Photos of Bf110C of Oblt Rüdiger Proske, Gr Adj of I.ZG26, force-landed at Lydd, Kent and POW 18.08.40

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

I'm aware of two photos of the above a/c after it force landed. This is the Bf110 with the chevron marking on the nose with a pencil horizontally through it. The first has been published several times, is well-known, and shows a close up of the starboard nose area. The second is a distant shot of the full starboard side, which, when enlarged, is in very poor focus and has poor contrast. This latter one suggests that there were white victory tabs on the fin, possibly several. Since accurate victory claims info for I./ZG26 apparently did not survive the war, we don't know how many victory tabs there might be and the second photo is too blurry to resolve this. I know of at least 4-5 other photos of this a/c taken in France before it was shot down, but none clearly show the tail area.

Is it possible that further photos exist that are not generally known, which might indicate what the tail of this a/c might have looked like? I know that this is a long shot, but an intact Bf110 down 18.08.40, would very likely have been displayed somewhere in England after the event, which might turn up photos to answer my question and further document the markings carried by this a/c. I want to do an accurate color profile of this a/c for the EoE book series. Efforts to profile this a/c date all the way back to the 1960s and the first Karl Ries, Jr., books on Luftwaffe markings.

Thanx for any possible help.

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

As a follow on to this post, Peter Cornwell has informed me that when he interviewed Proske many years ago there was no mention of his victory claims. As far as Peter knows, Proske's FB did not survive the war. Does anyone know anything different about this latter comment. So now, it looks like new photography will have to emerge of the force-landed aircraft to answer my question.

Who will make my day?

Regards,