Thursday, 27 June 2024

Heinkel He 219 detail images by Mike Milbourne

 


NASM He 219 detail images posted by Mike Milbourne on FB and available to 'share', so re-posted here so that they can be easily located when I need them for my ZM build. FB is great ..but just try looking for something specific at a later date. All He 219 images on this blog can be easily located in one place at the link below...







All He 219 images on this blog are here;

https://falkeeins.blogspot.com/search/label/Heinkel%20He%20219


Wednesday, 26 June 2024

new from Claes Sundin - Luftwaffe fighter aircraft Profile book No. 14

 




A new profile book from Claes Sundin is always an 'event'! Fighter aircraft Profile book No. 14 is just released and pre-orders are shipping. My copy - with 'Jutta' Fw 190 cover artwork - has just arrived ;

- 136 full color pages with 130 aircraft profiles
- Features all-new profiles of fighter types flown by Luftwaffe Experten, with many surprises!
- 140 additional illustrations of unit insignia (Wappen) and personal markings
- Detailed captions for each profile with expanded descriptions of each individual aircraft's markings and camouflage. Text proofed and corrected by experts in the field!
- Historical and descriptive information of the pilots, including many lesser-known airmen
- A pilot and unit index for all Claes' Luftwaffe fighter artworks published to date
- Exceptional high-quality paper and print quality and glossy hard-bound cover





Click on the low-res image of Claes' profile (from book No. 11) of Arnulf Gottschall's G-6 below to go directly to the Centura Publishing web site to order the book. Claes has now self-published a phenomenal 18 titles. 


Me 110 G heavy weapons - ebay photo find #377

Me 110 G of ZG 1 Bad Lippspringe, early 1944. Caption reads, (I think..), 'upper nose cannon have been removed and openings faired over to enable installation of GM-1 ..' Note the folding upper section of the canopy serving as a makeshift deckchair..

Bottom;  ZG 1 Bf 110 with Flak 18 3,7 cm cannon installation.





Tuesday, 25 June 2024

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.






Sunday, 23 June 2024

" Unsere Kondor, unser Pilot " - Fw 200 Condor KG 40 RK winner Jope and the sinking of the Empress of Britain






 KG 40 Fw 200 on an Atlantic-coast Flugplatz  'F8+EL'. 

Condor 'F8+DL' flown by Oblt Bernhard Jope and seen at Mérignac in late February 1941. Jope spent a short spell during early 1941 in Stavanger, flying several sorties against British convoys. Jope was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 30 December 1940 for his attack on 26 October 1940 on one of the biggest liners in the world at the time, the 42,500 ton "Empress of Britain" being used as a troopship and cargo vessel;




In his book on the Fw 200 Condor Jean-Louis Roba wrote;

" ..On 21 October, Major Edgar Petersen (Kommandeur of I./KG 40) was awarded the Ritterkreuz for his effective command. Another would soon be awarded when, on 26 October, a Fw 200 struck a blow against the Royal Navy, an episode that would forge the reputation of the Condor and prove to be a coup for the German propaganda organs. That day, Oblt Bernhard Jope's crew on patrol spotted an imposing-looking ship off the south-west coast of Ireland. Jope turned towards this potential target while his men went to their battle stations - the ship was the Canadian Pacific Airline luxury liner 'Empress of Britain', leased to the British Ministry of Transport. It had left Cape Town several days earlier and was approaching Liverpool, its destination. On board were some four hundred servicemen and twenty-three passengers, as well as seven hundred tonnes of various cargoes (including sugar). Relying on the ship's speed, British officials had neglected to provide an escort (which would probably have had difficulty keeping up). The ship was of very modern design and offered its passengers a high level of comfort (including a swimming pool, sumptuous Renaissance-style lounges and radio in the cabins). Jope wasted no time identifying his target as an enemy transport ship, dropped his bombs accurately while his machine gunners emptied magazine after magazine (there was only one bullet wound sustained on board!). As fire broke out in the ship's holds, Jope set course for Mérignac, the nose of his Condor having been damaged by return fire. As the Empress of Britain was quickly evacuated, there were few casualties. With the fires contained, the stricken liner was taken in tow but was finished off virtually the next day by a torpedo fired by U-32 (itself sunk two days later). This loss struck a chord with public opinion on both sides. The daily Völkischer Beobachter, the official organ of the NSDAP, even went so far as to write: "Das Schiff der Plutokraten schwimmt nicht mehr" (The ship of the plutocrats will sail no more). For this action, Jope was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 30 December 1940..."









Like many enthusiasts no doubt we are looking forward to Chandos Publications' forthcoming history of KG 40 due later this year. In the meantime the large volume on the Fw 200 authored by Michel Ledet and Jean-Louis Roba and published by Lela Presse is still available from the Lela Presse web site (320 pages, 600 photos, 28 Thierry Dekker artworks, only 55 euros). Given that the Classic Crecy tome on the Fw 200 costs a small fortune if you can find one, the Lela Presse book is a bargain!



Also on this blog;

Friday, 21 June 2024

Stukageschwader 77, summer 1940 - archive photo scan #25

 

" ..Zwischen den England-Einsätzen in Maltot, Caen. Die Rumpfbombe hängt schon. 1.Staffel St.G. 77..".  Pilot Fw. Knauer (left) and Bordfunker Uffz. Sellhorn.

Ju 87 B of 1./StG 77 bombed up and ready for another sortie against England. From the Sellhorn archive.


"..Wartungsarbeiten an der Ju 87 B bei der 1. Staffel in Maltot.."


Click here for all images scanned/copied exclusively from a number of archives/collections for this blog. Click on the images to view large.

And published in October 2023 and still available from Lela Presse, two volumes entitled "Stukas in the Blitzkrieg" by Marc Hazard. These are 96-page A-4 soft covers filled with artworks and photos. French text. Vol I covers Poland and Scandinavia, while Vol II deals with the campaign in the West, May-June 1940. Only 13 euros per volume. Top quality and recommended by this blog! To order, go here. English spoken.




Thursday, 20 June 2024

JG 54 Friedrich -archive photo scan #24

 

From the same sequence as the well-known Mütherich and Pöhs Ritterkreuz presentation series. Generaloberst Keller of Luftflotte 1 who made the presentation in August 1941 is seen (left) in conversation with Maj. Trautloft. The II./JG 54 Friedrich in the background  -  possibly 'black 1'- was apparently not the aircraft flown by the Staffelkapitän of 5./JG 54, since Mütherich reportedly flew 'black 10' and was pictured leaning on the horizontal stabiliser of that machine when awarded his RK. According to one author 'black 1' was being flown by Richard Hausmann, StaKa of 8./JG 54. Mütherich was shot down and killed on 9 September 1941. Click on the image for  a 'wide-screen' view.