - after the first 'successes' - and more importanly for the pilots - the heavy losses, canopy and in some instances the fuselage armour was progressively removed by some pilots. The well-known photos of Dahl's 'Blue 13' taken during the autumn of 1944 show a machine which has had its Panzerplatten removed. Dahl left JG300 during December 1944. An 8./JG 300 pilot comments (Lorant JG300) that he wanted to remove the Mk 108 cannon as well - the entire raison d'etre of the type - although this was not authorised. So by the time frame late September-early November 1944 you have a situation where 190 Sturm variants at unit level have lost the prinicipal Sturm features - prior to the manufacturer even issuing the R8 designation.

In my view the R2 and R8 can be seen as being to all intents and purposes the same thing - the 'R8' designation in particular was a purely 'administrative' device introduced by the manufacturer to pull together all the 'different' Sturm fits - and had very little or nothing to do with what was happening at unit level by the time of its introduction in late 1944. Some of the more knowledgeable enthusiasts quote Rodeike here.
I think its very difficult to come to any hard and fast designations on the basis of a single factory document - but I would suggest that what was happening at unit level anticipates later 'official' developments, with Rüstsätze & engines being retro-fitted and then removed according to operational requirements, pilot preferences etc.

However lets look at what the Focke Wulf document (dated 20 October 1944) in Rodeike actually says;

"...The A-8/R2 with the MK 108 & armour fitted with the TU/TS is re-designated R8… Das Triebwerk BMW 801 TU ..ist nach Möglichkeit ...einzubauern. Grund: Verstärkte Panzerung für Kühler und Behälter..... Die Schusskanale in der oberen Triebswerksschale sind dabei adzudecken... .. the gun troughs in the upper engine cowl cover are as a consequence to be faired over ..."  ( ie ...where the BMW 801 TU is installed).



However such external configuration can be seen in very many photos taken prior to issue of the above-cited document where such aircraft were designated R2. Note the erhöhte Notleistung as identified by the small yellow ring to rear of the upper cowl cover was featured on both the D-2 & TU powerplants..

Klaus Bretschneider's Fw 190 A-8 WNr. 682204 Red 1 (lost on 24 December 1944) displays all these features and is ‘officially’ listed as an R8. However despite reproducing the document referred to above, Rodeike captions the picture of ‘Red 1’ on P363 of his Jagdflugzeug 190 book as the R2.  Indeed his 444 page book on the Fw 190 doesn't show a single photograph of a Fw 190 A-8/R8 - which at least demonstrates to me that an 'R8' cannot be identified from photos and should be of no concern to modellers!

To conclude and based on my readings of Rodeike, correspondence with Sturm pilots from II./JG300, and IV./JG 3 and Lorant's two volume history of JG300, the 'R8' designation was essentially a manufacturer's 'catch all'. Note again that although most pilots weren't happy with the heavy wing cannon (MK 108) they were not allowed to remove them. Those pilots such as Ernst Schroeder who did fly A-8s in the Sturmgruppe with no Mk 108 cannon or armour fit were those generally recognised to have had some success in fending off the Mustang escorts so flew as top cover escorts for their more laden comrades. To repeat, by the time 'R8' designation appeared in late 1944 the Sturmgruppen had little requirement to put into service fully fledged 'Sturm' machines. There are very few 'R8' machines appearing in the loss lists of II.(Sturm)/JG 300 - a unit which suffered huge losses in attacks against the bomber Pulks.



The reason for all these apparent adhoc variations in the Sturm config is straight forward and largely determined by the pressure of events at unit level. Invariably caught by the P-51s before being able to reach the bombers, by September 1944 through November, December and culminating on 14 January 1945 - when huge numbers of them were shot down -the Sturm 190 pilots were having to fight for their lives..

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

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, Bavaria. The KUNO I Waldwerk was 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 - concentration camp 'labour' working under German technical 'supervision' completed an Me 262 in some 260 hours. The 10 or so different 'work-stations' of the Me 262 'production line' worked 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.

