09.12.2014

Daily eBay scan - FW 190s and Bf 109s of JG 5

A small collection of Focke-Wulf 190s and Messerschmitt Bf 109s is currently on offer from kurmark-antik.

Schwarze 4 of (in my opinion) 11./JG 5 after a an accident at what I think is Banak airfield. I believe this to be the landing accident of the FW 190 WNr 481, flown by Friedrich Hammesfahr on December 11th 1942, the accident resulting in a damage assessed to 20%.
Another image of the same aircraft during the operation to get it back on it´s wheels.
The second dual set of photographs show another FW 190 in the north, I believe this to be the airfield at Banak also. A fitting loss record could be the FW 190 A-3, WNr 2275 which was damaged 35 % after a landing accident on May 31st 1943. 
The same aircraft shown from the other side.
A Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-2 or A-3 coded Schwarze 14 parked with starting cart attached. The apparently treeless hill in the background hints to the far north, but I will have to check further reference photos before I make a guess on where this was taken.
An early series Bf 109F being pushed into the custom made hangar, most likely at the airfield at Alakurtti in Finland
Another Bf 109F, probably also at one of the airfields in the far north.
Three members of JG 5 in front of a Bf 109G of the unit.
As always - more information on the photographs and comments with regards to my theories are most welcome!











07.11.2014

Researching the Luftwaffe by following the paper trail - Introduction

When my interest in aviation history started to take off and being more of a serious hobby years ago (I will not state how many - as it might trigger a feeling that I am getting old!) my knowledge about what sources that were available was low.

I was reading magazines, some books and cartoons even, but I wanted more. I had a feeling that the stories told in our school textbooks and by popular media was to shallow - the whole story had to be more than the black and white bad guys vs good guys perspective almost all publications available to me at the time seemed to have.

I have already started a series on the 6. Abteilung des Generalstabes der Luftwaffe (Generalquartiermeister), but there are lots of documents that offer insight into the Luftwaffe which is not directly linked to this unit.

In this series, which I hope can be both an introduction for those starting up with a new hobby but also give those who have been interested for a while a few new ideas, I will try to cover those parts of the paper trail I have been using - and illustrate them with original source material - so that the reader can relate to the documents in their original state.

The language will naturally be cumbersome for some, and I will try to translate key components to English to the best of my ability.

I see now that I have forgotten to publish the introduction before I published the first two posts in this series - hopefully you will all read and enjoy these postings - the order you read them in is not really that important.




Following the paper trail - Part II

Intro

This series will consist of examples from my document collection showing the enormous amount of paper that was generated by the different parts of the Luftwaffe during World War II.

Meldung über erfolgte Bergung eines Flugzeuges - Report regarding the successful recovery of an aircraft

This pre-printed document was used by special units created to recover aircraft that was damaged or destroyed in all kinds of accidents or as a result of combat operations. These could be Bergetruppen attached to a specific airfield, other designations seen are Bergebattallion.

The first example here is the pre-printed sheet used by the units to record the information initially - the Vorläufige Ausführung - draft - where one can see that the Bergetrupp 25/IV attached to the Kommando Fliegerhorstbereich at Lille in France has entered the draft details of the recovery of a Bf 109 from III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 26 which occured at Vitry, France on October 31st 1943. I have published the original loss record as part of my data base of Luftwaffe losses here:

http://www.aviationhistory.no/ref_db/lw_loss_public.asp?lossid=109895

As one can see, the Halter (III./JG 26) given as the unit the aircraft was attached to differ from the draft seen here and the loss record (IV./JG 26) which was finally reported to the Generalquartiermeister 6. Abteilung in Berlin. This is in fact quite a rare bird also, as it is a two seater trainer version of the Bf 109,  a G-12 subtype.

Meldung über erfolgte Bergung eines Flugzeuges - draft

The second example shown is the typewritten final version of a recovery report from Flugzeugbergetrupp 41/IV subordinated to the Kommando Fliegerhorstbereich 6/XII Salon:

Meldung über erfolgte Bergung eines Flugzeuges - finished version


As one can see there are some astonishing details to be seen here, some which are usually not present in an ordinary loss report where no personnel injuries were sustained, and some that can only as far as I have been able to confirm be found in these reports.

We have the code or call sign of the aircraft "Yellow 15", the model and serial number of the engine, and even what part of the recovered aircraft went where after it was taken care of by the Bergetrupp.

The location is reported with a much larger degree of accuracy than the Generalquartiermeister reports, especially when the loss occurred outside of the airfield perimeter.

In this case the location is the same in both reports as can be seen from here:

http://www.aviationhistory.no/ref_db/lw_loss_public.asp?lossid=105411

The Zelle, or body/fuselage with wings, of the aircraft went to the Erla repair facility at Brüssel (Brugge) in Belgium, the engine was shipped to the Feldluftpark at Nimes in France as it was undamaged, while the spare parts and tools where to be prepared for transport (to the Erla VII repair works) by the unit the aircraft was attached to, in this case the 3. Staffel of the training unit Jagdgruppe Süd - the equivalent to a british OTU (operational training unit).

We even have the number of the transport document, 07 459 075, and which train wagon it was transported on, a French train wagon with the serial number 82687 - I bet some train geeks can tell us what kind of wagon this was!

29.10.2014

Following the paper trail - Part I

Intro

This series will consist of examples from my document collection showing the enormous amount of paper that was generated by the different parts of the Luftwaffe during World War II.

Antrag auf Zerlegung oder Absetzung - Request to dismantle or dismiss (an aircraft from unit strength)

This pre-printed document was used by units to request either that an aircraft specified was dismantled following an incident that had led to a certain damage which rendered it useless to the unit - or to request that relevant documentation and spare parts connected to the aircraft be transferred to the industry for recycling, to use the modern word.



It is interesting to see at what level of detail these documents where filled in - for the engines even the number of operating hours and in some cases the number of take-offs the engines had been involved in were recorded.

Of course this make one wonder what an enormous number of  paper that must have existed during the war - and to what level of detail one could have been able to research the Luftwaffe if more of these had existed.



25.04.2014

Research notes

In my research I have recently come across this reference to a teletype message transferred to all relevant units on Luftflotte level etc on May 15th 1940:

Ob.d.L. Gen.Qu. Genst. 6.Abt. drahtet:


Betr. Mitnahme der Lebenslaufakte im Flugzeug.Bezug: LV-Blatt 38 Teil B. Nr.26 Ziffer 182 vom 4.VII.38.
In Abänderung der Bezugsverfügung wird für Flugzeuge der Frontverbände folgende Regelung getroffen:Bei Abgabe an andere Dienststellen, Überführung zur Teilüberholung oder Instandsetzung ist die Lebenslaufakte in verschlossenem Umschlag im Flugzeug mitzugeben. Der Flugzeugführer der überführenden Besatzung ist für ordnungsgemässe Ablieferung der Akte verantwortlich zu machen.


In short for those not fluent in German:

For the aircraft of frontline units transferred to a new unit or sent for overhaul or repairs, the Lebenslaufakte is to be sent in a closed envelope with the aircraft. The pilot of the crew transferring the aircraft is responsible for the correct delivery of the Lebenslaufakte to the receiving unit.

I just thought I should share this with you all - it would be quite interesting to see if any of these will turn up in a wreck of a transferred aircraft in the future - and I would also deem it probable that Soviet forces must have come across some of these when they investigated aircraft found on airfields and other locations in the east.