a rather slim volume of barely 80 A-4 softback pages from the most prolific Luftwaffe author, Marek Murawski, this new Kagero monograph frankly offers little or nothing new - aside from some large-scale pull-out plans and a handful of 3D views of on-board equipment. Most of the text is devoted to Fw 190 high altitude fighter prototypes from the V13, V15 to the V18. The brief operational history of the type has probably already appeared in Kagero's Air Miniatures title devoted to JG 301. At least there is no artwork - or even mention - of the ridiculous all-red machine that has appeared in other publications. Both this particular machine and the combat record of the Ta 152 have been the subject of some discussion on this blog - see links below..
A while ago I was contacted by a blog reader who added the following about Loos' victories in the Ta 152;
" .. the copy of Loos' Flugbuch that I have shows clearly that he had four victories in his Ta 152 – if they are correct, who knows. Nevertheless they appear to have been confirmed by the Geschwader-Adjutant on 07.05.1945. There must be gaps in his Flugbuch – I find it strange that he start into a combat flight with a completely new machine, the Ta 152, without any training-flight before? Not even a short “Platzrunde” took place when he took off in “green 3” on 20.04.1945. The flights with victories were on 24., 25. and 30.04.1945. On 24.04. he claimed two Laag 9 (near Berlin), on 25.04 one Laag 9 (near Nauen) and on 30.04. one Laag 9 (near Berlin) again. All flights took place from Neustadt-Gleve.."
More on Loos' Flugbuch and his Ta 152 victories on this blog here
A 'personal' view on the 'mythical' all-red Ta 152 on this blog here
Der ehm. Pilot Willi Reschke erzählt von seinen Erlebnissen mit der " Ta 152 ". Insbesondere schildert er seinen Luftkampf am 14. April 1945 mit einer Tempest...
Tom Muller interview with former JG 301 Ta 152 pilot Willi Reschke, paying particular attention to his 14 April 1945 dogfight against an RAF Tempest
exactly right Michael....if this aircraft was natural metal then why does the swastika appear to have been sanded down (which it is). Look at the starboard wing area in the pictures published here by Jean-Yves Lorant -exactly the same finish as appears on the ailerons, despite the wing having metal skinning and the ailerons being cloth-coated. And to the poster asking for better images; these photos are from Gabler's album - incidently Gabler himself never said that his aircraft was in NMF, quite the contrary for more see my blog post again here The drawing below is from the new-tool Eduard 'new' late series Bf 109 Gustav kit - well the idea is right in my opinion but I have to say though, that if the finish had been sanded down the wing is unlikely to have appeared in overall RLM 75 !
.. won by a leading author/contributor to this blog, the recent Ebay JG 11 Bf 109 Hptm Frey images have arrived from the seller;
".. spectacular! This has to be one of the most interesting schemes to have been seen on a III./ JG 300 wilde Sau nightfighter ..the second image depicting the rudder markings is similar to the image we published in Volume I of our JG 300 history but this one is much better as it shows more of the fuselage including the Balkenkreuz..."
Of course anyone who supports authors and buys their books and who has the superb Lorant/Goyat JG 300 history will have recognised this machine - with its black/white undersurfaces - as being one of those loaned by III./ JG 11 to the new III./JG 300 at Oldenburg during late 1943 for wilde Sau sorties. Page 99 of Volume I has three pictures of this machine! The Staffelkapitän 7./ JG 11 Hptm. Frey's "White 1" featured 18 Abschussbalken on its white empennage. Frey's aircraft is not 'new' by any means - similar images were also published of course in the Prien/Rodeike history of JG 1/JG 11 and came from the personal album of 7./JG 11 pilot Zick.
19.09.41 Hptm., appt Staka 7./KG 1. 01.11.41 appt Kdr. III./KG 1 (to 19.08.42). 05.12.41 awarded Ehrenpokal. 01.04.42 promo to Maj. 20.08.42 Maj., appt Kommodore KG 1 (to 03.09.42).
25.02.42 awarded DKG, III./KG 1. 20.08.42 Maj., awarded Ritterkreuz, Kdr. III./KG 1. 03.09.42
Maj., Stab/KG 1 KIA – in Ju 88 A-4 (V4+CD) in a mid-air collision with a German fighter east of Mga in the Lake Ladoga area. 22.12.43 posthumous promo to Obstlt. (with RDA of 01.09.42).
Credited with over 300 missions.
Verbandsflug ofJu 88s of KG 1 in Wintertarnung at low altitude
Photos from the album of Ofw. Windisch, Beobachter in 6./ KG 1 in Keppler's crew according to the seller on offer here
Career summary via the Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries by Henry L. deZeng and Douglas G. Stankey on Michael Holm's site
Based on the Blohm & Voss Ha 139 seaplane, the BV 142 was powered by four engines mounted on a low inverted gull monoplane wing and featured a high horizontal stabilizer, and a double vertical tail. In typical Blohm & Voss style the wing centre section was strengthened by a large-diameter spar of tubular construction divided internally into five sections which also served as a fuel tank. Each main landing gear leg had twin wheels and was fully retractable, as was the tailwheel. The landing gear was hydraulically lowered and retracted. Only four prototypes (V1 through V4) were built. These aircraft were tested by Lufthansa and used briefly in the postal service. However, the outbreak of World War II ended further development of the type in civilian service.
