Hauptmann Fritz E. Krause, NJG 11?

[atckyrre]

Jean-Yves,

Many, many thanks for a very thorough answer. One can't ask for much more!
One clarifying question: Did he keep both the G-14/AS and G-10 at his disposal at the same time? I am not sure in Luftwaffe how higher ranks were equipped and for all I know he could very well have two aircraft available to him at the same time.
My assumption would be he got the G-10 after the G-14/AS.

A little more about the nature of the NJG's flying towards the end of the war: Can one assume that the aircraft available to these fliers were all MW-50 equpped? Considering their task, intercepting high flying bombers and Mosquitos I would think it was a minimum but perhaps they flew different planes for different sorties?

My own summary for Krause's plane on May 5 1945, most of the information would be considered conjectural:

- Fact: Doppelwinkel. Urbanke claims it was blue
- Likely paintjob: Standard. Possibly all RLM76.
- Likely plane: Bf 109G-10. Possibly with gondolas under wings
- Being in the 150-series I assume early type with smaller tires and small wing bulges.

She who must be obeyed, the little one at 17 months, calls,

Kyrre

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by atckyrre

A little more about the nature of the NJG's flying towards the end of the war: Can one assume that the aircraft available to these fliers were all MW-50 equpped? Considering their task, intercepting high flying bombers and Mosquitos I would think it was a minimum but perhaps they flew different planes for different sorties?

Actually they seem to have spent the April-May 1945 period flying night ground attack sorties against Allied road traffic (source: decoded German signals) not in high altitude night fighting.

Also, when you bear in mind that the unit had been consolidated into a single Staffel (I agree that 10./NJG 11 was probably operating independently of the rest) this is not a sign that they had lots of spare aircraft available - I suspect that each man flew whatever machines they could keep airworthy and filled up with petrol.

[atckyrre]

Cheers Nick. I've certainly learned a lot about the final movements of the Luftwaffe these last days. I get the distinct impression that when facing the inevitable Luftwaffes main effort was stalling the Russians in order for the Allies to cover the most ground...

One more question regarding nightfighters of NJG 11. No RVT? I've got one picture of an NJG 11 Bf 109G-14 and it seems to carry a broad yellow band but I have not found any references on this. I understand it was quite common with yellow splashed out several places. I was just wondering if Nightfighters in general were to carry either a yellow quick ID band or some other sort of RVT? Perhaps not much point considering their original task but with increasing daylight ops they were perhaps more needed. On the underside at least?

Kyrre

[Nick Beale]

In my opinion, after about mid-1944 there was no such thing as a Reichsverteidigung band, at least not as a "badge" of "belonging" to the Reich Defence. That was a deduction made by Karl Ries about 40 years ago from the limited photographic evidence available at the time (and when RAF wartime intelligence documents were still classified).

I think that the bands were a functional device originally developed by units to aid reassembly after a pass through an American combat box. In the same way, white tail surfaces denoted unit leaders at one stage (see http://www.ghostbombers.com/various/markings1.html). This was found to be useful for fighter units in general and it spread: the order of December 1945 which formalised the banding system doesn't speak of Reich Defence but of "better differentiation in the air."

I wouldn't think that a coloured tail band would be much help to a night fighter unit - they didn't enter combat in formation and didn't need to reassemble. Anything's possible of course...

[ChrisS]

Hello Nick and atckyrre

I have a few pictures in my collection made by a scale modeller of
Bf 109G-10/R-6 Green 3 of l/.NJG11 flown by Hauptmann Friedrich Karl Muller which has a distinctive half white-black underside not disimilar to RAF fighters in the early war period. Perhaps this was done to help flak units distinguish friend from foe during daylight operations?

Regards
ChrisS
Oxfordshire England

[atckyrre]

Chris,

Many thanks for posting those. I have seen half black undersides on 110's before so it's certainly plausible that there should be 109's dressed up like that as well. It looks very striking too!
One of the G-10's at Kjevik was an R-6 I believe, at least it carried the gondolas.
I guess you would have written if you had any other references but it would be nice if this was a verified paint scheme.

I'll probably go for something like this on my Messerschmitt.

Kyrre