Info on personalize luft bayo

[Steven c]

Hello guys first post here. and I hope some of you here could help with a little info on a personalized dress bayonet, these are what I collect. This one may be of some interest for some of you. Unfortunately this one had been heavily sharpend and some of it is hard to read.

A rough translation of how it starts. In memory of service time in the luftwaffe. One line looks to have airfields listed. Fassberg, Wunstorf, ( Eschwace, unknown ?), (Giessen, unknown ?), Crailsheim and Illesheim.

Some of it looks like names of people. That is still unknown to me. The tip of the blade I think says 'heavy fighter wing'. It is marked Geilhausen UFFZ der I/2.G.52. HF.BK Fllesheim. Name looks to be M. Busch?

If any of you have pics of this type of aircraft, please post. This is not my area of expertise. Very much appreciated, thanks, Steve.

[Steven c]

I'll try to attach pix.

[Larry deZeng]

During the pre-war to June 1940 period, Uffz. M. Busch was assigned to 1. Flughafenbetriebskompanie that serviced I./ZG 52 at Illesheim airfield southeast of Würzburg. The unit (I./ZG 52) flew the Messerschmitt Bf 110 during that time frame.

The other airfields mentioned are O.K., but one is misspelled. "Eschwace" should be Eschwege. Giessen is spelled O.K.

L.

[RolandF]

"Eschwace" = Eschwege

I./2.G.52 = I./Z.G.52 = I./ZG 52 = I.Gruppe Zerstörergeschwader 52

I. Gruppe:

Gruppenkommandeur:

• Hptm Karl-Heinz Lessmann, 1.5.39 - 26.6.40

Formed 1.5.39 at Illesheim from I./ZG143 with:

Stab I./ZG52 from Stab I./ZG143
1./ZG52 from 1./ZG143
2./ZG52 from 2./ZG143
3./ZG52 from 3./ZG143

Known as Jagdgruppe 152 between 24.9.39 and 6.1.40. On 26.6.40 renamed II./ZG2:

Stab I./ZG52 became Stab II./ZG2
1./ZG52 became 4./ZG2
2./ZG52 became 5./ZG2
3./ZG52 became 6./ZG2

Regards

Roland

[Steven c]

Thanks for the fast response, guys! Could you please give the proper spellings of what I may have misspelled or interpreted wrong. Some of the blade had heavy problems. Virtually scraped out in places. Any thoughts as to the names on the bottom of the blade, friends of his or what? The early dates seem to fit the bayonet. It's an early piece, it is a solid pommel magnetic type. Not the later war pot metal type, it came with the additional extra cost option of stag grips.

Regards Steve

[Larry deZeng]

“Blut und Ehre, Freiheit und Recht, ein starker……..” (Blood and Honor, Freedom and Justice, a stronger…….). The rest is missing.

The rest is just a bunch of names, most certainly those of his mates (buddies). Eschwege was the only apparent misspelling.

L.

[Steven c]

Thanks Larry and the rest of you guys. The blade had more information on it than I thought you would want to deal with on this site. One of them appears to be an old reference of an HJ motto as well as a different version of " In Memory Of Service Time ". The blade is engraved on both sides and the spine. These are a poor mans etches by the owner, when they can't afford the factory etch. I have numerous examples that were owner done, as well a few that were done by jewelers and monogramed. This is the only Luft piece I have. I have seen two others in colllections.

Since this is out of my area, could someone post a pic of this type of aircraft? And does M. Busch have a first name? It would be really nice to place a name with an item. Daggers with this type of info are generally easier to find more info about since they're generally for officers. Unfortunately this blade isn't dated like I have seen. I have a first war Honor bayonet, factory done, given for bravery in combat. He's a Sergeant, abbv. of his first name and full last name. This would be very hard to find since he was an enlisted man.

Regards, Steve.

[John Vasco]

The correct interpretation of a part of that blade is as follows, I believe:

Geilhausen Uffz der I./ZG 52 1./FBK Illesheim im Busch (or Rusch)

So, Uffz. Geilhausen was the owner of the item, and he belonged to I. Gruppe of ZG 52, in the 1. Flughafen Betriebs Kompanie (i.e. he was a member of the groundcrew) when the unit was at Illesheim. Busch or Rusch relates to the location of Illesheim, I believe, and not the name of the owner, which is Uffz. Geilhausen.

Hope this helps.

Here's a photo of a I./ZG 52 Messerschmitt 110 with some groundcrew posing with it. You never know, Geilhausen might be one of them! The unit code 'A2' is painted on the fuselage, to the left of the cross.



And here's photo of the unit emblem of I./ZG 52: