[RolandF]

Hi Anders,

here´s additional info taken from Bo Widfeldt´s excellent "The Luftwaffe in Sweden 1939-45":

Bf 109G-10 W.Nr. 490137, landed 16.45 by squadron leader ("wing commander" in photo caption) Hptm. Waldemar Wagler of JG 51 based on Usedom island, Apr.24 1945, at Rinkaby airfield, Sweden, pilot runaway, a/c undamaged,, evaluated by SFA/T.

"This particular morning the unit received orders to move its 28 a/c to Eastern Prussia, but Wagler, who left later than the others, decided to fly to Sweden. He found Rinkaby airfield after crossing the border and brought the plane in for a perfect landing. Like many others, this craft was test flown by Swedish pilot Lambert-Meuller and later was transferred to SFA/T (Svenska Flygmotor AB Trollhättan) for further tests. It was eventually scrapped."

The three photographs - one with the original markings - show an overpainted nose shield-badge and a crudely oversprayed bright fuselage band two segments wide. The profile is not correct in many aspects. The rudder has the standard prefabricated stencilled 75/83 paintjob, the swastika appears to show the hardly simplified black-white style. The fuselage cross appears to be sprayed in 83, the rest of the camo much brighter. Dividing line on the fuselage app. centered; on the fuselageband camo only on the top - app. 1/4.

There´s no report about the pilot´s fate. Luftwaffe personnel having been active on the Eastern front were handed over by the Swedish to USSR authorities as well as their planes to end as POWs in Soviet forced labour camps which most likely was also the case for Hptm. Wagler.

I hope this helps

Regards

Roland