Luftwaffe in Colour: The Victory Years: 1939–1942

by Cony, Chrsitophe

  Part VII

  African Adventure and the Mediterranean Front

  With the Italians also in difficulty in North Africa, Adolf Hitler decided in December 1940 to ensure the security of the African and Mediterranean theatres before engaging in the East. He sent the X. Fliegerkorps to Sicily, where they were charged with neutralizing the island of Malta and British maritime traffic between Gibraltar and Egypt. Among the units involved was Lehrgeschwader 1, whose Ju 88s were stationed in Catania.

  In February 1941, General Erwin Rommel landed at Tripoli to take command of an expeditionary corps, the Afrika Korps, which aimed to retake the territory lost by the Italians at the end of 1940. This Bf 110 E-2/N 3U+ED (W.Nr. 3890) of Stab III./ZG 26 still has its grey and green European camouflage.

  The Bf 110s of III./ZG 26 joined the operations at Trapani in January 1941. Here, a pilot of 7. Staffel proudly explains his aircraft to Italian Askaris.

  Photographed in March 1941 at Gerbini, Sicily, this is Ju 88 A-5 4D+DR (W.Nr. 3312) belonging to 7./KG 30, which has just arrived in the Mediterranean theatre of operations. The commander of this Staffel, Hptm Hans-Joachim Herrmann, distinguished himself on April 6th by destroying the cargo ship Clan Frazer in the port of Piraeus. The explosion sank ten other vessels and ravaged the port facilities. As for W.Nr. 3312, it was downed over the sea west of Crete by British anti-aircraft defences on April 21st.

  Two Stuka groups, I./StG 1 and II./StG 2 on Ju 87 Rs, based at Bir Dufan, Tripolitania, in February 1941.

  In 1943 “Hajo” Herrmann proposed the new “Wilde Sau” tactic for fighters. (via J. Charita)

  Enjoying some free time, these Luftwaffe aviators visit the local markets in Libya.

  Men of 8./ZG 26 relax beside a Bf 110 in the desert.

  Ju 87 R-1s of StG 3 in flight over the Mediterranean in spring 1941, at a time when the Stuka were accumulating successes at the expense of their maritime targets. The white bands on the leading edges of the tails of two of the aircraft are visible here.

  Thanks to the paint stocks of their Italian allies, the Emils of I./JG 27 quickly received camouflage more suited to desert combat, as seen in these two photographs of “White 3” and “White 8” of 1. Staffel: upper surfaces were the colour of sand (giallo mimetico) spotted with olive green (verde mimetico), while lower surfaces and flanks were blue-grey (grigio azzurro chiaro 1).

  Despite having sent a small detachment to Sicily in March 1941, where it participated in many missions against Malta, I./JG 27 and its single-seat fighters only arrived at Ain-el-Gazala in Libya at the end of April. Seen here in May or June 1941, mechanics of 2./JG 27 play cards while waiting to prepare for their next mission. Behind them, Bf 109 E-7 “Black 3”, an old I./JG 3 aircraft, still has its zebra-style European camouflage. (AVIONS collection)

  Due to the five white bars adorning the rudder, this Bf 110 D 3U+MR of 7./ZG 26 flying over Cyrenaica in spring 1941 is probably that of Obfw Franz Sander who won his fifth victory on April 3rd, 1941. A small (65-litre) supplementary fuel reservoir can be seen on the fuselage.

  Three-engined aircraft at Castel Benito, Libya, where their cargo is unloaded, while twin-engined escort aircraft (in the foreground, 3U+NS) are refuelled. The dust clouds raised by the aircraft gives an idea of the damage sand can do to engines that are not equipped with a special filter.

  Ju 52/3ms of KGzbV1 arrive in Africa escorted by the Bf 110 3U+NS of 8./ZG 26. This Messerschmitt was shot down by British anti-aircraft defence near Tobruk on May 2nd, 1941.

  Ju 52/3ms at Trapani, Sicily. True workhorses of the Luftwaffe, these three-engined transport aircraft gave valuable services throughout the war.

  Herbert Kuntz and his mascot, a lion cub. He is wearing a white summer cap, used between April 1st and September 30th. After distinguishing himself during the siege of Stalingrad on the Eastern Front in May 1942, this officer was decorated with the Ritterkreuz in March 1943.

  II./KG 26 arrived in Sicily in January 1941, then transferred to Greece where they remained until March 1942. Their He 111s, like this sand-coloured He 111 piloted by Lt Kuntz of 4. Staffel, bear the insignia of the “Löwengeschwader” with the motto Vestigium Leonis: the trace of the lion.

  Standing to attention in Ain-el-Gazala, in the countryside about 50 km west of Tobruk at the end of summer 1941, a Luftwaffe flagbearer stands in front of Bf 109 E-7 “Yellow 4” of 3./JG 27.

