The Ju88C-equipped Zerstörerstaffel of KG 30 during 1940

[philippe1]

the difference between C1 and C2
the C1 and C3 versions never entered production. the C2 camewith an armement of 5 barreled guns.In this version the underwing dive brakes were removed together with the etc bomb racks .The C2 feature a new nose in metal sheet at the root of the new nose cap was mounted an armoured bulkhead of a 11mm with a cutout for those armement .The C2 was powered by jumo 211B or G just like its A1 versions .Optional flame dumpers were mounted for night ops.The ventral bomb bays were retained,but the forward bay usualy contained an auxiliary fuel tank with some 316 gallon cap.Kampfgeschwader 30 was the first unit to receive the new fighter in spring of 1940.This unit based in Norway was organized with a special destroyer squadron (zertorerstaffel)wich had good results with this airplane in coastal patrol and anti-shipping missions.Following the night-fighting emergency program of 1940 some crews of the Z-staffel/KG30 were transfered to germany for non-fighting training in june .Later these crews formed part of II/NJG1 based in holland, its stab being established at Gilze-Rijen.This special unit was the only night intruder unit in the Luftwaffe and was very successful while using the ju88 the C2 version was produced till Autumm of 1941.

ju88Z exV7 1939 bomber adaption
ju88Z15 exV15 1940 metal nosecap
ju88Z19 exV19 1940 metal nosecap

hopefully this helps
cheers
phil

[odybvig]

Best from Norway

[ArtieBob]

Based on Rechlin E2b document, Erpr.1713, the only real difference between the Ju 88 C-1 and C-2 was that the C-2 had long span wings. The C-4 had provision for an Rb 50/30 between Spant 17 and 18, but apparently was otherwise the same as a C-2. As for the C-1 never being produced, my memory is that at least one was built. Also, if my memory has not failed me, I have some images of a short wing Ju 88 fighter version with 4 bladed props. The caveat is that apparently none of the early Ju 88 Cs came out of final assembly as fighters, they were afterwards converted to fighters. They thus show up in the totals for Ju 88 bombers (as opposed to AufKlarer(sic-sorry, no umlauts)). The Monatsmeldung for June 1940 shows 9 Ju "C"s completed by that month and does also have an entry for C-1).

Best Regards,

Artie Bob

[F19Gladiator]

Hi Larry,
Question #4:
Photos of the unit’s Ju 88C with emblems are scarce but I believe the eBay photo below proves that at least some carried the emblem at some point in time. The Ju 88C is coded 4D+D?. The Staffel letter is difficult to make out but it could be an ‘H’. There is no information on where and when the photo was taken though.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...x_emblem_1.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...emblem_1-2.jpg

Source old eBay auction.

Question #5
Here is a photo of Ju 88C 4D+NH and 4D+HH I believe is taken in Norway in 1940
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3..._xDNHandHH.jpg
Source eBay 2007-08-12

The photo posted by Ole in post #12 is from Stavanger-Sola if to believe Knut Maesel on page 105 in the book ‘Ni Dager I April. Luftkampene over Norge 1940, Exlibris A/S, 1990.

Br
Goran

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

Great info/photos. Thanks to all. The factory markings of the Ju88Cs in the photo from "odybvig" were probably photographed during the initial equipping of the unit in Norway circa late April/early May, 1940. The markings on the Ju88C-1s in Goran's photo of 4D+NH & 4D+HH are entirely consistent with the Norway crashes of 4D+FH (10.05.40) and 4D+MH (07.06.40). That dates his photo during that approximate time window. The codes on all four of these aircraft were black, and there was no KG30 "diving eagle" insignia on the noses. All of these appear to me to be Ju88C-1 short wing subtypes. Besides these we now have information or photos on a/c coded +DH(?), +GH, +LH, +PH and + SH, giving us a total of nine identified a/c from the Z Staffel of KG30. Chris Goss says that +NH was flown by Bönsch, can anyone provide his full name and rank during this period?

The problem is Goran's photo of the two Ju88Cs (can't tell the subtypes: C-1s or C-2s?), with the white KG30 diving eagle insignia on the noses, and the nearest carrying the a/c letter "D" in a non-black color, thinly outlined in white. Based on the photos of the two crashes in Norway, this leaves us only a very limited period from 07.06.40 to 07.07.40 for the unit's a/c to display this new markings pattern. The Z St. of KG30 became 4./NJG1 on the latter date, which would have required a change in the a/c markings. I propose that the addition of the KG30 insignia and the change in the color and presentation of the individual a/c letter, "D", both happened at the same time, and that this occurred during this very limited one-month time window. I also propose that the "D" was painted in blue, with a thin white outline. This is the same system used on Bf110Cs of 1./ZG1 during this same time period, which carried over to its new unit 1./ErprGr210.

Regarding the C-1 versus C-2 question, Ed North has written me that the "long wingtips were only put into production in June, 1940." I conclude from this that Z St./KG30 probably didn't have any a/c with long wings, and thus no C-2s, if wing length was the distinction between the C-1 (A-1 type) and the C-2 (A-5 type). I think that this is also consistent with what Artie Bob reports in the post above, if I understand his point correctly. I guess it matters when the first C-2s began reached operational units, which would most likely be in early July, about the time that Z St./KG30 became 4./NJG1.

Does anyone have any more evidence (especially photos) to the contrary, or can provide more images and info on this unit? Artie Bob, I'd dearly love to see the photos of Ju88Cs with four-bladed props that you mention. Would you be willing to either post them or send me a copy via direct email?

