Photos 4-28

[John Vasco]

Originally Posted by Modeldad

Wespen Bf 110 and Storch.

It is hard to be sure, but it looks as if it is a "squiggle" pattern on the aircraft. Perhaps black. Oddly, if it was a negative defect or print defect, one might see it on the sky area. While not a good quality image, it does not appear that the effect extends beyond the airframe.

Steven,
Perhaps the explanation lies in the wording on the back of the photograph: "Rückseite beschrieben vor Rostow notgelandete Me 110 am 29.7.1942" If that is correct, then this a/c has been raised and repaired, without the undersides being cleaned of the mud/dirt that would inevitably have covered the wing undersurfaces. Nothing in my loss/damage lists for it, so I guess it was easy to repair and the unit made no mention of it up the line. A lot of units did not report small damage as it would not show them in a good light (that from the mouths of several former ZG members), and decades later it leaves us scratching our heads over certain incidents that we see surface in photographs.

[Kjetil Aakra]

Hello,
I tried to identify this emblem but have had no success so far despite checking up in several of the books I have at hand here.
http://cgi.ebay.de/Foto-Norwegen-Flu...QQcmdZViewItem
The Bf 110 in the background displays the code 2N+?? why I assume it is
from ZG 1 why also the a/c closed to the photographer can be of the same unit.

Allegedly taken in Norway???

Hm, I have this emblem identified as being used by 7./ZG 76, at least according to Lächler & Lauser (article in Jet & Prop 5/91).

It was seen on quite a few Bf 110s in Norway in the period late summer 1940-spring 1941, and have so far been seen on Bf 110s coded "2N+_R". It could of course be machines taken over from ZG 1, but if so the use of the emblem was continued by 7./ZG 76 in Norway as a Staffel insignia.

This is supported by the fact that the Bf 110C (presumably this version) of II./ZG 76's CO, Oblt. Kriegel, was seen first without and then later with this eagle/lion emblem. Krigel's Bf 110 was marked with a distinctive numeral "13" in a circle on the ventral side of the nose with the name "Dita" above it and featured a very distinctive camouflage scheme for the period (see below).

The emblem in more detail according to my research (Norway version):



A profile of Kriegel's lovely Bf 110C, the "black 13-DITA" marking is not visible from the side.



Best regards,

Kjetil Aakra

[John Vasco]

Kjetil,
My references for this being a 1./ZG 1 emblem is as follows:
1. sight of correspondence between mechanic of 1./ZG 1, Willi Falkenroth, and Hans Ring, where Falkenroth specifically states that this was an emblem used for a very short time by 1./ZG 1;
2. conversation with Willi Falkenroth at a Wespentreffen in the 1980s.

Note also that 1./ZG 1 used for a short time the emblem which became famous with the nightfighter force - see 'Zerstörer', page 68 by peter Conrwell and myself.

[Kjetil Aakra]

Thanks for your references and information, John.

But questions still remain.

As I said this emblem, or very similar variations thereof, was seen frequently on aircraft belonging to III./ZG 76 in Norway during 1940-41 (apart from the more commonly seen ones, I have a few unpublished photos of such aircraft) and as far as I can see, on aircraft belonging (or marked as belonging to) 7./ZG 76. Are these all then ex. 1./ZG 1 aircraft?

It seems to me that the emblem was perhaps inherited by the Staffel in Norway?

Would appreciate your opinion on this.

Best regards,

Kjetil Åkra

[John Vasco]

Kjetil,
At the end of June 1940 1./ZG 1 became 1./Erpr. Gr. 210. Upon that re-designation, the only aircraft that they took with them were the Bf 110 C-6s with the 30 mm. MG 101 cannon. The other Bf 110 Cs that they had would have been relinquished, and distributed to other units. There are several photographic examples of this happening, which can be seen in the recent series by Meyer/Stipdonk, where former Battle of Britain ZG 2 and ZG 26 Bf 110s ended up with training units in 1941. Also the emblem of the little birds on a wire above the ZG 26 emblem - that was III./ZG 26 emblem later seen on training unit Bf 110s (unfortunately some people say it was purely a training unit emblem, when in fact a photo I copied from the collection of Balthasar Aretz who flew with III./ZG 26 in the Med clearly shows the provenance of that emblem was with III./ZG 26 - Artez was never with ZS 1 or 2).

Hope the above clarifies things for you.

[F19Gladiator]

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...Norwaycapt.jpg

Hello John and Kjetil,
Thank you for your interesting answers!
I believe the second aircraft has the individual letter 'White D' as visible from the marking under the port wing and the lower white loop of the letter partly visible on the fuselage. 2N+DR ??

Cheers
Göran

[PhilippeDM]

John,

Thanks for your very plausible answer on the squiggle Bf 110. Could it also be some rest of a night distemper?

Unfortunately the code of this machine is unknown...

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Kjetil Aakra

Krigel's Bf 110 was marked with a distinctive numeral "13" in a circle on the ventral side of the nose with the name "Dita" above it

Is there a picture somewhere of this marking, someone could post?

[Modeldad]

While dirts and mud would be logical, I'm hard pressed to explain the uniform pattern on the prop blades. Just a bit head scratching odd.

[John Vasco]

Steven,
The only other thing I can think of is that that aircraft has taxied over soft ground a few times resulting mud being thrown up against the props and undersurfaces (in similar fashion to a car driving through mud which gets thrown slightly forward and covers the front of the car). Beyond that, well it's a conundrum...