ANybody know where this FW190 was

fisher972002 · 12-10-2007, 12:13 PM

Hi all,
My Grandfather was in the 5th Armored Division, 85th Reconnaissance Cavalry Squadron Mechanized. They trekked across northern Germany, starting near Mulhausen, then to DUsseldorf, Hannover, pic of the autobahn then across eventually stopping at the River Elbe and stopping west of Berlin. I have a photo of him next to a ****e Wolf FW 190, Looks like an A not a D. Does anybody know where this photo might have been taken as far as what area the airplane flew?
Here is alink to the path taken by the 5th AD.
http://www.5ad.org/5ADmap.html

Thanks for your time.

ccheese · 12-10-2007, 12:15 PM

I'm sure Erich or Wurger will try to track this for you.

Good pic, tho...

Charles

Erich · 12-10-2007, 01:00 PM

late war Fw 190A-8 or A-9 from II./JG 301, note the red horizontal gruppe bar over the yellow/red band. this was my cousins gruppe Fisher

of note all the armament has been removed, the upper cowling mg 131's the inboard and outboard 20mms as well. Most likely an A-8 but the A-9's.....some of them when not flying high escort duties with US P-51's also had the outboard 20mm's installed. wish we could see a number on the fuselage.

a very historical and beautiful photo Fisher...........thank you for sharing as JG 301 late war 190's are few in number, usual shot up, or beaten up wrecks

I may just send you a private, and yes it is Röte 22 of 6./JG 301 at Langensalza

E `

Njaco · 12-10-2007, 01:02 PM

I think Erich would definately know because it looks like a machine from JG 301 maybe IV./JG 301. The colored Defense Reich bands might be the colors for that Gruppe.

If so then maybe track which airfield they were based. Any idea of the date?

Njaco · 12-10-2007, 01:02 PM

Erich yu beat me too it!!!

DerAdlerIstGelandet · 12-10-2007, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fisher972002

Hi all,
My Grandfather was in the 5th Armored Division, 85th Reconnaissance Cavalry Squadron Mechanized. They trekked across northern Germany, starting near Mulhausen, then to DUsseldorf, Hannover, pic of the autobahn then across eventually stopping at the River Elbe and stopping west of Berlin. I have a photo of him next to a ****e Wolf FW 190, Looks like an A not a D. Does anybody know where this photo might have been taken as far as what area the airplane flew?
Here is alink to the path taken by the 5th AD.
http://www.5ad.org/5ADmap.html

Thanks for your time.

You know its Focke-Wulf not ****e Wolf....

Sorry I am just giving you a hard time. Welcome to the forum.

Erich might be able to help you out but as for what area the airplane flew in, that was all of Europe my friend and all over Germany.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Njaco

Erich yu beat me too it!!!

Yeah he beat me to it as well....

Erich · 12-10-2007, 01:07 PM

sorry guys I was in a middle of an edit looking at pics of both sides of the bird and it's camo which gave it confirmation.

JG 301 surrender or left it's a/c all over Germany some of which in the strangest places as indeed some a/c were captured by the Soviets

and Fisher what will be around this Fw 190 will be many Blue-white Ju 88G-6 night fighters, Langensalza was a homing production airfield for the Junkers Ju 88G-6, and large enough airfield for many Lw a/c pilots to drop their a/c down and surrender them or have them maintained and just left in the chaos of wars end. In your photos that you want to enlarge and colorize please post however large or small some of the Junkers from this field if they are in your possession. I have quite a few from this time period and field from a photo collector so some other originals to be seen would be wonderful by all..........If I can help further please ask.

fisher972002 · 12-10-2007, 01:15 PM

Gees,
Thanks for all the information guys...It's a black and white picture, I can't really see the yellow stripe.. I see the red stripe, is the yellob in front of it going vertically...

The Date, well It has to be Early 1945. I know because he was in France/Lux in fall of 1944, participated in the sigfried Line piercing on Sept 14th, 1944, he was one of the first soldiers in Germany.. THen they moved North through Belgium, this was post Bulge, There are other pictures, one of Hannover and the autobahn with this picture.

I know his Company D of hte 85th Recon Cavalry Squad Mechanized was in Belgium in March 1945, I have a photo of that that he marked.. So they left Belgium March and went across northern Germany stopping at the river Elbe west of Berlin..

