[Larry Hickey]

Chris,

I received all of these in my email this morning. Thanx. I already have all of the photos in the EoE DB that you sent me in your second post above. Here are my comments on these:

1) This is clearly later more likely late-Phoney War or Western Campaign/French Campaign, although with a pre-June, 1939, manufacture date (the tail centered swastica) although the plane itself could be probably backdated to 9.39 to fit my needs. I find no evidence that 4./StG2 used the four-leaf clover unit insignia during the PC, and of course, the fuselage cross dates to after mid-October, 1939. This is a BA photo, and the a/c in the background has the previously undocumented 5./StG2 panther (or lion?) insignia on the fuselage of T6+LN, which apparently was an experiment (on at least 2 different a/c--also T6+EN) that never got officially adopted by the unit, which apparently instead opted to use the aggressive penguin design instead. I've asked about that here on TOCH before, but gotten no further insight into the dating, colors or use of that insignia. The four-leaf clover apparently wasn't applied to 4. Staffel a/c until the Phoney War period, sometime during the winter of 1939-40, or the very early spring of 1940. That is why I've already planned to use T6+GM to represent the Phoney War period. My current thinking is that II./StG2 Ju87B a/c did not carry unit insignias during the Polish Campaign, excepting perhaps the Gruppenstab.

2) This, I believe, is << S1+AB, the a/c of Hptm. Siegel, the GrKdr of I./StG76, and might be back-datable to 9.39, but I've already previously selected this to represent May, 1940, as I think that the photo probably dates from that period. I have another photo of that one, but neither show the full a/c code. The problem with this one is the photos don't show the subtype (B-1 or B-2), and I find no evidence that I./StG76 Stukas carried the unit rampant lion unit insignia during the Polish Campaign. Neither of my photos show either the engine cowling or the tail (swastica position) of this a/c. If anyone has photos of <<S1+AB showing the engine area, full code, or tail (hopefully with W.Nr., or any other Stab I./StG76 aircraft, I'd appreciate hearing about it. Chris Goss has shared with me with some helpful photos, but we're still not where we need to be on that unit.

3) S2+CC is WNr5248, and is another photo that is at least potentially back-datable. But the photos I have of it in the DB of it were all taken when it force-landed, probably May-June, 1940, at an unknown date during the WC/FC. Still need photos of ANY Stab II./StG77 a/c during the Polish Campaign period. These might or might not have unit insignias, as the evidence indicates that these were being applied to unit a/c as the PC was being conducted, with probably most a/c carrying them by the end of the campaign.

Chris, your photos helped me rethink my layouts again, but so far I still need candidates for the a/c I listed above. There are certainly photos out there that will fill these gaps, so we have to just keep looking and working the problem. I will address the nine photos you sent in your first post above separately.

Regards,