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Info Eduard - August 2010
Info Eduard - August 2010 page 13
At the end of September, 1939, I./JG 77 was moved
to western Germany, and Priebe managed a kill on the
very first combat flight in the area. It occurred on the
11th of October over Lauterburg, and the victim was
a French high-wing Mureaux 115 (No. 12) reconnaissance
plane from GAO 553. The French crew’s mission
was to photograph bridges over the Rhein around
Worth. S/Lt Laluée was injured and taken prisoner,
while Lt. B. Hautiere was killed.
At the beginning of 1940, fuselage of Red ‘1’ received
a coat of light blue paint, but the fuselage stripes behind
the cross remained. I./JG 77 participated in Blitzkrieg
operations in May and June, and Oblt. Priebe gained
his second and third victories. First, he downed a French
Morane MS.406 on May 15th at 1455h over Dinant.
His third and last came on the evening of May 19th over
Cambrai. Priebe’s 2. Staffel tangled with eight Hurricanes.
Priebe and Mütherich managed one Hurricane each,
but Priebe was wounded and his Red ‘1’ was damaged.
This ends the known history of Bf 109 E-1 with Werk
Nummer 4072. It was built in the summer of 1939 by
Focke-Wulf as part of a ninety aircraft production run,
and after its use by Trautloft and Priebe, further
information on this aircraft is lacking, aside from appearing
in kit form by Eduard in the beginning of the 21st cen-
tury, first as an option among four in Profipack form
(Cat.No. 3001) and in August, 2010, in a Weekend Edition
kit (Cat.No. 3401).
Janke’s ‘Traveling Circus’ was transferred to northern
Germany after combat in France. Getting back into
intensive combat occurred in August 1940, in the
middle of the Battle of Britain. The first combat against
the defenders of Albion occurred on August 31, 1940.
The first action resulted in the capture of Eckehard
Priebe. During late morning fighting, his Messerschmitt
(W.Nr. 4076) suffered a gun problem. In combat over the
Thames, he tried to disengage, but had Spitfires bearing
down on him from behind. Eventually, he bailed out of his
heavily damaged plane over Elham. It was a black day for
Janke’s unit. Over the course of several combat flights,
it lost seven machines and six pilots.
In the fall of 1940, I./JG 77 was redesignated IV./JG 51.
GOOD MORNING,
HERR GESCHWADERKOMMODORE!
At the end of September, 1939, Trautloft took control
of the fighter Gruppe designated I./JG 20 in Brandenburg
– Briest. At the time, the unit was provisionally placed
under JG 2 ‘Richthofen’ and in the future was to have
been transformed into III./JG 2. The plans changed,
however, and progressively, Trautloft’s unit was attached
to JG 3 and finally JG 51. During ‘Sitzkrieg’ (or The
Phoney War), I./JG 20 was able to down only two enemy
aircraft, but during the fighting in the west in May, 1940,
thirty-five were claimed. Hannes Trautloft accounted for
two Spitfires during this period, and his Adjutant was
Lt. Werner Kalau vom Hofe, who would serve as such for
the next several years.
From the end of June, 1940, Trautloft and his Gruppe
were again engaged in heavy combat. Through July and
August, I./JG 20 (through which time it was redesignated
III./JG 51), was constantly engaged against the RAF.
By August 24th, the unit accounted for over seventy
aerial victories, with relatively low losses – six pilots
lost, two injured, and 13 aircraft lost or heavily damaged.
The unit’s CO gained only two kills, while his Adjutant
claimed three, and the CO of 7. Staffel and future
legendary fighter pilot Walter Oesau got fourteen.
Why is the 24th August so important? That was the
day that Hannes Trautloft was called back, and made
Kommodore Jagdgeschwader 54. It was for him difficult
to fathom. He was only 28, and was put in command of
a fighter wing of over 2,000 men!
He heard of the promotion unofficially a day in advance,
and bearer of the good news was none other than
Werner Mölders. Trautloft was awakened in the morning
by the phone call, with the greeting ‘Good Morning,
Herr Geschwaderkommodore!’. He basically warned
the caller that it was too early in the morning for such
gags, but he was assured that the information had ‘come
from a reliable source’.
Messerschmitt Bf 109 F of Jagdgeschwader 54 ‘Grünherz’ at a Russian
airfield at the beginning of 1942. At this time the whole of JG 54 adopted
the personal emblem of Hannes Trautloft – the green heart – as its own.
Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-395-1533-06A via Wikimedia Commons
Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2 of III./JG 54 at a Russian airfield in the fall
of 1942. A non-standard camouflage scheme consisting of no less than
three dark colors are visible on the top surfaces. Jagdgeschwader 54
used its own camouflage customized for the conditions on the eastern
Front practically from the beginning of the war against the USSR.
Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-398-1794-18 via Wikimedia Commons
HISTORY