Regards,

[Matti Salonen]

Olt Herbert Bönsch.

Matti

[F19Gladiator]

Thanks for your comments on the two photos I've posted Larry Here is another which I believe is from Norway of Ju88C 4D+??

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...Norwayperh.jpg
Soure: old eBay auction
Br
Goran

[Seaplanes]

The Ju 88C-2 was produced in a quantity of 20 aircraft; 9 in June 1940 followed by 10 in July and the last one in August.
It had an armament as day destroyer of:
Fixed in the nose: 1 x MG 15, 3 x MG 17 and 1 x MG "FF"
Ventral position: 1 x MG 15
Rear cockpit: 1 x MG 15
As a night destroyer: an addititional 2 x MG "FF" in a ventral gondola.
The C-2 also had the extended wings and Jumo 211B or G engines.
Unfortunately, I have no precise data about the C-1 production if any at all. However, Ju 88C versions were used during the campaign in Norway so there were possibly conversions as A-0 or A-1 made provisionally.

[Larry Hickey]

Matti, Goren & Seaplanes:

Thanks for further info and details. Much appreciated.

1) Regarding Bönsch, Ulf Balke in Vol I of "Der Luftkrieg in Europa" lists him as the StaKap of Z. St./KG30 as of 10.05.40.

2) As of that date, the unit was authorized 15 Ju88Cs, but only had five on hand, of which one would have been 4D+FH, which crash landed and was written off in Norway that day. This bears on the issue of how many Ju88C-1s were produced, and if there was more than one or two. Since the C-2 didn't begin coming off the assembly lines until sometime in June, all Ju88Cs assigned to Z.St./KG30 prior to that period had to have been C-1s, which means a minimum of five and probably at least several more through the end of May and into early June, 1940, which would have been the earliest possible date that any C-2s could have arrived at the unit, assuming that German records on production of the subtype are correct.

Does anyone have any further strength reports for Z. St./KG30 after May 10th, especially on June 1st and July 1st, 1940. This info should exist.

I'm trying to get at a determination of whether the photo (4D+DH) that Goran posted above was a C-1 or could have been a C-2, as that is the second profile that I want to use for this unit for the EOE book series. It looks like it has the clipped wing of a C-1. Are we in agreement on this? This means I will use 4D+FH for the first one (representing the period for May, 1940), and 4D+DH for the period June, 1940, and displaying the later markings used by the unit. Does anyone disagree with that?

It would be nice to know how many total Cs served with the Zerstörer Staffel during its brief existence, and if any C-2s actually reached the unit before it became a nightfighter unit, but that isn't essential for the profile part of the EOE Project. However, that might help resolve the issue of how many Ju88s were actually produced in the C-1, short wing configuration. Do production records exist for the C subtype during April and May, 1940?

[odybvig]

15.2.40 (Aufgestellt)
0 Aircrafts (Ju 88)

13 crews planned
Crew not trained on Ju 88 (16.3.40)

26.3.40
3 Aircraft received

13 crews planned
Not all crew trained on Ju 88

2.4.40
4 Aircrafts, none ready

13 crews , not ready

Aircraft tested by Prüfgruppe der staffel

9.4.40
Unit is planned to have 15 aircrafts
6 Aircrafts, not ready

12 crews , not ready

11.4.40 One aircraft lost
12.4.40 One aircraft lost with 3 crew dead
16.4.40 One aircraft lost
30.4.40 One aircraft lost
5.5. - 11.5.40 One aircraft lost 3 crew MIA
2.6. - 8.6.40 One aircraft lost

16.4.40
2 Aircrafts ready
5 Aircrafts not ready

7 crews ready

23.4.40
2 Aircrafts ready
5 Aircrafts not ready

7 crews ready

30.4.40
7 Aircrafts ready

7 crews ready

7.5.40
5 Aircrafts ready
10 Aircrafts not ready

12 crews ready
2 crews not ready

14.5.40
4 Aircrafts ready
1 Aircraft not ready

5 crews ready

21.5.40
4 Aircrafts ready
1 Aircraft not ready

5 crews ready

28.5.40
2 Aircrafts ready Ju 88
4 Aircrafts ready Bf 110
8 Aircrafts not ready Ju 88
1 Aircrafts not ready Bf 110

10 crews ready

4.6.40
4 Aircrafts ready Ju 88
4 Aircrafts ready Bf 110
5 Aircrafts not ready Ju 88
1 Aircrafts not ready Bf 110

10 crews ready
1 crew not ready

11.6.40
8 Aircrafts ready Ju 88
6 Aircrafts not ready Ju 88

13 crews ready
2 crew not ready

18.6.40
5 Aircrafts ready Ju 88
7 Aircrafts not ready Ju 88

10 crews ready
5 crew not ready

2.7.40
9 Aircrafts ready Ju 88
6 Aircrafts not ready Ju 88

10 crews ready

9.7.40
5 Aircrafts ready Ju 88
4 Aircrafts not ready Ju 88

8 crews ready

16.7.40
4 Aircrafts ready Ju 88
8 Aircrafts not ready Ju 88

10 crews ready
2 crews not ready

23.7.40

Z.St.KG 30 renamed II./N.J.G 1 with 2 staffeln Ju 88 and one staffel Do 17 Z Kauz

Source
RL 2 III 706
RL 2 III 707
RL 2 III 708