Need Help to Confirm ID. Ju88G-7b Night Fighter?
 

Hi, After posting the question on IDing a Luftwaffe fighter, I thought I'd also seek some help to be sure I've made a correct ID on another photo (too bad the film didn't advance correctly and it's double-exposed on one half). It looks to me to be a Junkers Ju88G-7b Nightfighter. It has the radar, etc. but I'm not 100% sure and would appreciate confirmation or a correct ID. Thanks again, John

Re: Need Help to Confirm ID. Ju88G-7b Night Fighter?
 

I'm not a Ju 88 expert but according to Gebhard Aders' "History of the German Night Fighter Force" the Ju 88 G-7 was never produced in series (it was to have had an enlarged tailplane) and everything that is called a G-7a, b or c is really just G-6 models with different radar installations.

Manfred Griehl in "Junkers Ju 88, Star of the Luftwaffe" says there were 6-8 prototypes, several of which were lost in an air raid but that one or more could have reached an operational unit.

Re: Need Help to Confirm ID. Ju88G-7b Night Fighter?
 

...nice photo that John, even with the double exposure. I can confirm Nick's comments with regards the correct designation almost certainly being a Ju88G-6. The G-7 designation is an often repeated mistake from some of the Luftwaffe books of the 1950's/60's and 70's.

A couple of questions - do you have a location and/or date for this image? Also, can I reproduce this image on the Night-Fighter section of the LEMB? We have a couple of active threads on the Ju88G-6 and this new image would be of great interest...

Kind regards,

Peter D Evans
LEMB Administrator

Re: Need Help to Confirm ID. Ju88G-7b Night Fighter?
 

IMHO, definitely a G-6 (NO alpha subcharacters, apparently another myth based on poor research). According to what I have been able to locate, only two G-7 prototypes were built, and they apparently were damaged during testing. I only have seen one photo, that might be a G-7 prototype, the easiest identification feature being 4 bladed props.

Best regards,

Artie Bob

Best regards

Re: Need Help to Confirm ID. Ju88G-7b Night Fighter?
 

Possible that the plane was found at Fårhus????
Compare with: http://www.avlg.dk/Bov/Kragelund/Fot...llede%2013.htm

Maybe the plane in the background. Compare the wood on the right side of the planes.

Cheers, Simon

Re: Need Help to Confirm ID. Ju88G-7b Night Fighter?
 

...not a bad spot that Simon... to add, no spiral propeller spinners on any of the Ju88's we can see at Fårhus, and these machines all appear to have fuselage codes... but that doesn't of course account for the Ju88's not in shot...

Cheers,

Peter D Evans
LEMB Administrator

Re: Need Help to Confirm ID. Ju88G-7b Night Fighter?
 

Nick, Peter, Artie and Simon,

Thanks so much for your help and information! What a godsend for a novice like myself.

Peter, here's the information I have on the photo. First off, yes you're welcome to repost this (I'm attaching a slightly higher res version) and if any of you that helped out would like an even higher resolution scan (let me know the maximum size file your service will accept by email (usually 1-5MB) or contact me with a mailing address and I'll send one up to 2400dpi on a CD for $2) by emailing me at morethanimages@verizon.net.

The photo was part of a photo album I'm disassembling due to poor condition (acid-based paper is crumbling, etc.) and will be posting these photos on e-Bay probably on Sunday 4/8. I hate breaking up albums but the condition and content (the planes don't have a direct link with the Army unit or its members) warrant it. I can't hang on to everything as much as I'd like to but I try to find out as much as I can because I love the research and it helps in finding these items a good home.

Anyway, back to the information. The original is a standard 2.5 x 3.5 B/W. The soldier who took the picture (I haven't been able to track down his name so far) was a Private in the Headquarters Battery (one of five) in the 243rd Field Artillery Battallion (8" M1 Howitzers) and was attached to XX Corps in the 195th FA BN for a while in the 3rd Army during 1944-45. Luckily, he wrote a detailed date and location "diary", written on 2 pages of stationary of his service which matched with the unit history I located after finding a picture with his unit number on it and the letter gives a very close though not exact date of when the picture was taken and where. I'll also be glad to send a scan of the letter to those of you who helped out to go with the picture.

In April of 1945 his Battallion was pulled from the front lines and they were all reassigned as MPs in the 3rd Army and sent to various locations in Germany. On June 9th he states "Moved to Bad Aibling, Germany 9 Jun 45 below Munich close to Austrian border. Stayed at former German Air Base [Bad Aibling -fighter pilot school and Luftwaffe base] used as PW cage [German PWE or POW camp]." It appears he was there for most of the rest of June, was gone during July and "Moved back to PW cage at Bad Aibling 24 Aug 45" [reassigned 9/17/45]. So the Junker picture(s) were taken in June (most likely) or perhaps August or September.

I'll also post a couple of other pictures he took at the same time at Bad Aibling that show some other aircraft that are pretty much trashed. In another thread, there is a picture of a Junkers 87 that some of the other great people on this site identified. I'll repost a better scan of that picture there.

Thanks again,
John

Re: Need Help..Confirmed Ju88-6..Here's Other Bad Aibling Photos
 

Here's the attachment of the other two photos from Bad Aibling. Any IDs would be greatly appreciated! Thanks again for your help on the Ju88-6.

Best,
John

Re: Need Help to Confirm ID. Ju88G-7b Night Fighter?
 

I dont know if some one noticed but
the double exposere shows a Bf110 G-4

cheers Peter van Gogh

Re: Need Help to Confirm ID. Ju88G-7b Night Fighter?
 

Hi again John...

Thanks for your kind permission for me to reproduce these images over on the LEMB. The scans supplied above are just fine and I'll report back here if any additional details surface as a result of our discussions there...

Thanks also for the second Bad Aibling images. The first panoramic view features yet another interesting Ju88G-6, coded either ??+RN or ??+BN, and this example appears to be equipped with FuG218 Neptune nose mounted radar. Great stuff!

Kind regards,

Peter D Evans
LEMB Administrator