Luftwaffe - ID Photos (thread 2)

[apwright]

Can you show us the tailfin?
Mölders flew different aircraft in the course of his career - or at least, differently painted aircraft. The number of kill marks, the camouflage pattern, the aircraft's serial number, any visible unit or rank insignia etc. could all provide clues about exactly when the photo was taken, and possibly where.
I must say, he looks as if he has just disembarked from his aircraft, as he is wearing his flying scarf and something buttoned over his tunic.

Adrian

[maidmarianoops]

http://www.lonesentry.com/features/f19_image1-fliegerbluse-luftwaffe.html


http://www.taphilo.com/JG26/index.shtml

may help
sylvia

[Plummiegirl]

Adrian

Have scanned tailfin and 2 others will load on here, but for some reason will have to do all 3 individually, when I try to do 2 (which is the facility on here) it will not do it.

[Plummiegirl]

Photo 1 of pilot in cockpit

[Plummiegirl]

Cockpit photo 2

[apwright]

So I was miles/years out with  my first guess
Definitely Mölders in the cockpit. The number of kills (54) dates it to between 21 and 27 September 1940, during the Battle of Britain.
The aircraft is a Messerschmitt Bf 109F-1, which had just started replacing the E model. Mölders' unit at the time, the Staff Flight (Stabsgruppe) of Jagdgeschwader (Fighter Wing) 51 was one of the first to be equipped with the new F-1.
Mölders rank then was Major, and he was the commanding officer (Kommodore) of JG 51.
The airfield is probably St Inglevert Pihen aerodrome near Calais, which is where Stab/JG 51 were based at the time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Inglevert_Airfield

These may be photos of his return from the mission on 27/9 when he scored his 55th kill (a Spitfire of 222 Squadron, flown by Sgt E.Scott), or maybe he was just test-flying the new F-1 model.

So, the guy on the right can't be Walter Nowotny, as he hadn't completed his training yet in Sept 1940!
I'll go back to my original choice of Heinrich Bär, if I may! ... although it could be Hannes Trautloft... or Heinz Marquardt... or Richard Leppla... or Günther Schack.

And for the man in the middle I'll revise my guess to Josef Priller. (Günther Fink was in a different squadron in 1940.) But he does look a lot like Walter Oesau too... Gosh, this is difficult, isn't it?!

Thanks for showing the photos, Plummiegirl! Very interesting.

Adrian

[Plummiegirl]

Adrian

Thankyou so very much for all your help. 

I am surprised at how clear these photos came out, the originals are only 2 1/2 x 3 1/2" so not very big.

Now I have to decide what to do with them.  Will contact IWM to see if they would like them, having looked at their website they do not accept all that is offered to them.

Cheers

Christine (Plummie)