JG53 Markings during The Battle of Britain

[Jon]

This question is on another site i visit, can anyone help ?

Looking for help for all you historians and relic collectors...... 6th September 1940 George Bennions shot down Ernst Hempel of 8 JG53 over the Medway Estuary, the BF109.... 1129 landing in the mud near Kingsnorth Isle of Grain, propeller found and preserved by the Norwood Brothers from Gillingham Kent and donated to Hawkinge Museum 1982. Can anybody remember when retrieving parts of this aircraft whether the engine cowling had the red stripe of shame or the ace of spades emblem of JG53?. Bert Norwood, now 91 years old cannot remember and never took photos despite his family spending many hours playing on the BF 109 in the 1960's..... reason for asking is I live close by to where the BF109 came down and where Bert Norwood still lives, I had a painting commissioned by the wonderful artist Brian Petch where I asked for the BF109 to include both the Red band and the ace of spades. Despite exhaustive efforts I cannot find any details of the paintwork on the engine cowling at the time...... also the Norwood brothers saw Hempel bale out over the Estuary, confirmed by Bennions combat report.... although not correctly shown in any books??, I understand the aircraft was also ' black 5 from 8/JG53'............any info from all you diggers in the 1970's.... what was the engine cowling markings please!

[Chris Goss]

From what photos I have from this time, the 'Pik As' badge had been replaced by the red band

[Jaap Woortman]

Jon,

Have a look at an article of Jochen Prien in Luftfahrt International 11/1980 page 475. Title of the article is:"Offene Fragen: ROTE RINGEN Markierungen beim JG 53 im Herbst 1940".

Jaap

[Jon]

Hello.

One further point:

Did JG53 remove the Swastika from the tail after a fall out with Goering?

I think this had something to do with the markings on JG53 aircraft during the BoB ?

Thanks
Jon

[Chris Goss]

Yes-Peter Cornwell and myself have just been talking about this

[Hauptmann]

Hello,

in september 1940 Jg53 me109s had a red ring painted on the cowling... and they had no "pikAss" emplem... this is wath I can tell after having a look to an album with many photos taken at La Tourquet airfield from june to september 1940...
I don't know if they ever flew without swastika... I can only tell you that in one photo showing Von Cramon's Me109 " -+> " taken the 1st of sept 1940 at Le Tourquet... this plane has a swastika painted on his rudder... probably it was obliterated on the vertical stabilizer...
The Geschwader Kommodore of Jg53 had a jewish wife... and I reed elsewhere that this was the reason cause he was the only Geschwader Kommodore who didn't get awarded with the Knight Cross for the performance of his unit during the BOB...

I hope it helps :-)