19/11 - Bf109s on eBay & Two awsome Fotoalbum!

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

Both Jochen Prien and I think that this photo is before 4./JG26 became 8,/JG26 IIRC late-Sept., 1939. The White 4 is not unfinished, it is White 4 of 4./JG26. The two photos of Red 4 down on the French beach are 2./JG26 and have been previously published in Prien's JFV 4/I P.284. He includes two other photos of it there. The only possible match up that I can see on the loss lists is E-1 W.Nr. 3634 down in the sea on 8/29/40. It was in the process of having a mottled camouflage applied at the time of this incident, which was apparently interrupted by flying this mission. The white or very light yellow rudder and wingtips are definitely 8.40 during the BoB. Anyone else have any opinions on the ID of this one?

The II./JG26 Stab a/c in four of the photos is almost certainly Hptm. Herwig Knüppel's Gr.Kdr. a/c at Bönningardt about 9.39, around the beginning of the war. We now have good photo documentation of all three JG26 Gr Kdr's a/c during the first month or so of the war: Handrick (I Gr), Knüppel (II Gr) and von Berg (III Gr). These four photos of Knüppel's a/c at this time fill another gap in the photo record for JG26.

Regards,