Bf 109 Werke No. Plate 8703 - Ofw.Herbert Krenz

[gerbil]

I obtained some valuable help from this forum in 2010 in identiifying the small triangular Werke No. plate from an aircraft sht down in the Western desert on 01/09/42 - (Werke No. 8703) which I had acquired with the desert maps & effects of a deceased 8th Army Brtish R.A Officer from 113th Light Anti Aircraft Battery. 27 AA Regiment, R.A.

It relates I was told to a Bf 109 'Yellow 12' being flown by Ofw Herbert Krenz of 6/ JAG 27 when it went 'missing' following 'aerial combat' over El Taqua 15km S of Hamman, Near El Alamein on 01/09/42.

113th LAA Battery War Diaries also state on the 01/09/42 they also engaged Bf 109's & there seems some dispute as to who actually shot down Ofw Krenz's aircraft.

I see that Hebert Krenz was also in combat on 18th August during the B of B & later in the Balkans.

My questions are please;

Would the plate |I have in my possession have always been fixed to the same aircraft?

Is there any way of determining from the Werke No. the date of manufacture of the aircraft?

Would that aircraft always have been flown by Herbert Krenz? (ie on 18th August 1940 & in the Balkans)

Would the aircraft have been modified between date of manufacture and 01/09/42?

Does any one know of the whereabouts of any photgraphs of Ofw Krenz or Bf 109 'Yellow 12' of 6/JAG 27?

How were the aircraft No's in the Luftwaffe allocated, ie what does 'Yellow 12 ' or 'Red 6' mean & were those numbers unique in the Luftwaffe or only in JAG 27 for example?

I would be very grateful to the combined knowledge of this forum in answering some of the above if at all possible.

Many Thanks

Pete Mortimer

[harrison987]

Hi Pete,

To answer your questions:

1) yes it would have always been fitted to the aircraft.
Would the plate |I have in my possession have always been fixed to the same aircraft?

2) This is an Erla Built Me109F. Build date would have been Nov or Dec of 1941

3) No, it could have been flown by many pilots.

4) not sure what modifications you mean.

5) colors or numbers were dependant on unit/staffel, and were used in all units...so there would have been another "yellow 12" or "red 6 on many other Me109's, Fw190, Me262, etc.

[gerbil]

Harrison987 -That's really helpful thanks as I know virtually nothing about the subject.

I am interested however in this story as this little plate is probably the last reminder to the world of Ofw Herbert Krenz and only surviving part of his aircraft.

For this reason I would love to research the aircraft as far as is possible, ie date & place of build, specification, service/unit history etc. Could you tell me if such records exist and how I might access them? Also could you please recommend any suitable books or web sites where I might find that sort of information on this particular aircraft?

Much thanks to you for your help

Pete