Göran,
I think that this reference settles the issue, and "Merlin" is right in his analysis of this incident. The photos show the "Military Farewell" at Mannheim on 23 April 1940 for Clausen and his gunner. That decisively advances the date for an example of the light blue over-spray on 13.(Z)/LG1 Bf110s to that date, a month earlier than I'd suspected, and shakes up the profile order for the EoE project for that Staffel. Got to rethink this.
This may now relate to one of the crash photos that I posted earlier, which "Merlin" thinks may be the crash of Clausen's L1+AL. I'll post this here again for any further comments or help matching other crash photos.
"22 April 1940: 15.(Z)/LG1Messerschmitt Bf110C-1. Crashed into houses near Mannheim-Sandhofen and burnt out following engine failure on maintenance test flight. (FF) Oberlt Walter Clausen
(Staffelkapitän) and mechanic killed. Aircraft 100% write-off."
My problem with this match-up is that there are no houses or structures visible in this photo, which, however, certainly looks like the crash of an a/c with a light-colored "A" on the smashed wingtip. This could, however, easily be accounted for by the angle from which the photo was taken, looking away from any structures it hit. Since this would have been a local crash to the airfield at Mannheim-Sandhofen, where the unit was based at the time, you'd certainly expect there to be photos in the collections of unit veterans from that time period. Does anyone else have photos of the scene of this crash, that might settle this issue?
http://ihra.smugmug.com/photos/i-2xZ...-2xZ876S-L.jpg
I should note that here is the alternative candidate for this crash:
12 May 1940: Lu_40-5-12a Bf110C 13-LG1 Possibly Lt Hans Gaffal, WIA-POW, hit trees Cashed & Burned Out at ‘Nugimont’, S of Blagny, France, Chris J. Ehrengardt Coll via 11-06 LJH Visit
The only way to resolve this may be to find another photo of the Clausen wreck with the houses in the background, or, alternatively, a photo of Gaffal's crash at "Nugimont." Who holds the proof for either scenario?
However, it may turn out that it's not wise to question the advice of a magician like "Merlin." He might turn me into a mouse or something for my impertinence. That would look pretty strange, a nearly 2 meter tall half-Viking, half-German mouse with an Irish name. That should scare the hell out of some Anglo-Saxon monks.
Regards,