Ju 87 B-2 Stuka Walkaround reference images for the new-tool Zvezda and Airfix Bertha kits in 1:72nd scale

A selection of Stuka images currently on offer via Darius Werner here. According to the seller these images show pre-sortie preparations followed by a flight across the Channel. Below, I take a first-look at the new-tool Zvezda kit in 1:72nd scale.

David Howe on the new-tool 'snap-fit' Zvezda Ju 87 in 1:72nd

 " ..A few things to note about this excellent kit are the separate gun cupola in the canopy, which makes it easy to model one of the (albeit quite rare) Ju-88 style gun positions sometimes fitted. Also the fine and accurate cockpit sidewall detail and the correctly shaped instrument panel. The kit measures up very well to the best plans I have (by MMP), although I couldn't photograph this without breaking the spine of the book. I was going to criticise the accuracy of the underwing fuel tanks Zvezda provide, since they lack the flattened aft underside usually seen, but have at least one shot of a Ju-87 with the same style tanks as provided, so this point may be moot?!..."

Caveat Emptor on ebay photo sale 'repros'

Images marked with the red 'Kopierschutz' are currently being offered as "originals" by ebay.de seller lunalisa1 aka Mike Schwarz. All have appeared on ebay.de before. The same photos were also sold previously by seller contra72 aka Carmen Schwarz, these being photo repros. 'Mike' and 'Carmen' are probably one and the same person since their VAT number is the same: DE 246137382. The seller also appears to have a third account spartiat999  It is doubtful if these images are even 'repros' as their quality is so poor - I doubt that the seller has ever seen the original. It appears to me he may have simply 'processed' a previously displayed and 'copyright-marked' image and reprinted it. Perfectly possible to do, some web sites post 'retouched' pictures all the time, having 'photo-shopped' out the Ebay 'marks' on them. While this 'retouching' is tantamount to creating and 'faking' history, ripping off potential purchasers is out and out fraud..

and, below, the original as previously sold by Darius Werner

below, another Schwarz 'fake' and below that, an 'original' by way of comparison, previously cleaned-up and reposted on the Falcon Hangar site

Bf 109 F-2 "white 9" of IV./ JG 51 from the me109.info site (Falcon Hangar).

Site owner Weiss was quick to point out that these images were not from his site although a number of the images this seller is offering already appear 'cleaned-up' on his site. Just be clear, all I'm accusing Weiss of doing is 'cleaning up' Ebay photos and then posting them 'clean' on his site. Weiss refused to remove from his site some 'cleaned-up' images of JG 300 wilde Sau Bf 109s that were won at great expense by a contributor to this blog. Let's hope that they don't appear for sale again as 'originals'..

on offer here
And the same image as displayed on http://www.me109.info/display.php?a=e&fid=7340

Bf 109 G "white 11" of 1./ JG 77

 "white 11" of 1./ JG 77 via Friedrich Günther

more French Beute types - NAA 57 and 64 with JG 107 in France in Luftwaffe service - daily Ebay photo find #147

On offer here

Pithienville Frankreich Beute Flugzeug französische Douglas DB 7 Maschine - daily Ebay photo find #146

Also on offer via Marco Meyer koelsch333 Ebay sales and kindly reproduced here with the seller's permission

Armée de l'Air Douglas DB 7 (Boston/Havoc)

