Photo assistance required
 

Gentlemen,

while preparing Volume 10/4 of the Jagdfliegerverbände series we have come to include the service of the long-range fighter elements of 5./196 and later 1./SAGr. 128 in the planned part dealing with the Luftwaffe fighter operations over the West in 1943.

Unfortunately, so far we have not come across any worthwhile photo material showing the a/c and / or pilots of this unit. We are looking in particular for photos of the long-range Fw 190 the Staffel was flying, and here especially of the Fw 190 A-5/U8 and later Fw 190 G-3.

If anybody out there were able and willing to help us out here and allow us to make use of his photo material showing what we are looking for, we would be very grateful. Contact should be best established off board.

Tank you in advance and

regards

Jochen Prien

Re: Photo assistance required
 

Jochen: Likewise-I have all the losses, personnel details etc but have never seen a photo.
Do say if I can help further
Chris

Re: Photo assistance required
 

Dear Chris,
gentlemen,

thanks for your kind response; we have in the meantime found one photo of reasonable quality that does actually show what can be identified as a Fw 190 A-5/U8 fighter, this particular a/c belonging to 11./JG 54 in May 1943.

However, this doesn' solve the original problem. I seem to remember that a couple of years ago Söhnke Neitzel published a book ( or booklet ) about the German long range fighters over the Bay of Biscay. Unfortunately I don't have this book nor did I ever have the opportunity to have a look at it, but it would seem entirely possible that there might be some coverage of 5./196 / 1./SAGr. 128. Is anybody out there who owns this book and could comment on that so that - if the book warranted that - probably I could try to obtain it somewhere ?

Regards

Jochen Prien

Re: Photo assistance required
 

Jochen: The books was very much a thesis so I doubt whether there would be anything that would add to the 5/196 or 1/128. Just in case you need it:

15 Aug 43: Sievert & Gryz were victims of 266 Sqn
15 Oct 43: Haase was a victim of 257 Sqn

Re: Photo assistance required
 

Jochen,

I have the book in front of me and will check.
Any idea of the time frame?
Have found 5 pages were the both units are mentioned.
Can scan them for you.
You can also contact Sönke Neitzel at http://www.soenke-neitzel.de/

Jaap

Re: Photo assistance required
 

If I may...
Checking Neitzel's book for FW 190, came up with very little. I enclose two scans re your search:
Friendly greetings
Hans

Re: Photo assistance required
 

Dear Jaap,
dear Hans,

many thanks for your kind assistance; in fact a lot more can be said about 5/196 or 1/128 from surviving records ( others than Söhnke Neitzel mentions in his footnote ). It's just that so far no photographic material at all seems to have popped up or, if so, to be accessable. Well, as with so many other issues it seems as though for the time being we can only wait and see.

Many thanks again to all who have tried to help.

Regards

Jochen Prien

Re: Photo assistance required
 

I can't help with photos but both Andrew Arthy and I have material about these Fw 190s on our respective websites:

http://fw190.hobbyvista.com/

http://www.ghostbombers.com/various/10_ZG1.html

My infomration comes from a handful of German signals deciphered in the period February-April 1944.

Re: Photo assistance required
 

Gentlemen,

just to set matters straight - the Fw 190 A-5 ( one of them an A-5/U8 ) I mentioned earlier on in this thread did not belong to 11./JG 54 although they appear in a loss return as losses sustained by 11./JG 54. This must have been some sort of clergical error in the GQM reports and it has to be assumed that the a/c in question were not yet assigned to their final units but were still on the strength of the Flugzeugleitstelle of Luftflotte 3 when one was destroyed in an accident and the other one badly damaged. As far as we can see, 11./JG 54 never had an Fw 190 A-5 on strength. The reason for that error may be that they were destroyed / damaged in an accident caused by an a/c of 11./JG 54 at Wevelgem on May 3rd, 1943.

So: Yes, we have found a decent photo of an Fw 190 A-5/U8, and no, this a/c did not belong to 11./JG 54 but was still awaiting its assignment at the time this photo was taken on May 3rd, 1943.

I felt that this clarification was neccessary in order to avoid any confusion coming from 11./JG 54 as a high altitude Staffel reputedly flying around with heavy Focke-Wulf long-range fighters.

Regards

Jochen Prien