Martina Wenna Auinger's self-published "Kuno AG Werk I" is an important work that investigates the 

" ..close connection between human suffering and technological progress evident at the end of World War II in the relocation of the Nazi arms industry to rural areas of Swabia. To continue production of the first jet aircraft, the Me 262—stylized as a “wonder weapon”—at the end of the war, the Messerschmitt A.G. Waldwerk Kuno I was established in the Scheppacher Forest for the final assembly of the Me 262. The workforce here consisted primarily of Jewish concentration camp prisoners, for whom a satellite camp of Dachau was established in the small town of Burgau. The book examines the circumstances surrounding Messerschmitt A.G.’s relocation to Burgau, the construction of the Kuno I forest plant, and the living conditions of the more than 1,000 Jewish men and women in the Burgau satellite camp..."    

"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 190 D-9 with a Stkz, ?S+DH with the old style canopy. Fw 190 D-9 W.Nr. 210034 is totally undocumented so far, both by Jerry Crandall or by Eric Larger and al.

More on the book here

Hornchurch vs the Luftwaffe - a Battle of Britain day post

Enzo Matrix recalls the story of two Battle of Britain pilots with the kind authorisation of Peter Bagshaw

During the late summer of 1940 Oberleutnant Helmut Rau was Staffelkapitän of 3./JG 3, based at Colembert in the Pas-De-Calais. While with Stab I/JG 3, he had gained four victories in the Battle of France; a Morane on 13 May, two Curtiss Hawk 75s on the following day and a Wellington on 29 May. On 24 August he was appointed Staffelkapitän of 3./JG 3.

Ronald Berry was born on 3 May 1917 in Hull. He worked for Hull’s City Corporation Treasury Department and joined the RAFVR in 1937. He was called up in June 1939, shortly before the outbreak of war. He was posted as a sergeant pilot to 603 Squadron at Turnhouse flying Spitfires and was commissioned in December of that year.
No 603 Sqn carried out defensive patrols over Scotland, gaining a number of victories. Finally, on 27 August 1940, the squadron moved to Hornchurch near London, as part 11 Group right in the thick of the Battle of Britain.
Berry was to claim 9 kills during the battle and a total of 17 during the war. He remained with the RAF after the war and served as the CO of the AFDU and 543 Sqn, flying Valiants. He retired in 1969 with the rank of Air Commodore. Ronald Berry passed away on the 13 August 2000.

On Saturday 31 August 1940, Hornchurch took a battering. The station was bombed heavily in the afternoon while 54 Sqn were taking off. One bomb detonated between three aircraft that were taking off. One, X4236, was piloted by Al Deere. All three aircraft were destroyed, but all three pilots were uninjured and were in action again the following day.
The station was again attacked in the evening. This time 603 Sqn were up and ready for the raiders. Richard Hillary and Peter Pease downed a Bf110 each. Brian Carbury claimed a Bf109 on this sortie, which made a grand total of five for the day. However, Carbury’s aircraft was hit by cannon fire, wounding him. He managed to land safely at Hornchurch.

Helmut Rau was flying top cover for the raid at 30,000 ft when they were attacked from behind by the Spitfires of 603 Sqn. Rau attempted to climb away from the attack, but saw that his wingman was in trouble. As he dived to engage the attacking Spitfire, he himself was hit.

Because of an unserviceability with his aircraft, Ronald Berry had not stayed with the rest of his unit. However, his chance came when the dogfight above him came down to his altitude. His combat report stated:

" As I had no oxygen, I had to leave the squadron at 22,000 feet and waited below in the sun for straggling enemy aircraft. After patrolling for 30 minutes, I saw a Me109 proceeding very fast. To overhaul him I had to press the emergency boost - indicated speed - 345. I caught the enemy aircraft off Shoeburyness. I opened fire at close range and fired all my ammunition until the enemy aircraft streamed with smoke and pancaked on the mud at Shoeburyness..".


Rau managed to make a forced landing on the mudflats and walked away unharmed from his aircraft. Berry made a low pass over the downed aircraft to confirm the kill and saw a defiant Rau stood on the sand, shaking his fist angrily. Rau was taken prisoner and spent the remainder of the war as a POW.


