Oesau's 109 in this gun camera image?

[Dan Taylor]

Hi All, I wondered if anyone had seen this gun camera image before. The tactical number on the fuselage of this light colored 109 looks like the "13" I have seen on profiles of Oesau's Gustav. The aircraft appears to be relatively low and levelling out, as if preparing to land - which jives with the reports that he was fatally hit attempting to make an emergency landing...perhaps there is the original footage out there in the hands of one of you?

The image appears in the pages of a USAAF XIX Tactical Command Document written in Sept 1944, with no caption.

Peep it here: http://www.siteupdates.com/drt/images/Oesau109G.jpg

[Don Pearson]

Hi,

I believe I read that Steve Shefflin(sp) had written an article based upon this photo to support that the aircraft was in fact Oesau's.

Don

[Dan Taylor]

Thanks Don,
...so I'm not just seeing things, then.
Oesau or not, I hope others who have not seen it find the image of interest. I had not seen this pic on the web before after many years of browsing around.
Cheers,
Dan

[WEISNER]

Hey all, is there anyone out there that has the equipment to enhance this photo, perhaps the Rudder area, or better yet the complete photo?
I find this very interesting. Don, what, if any publication, was Shefflin's article published in?
It would be nice to see if this could be solved here...
Kevin

[Dan Taylor]

I actually enlarged it and optimized it in Photoshop, and nothing I did disproved the appearance of this a/c being "green 13". The canopy appears to be the framed type. The strikes on the nose obscure the cowling so I cannot see the "buele" but the tail wheel is the smaller length and non-retractable so I'm thinking a G-6/AS is a good bet as I do not see gunpods. Can anyone else identify the model at least?
That might be a start.

[Stephane Muret]

Hello Don,

This pic was published in french mag "Aero-Journal", n°3, april 1997. It is written that plane was believed to be all paint RLM 76, as some planes from JG1 but that "13" color was hard to identify. But it is written too that Oesau's plane was touched on the left side by P38 Lightning and the picture was taken from the right side.

I hope this could help.
Stephane Muret

[John Beaman]

The aircraft was Oesau's Bf 109G-6/AS, WNr 20601, green 13.

[SMF144]

Don,

Thanks for posting the image. I haven't seen it before. It appears that the canopy has already been ejected.

Stephen

[S Sheflin]

Good morning all,

I know I am getting old, but I am certain that I never wrote any such article. Years ago I did a rendering of Oesau's 109 being shot down for Steve Blake's superb "Fighter Pilots in Aerial Combat" publication.

Best regards,

Steve Sheflin

[Dan Taylor]

Hi Steve, Thanks for your comment on this interesting image. I had been trying to find "your" article since Don's post about it! By the way, do you recall who the pilot may have been that claimed Oesau? I recall, and it has been re-iterated here, that a Lightning Pilot was the victor but cannot remember the group or the individual - I do not have the publication you mention.
Thanks, Dan