IIII./JG26 Officers signatures Christmas 1939

[RolandF]

Just by reading I could add:

Oblt. Hollweg (1st right)
Oblt. Preiser (3rd right)
Lt. Christianeder (5th right)
Hüsgens, Kreisleiter(?) Essen (8th right)
Reichs Standartenführer ... (11th right)
Oblt. Meier-Roth 7.St. (9th left)

The rest is hard to read...

Regards

Roland

[Don Caldwell]

Hello Roland --

Hollweg, Preiser -- looks like you have the letters OK, but they don't correspond to anyone I know of in III./JG 26.

Christenneke, Bürschgens, & Müller-Dühe were real 7. Staffel pilots, and these are obviously their signatures. B. was in the "Krankenhaus Essen" at this time, just as he says.

Reichs Standartenführer -- could be, but what does this mean, and to whom does it refer?

Best regards,

Don

[Kapper]

Don
As suggested, the signature top right looks like Hollweg Oblt 7 – possibly Oblt. Hermann Hollweg, which raises an interesting question? I have Hollweg moving from JG26 to form 4./JG27 on 1st January 1940 but his position in JG26 is unclear. In your work on JG26 War Diary you have Oblt. Georg Beyer being appointed Staffelkapitan 7./JG26 on December 11, 1939 (ex Geschwader Adjutant), yet I also cannot see any Signature that looks like Beyer. I also note that you had no Staffelkapitan listed for 7./JG26 from formation until Beyer took over in December.
Since this was done at Christmas 1939 could Hollweg have been the missing Staffelkapitan of 7./JG26 and moved to form 4./JG27 in the new year and Beyer took over then and not on December 11, 1939 (maybe appointment date but didn’t take over till the new year?)
In addition 9th on right is possibly Lt Walter Blume of 7 staffel ??
Regards,
Craig....

[Peglar]

Got a few rare Fotos of JG 26 - here is one from Christmas 1939 1./JG 26

Greetings Peglar

[Don Caldwell]

Rob --

All I have on Esser is the list of Stabskompanie COs in Priller, which does not give first names.

Craig --

Your post sent me back to Prien's II./JG 27 history. He states that JG 27's own Traditionsgeschichte calls JG 26 the "Mutterveband" of II./JG 27. Obviously a number of JG 26 pilots (and probably some ground staff) transferred to II./JG 27 at the end of 1939, explaining the presence of some of the names on the Christmas card. It's odd (but not surprising, I guess) that nothing I have from the JG 26 side (mainly Schöpfel's early Geschichte from the BA-MA and Priller's book) mentions this exodus at all.


Horrido!

Don

[Peglar]

Priller 40. Victory and a Gift from the 1./26 to him.

Greetings peglar