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Re: Ju87 photo unit and aircraft ID??
Hello!
Thank you for very interesting photo find!
The only other place I have seen this emblem is in the book Stuka Dive bombers - pursuit bombers - combat pilots by Gebhard Aders and Werner Heĺd (Schiffer 1989, ISBN 0-86740-216-X, German edition 1980 ISBN 3-87943-707-6)
Pöltz, Staffel leader of 7./SG 3 and the emblem are shown in photo at page 197. The caption ends with: "The plane is an Fw 190 F-8", so it has to be 1944 or later. In the lower corner of photo is shown a white looking digit, which could be round letter C or the letter O. Letters were the III/SG 3 custom.
On page 192 is photo of two Fw 190 F-8. In the fore is D+I and on the background is L+I. I think they are 8./SG 3 machines. In my opinion at least the D+I carries the emblem on the same position than Pölz's mount. The planes are on field and no woods or other things can be seen. It could be Latvia in 1944 as it looks to be a very warm Summer day in the photo.
Andrew Arthy is writing book about Baltic and Courland operations 1944-45. Perhaps he can tell us more about the emblem and especially in what period it was carried ? III/SG 3 was shortly based at Põltsamaa, Estonia (Oberpahlen in German) and I am very interested of that phase in 1944 and whether the emblem was in use then.
Cheers,
Kari
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