Photo of Ju160 on eastern front?
 

On eBay here there is a fascinating photo of a number of German aircraft on the eastern front. There are a couple of wrecked Bf109s and Hs123. One Hs123 is still perhaps airworthy, but the most noticeable aircraft is a Junkers Ju 160D-0. I have this as Ju160D-0, WNr. 4244, initially with Lufthansa from April 1936 as D-AUIQ. In early 1941 it transferred to the Luftwaffe and served with JFS 3 at Stop-Reitz, coded RC+KO.

The photo however shows a stage of the history unknown to me. The aircraft still has its DHL name of SILBERFUCHS but there is also a new Luftwaffe emblem attached. It would appear that the Ju160 did not follow JFS 3 when it transferred to Grove in June 1941.

The emblem resembles that of III./JG 77. However the seller indicates that this is from a series of photos taken by a member of the 20.Pz.Gren.Div in the Leningrad-Volkhov (Wolchow) area. I assume that this is actually the 20.Infanterie Div, since this photo appears to be in the 1941-2 period. 20.Infanterie Div only became the 20.Pz.Gren.Div in 1943. The location would also probably rule out III./JG 77 as the emblem for the Ju160, since they were in the southern sector.

Does anyone know anything else about this aircraft…or the photo.

cheers

Ian

Re: Photo of Ju160 on eastern front?
 

I have never seen any document (i.e. Flugbuch) confirming Ju 160 RC+KO as serving with JFS 3. As far as I know a sole source which provides such information is Carlsen & Meyer book. It is highly probable that it is a mistake and RC+KO has never served with JFS 3...

BTW: I have already seen this photo at E-Bay 2 or even 3 times.

Re: Photo of Ju160 on eastern front?
 

Wasn't this photo also in the last LW in Focus (or the one previous to that) as well?

Re: Photo of Ju160 on eastern front?
 

Thanks for the responses, especially the LW im Focus pointer...The photo is in the inside cover of issue 18. The text notes that the location was the Lyuban airfield nr Leningrad in Sept 1941. The emblem is noted as unidentified.

The http://www.luftarchiv.de website has an earlier photo of RC+KO without the emblem. Here it is stated that it was with JFS at Stolp (JFS 3).

Any proof of this aircraft's history will still be appreciated.

Thanks

Ian

Re: Photo of Ju160 on eastern front?
 

- An earlier RC+KO photo is just a scan from the Carlsen & Meyer book.
- Building in the background as well as taxiway does not fit any place at Stolp airfield.

Re: Photo of Ju160 on eastern front?
 

Many thanks for this information...even if I now know less about this aircraft than I did at the start!

:confused: Ian

Re: Photo of Ju160 on eastern front?
 

I should also add that there are three pics of Erich Hartmann with a Ju 160 that he flew in 1942 on page 74 of "Der Jagdflieger Erich Hartmann" published by Motorbuch Verlag, 1978.

The aircraft (DF+I ?) had a medium green overall coloration with no insignia visible. Two photos show Erich in the cockpit, the only Ju 160 cockpit view I have ever seen.

I thought I should pass on this snippet concerning a rather rare bird.

Re: Photo of Ju160 on eastern front?
 

Ian, "D-A" was for twin engined planes. I have "Silberfuchs" as W.Nr. 4244 D-UBIQ and perhaps scrapped in Lybia 1943? I may be wrong about the Libya location, it does not have a verification.

Re: Photo of Ju160 on eastern front?
 

Thanks....very strange...all of my sources said D-UBIQ as well...D-AUIQ must have been a typo.

An interesting comment re Libya 1943?
The LW im focus / eBay photo does show Silberfuchs RC+FO in what is described as an aircraft graveyard...although it visually appears airworthy. There were other photos on eBay at the same location (Lyuban) with clearly operational aircraft.


However, returning to my initial belief that the emblem on display on the Ju160 was III./JG 77, I note that while they were in Russia in 1941 (although wrong area for this photo) they were in Libya in 1943.

…so perhaps Ju 160D RC+KO WNr 4244 served with III./JG 77 in Russia in 1941 and then finally in Libya 1943?


Ian

Re: Photo of Ju160 on eastern front?
 

Ah, Lyuban, makes better sense (not Lybia, North-Africa). I reem remember a eBay photo of "Silberfuchs" partly covered in heavy snow-drifts at location stated as Lyuban. Guess this rules out North-Africa, that area does not have much snow.