Luftwaffe in Colour: The Victory Years: 1939–1942 Read online

  Part III

  Blitzkrieg in the West

  Bf 109 Es of Stab I./JG 3 in the countryside at the beginning of May 1940. The rudders camouflaged up to mid-height are typical of this group at the end of the “phoney war”. The aircraft on the left sports a repainted vertical stabiliser, complete with two swastikas.

  The crew members of this 3./KG 53 Heinkel He 111 H-1 equip themselves before leaving on a mission at the commencement of offensive operations in the West. Their bomber probably bears the code A1+CL.

  Close-up of the insignia of I./KG 53, a diving eagle holding a bomb in its talons. This aircraft was named Ansbach in honour of the Bavarian base at which the squadron was formed in May 1939.

  Curiously, there are no known colour photographs of the famous Stuka from May–June 1940. This ground crewman passing in front of a Junkers Ju 87 B-1 with a 50 kg bomb on his shoulder was reportedly photographed on the Eastern Front in the summer of 1941, though it could just as easily have been one year earlier in France. The Stuka could carry four of these projectiles under its wings, as well as a 250 kg bomb under its fuselage.

  A rare colour image of a Henschel Hs 126 in flight during spring 1940. The code H1+FH on this aircraft, just visible on its dark fuselage, indicates that it is part of tactical reconnaissance Staffel 1.(H)/12. (Jacques Moulin collection)

  SC 50 (explosive) or SD 50 (fragmenting) bombs dropped by Stukas could be equipped with whistles, as seen here, to announce their presence to their victims. (PK)

  He 111 P 1G+BP of 6./KG 27 takes off from Delmenhorst, south-west of Bremen, for a flight over the Netherlands in early May 1940.

  This He 111, code 1G+KP, of 6./KG 27 landed on its belly after returning from a mission. Despite the success of Fall Gelb (the invasion of France, the Netherlands and Belgium), losses were heavy throughout the campaign.

  Mechanics cover the Jumo 211 A-1 engines of a He 111 H-1 of 3./KG 26 after a mission. The Staffel’s emblem is visible on the cockpit: a sitting black lion, with the inscription Vestigium Leonis (The trace of the lion) above. From the beginning of 1940, the “Löwengeschwader” specialized in attacking maritime traffic in the North Sea. (PK)

  The pilot and navigator of a Junkers Ju 88 A-1. This twin-engined aircraft, capable of operating in a semi-dive, was the fastest of the Luftwaffe’s bombers. (PK)

  The menacing “muzzle” of a II./ZG 76 Bf 110 C carefully camouflaged with foliage in the French countryside. It is easy to see why this unit was known as the Haifischgruppe (shark group).

  Bf 109 E “Black 3” of 2./JG 2 photographed at the beginning of the campaign in the West. The personal insignia on the cockpit is as yet unidentified. (Jacques Moulin collection)

  Two views of Heinkel He 111 1G+BM of 4./KG 27, alone and in formation, in May–June 1940. The mechanics have painted caricatures of animals under the cockpit.

  Perforated by the gunfire of British Hawker Hurricanes, He 111 P B3+BK (W.Nr. 2497) of 3./KG 54 had to make a wheels-up landing on the afternoon of May 19th, 1940 between Épinoy and Oisy-le-Verger, 15 km south of Douai.

  Stab II./KG 2 “Holzhammer” en route to the Netherlands in May 1940. These Do 17 Zs bear the codes U5+GC and U5+GM. (PK)

  Pilots of 6./JG 53 rest in a field in Charleville, where the second group of the “Pik As” (Ace of Spades) was based May 21st–29th, 1940.

  If its speed of 450 km/h made the Ju 88 A-1 difficult to chase down, it did not render it immune to Allied fighters. This aircraft from the 6./LG 1, attacked by two Hurricanes of No. 151 Squadron RAF, was left “wallowing” on the beach of Nieuwpoort on May 29th, 1940; this photograph taken a few months later shows its wreckage torn apart by the tides.

