JG53 Markings during The Battle of Britain
 

This question is on another site i visit, can anyone help ?

Looking for help for all you historians and relic collectors...... 6th September 1940 George Bennions shot down Ernst Hempel of 8 JG53 over the Medway Estuary, the BF109.... 1129 landing in the mud near Kingsnorth Isle of Grain, propeller found and preserved by the Norwood Brothers from Gillingham Kent and donated to Hawkinge Museum 1982. Can anybody remember when retrieving parts of this aircraft whether the engine cowling had the red stripe of shame or the ace of spades emblem of JG53?. Bert Norwood, now 91 years old cannot remember and never took photos despite his family spending many hours playing on the BF 109 in the 1960's..... reason for asking is I live close by to where the BF109 came down and where Bert Norwood still lives, I had a painting commissioned by the wonderful artist Brian Petch where I asked for the BF109 to include both the Red band and the ace of spades. Despite exhaustive efforts I cannot find any details of the paintwork on the engine cowling at the time...... also the Norwood brothers saw Hempel bale out over the Estuary, confirmed by Bennions combat report.... although not correctly shown in any books??, I understand the aircraft was also ' black 5 from 8/JG53'............any info from all you diggers in the 1970's.... what was the engine cowling markings please!

Re: JG53 Markings during The Battle of Britain
 

From what photos I have from this time, the 'Pik As' badge had been replaced by the red band

Re: JG53 Markings during The Battle of Britain
 

Jon,

Have a look at an article of Jochen Prien in Luftfahrt International 11/1980 page 475. Title of the article is:"Offene Fragen: ROTE RINGEN Markierungen beim JG 53 im Herbst 1940".

Jaap

Re: JG53 Markings during The Battle of Britain
 

Hello.

One further point:

Did JG53 remove the Swastika from the tail after a fall out with Goering?

I think this had something to do with the markings on JG53 aircraft during the BoB ?

Thanks
Jon

Re: JG53 Markings during The Battle of Britain
 

Yes-Peter Cornwell and myself have just been talking about this

Re: JG53 Markings during The Battle of Britain
 

Hello,

in september 1940 Jg53 me109s had a red ring painted on the cowling... and they had no "pikAss" emplem... this is wath I can tell after having a look to an album with many photos taken at La Tourquet airfield from june to september 1940...
I don't know if they ever flew without swastika... I can only tell you that in one photo showing Von Cramon's Me109 " -+> " taken the 1st of sept 1940 at Le Tourquet... this plane has a swastika painted on his rudder... probably it was obliterated on the vertical stabilizer...
The Geschwader Kommodore of Jg53 had a jewish wife... and I reed elsewhere that this was the reason cause he was the only Geschwader Kommodore who didn't get awarded with the Knight Cross for the performance of his unit during the BOB...

I hope it helps :-)

Re: JG53 Markings during The Battle of Britain
 

It's not quite true.
Vieck (JG 3), Handrick (JG 26), v.Bernegg (JG 52), Metig (JG 54) and v.Manteuffel (JG 77) did not get the RK either.
Maybe the poor performance of Cramon (only one "kill" in one year) is another explanation.

Re: JG53 Markings during The Battle of Britain
 

Indeed it seems there was some sort of conflict with von Cramon in mind, and the whole story looks unreal. Pikas was renamed Rotring and got new markings, IIRC in August or even July 1940, then Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke, when became GrK III/JG53, he ordered to overpaint swastikas in his Gruppe. Events returned to the norm, when von Cramon left the unit - JG53 got Pikas again and swastikas reappeared.
Reasons of the conflict are unknown, at least to me, and the whole story looks rather childish and unserious.
Regarding Hempel's aircraft, it had swastika and unless it was a new aircraft, it should have Rotring. Anybody knows, where are the remains at present? Any colour photos?

Re: JG53 Markings during The Battle of Britain
 

This response was put onto the other site...no mention of the Swastika though?

When Hans-Jurgen von Cramon-Taubadel, Kommodore of JG53, married a white girl from a family whose Aryan credentials where not quite 100%, his unit was collectively punished by being ordered to overpaint "Ace Of Spades" insignia with simple red band around engine cowling , by the end of July. On the other hand the von Cramon was the only one of the "Old Guard" Kommodoren not receive the Knights Cross. Then on 13.August Hauptmann Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke ordered that on all III./JG53 machines swastikas to be overpainted in sign of protest. Finally on 20th November when JG53 scored its 500th victory, order was rescinded and "Ace Of Spades" insignia was again back at JG53 right up to the end of the war.

Re: JG53 Markings during The Battle of Britain
 

***On the other hand the von Cramon was the only one of the "Old Guard" Kommodoren not receive the Knights Cross***
No, he was not, see my previous post.

***his unit was collectively punished***
Why punish an entire Geschwader for his Kommodore? It makes no sense. It would have been easier to post him to Norway.

Re: JG53 Markings during The Battle of Britain
 

According to Stephen Bungay in "The Most Dangerous Enemy" this was meant as sign of disapproval of the marriage by Göring himself. The author also states, that the red band was a first answer of the Geschwader, not ordered by Göring.

Re: JG53 Markings during The Battle of Britain
 

Re: JG53 Markings during The Battle of Britain
 

Truebenbach, Kommodore of JG 52 during the Battle, did not receive the Ritterkreuz either.