Gun Camera Film 25September1944
 

Hi there!
Keen to see and obtain a copy of this footage taken by an FW-190 of 'Verband Späte' (JG/54) and allegedly featuring the shooting down of one or both Mitchells on that date. In theory the IWM London has the original? a copy? although the curator there is asking for a reference number i don't have.
Any clues?
Thanks

Re: Gun Camera Film 25September1944
 

I would like to see that film as well. I've seen a ton of Luftwaffe gun camera film, but have never seen B-25's or B-26's as the targets.

Re: Gun Camera Film 25September1944
 

From my understanding Spaete kept his gun camera film after the war. So it would have to be in possession of his family. Frames taken from it were in his book "Top Secret Bird".

Re: Gun Camera Film 25September1944
 

Frames in his book are from other victories, not from 25th Sept 1944. Or am I looking at the wrong book (Der Streng Geheimer Vogel, the German version).

Cheers,

John

Re: Gun Camera Film 25September1944
 

He was flying an Fw 190 on 25th September 1944, not an Me 163. Puzzled as to why Focke-Wulf frames would end up in a book about the Komet. Something's not adding up for me here.

Is there an acknowledged expert on this type of footage, and where it's archived?

Thanks!

Re: Gun Camera Film 25September1944
 

Because the book was about his association with the ME-163 but also included details about his other assignments.

I consider this to be a superb book about the Luftwaffe Jadgwaffe, since goes into the lesser talked about topics such refusal to engage enemy formations, avoidance of combat, bailing out of FW-190 as soon as the enemy is sighted, etc. Spaete is candid in his opinions and hides some of his characters behind initials which are esay to figure out.

Re: Gun Camera Film 25September1944
 

The clips listed in his book had pictures of western and eastern kills. So I imagine that there were far more then what he displayed there. I wonder what his family might have done with them after his death.

Re: Gun Camera Film 25September1944
 

It definitely exists; I recall seeing (somewhere, can't remember where) a short gun camera shot of a some LW fighter shooting at a B-25 Mitchell wearing D-Day Invasion Stripes. It almost looked like the Bomber was either taking off or starting to stall because (I think) it's landing gear was still down & it was climbing at a unusually steep angle;

Re: Gun Camera Film 25September1944
 

Hello there!

Reading Major Wolfgang Späte's 'Der Streng Geheime Vogel' and other sources, of the four Jagdwaffe Mitchell claims on this date (against the two Mitchells downed), he made one claim himself even though according to this book, he personally dispatched two "Marauder-type" twin-engined bombers (very likely the similar Mitchells as there are no Marauder claims until the 29th, and those aren't his), and based on his very fine flying skill, I'm guessing both were really his and he 'gave one away' to his colleagues, to whom he showed a degree of care.

Do you or one of your colleagues have a complete 'Jager Blatt' collection for the 1960s, and can they find the article about what film clips are available at the IWM, against names and other details? This lead comes from a credible expert correspondent, and a scan of the pages would be a great thing and much appreciated. Happy to look something up at Kew, the British Library or IWM London for you…

IWM can't tell me whether they have the footage or not until I give them sufficient identifying information.

Many thanks!

Re: Gun Camera Film 25September1944
 

Attachment 10489



These are the three gun camera clips for W. Spaete in his book "Top Secret Bird". I'm hoping this attachment shows up in this post.