Junkers 88 G-6 of V./NJG2 - eBay Find #3

In the closing months of the war, V./NJG2 was operating from a couple of airfields around Munich, in particular München Riem, Neubiberg and from the satellite field Brunnthal.

To offer the best possible protection from strafing Allied fighters, the aircraft at Brunnthal were dispersed among the trees along the highway as well as at the edges of the forest to the North. This recently offered photograph nicely illustrates the aircraft dispersal along the Reichsautobahn. The loose branches and smaller trees in front of the aircraft were pulled aside by US troops and previously served as additional camouflage from frontal views. 

 

source: expired Bay auction Ju88G-6 line-up at Brunnthal

An almost identical color photograph has been published in Smith & Gallaspy (1977), p.76. Photographs of Ju88G-6 U5+NT WNr.622322, e.g. in Gaemperle (2011), p.54 and Warbirds Photo Album Vol.5 (1994), p.80 provide additional close-up views of a typical aircraft hiding space at Brunnthal.  

The closest aircraft displays all the attributes associated with aircraft of V./NJG2 and despite the unit code being indiscernible, it is highly likely that these three aircraft were on strength with V./NJG2.

• The aircraft lack FuG220 radar equipment. Here is my hypothesis: those aircraft flown in nocturnal ground attack missions in March and April carried unit codes and had their radar equipment removed - as opposed to those used for training purposes or as replacements. Photographs prove that for U5+ “AT”, “BT”, “DT”, “ET” “GT”, “IT”, “NT” and “OT”. Of the Staffel’s other aircraft exist either no unambiguous photographic evidence of such removal (“CT”, “FT” and “MT”) or no records at all (“HT", “KT” and “LT”). Balke (1997) quotes crew member Heimann, p.376, that the aircraft were initially delivered without radar which would subsequently be installed by the unit’s technicians only to be removed when they received order to fly ground attack operations.   
• The spinners display a white spiral as it can be found on U5+AT, U5+NT and U5+OT; these three aircraft were among the ones collected and photographed at Brunnthal. A list of Junkers 88 G-6 found at the Brunnthal scrap yard has previously been published on this blog, Ju88G-6 at München-Brunnthal.
• The camouflage is standard RLM76 with patches of RLM75 on the upper fuselage and engine nacelle sections. The struts of the cabin are in a light grey color. Exhaust covers and landing light in the leading wing edge complete the equipment as a night fighter. Very close examination reveals one of the FuG16 antennas under the port wing.

US disarmament units moved the aircraft from where they were hidden to the Brunnthal collection point where they would eventually be scrapped. Below, this recently offered photograph offers a view of Ju88G-6 U5+AT WNr. 622951 behind a He111 with Stammkennzeichen GW+DG. A view of the same two aircraft from their port side has been published by Green, p.29. 

source: expired eBay auction Ju88G-6 U5+AT at Brunnthal

Other V./NJG2 Ju88G-6 ended the war at Neubiberg airfield. Photographic evidence exists for U5+BT, U5+ET and +IT. Of those WNr. 622796 U5+ET is the best documented through multiple photographs published e.g. in the Wings of the Black Cross series as it is parked near the aerodrome buildings and later among other aircraft pushed together for final disposal; see Wings of the Black Cross Number 1 p.29, Number 4 p.21, Number 5 p.13 and Number 9 p.14. Below’s photograph shows two more features repeatedly seen at V./NJG2 aircraft, namely the in relation to the black fuselage cross misaligned application of the unit code and the lack of “Schräge Musik” MGs. 

 

source: expired eBay auction captured German fighter planes at bone yard

The night fighter behind U5+ET has to my knowledge so far not been identified. Additional photographs can be found in Green (2006), p.83, and Warbirds Photo Album Vol. 5 (1994), p.79. Equipped with FuG220d with diagonal antennas and one spinner with white spirals - the other one is missing - it displays features similar to another unmarked Ju88G-6 photographed at Brunnthal, WNr. 621353.