  Bf 109 E-7 “Black 8” of 2./JG 27 in flight off the Libyan coast in 1941. The usual pilot of this aircraft was Fw Franz Elles, who recorded his 4th victory (a Hurricane south of Bardia) on June 16th, 1941. He was captured in a Bf 109 F-4 on the following December 11th after claiming his fifth victory the day before. These two shots show the main characteristics of the “tropical” version of the Emil: the closure of the tail wheel cowling and the addition of a large sand filter on the intake.

  Lt Hans Remmer on his yellow-nosed Bf 109 E-7 of 1./JG 27, at Ain-el-Gazala during summer 1941. “Bubi” Remmer won his first victory on June 18th against a Brewster Buffalo of 805 Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm and his second on August 26th against a Hurricane, but he had to wait for the reequipping of his group onto Bf 109 Fs to become an ace in November.

  Returning to Germany at the end of July 1941 after a short tour on the Eastern Front, II./JG 27 reequipped with Bf 109 F-4s and two months later transferred to Ain-el-Gazala. Oblt Gustav Rödel is photographed here shortly after his arrival in front of his Friedrich, which no longer bears the white band of the Mediterranean theatre of operations. The formidable Staffelkapitän of 4./JG 27, already the holder of 21 victories, won 50 more before November 1942.

  Operators of a 37 mm anti-aircraft gun stationed on the perimeter of an African airfield. In its different versions (Flak 18, 36 and 37), this was the standard anti-aircraft gun to combat aircraft flying at low altitude.

  These two Bf 110 D-3/Ns or E-2/Ns escorting a convoy in the Mediterranean have supplementary 900-litre fuel reservoirs mounted under their wings. 3U+FT with yellow rudder flashes belonged to 9./ZG 26, while 3U+GS was an aircraft of 8. Staffel and bears its insignia on its nose: a white cockerel.

  The crew of a Seenotstaffel operating in the Mediterranean at the end of 1941 close the right engine cowling of their He 59 hydroplane before departing on a mission. (PK)

  Comiso aerodrome, in the south of Sicily, where a large part of Jagdgeschwader 53 was stationed from December 1941 to November 1942. (Philippe Ricco collection)

  Bf 110 C-7 3U+GS of 8./ZG 26, in flight over the Sicilian mountains, escorts a bomber formation on its way to attack Malta in early 1942.

  Hptm Joachim Helbig, commander of a Junkers Ju 88 of I./LG 1 in the Mediterranean, was the terror of the Royal Navy, who nicknamed the passage between Africa and Crete “Bomb Alley”. He wears around his neck the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves that he was awarded on January 16th, 1942.

  On February 23rd, 1942, Bf 109 F-4/Z “White 1” (W.Nr. 7452) of 10.(Jabo)/JG 53 crashed on take off from San Pietro. If the pilot was unharmed, the fighter-bomber certainly was not, and was classified 95% destroyed.

  Assigned to the Berlin-Staaken Luftverkehrsgruppe, the first Blohm und Voss sixengined seaplane – “Wiking” – served during autumn 1941 to protect the routes of the Deutsche Afrika Korps of General Erwin Rommel who was preparing to besiege Tobruk. BV 222 V-1 CC+EQ is seen here leaving Hamburg-Finkenwerder on September 10th, 1941. It arrived in Athens on the same day, and in Derna on the 15th.

  Bf 109 F-4/Z “Yellow 2” of 6./JG 53 photographed in January 1942 at Comiso. (PK)

  Ju 88 A-5 BL+ND (W.Nr. 3098), seen in North Africa in winter 1941-1942, was assigned to the Flugbereitschaft of Luftflotte 2, a VIP transportation unit. It bears its name, Gert, on its nose. This aircraft ended its career in 1943 in the Flugzeugführerschule C 6.

  “With best wishes from 10.(Jabo)/Staffel”: Uffz Felix Sauer of 10.(Jabo)/JG 53 poses with a 250 kg bomb destined for Malta’s defences in 1942.

  A Rotte (pair) from 7./ZG 26 over Sicily. 3U+HR in th
e foreground could be the aircraft of Obfw Helmut Haugk, who won his ninth aerial victory on December 8th, 1941, over Malta.

  Flying daily over the Mediterranean, the Ju 52/3ms were practically the only link with continental Europe – except the maritime convoys regularly attacked by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.

  With its climate, landscapes and way of life, North Africa was something of a shock for the German aviators. Below, two officers admire a Libyan camel and its driver. Above, the same men examine a pair of Ju 87 R wings that have just been delivered from Germany.