I have a picture of him next to a P51 but I'll bet that was in England Pre-D-day and him in the passenger side of a B17, pretty cool..So based on the grass and such I would say since he was in a reconnaissance patrol unit, they were separate from the rest of the division and on their own, since only 4 of the original 24 guys survived the war, after hte Bulge they were a pretty small unit and I would guess this pictures was taken after March 1945 and could be anytime before June/July 1945?

Erich · 12-10-2007, 01:21 PM

am not sure about early 45 on that Fisher as the armored division is there with plenty of Sherman tanks. the Ju 88G-6 night fighters are all over the field and in one case of one photo which you may or may not have shows at least 4-5 night fighters sitting on each others noses and rears in a line with 2-3 Shermans in front of them and a bunch of GI's milling over the Ju 88's. A while later but not too long one of the ETO P-61 squadrons was based there as well and used the field for operations once the Ju 88G-6's were dumped off the field and torn to pieces and burned squashed into a big debris pile(s).

I am talking about a horizontal red band which goes over the middle of the redband facing the tail and the yellow band before it. yes it is a black and white pic but take my word as truth on this please as I know of what I say, my cousin flew in 5./JG 301 and his personal numbered machine was white 2. this is red 22 of 6th staffel

fisher972002 · 12-10-2007, 01:21 PM

you guys know your stuff.. Thanks...

Here are the pictures of him in the co-pilot seat of a B 17 Flying Fortress. and a pic of him next to a Mustang...

I wonder if these pictures were taken in England.. Were there B 17 bases in France or P 51 bases in France??

fisher972002 · 12-10-2007, 01:24 PM

Thanks for the info Erich.
Legansalza is in Central Germany it looks like, So I would bet this plane was maybe based there and landed in Northern Germany where the 85th Recon Cavalry would have ran across it in the field.

fisher972002 · 12-10-2007, 01:35 PM

OK Erich,
I am not questioning you , I just couldn's see where you said the yellow stripe is.. OK, I'm onboard with you now....

I know that the 85th Recon according to My Grandfather's notes/memoirs, they had the M8 armored 6 wheel armored car, Those things were flimbsy and would be destroyed by a mine he said, can you imagine.. Lots of those M8 Greyhounds were destroyed... One story a German 88 Shot one, it was supposed to be his car.. He had a fresh soldier in their 3 man crew. He jammed the gun on that M8 because he didn't unload the leather bad that held the spent shells..

SO my Grandpa being the radio man, pulled the car over.. They unstuck the gun, got back in line.. The M8 that took his place in front, they went down the road a few hundred feet and around the corner an 88 anti aircraft gun shot the lead car, he said there was nothing left except some melted metal and a few rims.... He had many close calls like that...

He wrote that they had the M8 all the way until January.. Then in Early january 1945 their unit was equipped with a light tank.. I'm not sure if it was a sherman tank...

Here is a picture of his M8.. This was taken in Mulhausen, Germany Fall 1944.

fisher972002 · 12-10-2007, 01:37 PM

And here is the light tank they used.. His notes say their outfit received the heavier better tank to better guard against land mines that were blowing up and killing soldiers in the thin metal floored M8. The tanks were received after Jan, so I don't know if that helps date the aircraft picture?
Does anybody know what kind of tank this is?

fisher972002 · 12-10-2007, 01:45 PM

Wow,
SO you recognize the airfield, it is Legansalza where you have pictures of JU 88's? I'll have to check through the rest of his pictures, I know there were pictures of the AutoBahn in Hannover, and a few German tanks they are sitting on, I don't think there are anymore airplane pictures, but he has lots of pictures, I think there is one of a ME 262 Jet they found in the woods, I'll have to check the next time I am at my Grandma's house.

Erich · 12-10-2007, 02:17 PM

if you would bring any other pics to the site then that would be great.

~ ok I'll try to make this more clear to you and others. Langensalza was a satellite field and not a main Lw airfield except for a holding area. I think due to all the factory like holding buildings here this was a Ju 88G-6 night fighter holding area where the Junkers were marked and tested before being sent to their night fighter groups, because none of the Ju 88G-6 had the field codes of the night fighter wings applied.

~ the pilot of red 22 the Fw 190A-8? landed here and probably ran off before the end of the war. no-one else thought about taking it back to the JG 301 unit because most probably a lack of necessary fuels and this was the case of the Ju 88G-6's there as well as other found fighters and bombers at this very large airfield testing ground.

hows that for an explanation ?