Flugbücher of recce Fw190 pilots sought
 

Hello all,

I am currently researching the use of Fw190 in recce units in 1944-45, especially with Stab/NAGr. 13, 2./NAGr. 6, Stab/NAGr. 8 and EAG 1. While there are some (scarce) pointers in documents from Bundesarchiv, etc., I am looking for Flugbücher as additional sources to get a grasp of the topic.

Some of the pilots I think might have flown the Fw190 in this period are Roland Eckersham (Stab/NAGr. 13), Horst Barnewald (NAGr. 13, 1./EAG 1), Gerhard Dickenbrok (Kdr of NAGr. 13), Friedrich Gundel (Stab and 1./NAGr. 13), Werner Schwantje (TO of NAGr. 13), Johannes Settgast (NAGr. 13, 1./EAG 1), Wilhelm Kühl (3./EAG 1), Sepp Luxi (2./EAG 1) and Siegfried Erzberger (Kdr of NAGr. 8).

Perhaps someone has copies of the Flugbücher of these and other relevant recce pilots and might be willing to share just the scans/ copies of pages with Fw190 flights.

Any help is appreciated!

Many thanks in advance

Best

Michael

Re: Flugbücher of recce Fw190 pilots sought
 

Hi Michael,

I've got the Flugbucher to Hauptmann Erich Bunge who flew FW190 with 5/SG4 1943-44 and 7/SG3 1944-45, although he was ground attack rather than specifically recce. I'm not sure what it is you want, but his Flugbuch are written in the most appalling messy suetterlin you've ever seen and are very difficult to read.

I've got most of his time with SG4 translated where he records much detail in his Flugbuch, but his later time in Curland with SG3 has very little detail recorded other than take off and landing time.

Re: Flugbücher of recce Fw190 pilots sought
 

I can't offer any Flugbücher but you should add to your list of Fw 190 reconnaissance units 2./NAG 13 and 5.(F)/123. The latter were allocated three F-8s (of all things) on 14 July 1944 but I don't know if they ever used them. 2./NAG 13 however was very active with the Fw 190 in the summer of 1944 over the Mediterranean.

Re: Flugbücher of recce Fw190 pilots sought
 

I have a copy of Settgast's FB but only for 1943

Re: Flugbücher of recce Fw190 pilots sought
 

Hello Siko! May I ask if Erich Bunge flew in October 1944 at 5 / SG4 in East Prussia or by that time he was already in SG3 in Courland?

Re: Flugbücher of recce Fw190 pilots sought
 

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/pictur...&pictureid=724

This is the entry for Sep/Oct 1944 - sorry it's not great quality I admit. I don't read suetterlin and have been unable to get the latter part of his Flugbuch translated after his shootdown in Feb 44 (I will get round to it one day!). So if you can read any of it I'd love to know what it says, I'll post the next page which covers Nov but it looks like he starts Feindflug again as of 7 Nov. Sorry I'm very much an amateur and probably no help :)

Re: Flugbücher of recce Fw190 pilots sought
 

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/pictur...&pictureid=725

Edit: I could get better pictures but it really is as messy as it looks. It's by far the messiest and most unreadable of any of my collection by a country mile, out of sequence in places too. Fascinating character though and I believe the forthcoming "Air War Curland" will feature him. There are some interesting comments made (in German) about Bunge in Erhard Jahnert's autobiography (thanks Andrew A for the heads-up :)) and it appears there was a fairly unhealthy dislike of Bunge by Jahnert, who pretty much accuses this decorated veteran of the air war from Poland in 1939 to Curland in May 1945, of being a coward. Looking at the amount of action Bunge saw and the utterly horrific time he had in Italy, I suspect the bloke was just totally burnt out.

Re: Flugbücher of recce Fw190 pilots sought
 

Unfortunately I cannot help providing Flugbücher but working on a documentary about 2./NAGr 13 and my interest is also finding flights information based on Flugbücher in the time frame September 1944 until end of war.
If there are some info available, would be fantastic. (In August the Staffel changed from Fw 190 to Me 109 G-8.)
Thanks a lot in advance
Rolf

Re: Flugbücher of recce Fw190 pilots sought
 

I can offer Luxi. Drop me a PM.
Norbert

Re: Flugbücher of recce Fw190 pilots sought
 

Siko, thank you very much! Not a lot of information, but there are dates of interest to me in October. But I cannot be sure that Bunge flew in the area of East Prussia in that time. The names of the airfields are not familiar and the "Verband" didn't matched. It doesn't looks like he was cowardly. Flights are fairly regular, especially in November. Interesting: the first flight 21.10. is only 15 minutes long and it is "Feindflug" - that is looks like reconnaissance of targets before airstrike, as for me.