  He 111P 1G+JP of 6./KG 27 en route to Bourges in June 1940.

  Bf 108 “Taifun” (typhoon) bearing the code RF+AG, photographed in spring 1940, was an RLM Flugbereitschaft (Air Ministry Flight Readiness) aircraft. It was seriously damaged in the summer of 1941 when its engines failed on landing.

  The insignia of I./JG 27 on the engine cowling of a Bf 109 E, photographed during the campaign in France. It shows that this group was linked to Africa long before becoming famous for its actions there in 1941-1942. The red nose cone shows that this is an aircraft of 2. Staffel. (PK)

  Dornier Do 215 B-1 W.Nr. 0048 NO+TB shortly after its delivery in spring 1940. Assigned during the Blitzkrieg to Aufklärungsgruppe Ob.d.L., the reconnaissance group of the General Staff of the Luftwaffe, this aircraft was later damaged by Soviet anti-aircraft defences on August 18th, 1941, before being 75% destroyed on May 18th, 1943, following a forced landing at Étampes-Montdésir while serving with 2. Flieger-Division. (PK)

  Bf 109 E-3 W.Nr. 1490 “Black chevron circle” of Oblt Werner Pichon Kalau vom Hofe of Stab I./JG 20, at the end of the campaign in France. Later upgraded E-7, this aircraft’s career within tactical reconnaissance Staffel 4.(H)/12 came to an end as a result of an emergency landing on July 4th, 1942, near the Egyptian town of Sidi Barrani.

  Part IV

  The Battle of Britain and the Blitz

  A Messerschmitt Bf 110 C-4 of 8./ZG 26 flies over Caen in France in July 1940. Only just visible on its nose is the fox insignia of that Staffel. (Jacques Moulin collection)

  A profile shot of the same aircraft, 8./ZG 26 3U+CS. This was one of the first Bf 110s to be equipped with an armoured windscreen. Its pilot, an ace as confirmed by the six bars painted on the tail rudder, was probably Oblt Sophus Baagoe, who achieved his sixth “kill” on July 10th, 1940; it could also have been Oblt Karl-Heinz “Conny” Meyer, whose sixth kill came on August 18th, 1940. (AVIONS collection)

  Stuka crews discuss a mission in front of a Ju 87 R-1 of 2./StG 1, whose raven emblem is visible on the cowling. Despite their reported successes against naval convoys crossing the Channel in July 1940, the Stukas suffered many losses in August, and were subsequently provisionally removed from operations. (PK)

  A red-coned 8./KG 51 Ju 88 A-1 refuelling at Étampes-Mondésir. The hatch to the cockpit is open. (PK)

  Two views of the Bf 110 C-1 3U+FM of 4./ZG 26 in early summer 1940. Recently transferred, it still bears the insignia of the III. Gruppe under the cockpit: a ladybird in a diamond.

  The 3U+FM during take off. The aircraft had been equipped with a rearview mirror on its windscreen, but the cockpit didn’t have any interior or exterior shielding.

  This photograph may not be of the best quality, but it does show a very rare marking that doesn’t conform to regulations: a triple chevron of a squadron commander on an Emil; the “correct” marking here would be a single chevron followed by two horizontal bars. This Bf 109 E-3 belonged to Obstlt Carl Vieck, commander of the JG 3 in July–August 1940. The staff of the wing was then stationed at Colembert, 15 km east of Boulogne-sur-Mer. (PK)

  Maintenance is carried out on a Heinkel He 111, the principal German bomber at the beginning of the Battle of Britain.

  An He 111 over the British coast. The gunner at the front is at his post, ready to open fire if the Royal Air Force appears.

  A pilot and navigator team in the narrow cabin of their Ju 88 A during the Battle of Britain. The red line across the cockpit windscreen indicates the angle for a dive attack. This shot is particularly interesting because it shows the sliding curtains for the crew to use to protect themselves from the sun.