Soon after the start of World War II, it was proposed to convert all four prototype BV 142s to long-range maritime patrol aircraft. The BV 142 V2 was fitted with an extended nose section with extensive glazing, defensive armament (a 7.92 mm/.312 in MG 15 machine gun in the nose, twin-beam positions, a ventral cupola, and a powered dorsal turret, just visible in the images here), a compartment for ordnance in the fuselage, and navigation and military radio equipment. The BV 142 V2, was redesignated BV 142 V2/U1 while the V1 was similarly converted. Both were used operationally from late 1940 but performance was disappointing, and after only a few missions, they were withdrawn from service in 1942. The two remaining aircraft (V3 and V4) were used as transport aircraft for the occupation of Denmark and in the Norway campaign with the KGr.z.b.V. 105 and could transport 30 fully equipped soldiers over 4,000 km (2,490 mi). The ultimate fate of the V3 and V4 is unknown.
Also on this blog, an account of a catapult launch of the Ha 139 seaplane here
Skunkalot has done it again ! Would the losing bidders still seeking these titles please contact me to hear a potentially avantageous proposition..
..and far from wanting to 'demonize' him, all credit to skunkalot who always starts all his auctions at £0.99 - he can hardly be accused of ripping people off after all, quite the opposite, everyone has a chance to get a bid in!
Seaplanes over the Black Sea: German-Romanian Operations 1941-1944 - Jean-Louis Roba and C. Craciunoiu - Editura Modelism
This very scarce title on German seaplanes was recently on offer via Rich Carrick's ebay sales. Although largely supplanted by the Lela Presse 'Hydravions de la Luftwaffe' titles this is still a fascinating and obscure book for Luftwaffe enthusiasts. Written entirely in a rather fractured English, it is still very readable and covers seaplane operations over Romania in WW II, with many photos, maps and charts. Much as they did with the Romanian Stuka group in ‘Romanian Black Hussars’, authors Roba and Craciunoiu dig into another obscure corner of Russian front air operations. This volume, very similar in format to the Stuka book, but pre-dating it by three years, discusses the pre-war evolution of Rumanian air-sea air units and the German-Romanian force's first missions - and the first Soviet air strikes against them - on 22 June 1941. Subsequent chapters describe ongoing anti-naval patrols, rescue missions, and other sorties. Ongoing Soviet air strikes and occasional air-to-air engagements are also covered. The closing chapter tells of the final days of the Romanian pilots and their seaplanes following departure of the Germans and arrival of the Soviets in 1944. 96 page soft cover, published 1995
"...A Top Secret 'how to' guide to the Normandy invasion that was found at a French flea market has emerged for sale after 72 years.
The fascinating archive of black and white reconnaissance photos and incredibly-detailed intelligence documents show the extensive research that went into ensuring D-Day was a success.
The snaps include one of German troops scattering across a beach as a low-level RAF aircraft sweeps by to capture the plethora of anti-landing obstacles.
Other documents included detailed intelligence reports on German munitions such as this floating mine containing 'poured TNT'
Other high-resolution images show the famous coastline with key cliff-top targets that had to be destroyed either before or on D-Day itself.
above; Cap Blanc Nez, south of Calais. Note the obelisk erected in 1922 on top of the cliff to honour 'the glorious cooperation and frank comradeship of the French and British Navies during the Great War' and the 'target' - the 'Giant Wuerzburg'
There are not only aerial snaps of the installations but also images taken at wave-height from the view of the invasion fleet and detailed plans of each target.
For example, for a strategic German semaphore station at Cap D'Antifer on the eastern end of the invasion beaches there is an overhead photo, a side-on image and the plans for it.
Another target highlighted in the photos in an anti-aircraft battery next to Arromanches, which was in the middle of the Gold Beach sector.
In the top right hand corner of each photo is a number assigned for each target.
The photos were taken by spy planes up to a year before D-Day on June 6, 1944 and captured locations in Normandy and the Pas-de-Calais region in order to keep the Germans guessing as to where the real invasion would be.
The archive that has now come to light also includes incredibly-detailed intelligence reports, right down to the infra-red equipment fitted on German Panther tanks.
There are plans for German mines so the invasion fleet knew what to look out for as well as the national markings for Allied aircraft to help avoid friendly-fire incidents...."
Full archive is to be sold by C & T Auctions, Ashford, Kent
Close-up views of the Würzburg Riesen and bottom, video of the preserved Würzburg on the French coast at Douvres-la-Délivrande
Douvres-la-Délivrande was the site of an important German air-detection radar installation, part of the strategic Atlantic Wall defences. Completed in the autumn of 1943, the station was split into two zones by the road from Douvres to Bény-sur-Mer; and heavily fortified with bunkers, machineguns and minefields. The Northern zone held a large Siemens 'Wasserman' long-range radar and associated structures. The larger Southern zone had two intermediate-range Freya and two short-range Würzburg Riese radars; as well as command and infirmary bunkers, garages and artillery placements. Some 230 Luftwaffe personnel were based at the station, including electricians, engineers and 36 air controllers.
At 11 pm on the night of 5/6 June 1944, the Allies launched intensive jamming of radar frequencies which blinded the entire German radar network from Cherbourg to Le Havre. On the morning of the 6th (D-Day) the antennas at Douvres-la-Délivrande were rendered inoperative by Allied naval artillery bombardment. Canadian troops who had landed nearby on 'Juno Beach' isolated the station but the Germans successfully defended it for 12 days, awaiting a counter-attack by Panzers; on one occasion it was resupplied with food via a nocturnal paradrop mission from Mont-de-Marsan.
Main article: Battle of Douvres Radar Station. On 17 June, a massive offensive by the British 41 Commando, Royal Marines - preceded by an artillery bombardment and supported by mine-clearing and anti-bunker tanks of 79th Armoured Division - secured the surrender of the garrison.
The radar site at Douvres-la-Délivrande is now home to a museum, with two of the bunkers housing displays about the evolution and role of radar. The museum also maintains a rare preserved example of the 'Würzburg' radar antenna.