The same lot offered a view of another Ju88G-6 night fighter collected at Neubiberg. From its derelict state can be assumed that this photograph has been taken later than the previous one at a time when the various aircraft have been pushed together before scrapping. 

source: expired eBay auction German fighter plane wrecks

References

Balke, Ulf (1997)

Der Luftkrieg in Europa1941-1945 

Bechtermünz Verlag, Augsburg, Germany

Crandall, Jerry (2003)

Wings of the Black Cross, Number 1 

Eagle Editions Ltd., Hamilton 

Gaemperle, Roger S. (2011)

Captured Eagles, German WWII Aircraft Captured By The Allies, Volume I 

Vintage Eagle Publishing, Zürich, Switzerland

Green, Brett (2006)

Götterdämmerung, Luftwaffe Wrecks and Relics 

Ian Allan Publishing, Hersham, UK

Luftwaffe Warbirds Photo Album Vol.5, (1994)

Delta Publishing Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan

Proulx, Mark (2007)

Wings of the Black Cross, Number 4 

Eagle Editions Ltd., Hamilton

Proulx, Mark (2008)

Wings of the Black Cross, Number 5 

Eagle Editions Ltd., Hamilton

Proulx, Mark (2012)

Wings of the Black Cross, Number 9 

Eagle Editions Ltd., Hamilton

Smith, J., R., Gallaspy, J., D. (1977)

Luftwaffe Colors, Volume 3 1943-45

Monogram Aviation Publications, Boylston

Junkers 88 G-6 +BN with FuG 218 - eBay Find #2

In May 1945 only a few days after its capture, Bad Aibling airfield, or more precisely Mietraching airfield after the municipality it is actually located in, was turned into PWE 26 - Prisoners of War Enclosement - by the US Army. In the beginning, without further preparations the prisoners of war were herded together at the tarmac and adjacent grass area together with the aircraft parked there. Jerry Crandall published an aerial view of the field, p.104, 105, as does this recently auctioned photograph, eBay Ju88G-6 +BN Bad Aibling

Surrounded by prisoners, we see one of the rare FuG218 equipped Junkers 88 G-6 in front of the airfield main building with the partially legible marking +BN. Readers of Peter Evans’ LEMB forum might remember a photograph of this aircraft after it was moved further out on the airfield, however the letter “B” was partially covered, LEMB Two new Ju88G-6 night-fighter images. Jerry Crandall also published that photograph, p.103, but cut off the markings.

Besides the FuG218, this Junkers 88 G-6 was equipped with two MG schräge Musik which are installed in parallel behind the cabin. The Balkenkreuz at the fuselage as well as on the upper wing consists of the late war simplified black outlines. The fuselage camouflage seems a base of RLM76 with regular mottles of RLM75 which are limited to the fuselage top section but do not cover to the sides. As far as my analysis of the photograph goes, the same camouflage scheme has been applied to both upper wings although only a small portion of the starboard wing is visible on the photograph.

Even under magnification, it is unclear whether or not the aircraft carried the first two letters of the aircraft code. This may be due to the quality of the reproductions of the existing photographs, or the letters may have been omitted; there are several instances documented where late war night fighters did not carry any unit code, but only their individual aircraft code; photographic evidence exists of aircraft of V./NJG2 and I./NJG6 that were marked this way. 

Although we cannot completely exclude that the aircraft carried its Stammkennzeichen, this is highly unlikely the case: with its Sammelmitteilung 1 of 1st July 1944, the Technisches Amt within the RLM ordered that Stammkennzeichen were no longer applied. Assuming that “BN” is used as the Verbandskennzeichen, this aircraft was on strength with a 5. Staffel within the II. Gruppe. In April 1945, under Luftwaffe Kommando West, only NJG2 and NJG6 had a II. Gruppe associated.  

Unfortunately, neither above nor the second photograph allow for an identification of the Werknummer. However, a Ju88G-6 with FuG218 is documented at Bad Aibling, which carried the WNr. 622893. Regularly published is the nose section of this aircraft with a view towards a head-standing Focke-Wulf 190 A-3 White 8.

source: Fold3 Image Bad Aibling

The Imperial War Memorial Archives in London appear to have another photograph, published at LEMB by John McIllmurray, LEMB FuG218 V/R equipped Ju88G-6s post #11, which offers a complete view of the aircraft from the rear including the tailplane broken off and sitting at a 90 degree angle with the Werknummer visible. The angle of the shot does not show enough of the fuselage side to identify any marking with certainty, but it seems to consist of the late war Balkenkreuz and at least one letter. 