The story of the DB 7 (Douglas Bomber) in Armée de l'Air service is covered by Chris Ehrengardt in Aérojournal nos 41 and 42. Of the French order for around 750 machines, 116 crated machines arrived in Casablanca between November 1939 and the end of June 1940. Six crates went to France directly (Caen-Carpiquet) and the contents were never assembled. 99 were taken on charge by the Armée de l'Air before the armistice and 26 were delivered after 29 June 1940, of which only 8 were assembled. The DB-7 units were still undergoing conversion training when war broke out. 5 Groupes were envisioned at the start of the conflict, GB I/19 II/19, II/61, I/32, II/32. The last two never made it in to action and remained in North Africa, while II/61 under Commandant Schurck only reached the mainland on 9 June, arriving at Lissay-Lochey on 13 June. Under 75 attacks were made by the DB-7's and incomplete records account for 8 losses. During Operation Torch GB II/32 aircraft were surprised by US Navy Wildcats while taxing their bomb loaded aircraft and were strafed. The unit was destroyed and suffered heavy losses. The remaining units were luckier but did not see any real action during Torch. As soon as they could after Operation Torch the DB's were traded in for B-26s. Later on in 1944 a unit of 6 DB-7s and six Martin 167s was formed (I/34 "Bearn") as part of the FFI and flew 127 missions against by-passed German strong points on the Atlantic coast. Among this unit was also a captured Me-110.

JG 77 Jagdgruppe 101 Bf 109 Emil - defending the Reich

Marco at koelsch333 Ebay sales has a couple of what he describes as "JG 77" Emils currently on offer here. The images more likely depict aircraft of Jagdgruppe 101. In the image above note the cartoon 'running dog' emblem on the cowling of this, presumably, 3. Staffel machine. Kennziffer may be 'yellow 3' or 'yellow 5'. Note the outline form of the numeral - a markings characteristic of JGr. 101 and the small size fuselage Balkenkreuz.

Jagdgruppe 101 was another unit tasked with defending the northern borders of the Reich flying sorties over the Deutsche Bucht - German Bight- in the autumn of 1939. Subordinated to the Stab/ JG 77, a few machines from this unit participated in the 'Luftschlacht über der Deutschen Bucht' on 18 December 1939.

..  Jagdgruppe 101 was one of the lesser known Jagdwaffe units to operate over Poland in September and October 1939. The unit spent the winter of 1939/40 in northern Germany before its pilots were posted to other units during February 1940, many being incorporated into ZG 1. (cf. Prien, " Der Sitzkrieg" JfV Teil 2 page 507)

Among the pilots to have flown with JGr. 101 was Staffelkapitän Oblt. Dietrich Robitzsch. This may even be him in the photo below - note the inscription 'der Alte' - the old man -  below the cockpit. Note the outline form of the Kennziffer, in this instance 'yellow 4'. Robitzsch filed a claim for a Wellington on 18 December 1939 but his Emil was damaged in the encounter and was a 100% loss in the subsequent belly-landing. With the dissolution of JGr. 101 he was posted to 6. Staffel of Tr.Gr. 186, the fighter element formed to operate from the carrier Graf Zeppelin. Robitzsch was taken captive on the first day of the Westfeldzug, force-landing his Emil in Holland after clashing with Fokker D-XXI fighters

Schlacht Fw 190 Deblin Irena - Schlacht pilot with the Erg.Schlachtgruppe at Deblin (code 4M+) -daily Ebay photo find #145

 Currently on offer here part of an image series covering the training period a Schlacht pilot with the Erg.Zerstörergruppe at Deblin (code 4M+), which became Erg.Schlachtgruppe at Deblin on 31.03.43 (letter with triangle). The aircraft above appears to be an old A-3 model..

More from the same unit Erg.Zerstörergruppe at Deblin (code 4M+), some of which were previously posted here in 2013. These fledgling Schlact pilots subsequently  served with 3./SchG 1 (large letters in rear of the Balkenkreuze usually with a yellow theatre band). There are also some shots of planes from the Stab I./SchG 1.

Oblt. Helmut Schwantje (above) was a Staffelkapitaen in I. Gruppe ofSchlachtflieger-Geschwader 102 from August 1944  to February 1945. SG 102 (originally Stuka-Geschwader 102) was a training, not a fighting unit. It was formed in October 1943 with two groups (6 wings of 12 FW-190 each) to train Jabo (Jagdbomber = fighter-bomber) pilots at the Schlachtflieger-Schule 2 at Memmingen in Bavaria.

Below; pilots of 6./SG 77 somewhere on the Oderfront towards the end of the war.