Looking for insignia images for III./KG55 during 1940-41

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

I've recently had access to a photo of an He111 of 9./KG55, that was probably taken during the last few months of 1940, or early in 1941. This aircraft displays a heretofore unpublished insignia on the lower part of the port-side rudder. Ketley and Rolfe show a similar insignia (#343) in their reference, book, and a photo of a variation of this insignia can be seen at lower right on P.43 of "KG55 In Focus" by Hall & Quinlan. This is the same three fishes insignia seen in the other references, but appears to have a red (or other dark colored) shield, with yellow fish and a thin yellow outline around the shield. The codes are certainly 9./KG55. In the background can be seen another He111 that has a temporary night camouflage finish, indicating the latter part of 1940, or, perhaps early, 1941. The primary aircraft carries no night camouflage and is otherwise standard in markings and camouflage in the west for 1940-41.

The Ketley/Rolfe insignia has a yellow shield with three red fish, and is identified as the insignia of 8./KG55. The Hall/Quinlan photo shows either a white or yellow shield with three red? fishes, and says that this was the emblem of III./KG55. It further displays W.Nr.of 2808 for the aircraft and states that this is G1+LS shot down on 9.4.41. I note, however, that in Cornwell's The Blitz T&N this loss is quoted as being W.Nr.2908, so there is some question of the photo's association with the reported crash. It appears to me that there is a pattern here which might be: white shield, red (or dark) fish for 7 Staffel, yellow shield, red fish for 8 Staffel and red shield, outlined in yellow, with yellow fish for 9 Staffel. Stab III Gr. might be a green shield with red or yellow fish, which would be very hard to see in B & W photography, unless the shield were outlined in a light color.

My questions are these:

1) Does anyone else have any photos displaying this insignia on an aircraft of Stab or any staffel of III./KG55?

2) This clearly does not appear on III./KG55 losses in August, 1940, but definitely appears to have started being applied sometime late in 1940 or early 1941. Can anyone pinpoint the date of when this was first applied any more specifically than that?

3) Can anyone provide in definitive pattern for the appearance of this insignia on the various component units of III./KG55 aircraft?

Thanx for any help with this,