SG-4 190s in Jan/feb 1944 over Italy

[DsrtRat]

What model of FW was SG-4 using over Italy in ealry 1944? Was it an A6 or an F8. I have seen both in the familiar brown with green spotted paintscheme.

I am doing research for a painting of my uuncle's uunit who fought them over Italy (mainly Anzio).

ANy help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Paul Houle

[Nick Beale]

There's no simple answer.

In the early months of 1944 they had mostly A-6 but also some G-2 and G-3.

On 25 May, the reported losses were A-6, F-8 and G-8.

Do you know which Staffel your uncle was in?

[DsrtRat]

Nick,

Thanks for the info. I guess I wasn't clear which side my uncle was on. He was the CO of 417 RCAF squadron in late 1943 to feb 1944. They tangled with Sg-4 on several ocassions and he scored over them a couple of times.

The incident(s) that I wanted to portray actually happened to him on 2 occasions. On two seperate occasions he attacked Fw190s of SG-4 over ANzio and while shooting at the 190s, was jumped by a higher section. Both times his planes was plastered with cannon and machine gun fire and damaged beyond repair. To this day he still has a rearview mirror that sits 5 inches above the pilots head at home that has a 20mm hole in it. He also has a 20mm cannon shell that broke his armoured seat in two just behind his head causing a piece to be logeed in his neck.

I want the painting to be historically correct down to the smallest detail so I was looking for the type that would have been involved. Postwar records indicated he shot down A6s on both occasions but I have seen so few pitures of their A6s and their paintscheme that I was beginning to think it was a historical error. I would be grateful to anyone who has a pitcure or depection of the paintjob they used on their A6s.

Cheers

Paul Houle

[Nick Beale]

I see no reason to suppose that the A-6s were painted any differently from the other sub-types at the period in question. That is IF SG 4 by February 1944 had adopted the brown-green scheme familiar from the various photos of the unit's F-models.

That scheme seems to have been applied in-theatre (as with brown-green used by elements of I./JG 4 and III./JG 53) so it wouldn't depend on a given factory or sub-type. I don't know if I have an camo descriptions for Fw 190 wrecks/captures from this period but I'll check.