1./F.120 specially converted Ju88D's...

[atckyrre]

There has been quite a few stories about specially converted Ju88's flying with 1. Staffel of Fernaufklarungsgruppe 120 flying out of Stavanger. So far I have only seen one single picture showing the streamlined glass nose with no fairing underneath.
BMW-engines? Single top defensive machinegun? Can anyone lead me to any references that might be interesting for a modeler?

K

[ArtieBob]

The aircraft that crashed in Iceland during 1942, was IIRC, a one-off modification of a Ju 88 D, apparently using the standard JUMO 211J engines. Somewhere I have a fairly detailed list of the modifications with date and location of the rework for this specific aircraft. IMHO these modifications were done for the long range flights to Iceland. A short run of specially modified Ju 88s was made prior to the introduction of the S-1, T-1 modifications, I have not be able to document either the W.Nrs. or whether they were given special designations.

Best regards,

Artie Bob

[edNorth]

Hi Artie;

Great, did not realise. Thanks.

cheers
ed

[atckyrre]

Many thanks for the info Artiebob. If these mods were to be available to you again it would be nice if one could confirm for instance if there was only one defensive gun.
This here is the only pic I have seen, or rather where I have noticed that we're talking about a modified machine.


My Ju88 classification skills are a bit sketchy but it appears to me we're talking Ju88D-1 because of two camera windows. Jumo 211 engines. Noticable is the engine exhaust staining and then it appears there's a lot of streaking from the front hatch, which also seems to have some sort of window arrangement in it.
The picture is apparently from a series covering the 1500th Feindflug or similar. I thought I had seen these pics in some publication but I haven't found it in any of my own books.

[GrahamB]

Hi,

Artiebob has pobably had this covered in any case but there are several photos of 'non-standard' Ju 88 reconnaisance/weather aircaft in Manfred Griehl's 'Junkers Ju 88 - Star of the Luftwaffe'', including an example (the same?) as in the previous post, serving with Wekusta 2. Both Jumo-211 and BMW-801 powered are illustrated, all without ventral gondola and with either S/T or earlier nose canopy. Units identified are 1 (F)/120, 1 AuflkGrp Obd.L, and Wekusta ObdL.1. A Ju 88 D with non-balanced rudder, A-4 type Ju-211 cowlings and S/T nose cone is also shown. Lots of types that don't easily fit the usual given taxonomy of the aircraft.

Cheers

GrahamB

[atckyrre]

Thanks for the follow-up Graham. Sounds like a book I shall have to acquire!

Here's another picture of a FAGr 120 Ju88D, this one without gondola but with the old style nose window.



Specific questions to Artiebob regarding A6+EH which crashed in Iceland in 1942 would be if the modifications included the rounded glass nose and just the single gun cupola. I suspect this early in the war the faceted windows and the twin gun greenhouse would be most likely.

[Andy Mitchell]

Please see pages 116 and 117 of the new Wekusta book for two more photos of what appear to be gondola-less Ju 88Ds, this time attributed to Westa 6.