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Re: Seek victory list of Oblt. Wilhelm Spies of 1./ZG26 in 1940
Dean,
No, my photos clearly show a 1./ZG26 aircraft prior to the adoption of the thin white rear fuselage band, and carrying 6 victory tabs on the fin. The photo in van Ishoven, while almost certainly Spies because of the two Polish victories, was much later in his career than my reference photos, which were probably taken sometime about the end of the French Campaign or very early in the Battle of Britain. In fact there are two different photos of this aircraft with this victory tally. The only other possible pilot that this could be is Kogler, and I don't think for various reasons that it is him. I'm greatly in need of the specific dates of Spies' 1940 victories because there are date issues that might argue against identifying him with with these photos with what is presently known and suspected about Spies' career during that period. The incompleteness of 1940 Zerstörer victory claims continues to be a major problem for the research community, but I'm doing everything possible to solve this problem--with significant progress being made. Many people have made important contributions to resolving the remaining mysteries.
Regards,
Regards,
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