Jg 54 Emblems

[robertaffe]

I am interested in the 1943 to 1945 time line of JG54's emblems (2/JG54, 6/JG54 and
7/JG54). I know the devils head (9/JG54) was used until 1944. I don't know about the
others. The red devil, of 2/JG 54, got me wondering. It was supposed to be used
until 1941 and then Hans Dortenmann's Fw190 is using it in 1944. Thanks in advance.

[sidney]

2./JG 54: The emblem was briefly reintroduced in early June 1944 when 2./JG 54 was attached to III./JG 54 to reinforce the German aerial defence in the west. The Staffel became a part of the third Gruppe officially in August 1944 when it was renamed 12./JG 54. If not earlier, the emblem is believed to have been discarded during the Staffel’s conversion to the Fw 190 D-9 aircraft in September 1944. This assessment is made on rather limited or scarce photographic evidence - it is hard to tell (i.e., for me at least) how widespread the emblem's usage actually was at this stage.

6./JG 54: No Staffel emblem, only the II. Gruppe emblem. Discarded, most likely, in late spring 1943, for sure before the pivotal Kursk battle.

7./JG 54: There is no evidence that the emblem was sported on the 7./JG 54 aircraft until the end of 1943 following III./JG 54 transfer to the west. The 7./JG 54 emblem then reappeared in a miniature form on the Gruppe’s Bf 109 G-5 and Bf 109 G-6 sometime in early 1944. If not earlier, the emblem is believed to have been discarded during the Gruppe’s conversion to the Fw 190 A-8 aircraft in April/May 1944. Never seen a close-up of this late version - the winged clog was there for sure, but it is hard to tell whether there was more to it.

8./JG 54: Similarly to 7. and 9./JG 54, the Staffel emblem was reintroduced in a miniature form sometime in early 1944. Believed to have been discarded during the Gruppe’s conversion to the Fw 190 A-8 aircraft in April/May 1944.

9./JG 54: There is no evidence that the emblem was sported on the 9./JG 54 aircraft until the end of 1943 following III./JG 54 transfer to the west. The 9./JG 54 emblem reappeared in a miniature form on the Gruppe’s Bf 109 G-5 and Bf 109 G-6 aircraft sometime in early 1944. The emblem is believed to have been discarded during the Gruppe’s conversion to the Fw 190 A-8 aircraft in April/May 1944.

Discarded - no longer sported on the Staffel's aircraft.