Page 15
Info Eduard - November 2010
Page 15
HISTORY
was between Nikolayev - Anapa, and on landing, the
measurement between the ground and the bottom of the
barrel totaled some 5cm! Apparently, the procurement
of alcohol was high on the list of priorities, and even so,
there was a strong urging among his comrades to raise
the stock of the stuff for toasting those that didn’t come
back from a combat mission.
Gerhard Barkhorn, CO of II./JG 52, in his assigned Bf 109G-6. Over the entire time that he commanded this elite fighter group, Heino Sachsenberg
also served with it. At the end of the war, they both ended up with Galland’s JV 44.
(Bundesarchiv via Wikimedia Commons)
His often used nickname was ‘Heino’, a logical
extension of his given name. A good number of pilots with
II./JG 52 had specific nicknames that were often used
as radio identification codes. Sachsenberg, probably
due to his technical abilities in the air, had the nickname
‘Akrobat’. When in the air, and identifying himself to colle-
agues or ground control, he used the name ‘Akrobat 1’
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Personal aircraft of Fw Heinz Sachsenberg, Bf 109G-2, Yellow ‘8’ of 6./JG 52,
spring, 1943, at Anapa Air Base, Russia. The aircraft is in RLM 76, 74 and 75
with yellow details. The finish carries signs of overpainting different markings
and apparently unit emblem. It appears that this machine came from another
unit. A similar appearance is on other Messerschmitts of II./JG 52 from this
period in time. The inscription below the cockpit is shown yellow, but it also
could’ve been white, which was weathered. The rudder is shown as yellow,
but in the photograph it appears quite dark, and not all that clear. Furthermore,
rudders on other aircraft of II./JG 52 come across as dark. The little figure
drawn under the cockpit is ‘kohlenklau’ (‘coal thief’) - a state energy saving
campaign mascot. The red star indicates that Sachsenberg was determined
to inflict harm on Soviet as opposed to German interests. This figure also
appeared on other German vehicles. This Messerschmitt is shown with the
underslung Bibo 43, which is described in the article. It is based on the memoirs
of H. Lipfert, but the connection to this specific bird is not substantiated.
(Profile: Anders Hjortsberg, http://www.cptfarrels.com/)