Re: Bf 109 G identity seeked
 

Hello guys,

Lucky man back in historical place; nice city ... Huuuummm Nice wines too!
Telling the true I remember two or three pictures showing us racks of fins; I don't know where they are, neither if I kept them ... I'm trying to trace them to confirm - or not - what I guess. Of course, there is something to do with a wooden fin subcontractor; The "white" being a primer coating for wood ...

Cheers, Franck.

Re: Bf 109 G identity seeked
 

Hi all,

I am a new member of this forum even if I am dealing with research about WWII crashes in Friuli, Italy, from at least ten years.
The data I could collect from various sources over the past few years are fairly consistent but certainly much more remains to be collected and documented.
I would like now speak about that photo published on Flickr.
I have this one in my database (about Axis losses in Friuli, Italy). Unfortunately there are only a few data but, probably, could be possible to find out something more with the help of someone in this forum.

07/03/1945 BF 109G-6/R2 WNr 230272 I./NAGr 11 Crash landed at Campoformido because of mechanical failure and probably abandoned on the airfield.
Might this be the plane of the picture?

On the same day NAGr 11 lost another Bf 109, a G-6 ? (Erla) WNr 410531 (BX + II), also for mechanical failure, belly landed south-east of Latisana.
Only five days later, March 12, 1945, the NAGr 11 (Kdr Hans Schumann) was disbanded, presumably due to lack of aircraft, and left the airport that, because of heavy bombing, was only partially functional and exclusively used by the Arado 234B-2b of the Sonderkommando Sommer until the end of the war.

Freddy

Re: Bf 109 G identity seeked
 

This is not quite what happened.

On 14 March the Gen. der Aufklärungsflieger's diary says that the disbandment of Stab and 1./NAGr. 11 has been ordered and that Kommando Sommer is to take over the role of 2.(F)/122 and some of the duties of NAGr. 11.

In fact 1./NAGr. 11 existed for another three weeks. The Quartermaster of the Luftwaffe Commanding General in Italy reported on 8 April to OKL's Quartermaster General (6. Abteilung):

… Stab and 1./NAGr. 11 disbanded: 10 Bf 109 G-10/R2 available for OKL Gen. der. Aufklärungsflieger; 4 Bf 109 G-8/R5 given up to Feldwerft Abt. I/90 for exploitation; 3 Fw 190 taken over from Stab by 2./NAGr. 11. Establishment strength was fixed at 16 aircraft, 12 Bf 109 and 4 Fw 190.

2./NAGr. 11 had been subordinated to FAGr. 122 on 4 April. On 22 April it reported a strength 8 (5) Bf 109 G-10/R2, based at Udine II. (The Staffel's Fw 190s had been passed to NSGr. 9). 2./NAGr. 11 continued to operate and was due to withdraw to Bolzano on 27 April but bad weather prevented this. All its Bf 109s were reported destroyed at Campoformido, except one G-8 at Aviano and one at Vicenza. There no NAGr. 11 pilots reported among the aircrew still in Italy at the Surrender.

(See "Air War Italy 1944-45" by N. Beale, F. D'Amico and G. Valentini, Airlife Publishing, 1996).

Re: Bf 109 G identity seeked
 

Nick, thank you very much for the precious and detailed information. I apologize for the inaccuracies in what I have written.
To tell the truth I didn't do a thorough verification and I based on what refers Roberto Bassi at page 75 of "Il Cielo di Campoformido ..., Part II" (Bassi cites the two Bf 109 lost on March 7, 1945, but without providing other details, apart from the Unit and date)
Indeed, what you say is perfectly correct and so I will fix all wrong data in my archives.
Among other things I did not realize that also Michael Holm indicates the month of May 1945 as the date of cessation of activities for both 1./NAGr 11 and 2./NAGr 11 while instead indicates March 1945 for the Stab. The dates are not exactly correct but closer to reality than those written by me.


Many thanks
Freddy

Re: Bf 109 G identity seeked
 

Thanks Freddy for your input.

Nick and Ferdinando, any chance for "Schwarze 11" to be W.Nr. 230 272?

Cheers
Marc