It seems an easy conclusion that above’s eBay find is actually 622893, if it were not for a few details which do not seem to match. On the IWM photograph, the port wing seems to be camouflaged in solid darker colors with segments of two different tones, including the port engine cowling. This seems to be confirmed by the section of the engine cowling visible on the above photograph. Although the quality of the IWM reproduction is rather poor, the schräge Musik seems to consist of one gun rather than two.

No hint as to the identity is offered through the two apparent different location of the photographs and the state of the aircraft. If the FW190A-3 serves as an indication, both aircraft were moved from their original parking position to a more dispersed location and later to an even more condensed area. During that last move, several aircraft were pushed into each other of otherwise damaged, like the Junkers 88 G-6.

Where does this all leave us in identifying the above photographed aircraft? With the desire to review the IWM photograph for better clues as to the markings and correct camouflage of the upper port wing. Bar that, this remains for the time being another unresolved question in our Junkers 88 G-6 database.

References

Crandall, Jerry, 2009, The Focke Wulf Fw 190 Dora, Volume Two Fw 190 D-9 D-11 D-13, Eagle Editions, Hamilton MT

Sammelmitteilung 1 by Reichminister der Luftwaffe und Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe, Technisches Amt, Nr. 237/44 of 01. July  1944

Junkers 88 G-6 4R+FB of Stab I./NJG2 - eBay Find #1

Introductory comments

This is the start of a new topic for expired Junkers 88 G-6 eBay auctions. For my analysis of the photographic records, I will provide as much context and information as I can find for each photograph acknowledging that the Ju88G-6 database started by Peter Evans of the LEMB and today hosted by GYGES, Ju88G-6 database, and the Ju88G-6 data base thread at LEMB, LEMB Ju88G-6 Database Project, offer already a great source as well as plentiful references to published photographs or research. Although I generally prefer to publish these finds on a Luftwaffe forum with the possibility of sharing knowledge and comments, in my experience little sharing takes actually place. Under these circumstances, creating a dedicated thread rather than one among many in a forum hopefully provides a place to go to for those interested in this particular topic.

Junkers 88 G-6 4R+FB

source: Ju88G-6 4R+FB eBay Feb2016

Although this recently offered photograph does not show the aircraft’s identity, careful examination and comparison with other published photographs strongly suggest that this is an aircraft of Stab I./NJG2 said to be found at Braunschweig. 

This photographed aircraft is equipped with FuG220 with 45-degree dipoles, FuG350 Naxos, a FuG16 antenna beneath the fuselage and a single MG in the rear of the cabin. No flame dampers are installed. The base camouflage is very likely RLM 76, possibly with mottles in RLM 75 although neither this nor any other photograph fully supports this. Additional squiggles have been applied in what appears to be two different colors. The one letter applied to the fuselage behind the Balkenkreuz could well be a “B”. Finally, rear of the belly armament open panels can be observed.

David P. Williams' Nachtjäger Volume Two, p.166, contains a photograph of a Ju88G-6 with the same features where the letters “FB” are clearly visible. Under strong magnification the unit code 4R can also be discerned. In particular the position of the propeller blades confirms that these are two photographs of the same aircraft. In this second picture, a single Schräge Musik gun can been seen right behind the cabin. Of particular interest is the fuselage Balkenkreuz which consist of the full black fill with white edges, a style rather common for Ju88G-1 but rarely applied to the G-6 variant. The Balkenkreuz is quite "ruffled" and the black part looks beaten.

source: Ju88G-6 4R+FB eBay April2011

I also have above photograph of the same aircraft on file, which was sold on eBay in 2011. It provides us with a better view of the starboard side and reiterates the aircraft’s various peculiarities. Although at first sight the aircraft looks exactly the same as in the first photograph, the position of the starboard propeller blades differs, albeit slightly. Closer examination of the starboard spinner reveals that it is painted in two different colors with the tip appearing to be green. The same seems to apply to the port spinner. This would fit with the individual markings associating this aircraft with the Stab of a I. Gruppe.

