Another late-war K-4...

[Jasate]

Spotted this interesting bird from Haldimann's Flickr;

https://www.flickr.com/photos/280920...7667530337851/

Like most photographed very late K-4's of 334xxx/335xxx production, it appears without any apparent unit markings, but the yellow cowling stripe and rudder(?) got me curious. The reported location doesn't really help me.

Anyone possibly have more information?

Also, I made a quick profile of my rough estimate about the camouflage;

[canonne]

Very impressive !! I do appreciate camouflage and details !
Phil.

[Marc-André Haldimann]

Dear Jasate,

Those two pics might have been taken at Langendiebach, as another picture from the same source shows the burnt out remains of a Ju 88 G labelled with this location. There is thus no positive proof this late Mtt-Bodenwöhr produced Bf 109 K-4 was effectively photographed there, hence the question mark.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2809206...7667530337851/

And thanks for your interesting profile. The yellow cowling ring does indicate a Luftflotte 6 allocation; I also wonder about the dark surfaces on the lower rear fuselage: very unusual.

Cheers
Marc

[RolandF]

Marc-André, I think as a K-4 it is from the Vilseck-Heringnohe production line. Bodenwöhr seems to have been busy with G-14/AS production. Einflugplatz in any case was Amberg-Schafhof.
The tail unit is the wooden one, thus with stencilled green RLM 83(?) spots on grey RLM 75 background. Whereas earlier production tried to tone up the tail by adding some RLM 76 strokes the late production left it as it is. (There were two kinds of tails produced: the mottled ones with all-black swastikas and the green/gray ones with stencilled spots and Black/white swastikas. During the last months the transport system broke almost down, so the factories used what they could get). The lower tail unit was metal and a prefab part for itself; usually treated with RLM 76. Trying to tone down this bright area, too, dark camo colour was obviously added here. All this for ground concealment. Remember, the allied fighters relentlessly were pounding the remains of the Luftwaffe on the ground.

Regards
RolandF

All fighters produced in this time featured dark surfaces which remind of the `38/´39 Luftwaffe camo scheme

[Jasate]

Thanks for all the info

[RT]

The yellow bands are for ???

Rémi

[cproyston]

The bands indicate a unit subordinated to Luftflotte 4, after March 1945