Fritzlar Airfield, Germany 1945, in colour.

[Chris Thomas]

2 hours ago, 72modeler said:

I don't think I would want to go mano a mano on Typhoon and Tempest knowledge with Chris!

Mike

Don't worry Mike. I've passed the peak and I'm on the way down.  As far as I remember.

 

Thanks for the compliment!

Chris

[Troy Smith]

On 06/11/2021 at 11:25, TempestV said:

Interesting to see the 109 at the very end - it looked like it had the standard tail, unrefined cowl (so standard 131 bumps) but had wider wheel wing bumps!

And, late in the war there Germans had an entire repair/recycling system for airframes,  there are some images and details of this in the last JaPo book on the Bf109.  Note large wheel bulges does not necessarily mean large tyres.  

 

I'll add in a link in a mo, but the werk nummer and unit are known. 

Bf 109 G-6/R2 W.Nr. 230 785 "Gelbe 11" 3./NAGr. 1, Fritzlar, April 1945.

 

 

 

 There are more photos of yellow 11,  fortunately these captured airfields were popular for GI snapshots,  and more images keep turning up online over time.

 

see here for the rest 

flickr link https://www.flickr.com/photos/28092068@N03/albums/72157631642784686

 

 

[Ingo Ritz]

Another unusual feature of the Bf 109  in the film is the cover for the port wing tip navigation lamps is in a red colored translucent material rather than the transparent type most commonly observed.  One can assume the starboard lamp cover is green.

 

[SafetyDad]

And is that a red tape line underneath the wing at the joint between aileron and wingtip?

 

SD  

[Troy Smith]

1 hour ago, SafetyDad said:

And is that a red tape line underneath the wing at the joint between aileron and wingtip?

 

SD  

I think so,   something I noticed in some screen grabs of 109 wrecks I posted before.   

below

 

 

and above, same plane in both 

 

from here

 

[Ingo Ritz]

3 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

I'll add in a link in a mo, but the werk nummer and unit are known. 

Bf 109 G-6/R2 W.Nr. 230 785 "Gelbe 11" 3./NAGr. 1, Fritzlar, April 1945.

 

W.Nr. 230 000 thru 230 800 were built as G-6/R-2 machines in November and December of 1944 by WNF.

[SafetyDad]

9 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

And, late in the war there Germans had an entire repair/recycling system for airframes,  there are some images and details of this in the last JaPo book on the Bf109.  Note large wheel bulges does not necessarily mean large tyres.  

 

I'll add in a link in a mo, but the werk nummer and unit are known. 

Bf 109 G-6/R2 W.Nr. 230 785 "Gelbe 11" 3./NAGr. 1, Fritzlar, April 1945.

 

 

I've just had a thought about the red gear legs - these were allegedly a reminder to ground crew to use 100 octane fuel for the AS engined Bf109 variants. This aircraft cannot have an AS engine with those cowl bumps, (and @Ingo Ritz has helpfully shown above that it's certainly a G-6 variant). However if the entire wing, complete with undercarriage, had been donated from an AS airframe then that would account for the large bumps and the red legs (not sure I can say that ). So perhaps not a batch of G-6 machines with the larger wing bulges, but a one-off?

 

Intended to confuse all of us 76 years later. 

 

SD

[IanC]

I'm familiar with the earlier films taken by George Stevens and his team, but not this. Absolutely fascinating. 

[Ingo Ritz]

The photo right side of the aircraft posted by Troy Smith above, clearly show the marking for the MW/50 filler point (above the first number 1 in the 11).  So it is most likely that this aircraft was fitted with a DB 605M using the higher octane C3 fuel.  These aircraft had the supercharger of the DB 605A and kept the cowling of the original Bf 109 G-6.  Because of the requirement for C3 the landing gear legs were painted red. 

[SafetyDad]

13 hours ago, Ingo Ritz said:

The photo right side of the aircraft posted by Troy Smith above, clearly show the marking for the MW/50 filler point (above the first number 1 in the 11).  So it is most likely that this aircraft was fitted with a DB 605M using the higher octane C3 fuel.  These aircraft had the supercharger of the DB 605A and kept the cowling of the original Bf 109 G-6.  Because of the requirement for C3 the landing gear legs were painted red. 

 

As you say across the pond - every day's a school day!

Thanks!

Although I still maintain that the large wing bulges give some credence to the idea of a wing/undercarriage replacement. It would be interesting to see if we can locate any pictures of other airframes from the W.Nr. 230 000 thru 230 800 batch - it's unlikely that we'll be able to differentiate the coloured legs but it would be useful to see what wing bulge was fitted? 

 

 

SD

[Troy Smith]

On 11/11/2021 at 07:46, SafetyDad said:

However if the entire wing, complete with undercarriage, had been donated from an AS airframe then that would account for the large bumps and the red legs

I cannot recall seeing an AS with large wing bulges.    The images of yellow 11 do not seem to show the larger tyres.   I suspect it a rebuild as documented in the last JaPo book,  

 

"The Bf 109G-6/U4, “Black 29” belonged to the 2./EKG(J) (later 18./EJG 2). The aircraft underwent repair at the Brinker Eisenwerk, Max. H. Müller company in Wunstorf and has been left in Pilsen in May 1945." 

 

the camo pattern is distinctive, and IIRC Black 29 has the large bulges.

 

here's another, with visible werk nummer

 

 

 

the book in question is this

 

https://www.japo.eu/products.php?prod=21

 

 

14 hours ago, Ingo Ritz said:

clearly show the marking for the MW/50 filler point (above the first number 1 in the 11).  So it is most likely that this aircraft was fitted with a DB 605M using the higher octane C3 fuel.  These aircraft had the supercharger of the DB 605A and kept the cowling of the original Bf 109 G-6.  Because of the requirement for C3 the landing gear legs were painted red. 

which makes sense, as this is not usually the case for this type of airframe, so a quick recognition aid is helpful

[SafetyDad]

1 hour ago, Troy Smith said:

 

which makes sense, as this is not usually the case for this type of airframe, so a quick recognition aid is helpful

 

That's well argued there Troy. Agreed.

 

SD

[Ingo Ritz]

The supercharger intake on this aircraft is the type introduced for the later asymmetric cowls, lacking the cutout  on the upper rim for the fuselage beule. 

 

I believe that this is because this machine was of a very late production run of 200 G-6/R2 machines.  All aircraft in this batch were built as tactical reconnaissance fighters during November and December 1944, just three months before German Bf 109 production came to an end.  These aircraft were the last G-6 machines built by WNF, but by the time of their construction the supply chain consisted of late model parts.

 

This would also explain the large upper wing wheel  fairing and the colored navigation lamp covers.