Artur Dau 7/JG51 - Bf 109 Call Sign - 10 July 1940

[Peter Cook]

Oberfeldwebel Artur Dau of 7./JG 51 was shot down twice during the Battle of Britain, on 29 August he was flying in Bf 109E-4 (1523) White 14. Does anyone know the werk number and call sign for the Bf 109E-4 in which he was shot down on 10 July 1940? A photo in Alarmstart shows the crashed aicraft but the call sign can't be read.

[Chris Goss]

Call sign or fuselage code? If it is the same photo which shows him standing behind the port wing and a burnt out front section, code is not visible and Jochen Prien doesn't identify it. I was in touch with Dau but did not ask about this

[Peter Cook]

Hi Chris,

I don't know what the official term is, but I meant the Staffel number, e.g White 14 on his later aircraft. Could this earlier one have carried the same number?

Peter

[Chris Goss]

Kennzeichen or stammkennzeichen? Probably best to call it tactical code as it identifies Staffel and Gruppe but not unit. As opposed to factory code i.e GC+CG. Whether white 14 was his preferred number I cannot say

[VtwinVince]

July 10 is pre-BoB, or?

[Peter Cook]

July 10th was the first 'official day of the BOB.

Peter

[Stig Jarlevik]

So how did the Luftwaffe pilots communicate with each other in the air?

Fighters: Verbandskennzeichen ie weiss 1 and so on? But what about those with a specific task
as <, <I, << etc?

Bombers and other units using long VKZN?

Cheers
Stig

[robert]

E.g. Adler 1 to Adler 2. Each squadron got his codename before takeoff.

[Chris Goss]

Shades of the film Battle of Britain with He 111s using the call sign Tomato!

[Stig Jarlevik]

Originally Posted by robert

E.g. Adler 1 to Adler 2. Each squadron got his codename before takeoff.

Thanks Robert
Can you explain it a bit more in detail please?

Were these code names permanent or issued for each mission?
If the latter, they would need the German dictionary to comply.....

Cheers
Stig

PS: I remember that film, but not the vegetable bit....
I and many others from the Swedish Aviation Historical Society were there with an exhibition
with models, photos etc
Jesus, where did time evapaorate.....

Cheers
Stig