JG 77 Luftwaffe Gallery special edition Erik Mombeeck - new Luftwaffe books

..here's news of a forthcoming publication from Erik Mombeeck that I was invited to work on; all personal accounts, photo and artwork captions newly translated and rendered in English by this blog author...

" .. it is with very great pleasure that I'm writing to tell you of the publication - within 3-4 weeks - of the second volume in the Lufwaffe Gallery 'special' series. This new volume is devoted to JG 77, a colourful Geschwader in more ways than one - and not just because of the range of emblems and insignia displayed on its Bf 109s. JG 77 saw hard-fought action on all fronts (Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, France, Greece, USSR, North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Romania...) and counted among its ranks many successful fighter aces (Bar, Gollob, Mucheberg, Ihlefeld, Steinhoff, Reinert...). As was the case with Volume 1 dedicated to the Abbeville Boys of JG 26 - sold out in a matter of months and now a collector's item- this new volume features 96 landscape A-4 pages illustrated with 34 of Thierry Dekker's superb artworks, some 234 photos (many previously unpublished) and a large number of newly translated first person accounts from Geschwader veterans. As you can imagine, this new publication is the result of many years of painstaking research....."

".... By the way, I'd also like to confirm the imminent publication of volume 4 of the the chronicle of JG 2 "Richthofen" – " Dans le Ciel de France" (in French only - there no English version currently planned). Volume 4 is devoted to the year 1943 and comprises 233 pages, about 350 photos, mostly unpublished and gathered from the albums of Geschwader veterans. In addition to the many first person accounts and excerpts from correspondence, the book includes a multitude of details of the fighting (including on the Allied side), losses and victories, and the daily lives of the "Richthofener" on the aerodromes of Beaumont Brest/Guipavas, Vannes/Meucon, Lille/Vendeville, Triqueville, Conches, Saint-André-de-l'Eure, Bernay, Gael, Octeville, Evreux, Poix, Vitry-en-Artois, Caen/Carpiquet, Calais/Marck and many others. One change to note from previous volumes; the limited print run of these new books! I need to create some space before the end of the year and thus have drastically cut back the numbers of copies ordered from the printer. If you have any interest in acquiring one or both of these volumes you need to let me know as soon as possible (send me a PM with your e-mail adress). Best regards Erik..."

Go to http://www.luftwaffe.be  /   'what's new' to reserve your copy

Desert Storks - Wüstennotstaffel eArticle Air War Publications- reference for the Hasegawa/Revell Fi 156 32nd scale

 The Wüstennotstaffel was a rather unique Luftwaffe unit - a "desert rescue squadron". Equipped with the remarkable Fieseler Fi 156 'Storch' STOL aircraft, 1./Wüstennotstaffel served as a ‘jack-of-all trades’ for Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel throughout the North African campaign. The story of the unit is a fascinating one and it has been superbly written up and published by AirWar Publications in their eArticle series. For French readers the story is told in the current issue (no 48) of Chris Ehrengardt's Aerojournal magazine.

It is a story that involved a number of lively escapades and events in the two years from its creation in the summer of 1941 to its disbandment in the summer of 1943. Although rarely reporting more than a dozen aircraft on strength, the Wüstennotstaffel carried out all manner of tasks in the desert war, ranging from its regular rescues of downed Axis and Allied airmen, to evacuation of wounded German soldiers, providing assistance to various Axis special forces and irregular units, transporting senior German army and air force personnel, and generally doing whatever miscellaneous tasks it was required to perform. The unit’s Staffelkapitän, Heinz Kroseberg, was awarded the Ritterkreuz for his efforts in rescuing friend and foe alike, although the award was given posthumously after he sacrificed his life trying to save some downed German airmen in the Mediterranean Sea off the North African coast. This article outlines the history of the unit in North Africa, and delves into several of the more prominent events that it was involved in.

The range of duties performed by the Wüstennotstaffel was surprisingly wide. The unit was involved in the battle against the British LRDG and SAS, undertook sabotage missions of their own, transported the likes of Rommel and Kesselring, and undertook dozens of other tasks. The authors have unearthed some really good stories, and as a result of extensive correspondence with the family of Heinz Kroseberg (the Wüstennotstaffel leader from June 1941 to May 1942), the article includes lots of previously unpublished first-hand accounts.

As we've said before on this blog Air War Publications' earticles are a great idea, always packed with interesting details, so many congratulations to Morten and Andrew for yet another winner. I also have to say that it looks extremely good on my Ipad mini!

