Major Hermann Graf's All Yellow FW 190A-6 ?

[Kutscha]

Oh my my Bergstrom, you do have an English comprehension problem, don't you? Yup, a vivid imagination you have reading into some words where there was nothing of the sort. At least I didn't accuse him of being a liar in a slanderous attack on a Brit pilot of his war time memories, as another has done. Why did you leave out the pilot memoirs of British and American pilots in your examples of pilots who have written about their wartime experiences? Why do you have this double standard for pilot memories?

This is Ruy's site, so why do you keep trying to dictate to him how to run it?

[Christer Bergström]

Yves, I agree that Clostermann's book is unusually well written, among pilot biographies. There is another quite famous pilot biography which has been translated into Swedish. The language in the original language is just terrible - on the level of a 5th form school kid. But the Swedish translator turned it into a beautifully flowing language. I don't really know what I think about that.

I have to correct you, if you allow, Yves. I never said (in my Graf-Grislawski book) that there never was such a yellow bird; all I said was that Graf didn't fly such an aircraft, and that Graf wasn't shot down on the date in question (and that Graf never commanded JG 2). I am no expert on camouflage and markings (I leave that to the best expert around, Claes Sundin, who does all the profiles for my books), so I can't say if there ever was an all yellow Fw 190. Maybe there was, maybe there wasn't. Rabe Anton probably knows far more on the topic than I do, and I find his reasoning to be quite logical. But as far as I am concerned, it can't be totally excluded that there ever was an all yellow Fw 190. We all know that some of the German fighter aces were real crackpots, and some of them did really crazy things. Having an aircraft painted all yellow would be extreme, but I wouldn't be too much surprised if I would hear that one of those crazy guys had done that. And it wouldn't be the craziest thing I have heard about WW II fighter pilots. . .

Well said Christer!
This Swedish translation much better than the original really is something! Very rare! But does it correspond the original contents?

Sorry about my error on that yellow 190. Possibly Martell got some other guy flying her.

[Christer Bergström]

Yes, it corresponds to the original contents. But the language is re-written so that it gets a flow which is missing in the original language.

I wrote that Clostermann went to bombed-out England (coming from the very safe USA, leaving all the glamourous girls...), where the food was even more terrible than in peacetime, in order to fight Germany, and the chances of survival were very slim.
Of course I didn't mean the hazards of air fighting, the German wolf packs flying 109s and 190s and the highly dangerous Flak. Clostermann was good enough to have a reasonable chance against such dangers. No, I meant he was VERY brave to confront English food, most probably for several years. THIS made his chances of surviving very slim and my respect for his bravery illimitable!

[Sergio Luis dos Santos]

Hawk Eye,

Your info on Costermann in United States is very interesting to me! I Always thought he left Brasil to join the French pilots in England. I do not remember reading anything about his job in USA. Do you know he had an aviation columm in a newspaper here in Brasil where he even discussed about the planes fighting in WW II ?. He used a nickname ( do not remember the nickname )

Yes this is true. He almost married the daughter of "the" Brazilian press tycoon. I read the details in one of his books, probably "Une sacrée guerre!" , "A Damned War!" (very long interview by Daniel Costelle, whom I don't quite take seriously to say the least, but PC is all right). By the way, PC was a very young, professional journalist long before he went to war. A most talented man! Brazil considers him a Brazilian citizen for he was borne there. There is a street named "Coronel Clostermann" in his birth city I think - Curitiba - and possibly in some others. Let us remember that Brazil declared war on Germany and was one of the Allied countries.
More details some other time (1.24 hrs now here - I was fighting with some PC software...). Wyatt Earp just won against the bad guys on TV, which is a big relief.

[Cpt_Farrel]

I guess reviving this thread might cause a few deep sighs but I've learned something interesting that might add some credibility to the story...

Obviously, as losslists show it wasn't a famous ace that got shot down on that day, but there might be a source for that Yellow Fw190. (Although exaggereted or misinterpreted by Clostermann)

In Priens Jagdfliegerverbände 10/IV there's both a photo and and written description of 2./JG2 Fw190's. In July 1943 they flew among others versions, newly delivered Fw190A-6's, that due to the Staffels dual role as day and nightfigther staffel were painted in a monotone light grey scheme. The photos also shows a yellow rudder and given the color standards of the time the lower engine cowlin would most likely have been yellow too.

On July 27:th 1943, a 2./JG2 Fw190A-6 was shot down, just 30km's south of Le Havre were the fight was said to have happened. The pilot was Fritz Stückemann who was killed.

So, all the sudden, there actually is an Fw190A-6, in the right place on the right day and with a camouflage that could actually without much exaggeration be interpreted as yellow. Specially in a setting sun. As been mentioned earlier in the thread, the light conditions can really play tricks with the colors, especially if there's an aircraft in a monotone color with some additional splashes of yellow on the rudder and engine cowling.

Not calling this one solved, but Stückemann has certainly taken pole position as the possible pilot of the "yellow" Fw190 in my mind.

Edit: I should add that Mr. Bergströms article in Graf & Grislawski saved me a lot of work and served as great inspiration as well.

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Dear Howard,

Your original query about the camouflage and pictures of one of the machines flown by Hermann Graf can be found at the very nice book written by Bernd Barbas, which I humbly suggest you: Aircraft of the Luftwaffe Fighter Aces (there are two volumes):
http://www.amazon.com/Aircraft-Luftw.../dp/0887407528

You will find two or three actual pictures of this machine and a lovely lateral painting. One of the most beautiful Focke Wulfs 190 A I ever saw indeed...

All the best
Adriano S. Baumgartner