Spitfire Ia, R6626 was ordered as part of Contract No. B19713/39, built at Eastleigh. The constructor’s number was 715. It cost £4,250.
Its first flight was on 23 May 1940, flown by George Pickering Two days later it was delivered to 12MU and placed in storage. Issued to 603 Sqn on 20 July, it received the codes XT-V but was later coded XT-Y.
It was transferred to 266 Sqn on 20 October and later to 111 Sqn on 11 April 1941, where it was damaged on operations on 16 April and repaired on the unit. On the 17 June 1941, it was transferred to 58 OTU where it remained for a year. It was received by Scottish Aviation Ltd on 4 June 1942, presumably for mods and then issued to the PRU at Benson on 24 September, where it remained until withdrawn from use on 10 August 1943. Placed in storage at 222 MU, it was sold to Portugal. Embarked on the SS Empire Rhodes on 14 August, it arrived in Portugal on 29 August.

Little is known of Bf-109E-4 Werk nummer 1082 besides the fact that it was barely six weeks old when it was shot down. It was recovered from Shoeburyness and was used in a fund raising tour. In the photo it is shown on display in Bolton, Lancashire. The aircraft has three kill markings on the tail. This does not match Rau’s record so I assume that they represent the kills made by the aircraft.




Both pilots' aircraft can be modelled on the Southern Expo 'Hornchurch vs the Luftwaffe' decal sheet available from Peter Bagshaw via his link

Southern Expo Hornchurch vs the Luftwaffe decal sheet

General der Jagdflieger Galland visiting Kurt Tank in Berlin

A Wochenschau newsreel sequence showing Galland, Streib and Trautloft as they inspect the latest Focke Wulf 190 developments as guests of the designer and his team. Alongside Prof. Tank can be seen his assistant Obering. Willi Kaether as well as chief test pilot Hans Sander and test pilot Alfred Thomas, who was later killed during the testing of the Ta 152 H.



According to Dietmar Hermann the time and location of this footage can be determined from the flight test reports of the Ta 154 A-0, Werknummer 0014, TQ+XD glimpsed briefly in the footage and the Fw 190 V17/U1, an airframe that served as a Fw 190 D-9 prototype – Galland made flights in both these aircraft on 2 June 1944 in Berlin-Staaken.

First aircraft to be seen in the footage is Fw 190 A-8, Werknummer 174 014, BH+RN. The camera pans to Galland pulling on his parachute pack in front of Fw 190 V17/U1, CF+OX – the ‘O’ of the code can be made out –and reveals for the first time elements of the changes made to the airframe in modifying it into Fw 190 D-9 configuration.






There then follows a short clip of the V17/U1 in the air. Galland´s flight appears in the flight testing log of the V17/U1. There are the briefest views of the Ta 154 in the clip showing the forward fuselage and the open canopy. Streib also flew the Ta 154 in Staaken.



Watch the clip here at criticalpast.com

General der Jagdflieger visiting Staaken

Battle of Britain KG 3 Dornier Do 17 Z recovery wreck lifted from the English Channel - latest page update 10 June 2013

Above; war-time image of  a KG Dornier Do 17 and crew  - (not Effmert's KG 3 machine as shot down on 26 August 1940) and below; a Dornier 17 Z of KG 2

more on the Do 17 Z sub-type on this blog

http://falkeeins.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/dornier-do-17-z-5-of-1kgr-606-over.html

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380656903458&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:1123&autorefresh=true





latest news on the recovery 11 June - Dornier 17 lifted from the English Channel  

On Monday 10 June the Royal Air Force Museum lifted the Dornier 17 off the bottom of the English Channel. After two years of planning, the Museum finally achieved a successful lift with conditions around the Goodwin Sands on Monday evening with calm seas and no wind offering a window of opportunity to lift the Dornier 17 following the aborted attempt on 6 June. In the end the salvage team abandoned the 'cradle lift' plan and took the risk of simply attaching the lift cables to the wreck  - note that in the pictures above the aircraft is on its back..

