Info needed on Viterbo Airport in 1944

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by harrison987

My guess is that it may be from an abandoned Me109 (derilict)...which means it "could" have been from any JG that was stationed there, even earlier in the year, no?
Mike

It needn't have been a JG, NAG 11 flew Bf 109s too. For the record there was one Bf 109 found at "Viterbo Satellite No. 2" and eight at "Viterbo Main Airfield" (Allied names). The machine at the satellite strip was "completely burnt out and disintegrated", the others were:

1. Bf 109 G-8, W.Nr. 710062, yellow 11, scrap
2. Bf 109 G-6, W.Nr. 161744, burnt out
3. Bf 109 G-6, W.Nr. 162202, yellow 8, scrap
4. Bf 109 G-8 trop. (A/Bo/Rei), W.Nr. 710100, yellow 15, completely stripped
5. Bf 109 G-6, W.Nr. 160747, fuselage and port wing only, badly looted.
6. Bf 109 G-6, W.Nr. 162060, white 8, fuselage only, stripped.
7. Bf 109 G-6, W.Nr. 162158, "1 + 3 (yellow)", RW+DC, fuselage only.
8. Bf 109 G-6, W.Nr. 161118, ace of spades on cowling, fuselage only, badly looted.

Someone with a Bf 109 database may be able to attribute more of these to given units but 3. is definitely from 3./NAG 11 while 1. and 4. are likely from that unit.

6. could have been a fighter, 8. clearly was from JG 53 and 7. is possibly "yellow 3 + I" of III./JG 53 (the only Bf 109 III. Gruppe in Italy at the time).

[harrison987]

Thanks Nick!

The grip is near mint...so the burned out one I could probably cross off...

Of course he could have been one of the culprits of the "looting"... ha ha...

The grip is the first thing to taken by looters, so with this one still remaining when he got there on the 11th...does the date coincide before or after the report on the date?

The story passed down was that being an Artillery observer, he flew over Viterbo, saw the abandoned aircraft, landed, and took the stick grip - but who knows how much of that is accurate.

Do you know of any photos that remain of these birds?

mike

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by harrison987

Thanks Nick!

The grip is the first thing to taken by looters, so with this one still remaining when he got there on the 11th...does the date coincide before or after the report on the date?
mike

Judging by photos, swastikas were the big favourite for souvenir hunters whereas Allied investigation reports speak of the local people taking sheet metal and glazing to use in homes and outbuildings.

The report on the aircraft at Viterbo is dated 25 June.

[ClinA-78]

This thread reminds me an Italian friend who get also a KG 13 from a Vet, nice prize made at Povoletto airfield.

[gogh]

Hello Nick

I have RW+DC as WNr.162054

and RW+HC as WNr.162158

Are these Errors ?

Kind Regards

Peter van Gogh

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by gogh

Hello Nick

I have RW+DC as WNr.162054

and RW+HC as WNr.162158

Are these Errors ?

Kind Regards

Peter van Gogh

What was your source for 162054? Meanwhile here's an extract from the report on Viterbo with 162158 as RW+DC.

[RolandF]

I think, Peter van Gogh´s source and mine are identical.
Peter Schmoll´s WNr list in his book "Die Messerschmittwerke im 2.Weltkrieg"

But what do we read?

About a Bf 109 fuselage with two sets of markings obviously painted one over another.
This means, the 2nd and the 3rd letter of the StKz (depends which side) might have been overpainted by the tactical number "3" or a white tailband which I presume as almost certain.
The letter "W" might have been recognizable, but "C" or "H" might have been mistaken. And it was certainly not that important.
And nobody knows which code exactly was written on the crumpled, oil-stained and hand-written list of the GI examining those wrecks

Regards

Roland

[S Sheflin]

Hi Nick et al,

Just a question for clarification. If the Werknummer of the Fw190A-5 in your list is actually 190066, would that not make it an Fw190G-8 (VF+VO)?

Steve Sheflin

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by S Sheflin

Hi Nick et al,

Just a question for clarification. If the Werknummer of the Fw190A-5 in your list is actually 190066, would that not make it an Fw190G-8 (VF+VO)?

Steve Sheflin

I think you'd need to take that up with Messrs. Dulaney and Gundrum who signed "for Wing Commander" the earlier typed draft report on Viterbo: "Technical Report No. 18" dated 14 June 1944. They describe it as "FW 190 A-5, WN 190066, markings 4+ - (all yellow) burned out and stripped."

The mimeographed extract I posted is from the subsequent "Technical Intelligence Section Report No. 232" dated the 25th and not signed. There is yet another version of the Viterbo report in tabular form, with less detail.

I'm sure it was really a G-8. Some examples: SG 4 lost G-8 W.Nr. 190049 on 26 May; 190010 on 21 April and 190032 on 18 April.

[gogh]

Hi Nick

The data on the Bf109 was supplied by Tomislav H. for the LEMB base and it was presented as a stkz block.