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JG2 FW-190A wing bands in Tunisia


Ryan B.

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A couple kits on different sites made me wonder about the white wing bands seen on FW-190s soon after their arrival in Tunisia. Louis Gardner on iModeler posted Rudorffer's 190A  with white under-wing bands and shared color images of his unit in Tunisia in late 1942 (still in European colors) with white bands on top and bottom of the wings:

http://imodeler.com/2018/05/kasserine-pass-gb-1-48-scale-tamiya-fw-190a-oblt-e-rudorffer-co-6-jg2-tunisia/

This seemed odd to me, as Axis forces in the Mediterranean already wore identifying symbols of white wing-tips, plus fuselage, and, sometimes, nose bands.

Then, on Hyperscale, someone under the moniker of mikeewmodels shared Siegfried Schnell's  FW-190A-4 'Yellow 4' showing the same wing and fuselage bands painted over:

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/hyperscale/eduard-1-48-fw190a-4-profipack-all-done-t494101.html#p2583419

regarding which, upon being queried, he quoted from Eduard's instructions: "Wings and fuselage have fresh over-painting of former white stripes- identification of aircraft attending the Case Anton late 1942 (occupation of the 'Free Zone' Vichy France)".

Does anyone know if JG2's bands in Tunisia were meant to be theatre specific; were leftover Case Anton bands; or, per Mr. Gardner, "I do know that part of JG 2 was assigned to Sicily before they went to North Africa. The rest of JG 2 remained in action against the Allies operating from the Northern Coast of France. Could it be possible that some older FW- 190 A-3 planes were being left behind, since they were receiving newer A-4’s ? If that’s the case, this may explain the over painted wing stripes. Could it be possible that this plane operated from Sicily or North Africa and was then returned to Northern France ?"

Any insight would be appreciated.

Edited by Ryan B.
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Interesting question, Ryan B. In his book Jagdtgeschwader 2 - Richthofen (Osprey 2000) John Weal published a photo and a colour profile of white stripped Bühlingen's Fw 190 A-4 White 1. In colour profile caption he speculates this could be recognition marking for its transfer through Italy. Andrew Arty and Morten Jessen published several photos and colour profiles of JG2 Fw 190s with white stripes in their book Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in North Africa (Classic, 2004). While they mention that parts of JG2 did take part in occupation of Vichy France, they do not elaborate on origins of stripes.

While John Weal's theory cannot be dismissed, no such markings appear on aircraft of the first Fw 190 combat unit in North Africa, III./ZG2 (later III./SKG10). Also, on a photo of two III./ZG2 Fw 190 on Sicily airfield from November 1942 in Arty's and Jessen's book no such stripes can be seen. Wing stripes are prominently present on another photo in the same book, this time on Fw 190 A-3 Black 10 from 5./JG2, standing on the ground beside Vichy Bloch 152 on Marseille-Marignac airfield during unit's transfer to Tunisia in November 1942. More to the point, caption of previously mentioned photo of Bühlingen's White 1 (her colour profile can be seen here; unfortunately I could not locate her photo), this time published in Christian-Jacques Ehrengardt's Fw 190 A - de la Normandie au Niémen (Aero Journal edition, 2014), claims that white stripes are carried-over from occupation of the southern France. Ehrengardt also lists 10.(JaBo)/JG2 (Istres) and I./JG2 ((Marseille-Marignac) as taking part in occupation initially, and II./JG2 as passing through Southern France on its way to North Africa later. Curiously, he also includes white fuselage band and yellow cowling and wingtip undersides as part of operational markings. I have some doubts about this, as yellow markings are clearly part of the Channel front scheme, where elements of both III./ZG2 and JG2 previously fought and could be seen later in North Africa on some of both unit's aircraft well into 1943. On the other hand, I am inclined to believe that white stripes are indeed South France invasion markings. If I speculate further, I would say they were intended primarily for quick ground identification. There is, however, another photo of two Fw 190 As (Fw 190 Jabos - Fw 190 F et G au combat, Christian-Jacques Ehrengardt, Aero Journal edition, 2015) from 10.(JaBo)/JG2, taken at Istres at the end of November 1942, and neither of them seems to be marked with white stripes ...

I hope it helps. Cheers

Jure

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Not sure if this is of any help, but Merrick/Kiroff, Luftwaffe Camouflage and Markings 1933-1945, Vol. 2 contains a small chapter on the temporary markings used for Operation Anton, the occupation of the Free French zone (p. 280-282). It includes pictures of FW-190, Bf-109 (JG 53) and Do-217 (KG 2) with the white bands around wings and fuselage. 

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