  August 1940. Mechanics sunbathe in front of Bf 109 E-3 “Black 3” of 8./JG 53, probably close to La Villiaze on Guernsey in the Channel Islands. The Staffel personnel were ordered to hide their well-known Ace of Spades insignia with a 25 cm red band; their leader Oberstlt Hans-Jürgen von Cramon having fallen out of favour with the Luftwaffe. More than a month after he was replaced by Maj Günther von Maltzahn, the “Ace of Spades” (“Pik As”) was reauthorized on November 20th, 1940. (PK)

  Bf 110 C-4 A2+AL of Hptm Heberhard Heinlein, Staffelkapitän of 6./ZG 2 from July 6th to August 16th 1940, along the cliffs of Cape Antifer near Étretat. After becoming commander of I./ZG 2, Heinlein was killed in an accident on September 28th,
1940. (PK)

  Lt Walter Blume of 7./JG 26 landed his overheating Bf 109 E-4 “White 13” at Calais-Marck after being hit in combat; a mechanic examines the damage to the engine. In the background is a Klemm 35. This shot was taken a little before Blume claimed his fifth and sixth aerial victories on August 15th and 16th respectively. The yellow markings on the wing tips and tail had just been introduced by Luftflotte 2.

  Repairs completed (damage to cowling can be seen in the foreground), the glycol tank of “White 13” is filled to return it to working order at Caffiers. Shot down in this same aircraft south-east of Canterbury just two days after his sixth victory, Blume returned to Germany gravely wounded. He returned to combat in 1943, claiming many kills over four-engined Allied planes with the I./JG 300 and I./JG 27 before retiring from service in June 1944.

  On August 15th, 1940, a Spitfire Mk.IA AZ-H (N3277) Dirty Dick of No. 234 Squadron RAF was forced by Oblt Georg Claus of Stab III./JG 53 to land intact at the Cherbourg aerodrome. It was the seventh victory for Werner Mölders’ former winger. Repainted with German markings, this Spitfire was then sent to Germany where it was extensively tested by the Rechlin Erprobungsstelle with the code 5+2.

  A Ju 88 A undergoing maintenance in summer 1940. (PK)

  Briefing of II./ZG 2 crews at Guyancourt in early August 1940. The plane in the background is again the Bf 110 A2+AL of 6./ZG 2 Staffelkapitän, Hptm Heinlein.

  During a visit to the German troops beside the English Channel in August 1940, Marshal Hermann Göring inspects a unit of Luftwaffe gunners. While there, he took the opportunity of casting an eye over England—through a rangefinder, of course. (Signal)

  A lucky 9./JG 26 pilot has managed to bring his Bf 109 E-1 “Yellow 6” (W.Nr. 2891) back to France despite being hit in combat at the end of August 1940. Note that beneath the fuselage is a fairing designed to protect a camera, which indicates that this aircraft was first produced as an E-5 reconnaissance craft and subsequently adapted into a fighter. Hit by a Spitfire south of London on September 30th of the same year, it was destroyed during an emergency landing at Caffiers.

  Bf 110s of Stab I./ZG 2 at Caen-Carpiquet in August 1940. Newer pale-bodied machines, such as Bf 110 C-4 3M+DB in the foreground, stand alongside aircraft still painted in the older and much darker camouflage. (PK)

  Messerschmitt Bf 110 Cs A2+IH and A2+BH of 4./ZG 2 in flight over France during the summer of 1940. These aircraft still bear the A2 code of their old unit, I./ZG 52, renamed II./ZG 2 on June 26th. (PK)

  A formation of Dornier Do 17 Zs on their way to Great Britain, photographed by a bomber or machine gunner. (PK)

  A Dornier Do 17 Z of 9./KG 76 during the Battle of Britain. The unit’s insignia (three yellow runes on a red and white shield) symbolizes Tyr, the god of war in Germanic mythology.

