Luftwaffe Kill Markings

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Pips
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Luftwaffe Kill Markings

#1

Post by Pips » 14 Jun 2017, 02:36

Was just browsing through the Luftwaffe Rudder Markings thread viewtopic.php?f=49&t=161979. Excellent photo's.

Am curious why the Germans adopted the 'bar' marking on the rudder, rather than the almost universal national symbol claim marking depicted under the cockpit by other air forces. Even the conservative British adopted that. Anyone know why? Did the Germans, even at the start of the war, realise that their fighter pilots would end up claiming huge numbers? :)

And when did the Germans start painting the national emblem of their enemies on top of the bar markings? There are a number of photo's around showing plain bar markings in the early stages of the war, even though the Germans faced Dutch, Norwegian, French and British opponents. Did it start with the Soviet invasion? A way of differentiating victories over British and Russian? Or earlier with the Greek and Yugoslavia invasions?

Peter
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Re: Luftwaffe Kill Markings

#2

Post by Peter » 21 Jun 2017, 17:25

Recommended reading a Schiffer book "Luftwaffe Rudder Markings 1936-1945" by Karl Ries/Ernst Obermaier. Hundreds of photos of markings.

A random an example of Otto Bertram's rudder markings (III/JG2) from October 1940 shows white victory bars with black lines around the edges and the dates & places painited within the bars which are topped by a French or British roundel to denote nationality of the enemy aircraft.

Wolfgang Falck's BF110 of ZG1 shows a rudder decorated with plain white victory bars on 9 Apr 1940 and one of Helmut Lent (1/ZG76) dated 18 Dec 1939 shows 4 plain white victory bars

One photo is reported to be from 4 Sep 1939 and shows a single rudder victory bar for Alfred Held of II/JG77 and another from Dec 1939 shows Erich Mix's (I/JG53) Bf 109 E with 2 plain white bars.

From memory several of the Battle of Britain books show Bf 109's shot down over the UK were decorated with victory bars.


Peter
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Re: Luftwaffe Kill Markings

#3

Post by Peter » 21 Jun 2017, 17:44

The Motorbuch photo book "Jagdflieger Oberst Werner Mölders" by Obermaier & Held on page 87 shows a photo of the tail of his Bf 109 painted in Legion Kondor markings and with 13 plain white victory bars, so theoretically it was taken after his 13th victory on 31 Oct 1938 and before his 14th on 3 Nov 1938.

Page 103 shows his Bf 109 with 18 plain white victory bars in late May 1940, but by Oct 1940 his 50 plus white bars were decorated with the national emblems above representing those he shot down and the precise dates (page 129).

So the practice of differentiating between nationalities was in use by the Battle of Britain.

I am sure I have seen a May 1940 period photo of a Bf 110 C with two white victory bars topped with the Polish AF badge, I will see if I can find it. Similar to this one on ebay
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Pips
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Re: Luftwaffe Kill Markings

#4

Post by Pips » 27 Jun 2017, 01:57

Cheers for the answers.

Anyone know why the Germans adopted the victory bar on the tail? Rather than the (almost) universal national symbol under the cockpit?

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