To identify the camouflage in more detail, we are fortunate to have a color photograph of this aircraft as reference, which was published in Merrick, Creek & Green, p.42. The tip of the starboard spinner is clearly of a green hue. The Wellenmuster consists of a thoroughly applied green tone, RLM 82, and of occasionally added shorter squiggles in a darker, brown color which could be either  RLM 81 or RLM 83.

Merrick & Co. identify two additional interesting marking deviations from the norm: they interpret the wing undersurface Balkenkreuz applied only as a black cross without white edgings. However, the photograph in Williams clearly shows the regular white edges as well, making it a standard marking for night fighters. The second feature they identify is a yellow wing tip. It is difficult to deny that the color photograph appears to show a yellow undersurface which stretches to the Balkenkreuz. However, this could also be a reflection of the grass or a discoloration of the original photograph. Our initial photograph neither fully supports nor fully denies such feature. I leave this undecided until better information surfaces.

All the above confirms that the photograph shows with very high likelihood a Stab aircraft of I./NJG2 marked as 4R+FB with a late war squiggle camouflage applied to provide better protection on the ground. Based on second source information, the aircraft was found at Braunschweig.

References

Williams, David P., 2005, Luftwaffe Colours - Nachtjäger Volume Two, Classic Ian Allan Publishing, Hersham, Surrey

Merrick, K.A., Creek, Eddie J., Green, Brett, 2007, Luftwaffe Camouflage and Markings 1933 - 1945, Photo Archive 1, Midland Publishing, Hinkley

Junkers 88 G-6 at München-Brunnthal

In an attempt to reduce the impact of allied fighters strafing its airfields and destroying parked aircraft, the Luftwaffe started to build satellite landing fields and associated aircraft shelters in near-by woods. To add to the existing Munich area airfields München Riem, Neubiberg and Oberschleissheim, in May 1944 a stretch of autobahn as well as a flat agricultural area near Brunnthal south of München was turned into landing strips with adjacent repair facilities, accommodations and aircraft boxes cut into wooded areas, Loy (2010), p.41-43.

In 1945, V./NJG2 used Brunnthal and by the end of the hostilities, quite a number of its aircraft were located there (V./NJG2 originated from crews of III./KG 2 and was formed in December 1944). Other aircraft from this unit are known from photos to have ended up at Neubiberg on the southwestern outskirts of München and north of Brunnthal. After the war, a US disarmament unit commenced to gather all aircraft in the vicinity of Brunnthal at a single collection point. This site, adjacent to the autobahn, became a very attractive magnet to US soldiers and locals alike, providing us today with numerous photographs showing a great number of aircraft. Of particular interest and value is an aerial photograph covering the complete scrap yard. Originally published in Norbert Loy’s 2010 Jet & Prop article, I have added numbers to identify the individual aircraft.

source: Loy (2010), p.43

This article concerns itself only with Ju88G-6 found at Brunnthal. Examining available published and internet photographs, it appears that 14 Ju88G-6 were dispersed across the field, and at least 15 destroyed or burnt-out Ju88G wrecks were strewn across the scrap heap of at the west corner of the collection point.

The list below is my attempt to correctly identify the Ju88G-6 night fighters at Brunnthal using photographic evidence. However, in several instances, information shown by photographs is ambiguous. In those instances, I call out under comments the results of my interpretation. There will be misinterpretations, and there are gaps; any corrections, additions and differing views are very welcome.

I would like to express my gratitude and to acknowledge once more David E. Brown's valuable review and contribution to this article.