  Junkers Ju 90 V-3 GF+GD (W.Nr. 4915), formerly D-AURE Bayern of Lufthansa, being refuelled at Bourges in September 1940. The large four-engined aircraft, which at this time had just been incorporated into the Luftwaffe, operated until March 1943 for the Franco-German Armistice Commission.

  This Erprobungsgruppe 210 mechanic carries on his shoulders a cartridge belt filled with 7.92 mm ammunition – approximately 1,000 cartridges in total. (PK)

  Ordnance armourers load belts of 7.92 mm cartridges into the ammunition lockers of the four MG 17 machine guns of a Bf 110 D-0/B S9+FH of the 2./Erp.Gr. 210. This type of fighter-bomber was equipped with DB 601 N engines, which were more powerful than their “A” predecessors. By the foot of the man on the right we see the magazine of the rear MG 15 machine gun as well as the 20 mm drum of one of two MG FF M autocannons. (PK)

  Although only a Gefreiter (first class), this pilot being helped into his heavy fur-lined flying suit by a comrade is already the holder of the second class Iron Cross; he wears the silver badge, awarded to fighter pilots for flying 60 combat missions, over his left pocket. (PK)

  September 1940: An officer of a heavy fighter unit listens to a report from one of his subordinates while ground crew carefully camouflage a Bf 110 at the edge of the field.

  As the war in the air continued, the best fighter pilots began to keep tallies of their aerial encounters. Seen here at Campagnelès-Guines in mid-October 1940, Oblt Hans Philipp (centre), Kapitän of 4./JG 54, stands with two Leutnants in front of his Bf 109 E “White 9”, decorated with 18 “kill bars”.

  The mechanic of the Bf 109 E-4 W.Nr. 5057 “Yellow 1” was proud to be photographed with the score of its pilot, Oblt Josef Priller, Kapitän of 6./JG 51: 20 aerial victories and two planes destroyed on the ground. The last bar is red to symbolize the Ritterkreuz that Prill received on October 19th, 1940. This aircraft would at the beginning of 1941 become the mount of ace Herbert Ihlefeld, commander of the I.(J)/LG 2, before passing in 1942 to 15.(Kroat)/JG 52 on the Eastern Front. It would end its career in 1943 as a training aircraft of Jagdgruppe Süd of Marseille-Marignane.

  In October 1940, the catapult ship Friesenland left the port of Trondheim for Brest to launch its Do 26s for maritime reconnaissance missions along the British coast. Unfortunately, Do 26 V-5 P5+EH visible on board was lost during its first catapult launch on November 16th.

  Luftwaffe bombers also carried out night-time raids, like this Dornier Do 17 Z crew who are being strapped into their harnesses before leaving on a mission. (PK)

  Do 17 Z-2 F1+JT of 9./KG 76, photographed during autumn 1940, received a black wash on its underside for night raids.

  In September 1940, the Luftwaffe began to seriously bomb London and other cities. This change in tactics also affected single-seat fighters, with the Luftwaffe converting a Staffel to a Jabostaffel in each of its fighter groups. In the JG 53 where these two photographs were taken, it was 3. 4. and 8. Staffeln that were reequipped with E-1/B and E-4/Bs and began to operate in this role from the end of October 1940. The planes were equipped with an ETC 500 support that allowed them to carry one 250 kg bomb or four 50 kg bombs.

  Two views of a Heinkel He 59 N of the 3./Seenotgruppe formed in November 1940 at Boulogne-sur-Mer from Seenotflug-Kommando 3. The insignia of the group, a gull holding a lifebelt, is clearly visible on the nose.

  Operating during the Battle of Britain from the small Dutch base of Schellingwoude, the He 115 seaplanes of 3./106 were engaged in setting mines along the British coast at night. Their undersides were painted black for these missions.