This 10,000 word article featuring artworks and a fine collection of images is available for download in two parts for not much more than the cost of a print magazine on the AirWar Publications site here

Fi 156 CQ+QP, 1./Wüstennotstaffel, late-1941 - early 1942. The eArticle also includes a page of modellers colour notes

Reference and colour notes for modellers building the Hasegawa/Revell Fi 156 in 1/32nd scale

below; colour image from "Recon for Rommel" by S.Ommert shows the effects of a sand storm on a Fi 156 C coded 5F+YK of AufklGr 14. The camouflage scheme consists of a 'dark' and quite dense mottle of a sand colour, possibly of Italian origin, over the RLM 79, while the lower surfaces are likely to be RLM 78. Note the white fuselage theatre band..

1. Most, if not all, desert Fi 156s carried only the white fuselage band as theatre markings.
2. The underside of the fuselage on Fi 156 Storks delivered in the RLM 79/RLM 78 scheme was RLM 78
3. Photos show that the inside of the cockpit door was almost certainly RLM 66 as was the instrument panel, but the rear cockpit wall was a lighter colour (RLM 02?). Photos of Fi 156 Ds (ambulance version - all theatres) show the area around where the stretchers are fitted is this same lighter colour.

 Fi 156 C-5/Trop, probably liaison Aircraft of Stab/JG 27, taking off from a North-African desrt airstrip, 1942

two more Wüstennotstaffel machines, above, repainted after capture by the British but retaining the Staffel emblem on the nose and, below, DL+AW

Hasegawa/Revell Fi 156 in 32nd scale built by Peter Dixon of London
 

Hs 123 "L2+AM" of 4.(s.)/LG 2, Poland, September 1939

Hs 123 "L2+AM" of 4.(s.)/LG 2 seen during the Polish campaign during Septmber 1939. This is presumably the aircraft assigned to the Staffelkapitän. Currently on offer here

Below; Hs 123 "L2+.." II.(s.)/LG 2 Staraja-Russa, late 1941

JG 3 Bf 109 engine change, Ju 88 C heavy fighter Eis-Staffeln - Ebay photo find #126

Ground crews pose for a snapshot in front of their machine, a Ju 88 C-6 heavy fighter variant. In order to deceive enemy aircraft and disguise the heavy nose armament, the nose itself was painted to represent the 'less lethal' Ju 88 A bomber version. This machine was likely to have been on the strength of one of the so-called (Eis.)-Staffeln serving with a Kampfgeschwader, ie 7.(Eis)/ KG 51. These were specialist low-level 'strafers' dedicated to hunting down Russian shipping and rail traffic as well as attacking rail stations.

Current ebay sales 'solo fotos'

German WW2 helicopter kits in 1/72 scale and other esoteric Luftwaffe model kit ramblings by a HUMA nut! by Steve in Richmond

...esoteric Luftwaffe model kit ramblings by a HUMA nut!

By Steve 'Kolibri 282' (from Richmond)

 " ...Ever since I bought a model of the Focke-Achgelis FA 223 'Drache' German WW2 helicopter in 1/72 scale from Hannants in Lowestoft (East Anglia, UK ) in the late 1970's I've been a fan of Huma kits. It always amazed me that such obscure subjects could be made in a limited run model series. So it was thanks to Hannants in the UK that I came in contact with Huma models years ago and the Fa 223 was the first kit I bought from them. I had reservations because it was a limited run kit from a little known manufacturer and it was not cheap. I took the chance and ordered the model. Two weeks later it turned up. When I saw the actually kit I was blown away. The quality of molding and the intricate tiny molded parts were unreal after building Airfix, Frog, Heller etc. However the first thing you would learn about Huma kits is that the instructions could be very vague. It took me some time to work out the rotor arm struts positioning; in fact some are missing from the kit altogether. This kit is a real tail sitter as well. I fashioned some cargo from lead, covered  and painted to resemble wood and metal boxes. As this helicopter was used for cargo at some point it didn't go against historic accuracy. It really is a lovely kit made up.

I really was blown away by the Drache kit.  The 'Drache' though was Huma's crowning glory in just about every way. I guess you could argue it could have been better, but even so it's totally unique in 1/72 scale and so different. The only 'kit-bash' I did was use guitar strings to represent the struts holding the rotor arms together. It looks better and more to scale. After finishing it I immediately set out to get as many Huma models as I could and on the whole (although some were incredibly basic) they are all pretty good kits.."

