Ju88 nightfighter and Me 262 identification

[Roger Gaemperle]

Hello,

Attached is a photo of a Ju88 nightfighter. The antennas are barely visible in front of the airplane. The only code visible is "IL". The photo was taken on an airfield where also a Me 262 of KG51 or KG(J)54 was taken (only part of the code visible was a big white U and a white nose and tail plane tip).

JU88 Code ??+IL
Me 262 Code probably B3+U? or 9K+U?

Thank you,
Regards,
Roger Gaemperle

[Norbert Schuchbauer]

One of the airfields were both nightfighters, NJG 6, and Me 262, KG 51 and KG (J) 54, were based is Kitzingen.


Regards,

Norbert

[David E. Brown]

Hi Roger,

Regarding your photos, a lot depends on when they were taken. I presume that the time was during the last month(s) of the war and thus my comments are influenced by this assumption.

The Ju 88 C is an interesting aircraft in that it is wearing an overall uppersurface 'wellen' camouflage of dark green of dark brown applied over its conventional grey scheme. While this was becoming a rather common scheme at the end of the war, the combination of the scheme and the visible markings is interesting and might be a clue to its unit.

This same camouflage scheme is observed on aircraft associated with NJG 101 (Ju 88 G, Do 217and Bf 110) and there are photos of several Ju 88Gs with this scheme and also from the unit's 3./Staffel ("L") with the individual codes in yellow outlined in black:
Ju 88 G-1 "9W+AL", WNr.714891 (found near Pilsen, May 1945)
Ju 88 G-6 "9W+CL", WNr.620983 (found at Manching, May 1945)
Ju 88 G-1 "9W+DL", WNr.714641 (found at Neubiberg, May 1945)
Ju 88 G-6 "9W+EL", WNr.621082 (found in southern Germany, May 1945)
In photos of the above aircraft the Geschwader code is present in about 20cm high characters though is almost obscured by overpainting in a few instances.

It is possible that your aircraft, Ju 88 C-6 "__+IL" (with FuG 202), could be an aircraft from NJG 101. If the date or period of the photo is known, your best bet is to consult unit or Luftflotte documents that list the operational and serviceable aircraft which might identify the Geschwader or I. Gruppe (3. Staffel) using the C-6 at such a late date.

The unit identity of the Me 262 is a bit easier to identify. The white tail and nose markings you describe accurately reflect those in use by I./KG 51 during the last months of the war. A nice temporal example are the several photos of the Me 262 "White F" (9K+FH) WNr.111625 of 1./KG 51 taken at the collection site at Neubiberg after hostilities. This, and other unit aircraft, were transferred to JV 44 in mid-April 1945, had their unit markings painted out, and a week or so later were then given back to I./KG 51 and had them re-applied. It could well be that this aircraft was also in this group (all listed by Werknummer in a 26 April 1945 document) and may have flown out of the Prague area on May 8 to later land at the airfield in question.

Regarding its full code, it could well have been "9K+UH", though given the confusion at the time the aircraft could all have been marked with inndividual letters painted in the I. Gruppe colour (white) but retaining their individual Staffel numbers (H, K and L). Loss listings confirm the use of this latter system, so one must try and see if the last letter (20 cm high) is visible.

Cheers,

David

[Roger Gaemperle]

Hi Norbert and David,

Thank you very much for the interesting information. The photos were taken during the war by a German. So, it might well be that they were taken in fall 1944. The Me 262 had almost the identical camouflage as the well known "White Y" of KG51 (it iwas photographed from various angles and is published in several books). Perhaps this info helps to identify (or at least guess) the airfield. I will check and compare the airfields used by NJG101 and KG51 in fall 1944.

Regards,
Roger