This morning (11 June) dive director Dave Franklin has confirmed that the team are still diving in the hope of locating more parts from the wreck and that the barge and Dornier wreckage are not due into the harbour at Ramsgate, Kent until later on this afternoon (11 June). Meanwhile Andy Saunders appeared on the BBC's regional news programmes to state that he was doubtful that this machine was indeed Effmert's KG 3 machine.....

On board with the wreck

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22856177

".. the Royal Air Force Museum has been hugely encouraged by the support we have received from across the globe. Not only has this taken the form of messages of goodwill, but the Museum has received substantial additional funding from private individuals and organisations in both Europe and America.

After studying the long range weather forecast, the Museum will make another attempt at raising the Dornier 17 late next week (the week ending 16th June), as soon as an appropriate weather window presents itself. As soon as the Museum is confident that it can make an attempt we will inform the public via our social media platforms and website of this...."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22848117

A rare German wartime bomber has been discovered on the Goodwin Sands, off Deal, Kent, seventy years after it was shot down during the height of the Battle of Britain. With a crew of four and loaded with 2000 lb of bombs, the aircraft, a twin-engined Dornier 17 - known universally as 'The Flying Pencil' - was part of a large enemy formation intercepted by RAF fighter aircraft at midday on 26 August 1940 as they attempted to attack airfields in Kent or Essex. (above, Do 17 of KG 2 displaying this unit's diving eagle emblem..)

Boulton Paul Defiant fighters attacked the Dorniers of KG 3 at 13,000 ft over Deal in Kent before they had reached their intended target. They claimed at least six Dorniers destroyed and one damaged for the loss of three of their own aircraft and two air gunners killed. One of the Dorniers, flown by Feldwebel (Flt Sgt) Willi Effmert, attempted a wheels-up landing on the Goodwin Sands. He touched down safely and the aircraft sank inverted. Effmert and his observer were captured but the other crewmen died and their bodies were washed ashore later.

More at the RAF Museum's web site

RAF Museum Dornier 17 conservation project

Edit:  11 April 2011

Story related by the BBC's ' The One Show' and subsequently picked up by the BBC who interview the RAF Museum's Ian Thirsk
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13000925

" ...The discovery of a unique German warplane off the Kent coast left experts "incredulous". New images suggest the Dornier 17 is still intact and there are hopes that it will go on show. They called it "the flying pencil": a slim, elegant aircraft originally designed in 1934 to carry passengers, which by the start of World War II had been converted into a deadly weapon of war. The Dornier 17 was one of the mainstays of the Luftwaffe bombing fleets which began their assault on British cities and RAF airfields in the summer of 1940, in what became known as the Battle of Britain. A total of 1,700 Dorniers were built, but the plane discovered in Goodwin Sands is thought to be the last remaining one. Dornier 17 Z-2, serial number 1160, of number 7 squadron, 3 Group, third Bomber Wing, was shot down on 26 August 1940 and made an emergency landing in the sea just off the Kent coast. Two of the four crew members died, two - including the pilot - survived to become prisoners of war...."


On 2/3 of June 2010 the Royal Air Force Museum in conjunction with Wessex Archaeology conducted a survey off Goodwin Sands to examine the wreck of Dornier 17 Z-2 WNr.1160 of 7./KG3. Here we show part of the survey




Edit 04 May 2013

Operations to raise the Dornier have begun off the Kent coast - weather conditions are fine currently with a highs of 20-23 C forecast for next week. However as the aircraft was constructed from aluminium which corrodes badly in sea-water the chances are that not much of the wreck will survive - according to some German experts based at the Deutsche Technik Museum in Berlin. However some parts already brought to the surface have been successfully cleaned up by treating them in citric acid - lemon juice in other words. The wreck is so fragile that a special 'lifting frame' will be constructed under water around it, an operation that will take some 3-4 weeks. Once brought to the surface it will spend up to 18 months in a tented 'spray unit' being showered in citric acid to both clean the airframe and stop the corrosion.

