A Bf 109 G-6 W.Nr. 160 087 "Weisse 1", I./JG 53, Braunschardt, 1945. on eBay?

[Marc-André Haldimann]

Hi there Franck,

Most interesting. The machines are obviously the same but oddly enough, the Morane antenna doesn't show on all three pictures published by Christer Bergström and Martin Pegg, on p. 184 and 185 of their 2005 opus: Jagdwaffe, Volume V, Section 2. War in the East 1944 - 1945, Classic Publications.

Cheers
Marc

[ouidjat]

Hello Marc,

This is the only one where we can see the Morane antenna - in fact there is another picture which was on eBay too, the week before! - and effectively we can't see it on the three pictures which are in Bergström and Martin Pegg's book.

For those who haven't the book - like me - you can compare with the picture here: http://www.me109.info/display.php?a=e&fid=5834

No tail wheel, trees in the background and the camouflage on cowling.

Tschüss, Franck.

[ChristianK]

Hi Franck, could you please post this other ebay photo you mentioned or send me a PM? Somehow I have missed it.

Some additional thoughts: the location is actually spelled Braunshardt (syllable division between "Brauns" and "hardt". This was an unfinished airfield intended for use by jet fighter units near Darmstadt.
For this reason I also doubt that this Bf109 belonged to I./JG 53, as this unit was never based in this region so late in the war. Instead 160087 was likely attached either to Stab, II. or III./JG 53, which were all stationed in the Darmstadt area during September and October 1944. If you'd ask me, I would go for Stab/JG 53, but as I am not sure whether or how consistently II. and III./JG 53 used the usual Gruppen bars I won't exclude them. In any case, this aircraft likely belonged to a Stabsstaffel or Stabsschwarm.
The date at which this aircraft could have been left at Braunshardt (autumn 1944) also explains why this is an older G-6 example. From different photos we know that JG 53 was pretty well equipped with the latest variants of the Bf 109 when the war ended. So most likely 160087 was left behind when JG 53 left central Germany and headed southwards in October 1944.

Regards,
Christian

[ouidjat]

Hello Christian,

Thank you for the correction and additional comments.
Actually David Weiss didn't advance anything concerning group and staffel, I suppose the "guess" belongs to the said book where the pictures are published; it's not even a "1" but better an "I".
Here are the two pictures as reminder.
... Well, more or less it's the same .

Regards, Franck.

[ChristianK]

Thanks for posting, Franck!