Dornier 17Z F1+FH markings 15th Sept 1940.

[Phil Lloyd]

Hi Larry,

Many thanks for your mail and for your information on the wing markings.
I was intrigued by your EoE project and the mention of images which exist of F1+FH before 15/9/40. Do you know if they are due for publication in the near future as I would be very interested.

Regards
Phil

[Larry Hickey]

Phil,

We won't be in a position to publish this "soon." We're still deep into finishing our Polish Campaiagn and Phoney War parts of the project. Then comes the WC/FC. Note that these photos show a full white prop spinner, which means that either it was changed after that, or this was on a replacement a/c.

[Phil Lloyd]

Hi Larry,

I look forward to seeing them in the future.

Thanks for the spinner information. I found a photo of a I/KG76 machine with the devil emblem and indeed the spinners are fully white. I wonder if the RAF Museum example was labelled as possibly being from F1+FH simply because it was the most famous Do17 lost that day.

One last question; would the nose devil emblem have been applied to both sides of the forward fuselage?

Cheers
Phil

[Larry Hickey]

Phil,

I've about a dozen photos of the port side showing the devil/bomb emblem. I've three photos showing starboard sides and none of the starboard photos show the emblem. My conclusion is that it would have only appeared on the port side.

[Tim O.]

Hi all

Just for interest, here is a visual explanation of how the Luftwaffe bomber 'bar' system may have worked to identify where aircraft should be positioned in a large formation.

I hope this does not offend the authors - it comes from the useful reference:

'The Battle of Britain Camouflage & Markings 1940' by Peter Scott and Gary Madgwick.

I also attach an early image of a Dornier Do 17Z-1 of KG3, which I think dates to 1939. The letter on the wing top is I believe yellow, for 9.Staffel. The aircraft are armed so I think this may be just after the war began.

Not KG76 I know so probably not much help but it seems letters on wing tops were not always black.

[Larry Hickey]

Tim O.

I've got this same photo in the DB captioned "Aug, 1939" so just before the war. Note the name "Blucher" over the "B." Yes, many units at this period of the war used colored letters on their top wings, in this case "Yellow B" for 5K+BT of 9./KG3.

I've long studied the white and pink markings on the bomber units during Sept., 1940, and I really don't think that there is enough information to reach the conclusion that these indicated where each a/c belonged in a specific bomber formation. I think it more likely that they just indicated to which Gruppe they belonged.

[Tim O.]

Thanks Larry