Strana 41
Fw 190A-6, WNr. 550375, Lt. Heinz-Günther Lück, 1./JG 1, Deelen,
Netherlands, August 1943
Fw 190A-6, WNr. 550461, Oblt. Helmut Radtke, 5./JG 54, Immola,
Finland, summer 1944
Lt. Lück, a pilot with five aerial victories (all over
B-17 aircraft) flew during his whole wartime
career with JG 1. At the beginning of 1944,
he became the commander of 1./JG 1 and was
seriously injured on April 9 during an emergency
landing in Denmark. He never returned to
combat duty. During the summer of 1943,
I. Gruppe aircraft carried garish markings in the
form of the checkerboard on the engine cowling,
black and white in the case of 1. Staffel. It was
deleted after the US Thunderbolts sporting
identical markings attacked Deelen airbase and
the anti-aircraft gunners did not engage as they
confused them with friendly aircraft on landing
approach. Heinz-Günther Lück had his dog pet,
a black Scottish terrier named Lucki, painted
under the canopy and his rudder sported two
victories in the form of white bars.
On June 9th, 1944, the Red Army launched
the Karelian operation against the Finnish
forces in Karelian Isthmus on the front north
of Leningrad. Marshal Mannerheim being
aware of his inferior forces asked Germans
for the air support. German Luftwaffe created
Gefechtsverband Kuhlmey, named after
SG 3 commander Obstl. Kuhlmey. Besides
I./SG 3 (Ju-87D) and I./SG 5 (Fw 190 F) attack
units a detachment of Focke Wulf Fw 190A-6 from
Stab, 4. and 5. Staffel of II./JG 54 was included
under his command. Focke Wulf fighters used
the airfield in Immola from where they sortied
under the command of Maj. Erich Rudorffer as
an escort to the attack aircraft. One of the pilots
fighting against the Soviet much larger forces
was Oblt. Helmut Radtke who joined 5./JG 54
in June 1944 after previous service with the
operational training unit JG 110. He was killed in
action on the Western Front on January 14, 1945.
He was flying black 2 aircraft camouflaged in
standard RLM 74/75/76 colors. This camouflage
was complemented by yellow markings peculiar
to the aircraft operating on the Eastern Front.
There is an inscription Schlange (snake) painted
on the side of the fuselage.
KITS 05/2025
INFO Eduard
41
May 2025