The current state of the operation to recover the Dornier is being reported on the BBC's web site at this link - however it appears that while a lift was to be attempted last weekend (01-02 June) operations have halted due to the keen northerly wind still blowing

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22380915

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22848117

latest from the RAF Museum's Facebook page

Walter Krupinski bio from 296 Verlag

from the publisher's blurb

" ..with more crash landings, bail-outs and injuries than aerial victories, an easy-going Draufgaenger or "daredevil" both in combat and on the ground, Walter Krupinski was a hopeless case according to his CO Johannes Steinhoff. However under Günther Rall, he developed into one of Germany’s outstanding fighter leaders. “All I needed to succeed as a youngster, I’ve learned from this man”, said Erich Hartmann about his 23 year old superior. After three years in the east, Krupinski fought over the Reich and northern France. Alongside Adolf Galland, he scored the last of his 197 kills flying the Me 262 out of München-Riem with JV 44.

From 1946, Krupinski worked for the CIA to establish postwar Germany’s own secret service. Being retrained as a fighter pilot by the Royal Air Force, he became one of the key figures in forging the new Bundesluftwaffe. Krupinski was the first German to test-fly and recommend the F-104, and the first to lead a German fighter-bomber wing equipped with nuclear weapons at the height of the cold war. Being appointed the armed force’s youngest General in 1966, he rose to deputy air chief. Adored by his men in war and peacetime, he was feared for his uncompromising and challenging clarity on the carpet floors of the Ministry of Defence until his dismissal in 1976. He died in 2000.

Now here is his biography: Walter Krupinski – Jagdflieger, Geheimagent, General. From Stalingrad, the Normandy beaches and the balls-out flying of the 50s and 60s to the previously undisclosed, nightmarish details of nuclear warfare, it reflects a life packed with drama, hardships, glory and passion.."

JG301's black day in the Defence of the Reich - 26 November 1944- Willi Reschke newspaper article 2004

26.11.2004:
Heute vor 60 Jahren tobte über dem Deister eine der gewaltigsten Luftschlachten des Zweiten Weltkriegs / Erinnerungen - 60 years ago today, one of the greatest air battles of the Second World War raged over the Deister / Recollections
Quelle: Neue Deister Zeitung (NDZ) vom 26.November 2004 / Von Dr. Petra Hartmann

On 26 November 1944 JG 301 intercepted three USAAF B-24 bomber formations strung out on a 40-mile front around Misburg. At least 5 bombers were downed before the escorts responded, hitting the Geschwader's second wave. By the end of the battle - one of the largest air battles of WW II - the P-51s of the 355th and 339th Fighter Groups and the 2nd Scouting Force had claimed over 50 victories for JG 301's worst single day loss in the war.

"Here we are.." The 82 year old gazed out over the meadow in the vicinity of Nettelrede. Clear blue skies above - the landscape has changed somewhat since the huge airbattle that raged overhead sixty years ago to the day. " Over there is where Josef Löffler crashed ", recalls Willi Reschke referring to that day. 26 November 1944 - Jagdflieger Reschke recounted events as if they had happened yesterday. One of the biggest air battles of WW II.

„Wir hatten gar nicht damit gerechnet - we were not expecting to have to get airborne that day. There was thick fog hanging over the airfield - visibility was nil." But then suddenly the order to take off came through at 11:40. Reschke, and with him thirty nine of his comrades at the controls of their machines, climbed for altitude...

By the autumn of 1944, JG 301, like other former Wilde Sau night fighting Geschwader had long since converted to the daylight fighter role. Its Gruppen were organised in 'heavy' and 'light' wings, with Staffeln to provide high cover and a dedicated Staffel for attacking the bombers. Unlike the majority of the pilots airborne on 26 November 1944 Reschke had at least acquired some combat experience. The young Nachwuchs of the unit such as Unteroffizier Siegfreid Baer were flying only their second or third mission.

