4 Questions about Stuka markings & insignia 1939-40

[Larry Hickey]

Hello all,

Members of the EOE Working Group are in the process of trying to put together 38 artist's profile packages for Stukas during the Polish Campaign, and want to get them right.

1) I'm trying to determine exactly when the a/c of the various Staff sections and Squadrons of StG77 first began to apply their well-known unit insignias. Right now my research indicates that it definitely began before the national insignia changes of mid-October, 1939, but is there any proof that any Stuka from I. or II./StG77 actually carried any of these insignias during the Polish Campaign itself? My research to date seems to indicate that this may have begun shortly before or over the course of the PC, but it is hard to believe that painting unit insignias would have been taking place during the days of intense operations during the PC itself, including from forward bases in Poland. It would make much more sense that if they weren't already on the aircraft by 01.09.39, then they wouldn't have been applied until during or after the latter part of Sept., 1939, and continued forward from there as the insignias were designed and time was available to paint them. Photos of datable force-landed or crashed a/c are one of the best ways of determining actual markings dates, but these are very scare for relatively intact StG77 a/c for the PC. For II./StG77 I've got photos of a number of examples of both 4 and 6 StG.77 a/c that clearly had their respective unit insignias applied prior to the mid-October 1939 insignia change, but I can't be absolutely sure that these insignias were actually carried during PC operations and not painted on immediately afterwards but before mid-October. Any help making this determination would be greatly appreciated.

2) I'm trying to determine when the use of thin white fuselage bands behind the wings of Stab I./StG1 Stukas was discontinued (examples: A5+AB, A5+BB). Was this immediately after the Polish Campaign, or did these persist in use as late as the Scandinavian Campaign of 04.40, or even later? Does anyone know of any photos of Stab I./StG1 Ju87Bs or Rs displaying this insignia after the end of the PC? This unit probably re-equipped with the Ju87R-1 or R-2 by the beginning of the attack on Norway, and it is unclear to me if this Stab ID marking persisted on these new a/c.

3) I'm trying to determine if the a/c of Stab II./StG2 carried the Gruppe insignia (Ketley & Rolfe #491) during the Polish Campaign, or if this was first used later in 1939, but apparently before mid-October, 1939, when the insignia change was instituted on Luft a/c as a result of experience during the PC. A photo exists of this insignia being applied to an aircraft with the narrow fuselage cross, but it's unclear if this insignia was applied before the PC or shortly afterwards. A Bundesarchiv photo of T6+BC, poss W.Nr. 235, exists showing an a/c in flight without this insignia, but, although it is carrying bombs, it isn't clear if this was taken before or during the PC.

4) It appears that I. and III./StG2 Ju87Bs carried Staffel insignias during the PC, but I've found no reliable photographic proof of Staffel insignias being used on II./StG2 a/c during the PC. Can anyone point me to any photographic sources that settle this issue one way or another? Identifiable photos of II./StG2 aircraft during the PC appear to be very scarce. This may be partly due to the fact that they may not yet have carried unit insignias that would help identify them.

Thanks for your help.