Jabo staffel JG 27
 

In May of '42, a fourth staffel was added to III. Gruppe of JG 27 specifically to perform bombing missions. Any opinions on possible markings other than the III./JG 27 emblem, white theater markings and yellow on the underside of engine cowl?

I'm thinking quite possibly the individual aircraft number would be in blue to reflect its position of the 4th staffel, maybe outlined in white?

Biggest question is the third gruppe marking in the form of a wavy bar, or perhaps instead would be some kind of bomb stencil?

We know that the jabo unit of JG 53 had worn a bomb motif superimposed over a silhouette of Malta when they were operating over that island earlier. So what are the chances JG 27 did same thing using a silhouette of African continent?

Re: Jabo staffel JG 27
 

The earliest example I could find for 12./JG27 is G-6 yellow 1 + = per attached, then G-6 yellow 8 + ~ Feb 1944. After that, blue/white K-4 7 + l in 1945 (All from Osprey JG27 book by John Weal). Maybe not the most reliable of sources, but it's all I have.
The 1 + = profile apparently originates from a book by Krzysztov Janowicz.
Peter

Re: Jabo staffel JG 27
 

That were the warkings of 10.(Jabo)/JG27 - my own drawing.

Re: Jabo staffel JG 27
 

Thank you Peter for the response. JG 27 had expanded to four Gruppe in May 1943 , but still good information.

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Gerhard, thank you for this insight. Have followed your lead and came up with the following:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4530/3...5b75c274_z.jpg

Have used white fuselage number, as it seems JG 53 did the same thing with their Jabo assigned unit. Your graphic on the white theater band, I can't quite make out what is just above the the African continent - a white bomb surrounded by more bombs, or is that some writing there?

regards,
Jack

Re: Jabo staffel JG 27
 

Gerhard, hope you can return to this thread and respond to my question about the details of that stencil on the fuselage theater band.

Also, is this based on a photo (I've never been able to find any for this particular jabo unit), or literature from back then?

regards,
Jack

Re: Jabo staffel JG 27
 

You will find a clear photo of the emblem of Jabostaffel "Afrika" on p.95 of Karl Ries' Photo Collection Luftwaffe Embleme 1935-1945 (Verlag Dieter Hoffmann, 1976). The caption reads: This unit's emblem on the white fuselage band of a Bf 109G-6/R1 Trop. The fuselage Balkenkreuz on this W.Nr. 7157 is just indicated by white chevrons painted on the 79 camouflage.

Col.

Re: Jabo staffel JG 27
 

Jack, I just thought I'd add that the pilot of the a/c in the profile I posted was appointed Staka of 12./JG27 in June 1943.

Re: Jabo staffel JG 27
 

Thank you Col Bruggy, and thanks again Peter.

I should have stated it clearer, but am only interested in 10.(Jabo)/JG 27 proper. The unit existed for only about four months, then it became the 2nd staffel of Jabogruppe Afrika on Sept. 1st 1942, only to be reorganized again in then next month or two.

The emblem from the Karl Ries' Photo Collection would be interesting, particularly if it is considered to have been adopted from the JG 27 jabo staffel?

regards,
Jack

Re: Jabo staffel JG 27
 

10.(Jabo)/JG 53 emblem: A white-bordered black aerial bomb striking a map of Malta in black

The motif was a reference to the Staffel’s task; formed in the beginning of February 1942, 10.(Jabo)/JG 53 was tasked with neutralizing the RAF airfields on Malta, the island situated in proximity of the Axis shipping routes to North Africa.

In their book JFV 8/II, page 257, the authors stated that: "Nach der Verlegung nach Nordafrika wurde der Umriss Maltas durch den Umriss des afrikanischen Kontinentes ersetzt"

Lose translation: "After the (Staffel's - 10.(Jabo)/JG 53) transfer to North Africa, the silhouette of Malta was replaced with the silhouette of the African continent..."

Sometime later, 10.(Jabo)/JG 53 became a part of the so-called Jabogruppe Afrika as I believe its 1. Staffel.
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My reading of the above is that the short-lived Jabogruppe Afrika either adopted the 10.(Jabo)/JG 53 emblem (i.e., not 10.(Jabo)/JG 27 emblem), or perhaps it never did - it was just left as it was on the formerly 10.(Jabo)/JG 53 machines.

This is of course providing that some new evidence to the contrary resurfaced in the meantime - the aforementioned book was published sometime in 2004, I believe.

Re: Jabo staffel JG 27
 

Sidney, thanks for that.

It could very well be any known aircraft with the 'bomb over Africa' motif has it's beginnings with the JG 53 Jabo unit. Possibly it's pilots continued the tradition in recognition of their origins, which would explain why not all aircraft from these reformed units were emblazoned this way?

It is true that the fighter bomber section went through a number of reformations in Africa, and hand me downs continued to carry the emblem. As losses mounted, new aircraft arrived but did not adopt this special graphic. Case in point, here is a photo of an E-7, and Kagero publications put it as belonging to 8./ZG 1. It's arrival I believe was part of the reformation of Jabogruppe Afrika into Sch.G.2, so essentially a third generation aircraft from JG 53, or at least it's pilot??

http://img15.hostingpics.net/pics/95...1452175699.jpg

This leaves me/us back to square one. I'd still like to know the source of Gerhard's illustration.

regards,
Jack