eBay: one "Schwarze(?) 10", Bf 109 E.

[Clint Mitchell]

Of course Anders, we would need a stipple for it to be JG2.

[Jim P.]

To ChrisS' comment - no one in I./JG 52 had anywhere near that many claims by the end of 1940/early 1941.

As a guess, given that the 109E was flown by some fighter units well towards the end of 1941 (JG 5, 77) and even later, and by the Schl.G. well into 42, this photo is probably of a machine re-cycled into a training unit and from sometime in 42-43 with the previous owner's claims still intact. Not to say that there weren't guys with 24 claims into early 1941.

[Cpt_Farrel]

I agree that the photo could've been taken later than my winter 1940/1941 assumption but it seems reasonable that the rudder still came from a pilot that would have gained those victories quite early which does narrow the candidates down quite a bit. Looking at "Battle of Britain aces" at luftwaffe.cz, the one I can't rule out is H-F Joppien of I./JG51. Also, 3./JG51 used brown numerals edged in black which might be the case in this picture...

Cheers! / Anders