  Mardyck, autumn 1940. Mechanics adjust the MG 17s on “Yellow 10”, a Bf 109 E of 6./JG 51. The aircraft bears on its cockpit the personal marking of its pilot, Oblt Walter Strengel, the Segelfliegerabzeichen (the glider pilot badge).

  Preheating the engines of a completely black KG 26 He 111 H in Norway. (PK)

  Abbeville-Drucat, at the beginning of 1941. Oblt Walter Horten (technical officer of Jagdgeschwader 26) poses in front of Bf 109 E-7/N “Double Chevron” of III./JG 26 commander, Hptm Gerhard Schöpfel, who won 21 victories. The gray camouflage on the plane is worth noting.

  On this He 111 H A1+LL of 3./KG 53, based at Lille-Nord in December 1940, even the national markings have been smeared with black paint, and only one letter, a yellow L, is left visible.

  Obst Adolf Galland, Kommodore of JG 26, welcomes a superior officer to Abbeville-Drucat in December 1940. The two Bf 109s visible in this shot are personalized aircraft: on the right E-4/N W.Nr 5819 decorated with 57 victory bars; on the left, E-7/N W.Nr. 5966.

  He 59 N PY+NI (W.Nr. 2791) 2./Seenotstaffel at the port in Cherbourg in late 1940. (Signal)

  A Jagdgeschwader 53 Emil in its protective bay at Le Touquet in November 1940. The “man in black” on the wing is an armourer of 7. Staffel, Obgefr Schnäbele. (PK)

  Oblt Friedrich-Karl Müller, technical officer of Stab III./JG 53, photographed at Le Touquet in November 1940. He racked up 10 aerial victories, eight of which were taken during the campaign in France. (PK)

  Lt Herbert Schramm’s Bf 109 “White 6” (7./JG 53) during take off at Le Touquet, November 1940. (PK)

  Hauptman Walter Oesau, commander
of III./JG 3, leaning on Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-4 W.Nr. 1559 “Green 1” at Desvres in early 1941. This aircraft was previously flown by Hptm Wilhelm Balthasar, and still bears his “hit list”: 27 aerial victories and 14 aircraft destroyed on the ground. Later changed to a Bf 109 E-7, it was destroyed in an accident on May 6th, 1942 near Darmstadt, whilst serving in 1./Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Süd. (PK)

  This Vickers Wellington Mk.IC LN-F (T2501) of No. 99 Squadron RAF was forced to land at an airfield occupied by KG 53 – probably Vitry-en-Artois – the night of December 4th–5th, 1940, during a raid on Düsseldorf. The twin-engined aircraft was repainted with Luftwaffe markings and transferred to the Rechlin Erprobungsstelle where it underwent testing with the code 5+4.

  A Junkers Ju 88 A-5 of 9./KG 76 at Illesheim, Bavaria in early 1941. During the winter of 1940–1941, most Luftwaffe units returned to the Reich to rest and reequip. Having abandoned the idea of forcing Great Britain out of the war, Adolf Hitler had a new objective in mind: invade the Soviet Union.

  On February 2nd, 1941, Sgt K. H. Jones of the No. 605 Squadron RAF was fighting several Bf 109 Es of I./LG 2 when he ran out of fuel and had to land his Hurricane Mk.IIA UP-M (Z2329) on the Coxyde (Koksijde) airfield in Belgium. The aircraft was quickly repainted with German markings and tested at Marquise by pilots of II./JG 51. Recoded DF+SC, it was tested at Rechlin before being used by I./Jagdfliegerschule 2 of Zerbst from August 1941 to May 1942.

  An He 111 P of KG 27 flying over France in winter 1940–1941. The lower surfaces of the aircraft have been painted completely black.

  Mardyck, late April 1941. Obstlt Werner Mölders, Kommodore of JG 51, poses with mechanics in front of his Bf 109 F-2 “Double chevron and bars”, with 65 victories recorded on the rudder. He was the top Luftwaffe ace, ahead of his friend and rival Adolf Galland.