  A team on the ground prepare to mount a Rb 50/30 photographic device onto the fuselage of a Bf 110 E-3 of 2.(H)/14, at the beginning of 1942. With a full magazine of 64 metres of film, the Rb 50/30 weighed 72 kg. To improve its performance, the twin-engined aircraft carried no weapons; instead there are wooden tubes that simulate MG 17 machine guns on the nose and exit holes for MG FF guns have simply been drawn on with black paint. (Private collection)

  A close-up of a Luftwaffe Ju 87 R-2 being examined by Italian personnel in North Africa. (Giancarlo Garello collection)

  Hptm Helmut Naumann, of I./StG 3, was one of the leading Stuka aces on the African Front.

  Photographed in Casablanca in March 1942 in front of a French Douglas DB-7, this He 111 P-2 D-ARAJ (W.Nr. 2457) was an aircraft of Kontrollinspektion Afrika. Transferred to KGrzbV 23, it was damaged on January 26th at Konstantinovka during an airlift to resupply Stalingrad.

  The air park at the Greek base of Skaramanga comprised Ar 196 A-2s of 2./125 as well as single-engined He 60s and twin-engined Fokker T.VIII Ws of SAGr 126, two coastal surveillance units. 2./125 were stationed from January to July 1942 at this coastal site in the Eleusis bay, 15 km from Athens.

  An Ar 196 A-2 or A-3 of 2./125 on the Bay of Suda around 1942. The bows of the floats are painted red, the same as the propeller cone. On the right is a British cruiser, the HMS York, which was badly damaged by Italian speedboats on March 26th, 1941, was then finished off by the Luftwaffe while it was out of action.

  Part VIII

  In the West

  With the departure of the majority of Luftwaffe units from the Eastern Front, and more supporting the Afrika Korps, the defence of the Western Front and the Reich was left to a variety of fighter formations, such as 6./JG 53, whose pilots pose here with a Bf 109 F-4 at Westerland (on the island of Sylt, north of Germany) in July–August 1941. From left to right, front: Oblt Otto Böhner (Staffelkapitän), Fw Otto Göthe and Hptm Schönfeld (non-flyer); behind: Gefr Felix Sauer, Lt Helmuth Rose, Lt Hans Möller, Lt Dr Heiner Jörg and Fw Rudi Kranz.

  The Staffelkapitän of 6./JG 53 and his mascot in the cockpit of his Bf 109 F-4 “Yellow 1” in July 1941. Wounded in combat in Malta in early March 1942, Böhner was subsequently transferred to the general staff of the squadron as a ground-based technical officer. (Geschwader-T.O.)

  Maritime aviation, charged with coastal surveillance, benefited from substantial resources. This Arado Ar 196 A-3 (W.Nr. 0276) of Bordfl.Gr. 196 was photographed on the French coast in 1941; the seaplane still has its factory code DN+IF in white letters on its fuselage. (PK)

  The Arado Ar 196 A-2 T3+HK of 1./Bordfl.Gr. 196, probably at Wilhelmshaven in 1941. This unit provided equipment to the ships of the Kriegsmarine and also patrolled the coasts.

  An important element of life in the Staffel: the bar. The crew of 6./JG 53 painted theirs pink.

  A magnificent shot of the front of a Focke-Wulf FW 200 C-3 of I./KG 40 in 1941. This unit, specially reserved for long-distance maritime patrols, was based at Bordeaux-Mérignac from July 1940. (PK)

  Before their departure on a long patrol over the Atlantic, the crews of I./KG 40 gather around their group commander for a final briefing. The men are wearing their flight uniform: a K So/34 cotton jumpsuit with a Kapok-Schwimmveste Fl.30155 lifejacket. (PK)

  An FW 200 C-3 at Bordeaux-Mérignac prepares for a mission over the Atlantic during the summer of 1941.

  Crews head to their aircraft at Bordeaux-Mérignac in summer 1941. The five or six four-engined aircraft visible in this shot are the average number available in a unit, a suprisingly small number when one considers the results. (PK)

  A “Condor” during take off. Having already sent nearly 800,000 tons to the bottom of the sea from June to December 1940, I./KG 40 achieved exceptional results during the first two months of 1941, sinking 37 ships. But increasing British defences soon slowed the pace of enemy; the unit claimed only 17 vessels from March until July, and only four more by the end of the year. (PK)

  I./JG 52, responsible for protecting the Dutch coasts, used aircraft such as this Bf 109 F-2 “Black Chevron 4” (W.Nr. 8165) of the Stab photographed at Katwijk in September 1941. This curiously camouflaged aircraft would crash due to engine failure during take off on the 27th of the month, killing its pilot.

  The insignia of I./JG 52, a giant hand grabbing a Spitfire.

  Confronted by the “non-stop offensive” of the RAF, the aces of the Luftwaffe had an impressive list of successes. Obfw Josef Wurmheller of Stab II./JG 2 received the Knight’s Cross on September 4th, 1941, after winning his 32nd victory; this shot shows him visiting the Messerschmitt factory during the autumn, shortly before he joined the Jagdfliegerschule 1 at Werneuchen as an instructor.