"...The other model Huma produced that really is unique is the Triebflügel. Although very basic with a little work it looks amazing. This genre of models was also of great interest to me as I am very interested in the German secret weapons programmes. Huma's Fl 282 Kolibri in 1/72 scale was never that great sadly, more flash than model on the sprue. RS Models re-released the kit with a photo-etch brass upgrade. It appears it is or is about to be discontinued as well by RS. I'd dealt with just about every central European model manufacturer in the 70's so I was a little dubious buying this model a) because I had doubts about the quality  and (b) because it cost so much. As far as I am aware Huma's first kits were the Me M35b, Kl 35 and the Fw 44, released around late 1982/ early 83..."





"...Huma kits changed considerably during the company's existence. These earlier kits such as the Klemm 35 were pretty basic whereas some of the later ones had incredibly fine moldings, while their Dornier Wal seaplane was also another substantial kit. The FA 223, as I've said, was a work of art. It was only released after Huma had gone from clear plastic bags to full-colour boxes, which may have been as a result of German company Kager taking over Huma's distribution. That must have been around 1990.  At that stage Huma were very much a one-man operation that was progressing quite happily in that format until the contract for larger production/promotion that apparently leached the fun from it all. There may have been other more personal issues, of the kind that one-man companies are prone to, but I don't know. On top of this Kager went bust in the mid 90s, and I think from then on everything became very sporadic for Huma. Sadly I notice that Huma no longer appear to be a going concern, they certainly are not  producing new kits and to get hold of them is becoming hard and expensive. I did ring Hannants a while back and asked them about their Huma stock. I was told due to delivery issues not being met and other issues they weren't going to stock Huma kits anymore. It was from Hannants that I learnt that the Flettner 282 Kolibri kit had a rather short life because the mold  was dropped and suffered so much damage it could no longer be used. As I said, I suspect RS Models used the old Huma molds for their Flettner 282 releases that had photo etch parts and a new molding part for a variant. I notice in the Hannants current list of Huma kits the FA 223 Drache is missing which is to my mind one of the most elegant and outstanding kits Huma produced. Sadly the FA 223 in 1/72 scale is not available anywhere else so the Huma kit is priceless for a German 1/72 Luftwaffe collection..."

 "...It would be great if someone could re-issue some of these Huma models as has been done with Dragon and even Hasegawa kits in Europe. The most obvious choice to reissue would be Revell to my mind as they are German and would most likely have the resources and money to produce them. It would be great if Revell took them on and built a Luftwaffe 46 collection with their own excellent models  i.e Flitzer, Arado E555 etc. Huma were really something special and incredibly unique. I really can't see anyone else producing the Fa 223 to such a fine standard if at all in 1/72 scale sadly.  I am unaware what material Huma used for their molds, but I'd consider it likely that one reason for Revell not taking those molds - if they ever had the opportunity in the first place- is that they were incompatible with Revell's molding equipment, and were thus unsuitable for Revell's (relative) mass production techniques. I can imagine that the molding of Huma kits required significantly more manual effort by workers than standard long run molds, making them more expensive, especially if not run by the entrepreneur himself..."

"...It would be a shame for such well produced and unique models to just disappear off the radar for good. While the Huma Ju 288 had the look of a hurried kit, some of the later models were incredible. It's hard to think such unusual and elegant subjects are just gone. The molds must still exist somewhere unless they were destroyed long ago. I heard the molds for the Kolibri 282 in 1/72 scale got dropped and broken years ago and that's why the model virtually disappeared. I do have a sneaking suspicion though that RS Models got hold of the molds and re-packaged them with photo etch upgrades and new parts tooled for a different version.. Huma's "special technique" small injection parts are incredible, and I don't know if anyone has tried something along those lines since.."

 "...after moving to the US a few years ago I set about tracking down the three big kits that Huma made, namely the Fl 282 in 48th scale, the Ju 287 and the Ju 288. Mustang Hobbies in New Jersey is an excellent source of discontinued models. Owner Jim will search for kits for you as well. He tracked down the  Fa 223 for me which as I mentioned is becoming highly sought after and expensive. Check him out if you want a particular model! The Fa 223 cost me $40.00 plus minimal postage charges. As an aside for Luft 46 fans I picked up two Dragon  Arado 234's in 1/72 scale for $15.00 and one for around $20.00. Two were in sealed boxes. These models can easily cost around $100 on Amazon and E-Bay nowadays!  I got more rare kits from Rareplane Detective in Las Vegas who located the Lippisch DM 1 for me, while Roll Models found the DFS 264 and Ju EF128. Elsewhere Model Hobbies in the UK had the Ju 287 and 1001 Hobby Kits had the Ju 288. Thankfully the internet made it extremely easy to get these models. I guess you have to be a serious fanatic of Luft 46 to go to such lengths though !..."

