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Fw 190A-5, WNr. 2700, 2./JG 11, Husum, Germany, August 1943
Fw 190A-5, WNr. 0152594, Maj. Hermann Graf, CO of JGr. Ost,
Toulouse-Blagnac, France, April 1943
Fighter unit 2./JG 11 was formed on April 1, 1943,
from 8./JG 1. Its first commander was Hptm.
Emil Rudolf Schnoor but in May the command
was taken over by Oblt. Heinz Grosser. The first
base of the unit was Husum airfield in northern
Germany. The mission was to defend the cities of
Hamburg and Hannover from American bombing
raids. Members of the 2./JG 11 were engaged
in dogfights with B-17s, which at the time flew
without fighter escort. This later changed and
the missions were flown under the protection
provided by P-47s and P-51s. We have been
unable to trace who flew the Fw 190A-5 WNr.
2700. She was 60 % damaged on August 12 during
an emergency landing at Friedrichstadt due to
a technical failure. The black 8 aircraft in
standard RLM 74/75/76 camouflage had the
2./JG 11 emblem on both sides of the nose.
On the left side of the fuselage under the front
plate it has a red inscription Rübezahl (spirit
of Giant Mountains on Czech-Silesian border).
It is possible the pilot originated from this region
(Krkonoše in Czech, Riesengebirge in German)
and this was his way to express the relation to
the homeland. In front of the tail surfaces there
was a white stripe with red edging, which was
the color of 2. Staffel.
Hermann Graf, although flying with the Luftwaffe
already from the start of the Second World War,
didn’t fly combat missions until operations over
Crete. His first victories were achieved over the
plains of the Soviet Union with JG 52. He was
very successful and in the space of thirteen
months he would amass 202 kills over Soviet
aircraft. On September 16, 1942, he was awarded
Germany’s highest honor, the Knight’s Cross with
Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. After that,
he was withdrawn from combat and made CO of
the training unit JGr. Ost. After a short stint with
JG 50, he was made CO of JG 1 in October 1943
and on November 11, 1943, took over command
of JG 11. He stepped into the same role with his
former JG 52 on October 1, 1944, which he would
lead up to the end of the war. After the war,
the Americans handed him over to the Soviets,
who would not release him until December 25,
1949. Hermann Graf died on November 4, 1988,
in Engen. Hermann Graf flew two aircraft while
serving with JGr. Ost, an Fw 190A-4 and an
Fw 190A-5. The aircraft carried a red tulip motif
on the yellow engine cowl, with a similar design
being carried on the rudder with a scoreboard
of his kills. Graf’s personal marking appeared
on the rear fuselage on the left side, while the
unit badge of an eagle teaching its young to fly
appeared on the right side.
KITS 03/2024
INFO Eduard
53
March 2024