Ostpreußen, April 1945.

[photo-war]

Hello!


Has anyone researched Luftwaffe planes in the photos of Eastern Prussia airfields taken during the Red Army offensive on April 1945? They are almost all well known and appeared in various period sources … but I have got my own piece of this pie now from a photo album that acquired recently.
I appreciate any help with these images.


The first ones are three Fw190, is this possible to ID what variants are they and which LF unit?


Thanks In advance and best regards,
Alexander

[VtwinVince]

By April the eastern regions of East Prussia were already in Soviet hands, and the final siege of the capital was taking place.

[photo-war]

I think it will be very difficult to accurately name the unit to which these aircraft belonged. JG51 and JG54 were operated this area during the last moths of Third Reich.

But any chance to ID variant of these Fw190, are they A-8 or may be A-9?

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by photo-war

I think it will be very difficult to accurately name the unit to which these aircraft belonged. JG51 and JG54 were operated this area during the last moths of Third Reich.

But any chance to ID variant of these Fw190, are they A-8 or may be A-9?

The first one, with the collapsed landing gear and four cannon in the wings is an A-8 or A-9; the second may be an F-model with cannon only in the wing roots but it does not seem to have underwing bomb racks.

According to Bundesarchiv RL 2-III/735 (which is free to download) on 16 April 1945 the only Fw 190 fighter unit in Luftwaffenkommando Ostpreußen was Stabsstaffel JG 51, which had 18 of them. The ground-attack Fw 190s were with I./SG 3 which had 24.

Also, 2./NAGr. 4 had 6 Focke-Wulfs. These were recorded as Fw 189 until the lists for 14 and 16 April which say Fw 190. I suspect that this was a typng mistake (unless someone knows better). The last photo-reconnaissance aircraft of 2./NAGr. 4 was destroyed by enemy action on 30 April but four Bf 109s did operate that day (according to National Archives HW 5/701).

NOTE: On 1 April, Stabsstaffel JG 51 reported having 2 Fw 190 A-9 and 20 Fw 190 A-8 (National Archives HW 5/697).

[FalkeEins]

Originally Posted by Nick Beale

According to Bundesarchiv RL 2-III/735 (which is free to download)

Thanks! Hadn't seen this one. I find it a little odd that this file is available but almost no other 'Bereitschaft' file after 1941 is ? Always amazes me that some-one (or some persons) were sitting there typing these out just days from total collapse...I guess this may partially explain the occasional 'errors' that crop up.

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by FalkeEins

Thanks! Hadn't seen this one. I find it a little odd that this file is available but almost no other 'Bereitschaft' file after 1941 is ?

It's probably a matter of what people requested for digitisation. The ones for 20 February–16 April 1944 are downloadable too.

[Andrey Kuznetsov]

I've been requesting quite a few of these files. Only one of them has been uploadad so far, 716b. And it's not clear if my request has anything to do with it. Maybe the point is that one person's request is not enough.

Does anyone know if there are any plans to digitize the ZA 3 series?

Best regards,
Andrey

[photo-war]

Nick thanks a lot for so detailed information about the photos!

There is another one plane from the same airfield, destroyed and burned-out Messerschmitt Bf109.

1. Is this “Gustav” of “Kurfürst”, any chance to ID?
2. The armament looks like MG131 to me, is this correct?


Thanks in advance!



Best regards,
Alexander

[Tony Kambic]

That is an MG131 weapon. I am unable to post images here, but I do have a similar image of a MG131 in a Bf109 G-6.

Tony

[S Sheflin]

Greetings,
Its curved left engine bearer and raised oil filler hatch narrow it down to a G-14/AS, G-10, or K-4. Final identification would be easier if we could see its lower cowling, radio access hatch, and its DF loop position. Finally, if the white characters visible on the upper front of its crankcase are “DB” as it appears, that would mean it was either a DB605D-powered Bf109G-10 or Bf109K-4.
Respectfully,
Steve Sheflin