Looking for information on He111 A1+AM 4./KG53

[Thomas H]

Hi all,

I have three questions concerning this He111

1) What is the reason behind the wide yellow band on the fuselage? Most I have seen have smaller band that would just cover one letter, this band covers two.....Was it used in a certain time period or certain part of the East front?

2) In the red circle the code "AM" is written in black on the he111. I have no clue what the need of that is, as the normal code on the fuselage is show and not covered.

3) The he111 A1+AM belonged to 4./KG53 and clearly come down with damage, probably flak. Doesn't someone have details concerning this he111/crash/crew?

Any information is much appreciated.

Kind regards, Thomas

[srob48]

All I have is:
4/KG53. 9th October 1940.
Heinkel He111H (5479). Sortie to England, force-landed at Montville, France. Crew unhurt. Aircraft A1+AM 25% damaged.

[Thomas H]

Thanks for your reply, but I think the yellow band was only used on the East front, which would rule out "your" crash....

But I do wonder if your crash could have anything to do with another A1+AM crash discussed on this forum:

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showth...1&highlight=A1

Regards, Thomas

[F19Gladiator]

I believe the letters "AM" are painted with black temporary paint ahead of the fuselage Balkenkreuz because the aircraft once had the lower rear, including sides, in temporary, washable, paint for nocturnal missions. It is common top see the two last letter repeated for ID purposes like we see on the photo. Perhaps retained in expectation of more night missions to come? The yellow band width can vary between He111s in the East but I have no explanation to this particular case.
Best regards,
Göran