NO.	W.NR.	UNIT MARKING	MAIN SOURCE	COMMENTS
3	621353	Number “5” on tail plane; likely V./NJG2	Jet & Prop (1996) p.35	Werknummer confirmed, association with #3 almost certain. Unit not confirmed, but usage of numbers on tail plane consistent with other V./NJG2 aircraft
8	622345	U5+OT V./NJG2	Green (2006) p.29 Internet photos	Werknummer almost certain, discernible from photograph
11	621650	n/a		Werknummer confirmed
12	620154	n/a	Gaemperle (2011) p.13 Internet photos	Werknummer confirmed
15	622901	U5+GT V./NJG2	Internet photos	Werknummer confirmed. Clearly identified through Bf110 next to it.
21	621602	number “9” on tail plane V./NJG2		V./NJG2 Flugbuch entries confirm usage of aircraft marked “9”
22	62- - - -	n/a		Possibly 620154, Werknummer confirmed at Brunnthal, association with #22 uncertain
23	62- - - -	n/a	Gaemperle (2011) p.53
24	62- - - -	n/a
29	622322	U5+NT V./NJG2	Gaemperle (2011) p.54 Internet photos	Werknummer confirmed
30	62- - - -	U5+FT V./NJG2	Green (2006) p.29
38	621591	number “24” on tail plane Likely V./NJG2	Green (2006) p.29	Werknummer confirmed. Unit not confirmed, but usage of numbers on tail plane in line with other V./NJG2 aircraft
41	62295-	U5+AT V./NJG2	http://www.508pir.org/album_barger/index.htm	According to Steve Sheflin, Werknummer is 622951.
48	622990	U5+DT V./NJG2	Loy (2010), p.46 Internet photos.	It seems that on this aircraft, the Werknummer was changed to 623998 (Gaemperle (2011), p.52 and 53) and photographs show the original number with the peeled away newer number.

Viewed from the south-west corner of the scrap heap (see below), eight Ju88G-6 tail planes are discernible and the following can be identified:

Aircraft No.	Werknummer	Comments
10	none	No Werknummer, washed out Hakenkreuz (Number partially illegible, could also be “19”)
--	621328	Burnt-out or destroyed wreck, tail plane only with SN2 tail marking – “VI”.
--	620426	Burnt-out or destroyed wreck, tail plane only with SN2 tail marking – “V/DR”.
--	621439	Burnt-out or destroyed wreck, tail plane only.
4	62- - - -	Burnt-out or destroyed wreck, tail plane only with Werknummer burnt-off.
--	622314	Burnt-out or destroyed wreck, tail plane only.

Viewed from the north-east corner - close to the Ju290 - at least another seven Ju88G-6 tail planes can been seen. The following Werknummern have been identified by Crandall (2011) p.7:

Aircraft No.	Werknummer	Comments
--	622124	Burnt-out or destroyed wreck, tail plane only.
--	622958	Burnt-out or destroyed wreck, tail plane only.
--	623213	Burnt-out or destroyed wreck, tail plane only.

source: expired ebay auction

SOURCES:

Brown, David E., Poruba, Tomas, & Vladar, Jan, 2012

Messerschmitt Me 262 Production & Arado Ar 234 Final Operations – Luftwaffe Over Czech Territory 1945 IV.

JaPo, Prague, 158p.

Crandall, Jerry, 2011

Wings of the Black Cross - Number 7.

Eagle Editions, Hamilton, 36p.

Gaemperle, Roger S., 2011

Captured Eagles: German WWII Aircraft Captured by the Allies - Volume 1

Vintage Eagle, Zurich, 70p.

Green, Brett, 2006

Götterdämmerung: Luftwaffe Wrecks and Relics Number 1.

Ian Allen, Hersham, 96p.

Janowicz, Krzysztof, 2006

Monograph 15: Junkers Ju 88 Volume III.

Kagero, Lublin, 140p.

Jet & Prop, 1996

Foto-Archiv Band 6 – Spezial-Ausgabe: Mai 1945 Die Luftwaffe Kapituliert.

VDM Heinz Nickel, Zweibrucken, 98p.

Loy, Norbert, 2010

Feldflugplatz Brunnthal: Ausweich und Schattenplatz im Landkreis München 1944-1945.

Jet & Prop, 04/2010, p.41-47.

Proulx, Mark, 2007

Wings of the Black Cross - Number Four.

Eagle Editions, Hamilton, 36p.