BF 109G-10 77022. New gen

[pelagonia]

Very interesting thread. If I may add a few (unrequested ) considerations, I would say that there is no need for this 109 to have been close to any particular runway: in Aviano for instance (still in Friuli) dispersal areas could be found even kilometers away from the landing ground. Moreover, Field Intelligence Reports are not always that reliable: in Vicenza airfield on May 4th 1945 for instance, No.1 F.I.U. unit (Party 'B') found a fw190 belonging to NSgr. 9 (info taken from Beale-D'Amico-Valentini, Air War Italy, 1944-45, Airlife 1996, page 216). While they correctly recorded its codes as E8+EH, they forgot to enter in their report its W.Nr. (584562), which is perfectly readable on the tail in period photographs (see Hideki Noro, LO+ST, 2009, page 143). I guess that enlisted soldiers - then as now - were deadly bored young men, trying hard to work as little as possible. By May 1945, the task of properly recording data taken from one more 109 burned out hulk must have looked even more pointless...
And on a more somber note: somewhere (I can not remember where) I read about children playing in the days immediately after war's end with an abandoned 109 in the Lavariano area. One of them managed to fire its guns, killing one of his friends.

Best,

Andrea

[ouidjat]

Originally Posted by pelagonia

Very interesting thread. If I may add a few (unrequested ) ... Moreover, Field Intelligence Reports are not always that reliable ... I guess that enlisted soldiers - then as now - were deadly bored young men, trying hard to work as little as possible. By May 1945, the task of properly recording data taken from one more 109 burned out hulk must have looked even more pointless...
Andrea

You made the point! And not only in May 1945.

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by pelagonia

… in Vicenza airfield on May 4th 1945 for instance, No.1 F.I.U. unit (Party 'B') found a fw190 belonging to NSGr. 9 … While they correctly recorded its codes as E8+EH, they forgot to enter in their report its W.Nr. (584562), which is perfectly readable on the tail in period photographs …

Andrea

I'm sure boredom played a part in the mistakes made (and wanting to get back to base for the next meal and all the other human weaknesses) but also the dispersal areas were very extensive and I could see how you might miss one amongst the trees or whatever. Then there were all the normal mistakes that you can make in typing up a set of notes: duplication of entries, misunderstanding hand writing, typos etc. I also have one example of what seems to be mishearing: a final report mentions a CR. 42 coded "EH+FH" but years later I found an earlier draft on file and it was "E8+FH"