  Fighter pilots play cards between missions over the English Channel during summer 1941. (PK)

  A great shot of a Bf 109 F-4 of 6./JG 53 in the grass at Bergen-aan-Zee in September 1941. Note the command post ingeniously disguised as a farm.

  A few weeks earlier, a new-generation fighter equipped with a powerful BMW 801 radial engine made its appearance: the Focke-Wulf FW 190. Seen here on the tarmac at the Focke-Wulf factory at Brême in June 1941, just before being introduced into the Luftwaffe, is the very first FW 190 A-1 of the series: the W.Nr. 001 SB+KA which would be delivered to the II./JG 26 the following month. This aircraft was damaged on landing at Abbeville on April 18th, 1942. (Jacques Moulin collection)

  A Bf 110 D or E of II./NJG 3 photographed from a Ju 86 at Schleswig in 1941-1942. The aircraft bore the code D5 of the squadron in pale grey on its fuselage, as well as a II in Roman numerals next to the insignia of the night fighter, the Englandblitz.

  It wasn’t until summer 1940 that the Luftwaffe became night fighters worthy of the name, to face the intensification of night raids by Britain’s Bomber Command. The first group of these Nachtjagdgeschwader was I./NJG 1, which included the three officers posing here at Venlo (in the Netherlands) in spring 1941. From left: Hptm Gerhard Hitgen, air traffic controller, Hptm Werner Streib, group commander and Lt Hans-Dieter Frank. The latter two became respected aces.

  Ju 88 A-5(F) T5+BU (W.Nr. 0776) of the Wekusta 1./ObdL, a weather reconnaissance Staffel based at Bad Zwischenahn at the end of 1941.

  Two Friedrichs undergoing maintenance between missions over the English Channel at the beginning of 1942. The main feat of arms by the Jagdwaffe at that time took place on February 11th–12th; they successfully escorted the battle cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, as well as the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, during their transfer from Brest to Germany… right under the noses of the RAF. (PK)

  A debriefing in II./JG 26 during spring 1942. The Kommandeur of the group, Hptm Joachim Müncheberg, acts out his last combat for Oblt Wilhelm-Ferdinand Galland (right), as Oblt Theodor Lindemann watches. “Wutz” Galland was the younger brother of celebrated ace Adolf Galland, thereafter General der Jagdflieger.

  “Jochen” Müncheberg was justified in his apparent happiness: from March 13th to June 2nd, 1942, he increased his “hit list” from 63 to 81 victories. The ace wears around his neck his Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves that he was awarded on May 7th, 1941. (PK)

  Part IX

  The Second Line: Schools, Factories and Training

  A Luftwaffe instructor explains the controls of a Bf 108 B-1 to some of his comrades; this Taifun has the blue livery characteristic of the civilian version produced by Messerschmitt before the war. Behind
it on the left an old Albatros L 82 and an ex-Czechoslovakian Praga E 241 are just visible.

  Two views of Bf 109 E-0s of Werneuchen Jagdfliegerschule 1 during winter 1939-1940. The “18” is the W.Nr. 1784, the “19” being pushed by mechanics is the W.Nr. 1787. These pre-production Emils had already provided good service; they show traces of dirt and old national marks that have subsequently been painted over.

  Three views taken in June 1940 at the Schule/Flieger-Ausbildungs-Regiment 53, a basic training school based at Gutenfeld near Königsberg. Above, the Klemm Kl 32 GF+HO during take off…

  …here, an old Heinkel He 46 bearing the code DC+FT…

  …and finally, a Gotha Go 145 being prepared for take off by a trainee pilot of Sch./FAR 53.

  This postcard shows the He 115 C DC+GR (W.Nr. 2767), photographed departing on a test flight at the factory of its munfacturer, Heinkel Flugzeugwerke GmbH. Assigned to the 3./506, this seaplane, recoded S4+FK, was lost on a minelaying mission in the North Sea on the night of August 1st–2nd, 1940.

  Though the Fieseler factory of Kassel could count on the success of its Bf 109 E-1, which it produced under licence at Heinkel in Rostock-Warnemünde, its He 100 D-0 aircraft were refused by the Luftwaffe. This was more for propaganda purposes than anything else, as they were not armed. The three Industrieschutzstaffeln were finally dissolved in late August 1940.

  Following the example of the French Armée de l’Air, the Luftwaffe began patrols to defend their factories (Industrieschutzstaffeln) during the Sitzkrieg. From February 1940 the Focke-Wulf factory in Bremen used four twin-engined FW 187 A-0 fighters commanded by the engineer Kurt Tank, promoted to the rank of Leutnant for the occasion.