On Sunday 26 November 1944 the storm front that had been stationary over central north Germany for much of the previous week was clearing. Fortresses of the 1st Bomb Division and Liberators of the 2nd set out to raid the Misburg hydrogenation plants near Hannover, the Hydrierwerk Miesburg, partially destroyed only a few weeks previously. The Fortresses led the raid, followed by Squadrons of B-24s from the 389th, 445th and 491st Bomb Groups, an armada of over one thousand bombers. High and Low Squadrons all jockeying to remain in tight defensive formation. Several B-24s aborted and timings began to go awry which was bad news for the 491st flying 'tail-end charlie' . Over the North Sea the 389th and the 445th turned late, spreading the Divisions over an area stretching for forty miles instead of twenty and effectively rendering the escort ineffectual. The B-24s were on their own for some 30 minutes to Misburg. Reschke continues;

.." that morning had been like other recent mornings for the pilots of the III Gruppe JG 301 in Stendal - dickes QBI or very poor visibility - even the birds were on foot and it wasn't long before the pilots had settled down to games of chess and skat. But weather conditions were improving and gradually communication between the operations room and Central Fighter control at Döberitz became more intense. Games were soon put aside as pilots moved to readiness . Everyone was gripped by mission fever. There was a hive of activity around the planes as the 'black men' helped their pilots into the machines. The order to scramble was not long in coming. At around 11h40 all three Gruppen took off setting course to the west. The enemy was heading directly towards us. None of the pilots knew that they were about to face the biggest air battle in the short history of the Geschwader..."

Reschke continued to gaze out over the field where his comrade had died. He was probably remembering in his mind former comrades ; Werner Raygrotzky, Kurt Gabler or Fritz Brinkmann, all of whom died near Eimbeckhausen. He was probably recalling Siegfried Baer, who was brought down near Holtensen, or Anton Schmidt, who's machine was hit over Völksen. There was still something of the fascination for aerial combat in the voice of the old man who had shot down some twenty four-engine bombers and seven fighters, who was himself shot down eight times in 53 combat sorties, who had ended the war with the rank of Feldwebel and who was a holder of the Ritterkreuz - his own personal combat record.

" The further west we headed the better the weather became, " he recalled. " Over Braunschweig the first American bomber Pulks were sighted. The first contact with the enemy was over Gifhorn. Misburg, Hannover, Altenbeken, Bückeburg and Stadthagen were being attacked. In total 1137 American B-24 and B-17 bombers had got airborne in England, escorted by 732 fighters ". Yet the first contact found Reschke and his comrades alone in the sky with a Pulk of forty bombers - no escorts in sight.

All three Gruppen of JG 301 converged on the bombers as the lead elements were approaching Hannover. Visibility was good and the contrails from the bomber streams stretched out into the far distance.
".. Zusatzbehälter ab ! .." - jettison drop tanks !

The following is extracted from the official 8th AF report.

"… As the two Liberator Groups left the IP and headed for the target of Misburg, with the squadron of 9/10 enemy a/c in trail, the escort fighters atacked a large concentration of 190's and 109's east of the I.P….. The middle squadron (491st), of the second group released its bombs early....... Instead of staying in the column this squadron went ? toward the R.P.? point, leaving a gap between the first and the third squadrons…. (Jerry), probably spotted this opening, and if on signal, the heavy flak stopped abruptly. Just after the isolated third squadron released it's bombs and turned toward the I.P. 50-70 109's and 190's launched a company front attack in mass of 7-10 abreast. Some fighters hit from 5 o'clock, others from 7 o'clock. The entire squadron of 9 B-24's were shot down…... Enemy aircraft went after the middle squadron catching it just before the rallying point. They attacked singly from 4 o'clock high and low and from 8 o'clock high and low. Enemy fighters broke off early when gunners opened fire at long range, but resumed their attacks to within 100 yards if they were not fired on…."

Six of the ten B-24's in this squadron were lost. Research indicates that this is the squadron that Siegfried Baer attacked. As the Geschwader pressed home attacks on the bomber formation, the escort having let its screen be penetrated, made frantic efforts to intercept. The ensuing combats were some of the most intense in the history of home defence or Reichsverteidigung.

