Bf 109 Malta

[RolandF]

It seems to me fighters were thrown into cobat very hastily, the ground personnel not having enough time to remove StKzs or apply tactical marking. Occurs oftenly in the Sicily/Southern Italy theatre in summer '43, also with Fw 190 fighters/Jabos.
BTW, Hannaks machine shows a typical Mtt Regensburg-Prüfening camouflage.

Regards
RolandF

[Chris Goss]

Thanks all

[Milos Gazdic]

was white band also washable? How come it got washed off with the removal of the layer under it? I was trying to find out more about it (there is a topic I've started here on board about it too) and there seems to be no firm rules of how did the paint used for STKZs behave.

[Alex Smart]

Hello,
Am interested in your comment Roland,
That the white fuselage band was applied after the STKZ ?
If that was so, then why are the "PG" letters visible over the white band in the picture of the starboard side of the a/c ?

Also generally , there are comments made regarding the a/c being numbered "12", but is it correct to say that that was the case with his usual a/c ? As this one in Malta was a replacement ?

There is a picture showing the port side of the a/c up on trestles and oil drums in Flypast February 1992 page 42,
In "Spitfires Over Sicily" by Brian Cull there is a picture showing the starboard side. On page 53 there is the interrogation officers report which states that he was flying an a/c belonging to another member of his Staffel as his own was unserviceable. That the a/c "GP+12" ( now I think excepted as "GP+IZ") had been flown to Biscari earlier that same morning(5/5/43?).
Of interest it goes on (page 54) to say that the a/c was later repainted in RAF colours.
I also seem to recall in another book/magazine(?) That the a/c was shipped to the UK, was this so and what became of it ?

The WkNr quoted - was that the number of his "usual" a/c or the one he force landed in Malta ?
Edited: I see in a database in another forum that the WkNr 18046 is given to be that of "GP+IZ".
So anything known of his "usual" aircraft , WkNr and/or/STKZ ?

Thanks for this posting and for any further info
Alex

[sirbob]

An airframe's STKZ was applied quite early in construction. Photos of aircraft being assembled in factories with cammouflage and STKZ already applied are common.
If a theatre band was applied it was done much later once the destination was decided, but the STKZ was still needed until it was delivered. Therefore it seems that the theatre band was painted around the STKZ, not over it.

But I often talk rubbish when I don't have references to hand, so perhaps a specialist can confirm this.

[Alex Smart]

Hello sirbob,

Thank you for the reply re the white band, it does leave a ? though as the "P" looks quite clear.
Also, this evening I checked Hannak's details in the Luftwaffe Officers Career list.
They have it as 7/JG 27 for the time of his capture and not 7/JG77.
So,would this effect the markings carried on his a/c and/or replacement a/c on the 5/5/43 ?
In other words was "GP+IZ" a 7/JG77 a/c on loan to 7/JG27 ?
Most if not all other refs has him as belonging with 7/JG77 ?

Alex

[sirbob]

Alex,
I can't really comment on the "P" as I do not know the photo, but here's just a thought to consider: If, as stated by the pilot, the aircraft had only been delivered that same morning, then perhaps the ground personnel had not yet finished removing the STKZ from the starboard side.

[Alex Smart]

Hello sirbob,
Yes I think that I would go along with that idea.
The area forward of the Balkencross on both sides of the fuselage look to have no visible letters as far as I can see. The left side does look as if they have been wiped over as was suggested in an earlier post that described the method of removed.
So a/c was left with "GP" on the starboard and "IZ" on the port side when it was flown by Hannak..

Alex