[Kari Lumppio]

Hello!

Thanks to Stig it is confirmed I indeed took wrong WNr initially (I've corrected it now). Had to work towards midnight yesterday and had no steam left to look Valtonen's book when finally at home.

Now. Is the topic photo of Bf 109 "white 3" in question correctly identified? Is it "3" or even white? Titovka AFAIK was never in German hands so the photo should be of Soviet origin. It does not really look like it. And is the subtype E-3, hood looks like early type? Is the year 1941 or 1942? I really cannot say, don't have any better info. My motivation for posting the photo was to invite discussion and it worked.


About the tactical numbers and Bf 109 transferring to North early 1942

Data from "Pori airfield logs" reveals following BF 109 flights April – early May 1942:

April 3rd, single Bf 109 coded "2" from Pori to North.

April 5th, ten Bf 109, codes 2,3,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 and 12 from Reval to Pori. All ten took off towards North the next day, but "3" and "7" returned. The two followed rest April 9th.

April 15th, solitary Bf 109 "1934" from Pori towards North.

April 29th, Bf 109 "gelbe 2" local flight at Pori.

April 30th, three Bf 109 "4", "6" and "9" from Helsinki to Pori. "4" and "9" continued North the same day. Also "gelbe 2" and "rote 19" from Pori to North.

May 1st "schwarze 2" from Helsinki to Pori. It continued to North with "schwartze 6" the same day.



Discussion and speculation

I think the ten Bf 109s early April was Staffel (7th?) worth of E models with white tactical numbers. This might or not be confirmed by checking other logs like Rovaniemi, Oulu etc.

Late April Bf 109s seem to have been with black codes. Another Staffel (8th?) towards North?

Before, between and after these Staffel transfers there were numerous Bf 109 recorded with Stammkennzeichnen and also with no recorded codes. The first Bf 109 F-4 models recorded as such arrived at Pori May 15th. You (Mark and Andreas) should have them already in the file I sent couple of years ago?

Anyone knows if it was common habit to mark converted Bf 109 E-7s with Werke Nummer? The Finnish air observation logs record codes given to them by Germans and/or those visible on plane surface. There has been several photos in E-bay auctions which do show four digit number painted on fuselage behind canopy hood. The Bf 109 "1934" might be one of those E-7s? Or was it Mtt Regensburg custom (compare Schmoll's book, photo on p. 45).


I will leave for holidays now and there will be no response by me for several days. Please continue the discussion as this might get the bigger picture of the JG 5 build up early 1942 a bit clearer.


All the best,
Kari