BM Britmodeller FW 190 Group build

I have been intending to blog the super Fw 190 group build over at Britmodeller. With a list of prizes as long as your arm and some fantastic models already completed get over there now. Hosted by Rowan and Steve. Here's a quick scroll through some of my favourite builds so far, starting off with Tim's 3./JG 2 'yellow 7' from the Eduard kit completed with the decals from the Vintage Eagle Publishing 'Captured Eagles' book and photographed nearing completion. Below that, Lixfeld's Fw 190 A-8/R2 6./JG 300 'yellow 12' from the Airfix 1:24 scale kit from Steve

Landscape Publications- PROFILE HANGAR new from Thierry Dekker

while not specifically devoted to Luftwaffe subjects this is the first in a nice photo/artwork album series from Thierry Dekker.. with some text by a certain FalkeEins of this parish....

Visit the new Landscape Publications site to see more of this title

Here's an 'unbiased' review on the Osprey Modelling news blog

Maj. Helmut Wick & Oblt. Erich Leie Stab JG 2

More on Helmut Wick on this blog
http://falkeeins.blogspot.co.uk/2009/12/helmut-wick-his-me-109-wnr-5344.html

Above; Wick's successor was Wilhelm Balthasar. Balthasar's preferred wingman was Oblt. Erich Leie of the Stab. JG 2. Leie was awarded the RK during August 1941 for 21 "victories" most of which had been won with the Geschwaderstab. Here he is seen in the cockpit of an "Emil" belonging to the Stabsschwarm  as indicated by the horizontal bar surmounted by a small rectangle.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Foto-Frankreich-Flugzeug-Me-109-Major-Wick-JG-2-Richthofen-Staffelabzeichen-orig-/261008228387?pt=Militaria&hash=item3cc54d8023

Luftwaffe modelling - Do 217 M-1 night recce unit Aufklärungsgruppe Nacht (Italeri Do 217)

You may have seen Rolf Blattner's superb Do 217 M from the 1:72 Italeri Do 217 kit on britmodeller. Rolf has been in touch to let the Luftwaffe blog know a DB 603 resin update set to enable modellers to go to town on the Italeri Do 217 and produce a really accurate 'M' sub-type is now available from his original master via http://www.wingsandtracks.ch/ Without doubt this new set can be thoroughly recommended to all enthusiasts looking to add an example to their collection of what KG 100 pilot Roderich Cescotti describes in his memoir "Langstreckenflug" as "the best Luftwaffe bomber of the war ".

The Do 217 M was a direct development of the Do 217 K. The 217 M V-1 was constructed using a 217 E-2 as a basis for the conversion and first flight took place in July 1942. Planned as a medium day and night bomber the usual variety and number of sub-variants was envisaged, including dive-, torpedo-, night-, high altitude- and carrier-plane for "stand-off" weapons.

The variant differed essentially with the installation of the Daimler-Benz DB 603 with four-bladed prop replacing the BMW 801 radials, engines which were desperately needed for the Fw 190 fighter programme. The inline V12 cylinder DB 603 A yielded over 1700 hp but suffered several problems with pistons, piston rings, main bearings and vibrations in concert with the four bladed props of the unit. Instead of the planned 1000 bombers only around 500 of the type had been produced when bomber production was curtailed in early 1944.

 Rolf's superb model is finished as Do 217 M-1, coded "K7 + HK" of 1.Gruppe / 2.Staffel Aufklärungsgruppe Nacht, Kastrup, Danmark, winter 1945. The Do 217 M-1’s of the specialist night recce unit Aufklärungsgruppe Nacht were equipped with camera equipment (Rüstsatz 6) in the rear bomb bay and flash bombs in the front bay, flying night recce in the region of the North Sea and the Baltic from airfields in Danmark through the winter of 1945.  

First Bf 109s in Spain - Günther Lützow Legion Condor Bf 109 A

From Heiko Fuchs Ebay sales a nice series depicting various scenes of the Legion Condor arriving in Spain - a view of the 24 troop transports carrying some 6,500 men seen off Cadiz in late 1936. Assigned the type number '6' the first Bf 109s shipped to Spain were 'A' models - which had no provision for an engine-mounted cannon - and were coded 6-3 to 6-18 , an initial batch of 16 aircraft. 'Altertum' (first pic below) was Günther Lützow's 6-10 (Bf 109 A-E, SAM Modeller's Datafile, Lynn Ritger). Lützow first flew the Bf 109 on 14 December 1936. These first Messerschmitts in Spain suffered a variety of  teething problems - mostly with their Jumo 210 engines. In addition they had fixed pitch two-bladed wooden propellers and the manually cocked machine-guns were prone to jamming.

Although impressed with the machine's performance - "gegen die Messerschmitt wirkt die He 51 wie ein verblühtes Mädchen" - Lützow commented on the type's teething problems; " I have been here in Seville two weeks and there is just one problem after another. Mostly minor niggles - first the tail wheel, then the water pump, then the undercarriage. Repairs take time and the hours add up. While doing some circuits, my Jumo quit and I had to make an emergency landing, fortunately without breaking anything..."  (quoted in Trautloft, " Als Jagdflieger in Spanien..") The B model featured among other improvements a Hamilton variable pitch metal propeller and the type soon proved superior to most Republican fighters and at least equal to the 1-16 - " the undercarriage is also retractable -like the new Heinkel transports - and like that of the Russian fighters which have been giving us such a hard time.."

Bf 109 Modellers Datafile author Lynn Ritger commenting on this photo series at hyperscale;  " I have often wondered where and when the Spanish Emils received their overall RLM  63 Lichtgrau uppersurfaces... well, this sequence ('beim bemalen ' - lit. being painted up) provides some evidence that they were repainted after delivery. Not sure what airbase this is at, but this view shows three Emils on the ramp, having just been sprayed in 63; the fuselage octane triangle has been applied to the center one before the masking was even taken off the canopy! "

Lower image is a nice view of the J.88 Zylinder Hut - top hat - emblem

Der Reichsmarschall bei Oberst Galland JG 26 (Audembert, Kanalfront, Bf 109 F WNr 6750)

Auf einem Feldflugplatz im Westen  - ' at an airfield in the West', cover feature in Der Adler 01-1942.
Goering's visit to JG 26 at Audembert on the Kanalfront, 5 December 1941 to announce Galland's appointment as General der Jagdflieger. At the time Galland was the most 'successful' Jagdflieger on the Kanalfront with 95 victory claims according to the 'Der Adler' feature. This new view (above) of the ceremony is currently on offer at Heino Fuchs Ebay sales

The aircraft is one of Galland's Friedrichs, WNr. 6750? with its non-standard armament configuration - note the 20 mm MG FF cannon protruding from the wing leading edge in the view above. Supposedly only one of Galland's F-2s had the wing-mounted cannon. (designated F-6/U in Caldwell/Michulec). Rudder marking featured '69' + 25 additional bars.

Dornier Do 217 M - the Luftwaffe's best bomber

Currently at koelsch333's Ebay sales courtesy of Marco is this nice set of Do 217s including what may be an M-4 GB+CV on the compass-swinging platform at Rechlin according to the caption. The 'M' series was the DB 603 in-line engined variant and Rechlin log books from December 1942 to May 1943 included frequent references to an 'M-4' apparently used for de-icing and cabin heating tests as well as high-altitude testing of the DB 603s.  The 'N' variant was also tested with DB 603 engines at Rechlin as seen in the final image in this series.