[Larry Hickey]

Gentlemen,

Thanks for your responses. Dr. Prien has cleared up one of the two mysteries here from the photos of Oblt Kijewski's 109E. After studying the photos further, I'm convinced that the name on the clowling is "Erika," the name of Kajewski's wife.

The association of Oblt. Kijewski's a/c with W.Nr. 1443 is through an unpublished photograph that I've seen. The same "Black 1" as in the JFV reference cited is shown in this photo after crash-landing with considerable damage to at least one wing. The foliage is still full and the aircraft had white/yellow wingtips and rudder, making the incident sometime from about the end of August, 1940, until roughtly the end of the Battle of Britain. It carried a cannon in the wings and had the late-style cockpit canopy, so it was either an E-3 or an E-4. The overspray camouflage pattern is probably a factory finish, and roughly matches the pattern found on "Black 8" of the same unit, which has been much photographed, indicating that they may have come from the same production batch. "Black 8" is known to have been W.Nr. 1464, and, in fact, was shot into the sea on September 5th. By a process of elimination, the only aircraft that fits all these parameters, including being an E-4, that was lost by 5./JG 3 during that particular period to a crash landing with considerable damage was 1443. If 1443 and "Black 1" are the same aircraft, it would be likely, but not certain, that Oblt. Kijewski was the pilot during the 2.9.40 incident.

Since many crash-landings during the period were photographed a number of times and from different angles, I am hoping that someone else has a photo of this aircraft, perhaps showing the tail more clearly and the W.Nr. and/or victory tabs to help confirm the identification as W.Nr. 1443. The pertinent part of the tail is not visible due to foliage in the photo that I've seen.

I hope that someone can help confirm my tentative identification.