Oblt-Hptm Dietrich Hrabak, Sta Kap 1./JG76 - 4./JG54 & Stab II./JG54 Info/photos for 1940 profiles

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

For the 1939-40 EoE Knights Cross Winner project, we're working on the color profiles for Dieter Hrabak. We have the first three finished of his W.Nr. 3311 (beginning of the war) and 1250, through his first victory early in the WC/FC period of mid-May, 1940. However, I badly need additional photographic sources for his a/c during the Western Campaign, and the BoB, including after he was promoted to Gr Kdr of II./JG54 on 25.08.40. I'm aware of the very poor quality photos of his Gr Kdr a/c, taken from a considerable distance in "Jagdwaffe Battle of Britain Phase Three" P257, by Mombeek et al., and the photo of the starboard side of the a/c on P.311 JFV #4/II by Dr Jochen Prien et. al. This latter appears to display about 15 of his victory tabs on a yellow rudder circa early Oct., 1940. His regular a/c while he was Gr Kdr of II./JG54 from late-August, 1940 through March, 1941 was an E-4, W.Nr. 2802. There are several good photos of his "garden wall" camouflage pattern on the E-4/B that he flew during the Balkans Campaign of 1941, displaying 16 white victory tabs, but these are outside our project period.

We have Hrabak's Flugbuch and a number of his combat mission and victory claim reports from the WC/FC period, so we know he flew "White 11" during the fall of 1939 through the Spring of 1940, but we very much need additional photos of his a/c from mid-May to the end of 1940. Does anyone have photos showing all or any part of his a/c from June through December, 1940, or know where they are published? Even photos of him in or getting in or out of his cockpit during this period would be helpful. It is the details of the mottling on the fuselage that are problematic.

Who can help?

Regards,

Larry Hickey
EoE Project Coordinator

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

I want to bring this post up to date, since I've received no on-board replies to this query. Since I posted this, I've received a photo of what I think is W.Nr.2804, which was probably the spare a/c that Hrabak flew during the fall of 1940 while Gr Kde of II./JG54. This is being turned into a color profile right now.

I"ve also received from another source two photos of Hrabak and his a/c with about 5 or 6 victory tabs on the fin, which is an E-4 and probably is the replacement for his E-3, W.Nr. 1250, which he force-landed on 07.06.40. Still working on where this fits in.

What I need now are

1) photos of Hrabak's 109E during August, 1940, before he was promoted to Kdr of II./JG54 on 25.08.40. This should have an intense X-style mottling on the sides of the fuselage, and possibly some yellow tactical markings on the rudder and/or wingtips. This probably carried the a/c number "White 11."

2) Clear photos of Hrabak's primary a/c, W.Nr. 2802, that he would have been flying in the late-August-Dec., 1940 period, with a large black (with thin white outline) double chevron as his Stab marking. Photos showing him getting in or out of this a/c at the time he won the RK on 21.10.40 as Gr Kdr of II./JG54, would also be extremely helpful, as well as a close-up photo of his rudder scoreboard with 16 white victory tabs in two rows of eight is also needed. I have photos of his next a/c with the 16 white victory tabs in early 1941, so these aren't needed.

Who can help? We've progressed about half way to my goal since my previous post. Now let's see if we can finish this one.

Regards,

Larry Hickey

EoE Project Coordinator

[Khorat]

Hi Larry your PM - box is full..

Kind regards
khorat
Michael Balss