" ... a lot of the more easily found kits in Europe are extremely hard to find and expensive in the US as a lot of people here buy them for collections, to make a profit on selling them on. Most modelers are into 1/48th and larger, braille scale is looked down on a little here. Kits by companies like Special Hobby are as hard to find as  Huma..One look on E-Bay USA will tell you how much these models are being sold for, in US money it's eye watering! I got the FA 223 for $40.00 and that was cheap believe me! A Heinkel 177 by Revell is going for $150.00, even in UK money that's steep. I just tracked down the last piece of the collection I wanted to get together today for $25.00 which was the Special Hobby Heinkel 1078A. Modeling is a seriously expensive past time in the US ! I'm not at all sure how popular the Luft 46 model scene is or how popular any of the 1/72 scale Luft 46 models are, but I suspect it's quite alive and active around the world. I understand a lot of modellers feel the fact these crazy prototype machines never existed a good enough reason not to model them. It was a huge surprise to me to see the few Luft 46 models Revell released a few years ago. I suspected they wouldn't last long though ( although a couple were re-released I believe) I also noticed Revell reboxed a few Dragon kits as well with the photo etch parts reproduced in plastic. ( I have the Do335 they reboxed so I can say that with certainty) There were of course the excellent Dragon Golden Wings series incorporating a family of Arado 234's which were a joy to build. I have (at much expense and searching) tracked down the whole range thankfully. Then there was the Special Hobby group of seriously obscure Luft 46 subjects, they suffered from the usual terrible moldings, but at least they had photo etch parts and decent enough decals. With work and patience you can make some lovely models which mostly are extremely rare now and unique. The more esoteric are tucked away with such manufacturers as RS Models( who appear to be venturing into the Luft"46 scene slowly) They made the only Gottingen Go9, a rough kit in every way, but again a lot of work it turns out a nice model. Encore and Bronco have a couple of nice kits as well. Brengun are starting to make some oddities. I just bought their Zeppelin Rammer, Bachem Natter and the Blohm und Voss BV 40 glider. Extremely small with some even smaller photo etch parts! There was of course the excellent less obscure from Revell and Italeri: The Junkers 290's and the Blohm und Voss BV 222 designed for Revell by the man behind East German kit manufacturer VEB Plastikart. Revell of course produced their superb Heinkel 177's and reboxed rarities like the Heinkel 115 ( later remolded with photo etch upgrades) Blohm und Voss BV 138 ( originally from Supermodel/ Mach2, if I''m correct) from Italeri they had the Messerschmitt 323 glider and transport plane and the very unique Gotha glider/ transport plane. Of course there was the very basic PM collection with the unique Lippisch P13a, Me 1111 and the Horton Go229 V7( I have plans to rebuild it using spare parts from a Revell Go229 if possible, especially the undercarriages.) the one big surprise I found online was a Gotha P60 nightfighter by AZ models( which is now out of production sadly), but AZ are releasing a different version sometime soon with twin jets on top called the Raptor) not a great kit and will need work by the look of it, but it's unique in injection plastic 1/72 scale. It remains to be seen if AZ, Encore, Brengun, RS Models etc will continue building on their Luft 46 ranges, hopefully they will..."

HUMA Kolibri in 48th scale build on BM by Ragnar here

Heinkel He 111 KG 4 General Wever photo album

currently on offer here

Junkers Ju 88 G-6 Brunnthal, KG 76 im Osten, Wintertarnung

Ju 88 G-6, Si 104, He 111 H's, Abstellplatz/Schattenplatz Brunnthal south of München, Summer 1945.
Click to view large

Source: Life picture via M-AH/TOCH. More on Brunnthal on this blog here

Interested readers can find a recently published and much more in-depth feature on the aircraft at Brunnthal on Matthias Bendull's nachtjagd-research blog. Go to http://nachtjagd-research.blogspot.com. This is a first summary with more details and photographs to be added over time.

Below; currently on Ursula Pfund's Ebay sales site. KG 76 Ju 88 A-4 Schneetarnung. Note the uncamouflaged replacement starboard engine and in the bottom pic, the white prop blades.

Photo commentary via Paul Higgins; " ..the three images from Ursula Pfund's Ebay sales site show (top to bottom) a Ju88 A-5 (no under-cowling blisters, no blistered rear canopy and narrow propellor blades/smaller early-style spinners); the second image I believe is the same aircraft in close-up, and the last image is an unusual Ju88 A-4 from KG 77 with the (R) propellor blade (left side as we look at it) definitely the broader style of the A-4 but the (R) blade seemingly the earlier, narrow blade but with an A-4 spinner... a rather unusual combination..." Well spotted Paul ..and thanks for your detailed caption