The official AHF Luftwaffe quiz thread

[Myron]

Correct! It can also be seen in photo of crash site here:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=112655

Your turn.

[sveahk]

Thanks Myron!
To see a Bf 109 and a FW 190 lift off, you most of the times saw a significant difference when the planes left the ground. Which difference was that?

Hans K

[sveahk]

Ok, I'll try again - when the wheels take off from the ground there's (most of the times) a significant difference between those two aircraft...! Which one?

Hans K

[varjag]

Ok, I'll try again - when the wheels take off from the ground there's (most of the times) a significant difference between those two aircraft...! Which one?

Hans K

First thought - is that while the Me 109 'opened her legs like a seasoned whore' - the Focke-Wulf closed hers - like 'a blushing maiden' ..
Otherwise the Me-pilot had to fight a strong left-swing tendency, compensating with rudder and ailerons which should have been evident in the flight-pattern - whilst the Fw was a rather forgiving ship on takeoff???, Varjag

[sveahk]

I love your flowery language, varjag, and you get the question although it's not quite, quite what I meant.
Fact is, the 109 had to lift its butt before taking off, the 190 didn't have to, it took off with all three wheels at the same time in the air. Ideally speaking of course! Because of this starting angle, FW 190 could test huge bomber propellers with no problem, and Bf 109 couldn't...!

So, your turn!
Hans K

[varjag]

Thank you sveahk, we must always include a little poetry - in the otherwise bone-dry subjects

In October 1944 the Luftwaffe 'took delivery' of a twin-engined fighter from an unexpected quarter....
What aircraft was it and who was it's pilot?, Varjag

[sveahk]

You're most certainly thinking of the one and only Lt. Martin J. Monti, the USAAF deserter who obviously hated the communists so much that he wanted to have a direct go at them, and the only way to do that, he thought, was to join the Germans...

So, he stole this F-5E Lightning at the Pommigliano airport in Italy, and after some navigational confusion came down in Milano, same country, but German held. And as nobody believed his intentions he was put in jail! Which happened to him after the war too, this time in an American jail...I believe he was released sometimes in the seventies.

Hans K

[varjag]

You're most certainly thinking of the one and only Lt. Martin J. Monti, the USAAF deserter who obviously hated the communists so much that he wanted to have a direct go at them, and the only way to do that, he thought, was to join the Germans...

So, he stole this F-5E Lightning at the Pommigliano airport in Italy, and after some navigational confusion came down in Milano, same country, but German held. And as nobody believed his intentions he was put in jail! Which happened to him after the war too, this time in an American jail...I believe he was released sometimes in the seventies.

Hans K

Yep Hans K - it was indeed the infamous Martin Monti - who delivered a battleworthy P-38 to the Germans....

10/13/44 Monti loitered in the hallway at Pomigliano Airport, base
operations, then asked Leading Aircraftsman W.S. King, 1373002, 23 AACU, for
clearance to fly a P-38, model P-38L-I-LO, AAF #44-23725. Monti said he
belonged to the 82nd Fighter Group. Monti filled out the clearance form. His stated
purpose for the flight was purportedly to test an engine.

he was released from jail in 1968,,,,all yours sveahk, Varjag

[sveahk]

A German pilot mastered deflection shooting towards Lufbery circles to perfection.
What was his name?

Hans K

[Myron]

Hauptmann Hans-Joachim Marseille?

[sveahk]

Yes Myron, he was the one who, in northern Africa, could go through the allied defense circles, again and again, and, within minutes, with his deflection shooting take down one plane after the other...!

Your turn!

Hans K

[Myron]

Thanks Hans!


(Photo: Jonas Vannar - http://www.skovheim.org/located/troms/he111/he111.html)

Assuming this He 111 attacked convoy PQ.17 on 4 July 1942, what would the main operational code be?

[sveahk]

This question has been sleeping too long, so I try my hand on it!
Assuming that this He 111 belonged to the "Löwen"-Geschwader, KG 26, which I believe took part in the PQ17 attack as a torpedobomber, well, then the main operational code should be "1H"...
Fingers crossed...

Hans K

[Myron]

No replies and it seemed we got into deep water here...
...and then you delivered the correct answer Hans! Well done!

I./KG 26 is correct and main operational code would have been 1H+.

An impediment to solve this question might have been that the lists of operational flying units are inaccurate in some books; Alfred Price, The Luftwaffe Data Book (1997), E.R. Hooton, Eagle in Flames: The Fall of the Luftwaffe (1997)... In these books I./KG 26 should in July 1942 have been in the Mediterranean and Luftflotte 2, instead of northern Europe and Luftflotte 5.

Your turn Hans!

[sveahk]

Let's see if somebody can figure this one out:

In 1940, during a couple of months, a bunch of Bf 109s flew around with painted over swastikas on their tailfins. Which of course was very unusual...
1. Which unit did those Bf 109s belong to?
2. And most important, how come, what had happened here?

Regards

Hans K