Yellow 4 of 9./JG26 @4.40 from Ron Putz's Old Website

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

A few years ago researcher Ron Putz (Dutch) had posted on the masthead of his website this photo of Yellow 4 of 9./JG26. THis was supposed to have been in the spring of 1940 in Germany before the Western Campaign. I've been looking for a clear image of this FL since Ron passed away. Does anyone know the whereabouts of a good quality image of this photo, or what happened to Ron's photo collection?

http://www.servimg.com/image_preview...=19&u=11993385

Does anyone know anything info about the FL itself?

Thanx for any help,

[John Manrho]

Some few weeks after his death I reviewed his documentation. My aim was to recover the material he had that we used for our Bodenplatte book. Most of the original correspondence on the Allied side was done by Ron. I am very grateful that I could recover the original source material for our Bodenplatte book.

The remainder of the material went to the Dutch Air Force Historical Branch. However, I must warn that at that time it seemed that Ron's collection was not complete anymore. The main reason was that most of his original work on south of Limburg Air War was on his PC and most of that was put on CD by friends of his wife. I believe also some of that material was lost.

Anyway, try the Dutch Air Force and if they don't have it.....forget about it...

John

[Larry Hickey]

John,

I'm sorry to hear this, but one must face reality. The Dutch AF Historical Office has been very supporive of this project, and I'll have one of our "Country Group" researchers look into this.

This almost happened to the 80,000-page Weiss Archive and his 6000+ pages of German-Language manuscript for the Luftwaffe from 9/39-6/41. His widow tried to give it to the BA and university libraries, but no one would take it. I'm so glad that I was able to salvage that from potential oblivion.

We've now completed translating well over 1000 pages of it--we're concentrating on the WC right now, and that part alone is probably, in two different manuscripts, close to 2000-pages long. Parts of it are somewhat dated, and, like all of us, he made some mistakes, but overall it is a hugely intelligent, and valuable monument to a man's lifetime of work on his passion. It will not have been done in vain. This provides, by far, the very best account of the Luftwaffe's early operations in the West that will serve as a hugely valuable, and accurate set of bones around which to build the EOE book series for operations in the West. Add the 10,000 or so photos, maps, color profiles, artwork, etc. we hope to publish, and we'll have the 1939-40 airwar nailed on all sides. We're now adding lots of "flesh" in terms of the human side of the story to Henrich's work on the German side. He will be a posthumous co-author on the project, regardless of who the other co-authors are, and there may be several for each volume, plus hundreds of "helpers," great and small.

I only wish Ron Putz's family had found more value in his efforts.

Regards,

Larry