[Russ Fahey]

Hello Del & Sinisa,

Del, you got it close! Wübke was flying with IV/JG 54 at the time of the photo (after March 19, 1944), but this was with 12./IV/JG 54, not 11./JG 54 (black numbers). Wübke had taken over as s.k. from Gerhard Koall, who assumed command over IV/JG 54. The still photos of yellow 1 (taken from the Leykauf movie) were most likely filmed at either Dorpat or Idriza airfields.

12./JG 54 had been designated 4.(Jabo)/JG 54 up until late March/April 1944, but it had been under the administrative command of IV/JG 54 since sometime in late 1943. The Staffel had flown FW 190s with white letter markings (probably black in winter), but after March 19,1944, the unit began flying the Me 109 G6, marked with yellow numbers appropriate for the 12th staffel (new designation) of the IVth group.

I'd therefore conclude that the crash-landed Me 109 "yellow 1", with the "Im Auftrage der Reichsbahn" logo, was highly likely to be the regular airplane of Waldemar Wübke, s.k. of 12./JG 54. The timeframe was probably sometime after late March through April, 1944.

Russ