KITS 06/2022

WNr. 680747, Oblt. Hans Weik, CO of 10.(Sturm)/JG 3,

Memmingen, Germany, June 1944

Hans Weik was born on July 6, 1922, in Heilbronn and

joined the Luftwaffe in October 1941. After completing training, he was assigned to JG 3 on February

21, 1943, and sent to the Eastern front where he

would shoot down ten Soviet aircraft. From May to

November he served as an instructor at 4./JGr Ost

and there he gained his first kill of a B-17 bomber.

He was subsequently transferred to 9./ JG 3 and on

February 10, 1944, he was promoted to Commanding

Officer position of 10. Staffel JG 3, where he achieved 23 kills. Twenty of them were four-engined heavy bombers. He was awarded the Knight's Cross for

his achievements on July 27, 1944. In April 1945 he

was assigned to III./EJG 2, where he was retrained

for Me 262. After the war, Hans Weik studied architecture and was responsible for the design of many

structures. In his retirement years he dedicated his

time to ship modelling and died on June 5, 2001 in

Heidenheim an der Brenz. The aircraft flown by Weik

carried the markings that were worn by IV. Gruppe

JG 3, i.e., a black engine cowl and a stylized Adlerflügel on the sides of the fuselage. The rear fuselage

sports a white fuselage band that was common to JG

3 aircraft within the structure of the Defence of the

Reich units. On these aircraft, the wave sign denoted

the IV. Gruppe. The rudder carries victory markings

up to June 1944.

Hptm. Gerhard Schröder, CO of II.(Sturm)/JG 4, Welzow,

Germany, September 1944

The death of Obstlt. Hans-Günther von Kornatzki

allowed 8. Staffel CO Hptm. Gerhard Schröder to take

command of II./JG 4 on September 12, 1944. Kornatzki

died in a failed emergency landing attempt that ended in high voltage transmission lines. Schröder was

thirty-two years old at the time and remained Gruppe

commander until the beginning of March 1945, when

he was replaced by the cured Maj. Wilhelm Moritz.

He held the post until the end of the World War II.

Historians generally assert that the reason for the

change of the II. Gruppe command was the poor

showing of the unit during Operation Bodenplatte.

The aircraft was camouflaged in the standard colors

of RLM 74/75/76 and carried the JG 4 emblem on the

nose and JG 4’s Defense of the Reich identifier in the

form of black-white-black fuselage bands ahead of

the tail surfaces.

Lt. Karl Spenst, 8./JG 300, Löbnitz, Germany, January 1945

This is a reconstruction of Fw 190A-8/R2 "Black 10"

flown by CO of 8./JG 300, Lt. Karl Spenst in January

1945. This aircraft was photographed on November

27, 1944, at Löbnitz while still carrying the brick red

June 2022

fuselage band. The identifier for JG 300 was changed to blue-white-blue bands in January 1945. The

drawing pictures the aircraft in this state. The emblem of the Berlin Bear on the left side is a personal

marking of the pilot. Karl Spenst achieved at least

one kill.

INFO Eduard

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