What is the "Holy Grail" of Luftwaffe Research

[Larry deZeng]

Thanks.

It sounds like it's way too far down the road for people my age to be concerned about.

L.

[Von Alles]

Holy Grail ? Hum, Tempest & Lancaster under german colors ? Operational Ta152C of Bf109H...

[Broncazonk]

Are there private collections of Luftwaffe photographs that are known to exist, but they are kept so private and exclusive that nobody gets to see them? You know, like the super-secret art collections in secret rooms that reclusive billionaires like to own?

Also, how much is left to discover? Is there a treasure trove of photos and documents literally waiting to be discovered--in the attics of Germany and the US, or in government warehouses in the US or UK?

Bronc

[Steve Coates]

Well, there is at least one collection of photographs owned by an extremely wealthy individual that do not appear destined to see the light of day anytime soon.

There's clearly still more in archival holdings for researchers to bottom out, Duxford being a prime example.

[Steve Coates]

Nick Beale wrote:

I contacted Bletchley in 2011 about this and followed in April 2013.

Their reply the first time was: "Regarding the digitisation of the Bletchley Park Archive: HP [Hewlett Packard] very kindly donated a number of scanners and computers to Bletchley Park Trust in order for this digitisation process to occur and we are currently in the process of undertaking work on the accessioning and cataloguing backlog in order to utilise this equipment effectively and link records and images. I am not sure when the first batches will become 'live' however."

On the second occasion: "This project is still in the infancy."

I made further enquiries last year and was advised:Unfortunately due to staff shortages we are unable to offer research sessions at present. A new archivist will be in place by the summer and we should be able to offer research sessions after that.

We are working hard on the digitisation project and are currently cleaning the index cards ready for scanning. This is a huge project that will take us some years to complete but we hope to have started scanning the index cards by the end of the year.

In a second e-mail trying to establish the extent of what they might have Luftwaffe related, I was advised: We do have three collections of index cards relating to the German Air Force amounting to around 1000 cards.

I don't know anything more about their content at present. I do hope that helps and please do contact us in the future to arrange a research session.

Seems slim pickings but worth a look. I'll see if a summer jaunt is on at some point.

[Adriano Baumgartner]

It seems that for each one of us, this "Holy Grail" do means one person, one particular subject of our interest.
For me it was, when I was 14 years old, ALL about Major Walter Nowotny, first seen on the then greatest book I have read so far: The Big Show. Of course, to search amongst the Family papers and photographs or even have a look at his Flugbuchs would be, the Holy Grail...
Then, in the end of the 90's...after meeting Major Martin Drewes, it was all related to him. I have seen some pictures of Drewes at Ebay being sold around the 100+ Euros...OF course, I was one of those who have seen Drewes' two Albums of pictures at his home...but not his Flugbuch (which I do not know if survived).
For one period of my readings...the Holy Grail would be a full book/Research about the Heinkel 219....which seems the theme and passion of quite a number of us here...including the author and Researcher of Venlo (and I/NJG 1) who is a member of this Fórum. How nice it would be to track down all UHU fates, obtain undiscovered pictures of that machine, etc...combat reports, etc.
So, you can see that for each one of us...this is a private dream/answer...I guess the best would be to have a machine capable of returning some 70+ years on time...and do a research in loco...interviewing the persons and subjects of our dreams directly....But that would be asking too much.
I have acquired, during the years some original pictures, etc....and I am guessing what I will do (or what my wife and son will do with that if I am asked to make my final landing). Maybe, one day, we will have an International WW2 Bank Data, fully digital, etc...for future researchers...maybe...in 100 years we will discover that...
Now let us read some other answers....may have bothered you quite a lot...
Cheerio for all

[John Manrho]

Well.....my personal 3 preferences.....KTB of JG 6, some nice Fw 190 pictures of JG 6 showing red-white-red RVT bands in December 1944....and to make the rest happy....1944 G.Qtr.Mstr. losses....... I have given up hope for two....one is still possible....

John

[Mikael Olrog]

seriously - Wouldn't mind free access to all Luftwaffe documents preserved in ex-soviet archives in Russia...

unrealisticly - Rowehl's private photo albums - 35 volumes ranging from 1918 to 1945 and his loggbooks...

[edwest2]

I keep hearing about private collections, and there may be interesting material buried in photo albums of which even surviving family members have forgotten about. I do not want to cast the wrong light, but the average person is not very concerned about such research. And even though many books have been published, some are little known. One example concerning radar is Radarkrieg und Nachtluftverteidigung über Berlin by Helmut Bukowski (ISBN 978-3-86619-012-2).

There are some radars in there I had never seen before, including some mounted on fighters and bombers. But, I am not an expert.




Ed

[gilles collaveri]

I once heard about a truck at the end of the war, loaded with Luftwaffe archives and photos, which disappeared in the chaos of 1945.

Imagine it has been hidden, in some farm, behind a wall,

and then, it suddenly reappears now, in 2016.

GC