Looking for insignia images for III./KG55 during 1940-41

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

I've recently had access to a photo of an He111 of 9./KG55, that was probably taken during the last few months of 1940, or early in 1941. This aircraft displays a heretofore unpublished insignia on the lower part of the port-side rudder. Ketley and Rolfe show a similar insignia (#343) in their reference, book, and a photo of a variation of this insignia can be seen at lower right on P.43 of "KG55 In Focus" by Hall & Quinlan. This is the same three fishes insignia seen in the other references, but appears to have a red (or other dark colored) shield, with yellow fish and a thin yellow outline around the shield. The codes are certainly 9./KG55. In the background can be seen another He111 that has a temporary night camouflage finish, indicating the latter part of 1940, or, perhaps early, 1941. The primary aircraft carries no night camouflage and is otherwise standard in markings and camouflage in the west for 1940-41.

The Ketley/Rolfe insignia has a yellow shield with three red fish, and is identified as the insignia of 8./KG55. The Hall/Quinlan photo shows either a white or yellow shield with three red? fishes, and says that this was the emblem of III./KG55. It further displays W.Nr.of 2808 for the aircraft and states that this is G1+LS shot down on 9.4.41. I note, however, that in Cornwell's The Blitz T&N this loss is quoted as being W.Nr.2908, so there is some question of the photo's association with the reported crash. It appears to me that there is a pattern here which might be: white shield, red (or dark) fish for 7 Staffel, yellow shield, red fish for 8 Staffel and red shield, outlined in yellow, with yellow fish for 9 Staffel. Stab III Gr. might be a green shield with red or yellow fish, which would be very hard to see in B & W photography, unless the shield were outlined in a light color.

My questions are these:

1) Does anyone else have any photos displaying this insignia on an aircraft of Stab or any staffel of III./KG55?

2) This clearly does not appear on III./KG55 losses in August, 1940, but definitely appears to have started being applied sometime late in 1940 or early 1941. Can anyone pinpoint the date of when this was first applied any more specifically than that?

3) Can anyone provide in definitive pattern for the appearance of this insignia on the various component units of III./KG55 aircraft?

Thanx for any help with this,

[trevor baxter]

K Intelligence report 729 for 8/10/1940 states --
HE 111p G1+MS crashed Stanstead House near Rowlands, crest three blue fishes on a golden sheild, 8./KG 55 . note -blue fishes.

[Peter Cornwell]

Larry,

By way of clarification, the photo of the tailplane of 2808 illustrating the article by Andy Saunders on pp 170/172 of The Blitz T&N Vol.2 is, I suspect, the same as that used in the Hall/Quinlan book. Apparently, they document it as the aircraft down at Windsor Great Park in the early hours of 9 April, 1941, which Simon Parry gives as 2908 in his extensive loss lists (commencing November 1940) prepared for The Blitz T&N Vol.2. Let's give credit where it is due.

[Larry Hickey]

Trevor/Peter,

I checked my copy of the K-Reports, and right on, Trevor, it does prove the existence of this insignia as stated as of 8 October, 1940. My hunch is that this pushes the first use of this emblem design at least back into September, 1940. This information raises a further problem, however, as the Rolfe/Ketley reference shows a yellow (gold) shield with 3 red fish for 8 Staffel. I would give the K-Report more credit than the latter, since it is a first hand, contemporary source for color information on a known 8. Staffel machine.

So now, what color are my light-colored fish on a 9. Staffel-version of this shield, and what is the background color of the shield? (blue shield?--instead of red-- with yellow fish???). And if two different squadrons of III. Gr had related shield emblems, what is the presumed appearance of this shield on the tails of 7. Staffel and Gruppenstab aircraft? Do we have photographic references for either unit?

I did a run on this again against the 10,000+ Luftwaffe photos from the 1939-40 period now in the EOE data base, and found one more example from an eBay auction in 2006. It is virtually identical to the Andy Saunders photo in both Cornwell's "The Blitz T&N, VOl II" P. 171, as Peter Cornwell correctly noted, and the Hall/Quinlan reference cited earlier. They are the same photo. The full Staffel code isn't visible in this "new" photo, but it definitely is a KG55 machine, as the "G1" code is visible. So now at least three photos are known of this insignia in two different variations. Do we have any further info/photo references on the use of this insignia in III./KG55?

Thanx,

[obdl3945]

Hi...

Gents, please excuse my ignorance, but what exactly is the EOE data base? Is it something that can be accessed online?

Thanks...

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

The EOE data base is a part of the massive research effort to tell the definitive history of the airwar for the first 16 months of WW II. It is being assembled privately, and is not on line.

Regards,

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

I have located yet another photo of the 8. Staffel insignia in a photo not yet in the EOE DB. It depicts G1+GS in flight with the night lampblack camouflage toning down a lot of the brighter markings. It clearly has the Gold/Blue version of the insignia on the lower rudder.

Regards,

[obdl3945]

Larry...

Thanks for the explanation...

[Andy Saunders]

Larry

I do actually have an original print of the "three fishes" emblem that appears in Blitz Then & Now and the Hall/Quinlan KG 55 booklet. I supplied it to Steve and Lionel for their use. It came to me from Fritz Pons, one of the Windsor Great Park survivors. My belief was that it depicted red fishes on a yellow shield. I will dig out my file and come back.

[Andy Saunders]

Am a bit confused by Trevor Baxter's note that Intelligence AI(k) sources give blue fish on a yellow shield for the 8.10.1940 Stansted House crash. That is at complete variance with what I have from AI(g) source which actually says nothing of the sort.

The photo depicts the 8th Staffel emblem according to the late Fritz Pons and was a yellow shield with red fishes and, possibly, a thin red outline. Copy of AI(g) report also attached which confirms colour details of shield.

As an added bit of detail a local newspaper report says: " A German bomber exploded on crashing near a stately home yesterday, strewing parts of the machine and its crew for a considerable distance through adjacent parkland. Little of any significance could be found of this Nazi raider.......... although a nearby Army unit triumphantly carried away an squadron emblem of three red leaping salmon which had been painted by the crew onto the bomber's nose". (sic) The report also talks of an RAF Officer who rushed from the house and was killed by machine guns bullets as the bomber crashed.

I have also added an image of an 8/KG 55 souvenir booklet.

As an afterthought, I believe that Fritz Pons told me the emblem was some kind of a play on German words. Something to do with a German expression for "Three Fish" meaning something like the English expression "A piece of cake"...meaning simple, or easy to do. Perhaps one of our German friends could put some meaning to this? Dreifisch??