Reschke stated, " They could make mistakes as well you know. I shot down one bomber. But as we'd seen so often before, radio communications between the bombers and their escorts brought the P-51s to the battle from all directions. A few of our fighters were still able to press home their attacks on the bombers but as the battle progressed pilots of JG 301 were left fighting for their lives against the escorts. Our losses were so heavy that this was to be our blackest day in the history of our Geschwader. Just in the Hildesheim sector alone some forty of our pilots were killed or wounded. "

Staffelkapitän of 5./JG 301 Oberleutnant Alfred Vollert flying Fw 190 A-9 'weiße 1' was killed in combat, shot down over Rethen as he was pursuing a B-24. Siegfried Baer was also shot down and killed, possibly shot down by 339th FG P-51's while attacking the 491st BG south east or so of Hannover around Peine. Plotting the demise of Baer and his Staffelkapitän and their crash locations reveals that they fell along the B-24's route. This tends to confirm that Siegfried Baer attacked the B-24's in a pass and possibly scored hits if not an Abschüß and in so doing was hit by the devastating fire of the B-24 boxes crashing to his death. Eye witnesses on the ground reported that each attacking Focke Wulf was set upon by several P-51's after diving through the Pulks. The bomber escorts had a tremendous tactical advantage and their numerical superiority was overwhelming.

JG 301 did have some notable success. Oberfeldwebel Hans Müller of 2. Staffel claimed three B-24 Liberators shot down. Jupp Keil in 10 Staffel claimed two B-24s. 12 Staffel suffered no losses at all but were comparatively experienced. As I./JG 302 12 Staffel had flown escort missions with IV./JG3 back in July.

The first part of the official account quoted above concerns the 491st BG. The 445th lost 5 bombers. Again quoting from the 8th AF report..

 
"… In a ? from this battle, some aircraft made single attacks on the lead squadron at this same group shorlty before the R.P. But this squadron which was in tight formation and only 20 seconds behind the Group(445th) ahead, suffered no losses……The low squadron of the preceding group (445th) however, lost 5 of it's 11 bombers to a series of single attacks, apparently made by some of the same fighters. Here again the enemy aircraft hit from 4 and 8 o'clock high and low, making numerous belly attacks. Enemy fighters which made individual attacks frequently broke away to the side without losing altitude, pulled ahead of the bomber formation, then turned to make a new attack, flying across the bombers path without attempting a pursuit curve..".

In total some forty bombers were lost that day along with eleven P-51s. Over 40 JG 301 pilots were either killed or wounded on 26 November 1944 alone, more than a third of JG 301's pilot complement, a terrible blood-letting in defence of the homeland….

JG 301 would be unable to make good its enormous losses in trained pilots. Siegfried Baer is buried in the cemetery at Holtensen near Hannover. ( see below )



Baer flew a Fw 190A9/R-11 with 5./JG 301 'weiße 2' WNr 206085. Built in Focke Wulf's Cottbus plant, Gruppen of JG 301 receiving the first A-9s off the Cottbus production line in September 1944. In the absence of any period pictures the accompanying model photo shows Baer's 'white 2' with the yellow & red Rumpfbände of JG301 and a II Gruppe bar. The R-11 Rüstzustand was a 'bad weather' package featuring the PKS 12 autopilot and heated canopy glass. The A-9 featured the Schiebehaube blown canopy and an up-rated BMW 801 TU/TS engine with wide-bladed wooden prop, although these could also appear on the A-8. The A-9 variant in JG 301 service was equipped with two 2cm Kanonen and two 13mm MGs with the outer wing cannon perhaps only fitted in the schwere Staffeln.



It would almost certainly have been equipped with the standard ETC 501 Zusatztank carrier fitting. Pilots in the Reichsverteidigung had long complained of the absurdity of hauling 250kg reserve fuel tanks and their bulky carrier fittings around when flying missions to close to their home bases.


Competition model and display by Wayne Little