aircraft identification

[North American]

Hello here,

I found this picture on internet.



I have several questions concerning this aircraft.

1) Is it possible to know what was the unit with the werknummer on the tail or other details?

2)It seems to be in northern France because of the culture in the field and french partisans. I asked at a farmer and it looks like beets.
A comment says the picture was taken in september 1944 and it is possible with the hight of the beets.
I think this belly landing can be around end of august and the begining of september because I guess the picture should be taken after german occupation.

Is there any reports concerning FW190 looses in northern France at this date ?

3) Is it possible to know the name of the pilot ?

4) Is it possible to determine reasons about belly landing ? The canopy seems to have be jettisoned.

5) Maybe the picture is well known and someone can answer to all of the questions ?

Thank you for your help.

[hanshauprich]

Hello,
plane was built by Focke-Wulf at Cottbus during July & August 1944. So the date in September for the crashlanding can be correct. Maybe an plane from JG 6?
h.

[North American]

Thank you for your reply hanshauprich.

Interesting but I can see something like a color band on the fuselage just behind the man on the right of the one who wear the 20 mm belt.

I don't know if it is really a color band or just part of the camo.

It looks a little like at this from the JG6 ( D-9 version) , you are right...



I though JG6 had red and white fuselage band but who knows ?

There is no marks like numbers too, was it often?

[Von Alles]

It could be a red (JG1) or yellow (JG11) fuselage band. In late summer 1944, JG6 did not use colored band. The red-white-red band was rare and late (seen on a Fw190A-9 of Stab./JG6 in January 1945 for instance). In those days, JG6 lost aircrafts in this serie 1717..

[John Manrho]

I do not have 171721 in my JG6 records. It seems also this a/c is lacking tactical markings, so maybe a FlüG loss during a transfer flight to an operational unit?

[North American]

Thank you both for your reply.
Why not a loss during a transfer.
I found a 171714 from the JG6 lost in late August 1944, it seems to be very close to this 171721...

I tried to colorize the picture for trying.


What about the missing canopy ???

The fields near Saint Fergeux (close to Herpy) are sometime grown with beets. Is it possible that a plane which should land in Herpy didn't succeed in during its transfer from Germany late August ?