Exact date and location unfortunately currently unknown to me. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)
Exact date and location unfortunately currently unknown to me. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)
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Dornier Do 23
Exact date and location unfortunately currently unknown to me. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)
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Junkers W 34
The aircraft displays the inscription "Ruth" below the cockpit, and the Typenschild [identification plate] can just be recognized on the fuselage, in front of the wing root. Also very evident are the venturi tube on the side of the fuselage and the large Peilrahmen [direction finder loop] on top of the fuselage. Detail enlargement of the photo reveals the faint Luftdienst emblem.
This W 34 seems to be camouflaged in a single shade of green (the RLM 65 on the underside being obscured in the shadow), with what appears to be a darker NACA cowling and propeller blades in RLM 70. Exact date and location currently unknown. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)
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Udet U 12
This U 12 displays the varnished wood colour scheme typical for this aircraft type, and the photo shows the laminated nature of the wooden propeller beautifully. Equally visible are the distinctive enlarged vertical tail surfaces characteristic for all but the first few U 12 aircraft built. Exact date and location currently unknown. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)
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Indulgent Retrospection: Tante Ju - Alles über die Ju 52
Bruno Lange, Verlag Dieter Hoffmann, Mainz, Germany, 1976, ISBN 3-87341-019-2. Illustrated, softcover, published in German & English.
Cover image © by Verlag Dieter Hoffmann, 1976.
Bruno Lange's Tante Ju - Alles über die Ju 52 [Aunt Ju - Everything On The Ju 52] was a compact little bilingual compendium of essential information on the iconic Junkers Ju 52 transport. In spite of its rather limited page-count and dimensions (111 pages, 19 x 14 cm), it was actually a fairly comprehensive summary of elemental facts on what was arguably Germany's most important civilian and military transport of the 1919 to 1945 era. Moreover, Lange's small book was a manifestation of a wider shift from a somewhat cursorily – at times even simply sensationalist – coverage of vintage German aircraft to a reliance on original documents and far more thorough research. Some of the other protagonists who spearheaded this shift at the time have often been mentioned in entries featured in this blog: Karl R. Pawlas, Heinz Redemann, Heinz Birkholz, Karl Kössler, and numerous others.
Much like Heinz Birkholz's publications at the time, Tante Ju - Alles über die Ju 52 features both German and English text, which makes it appealing to an audience far beyond German-speaking countries. Lange begins his documentation with an account of the Ju 52's development history, including a section on the early single-engine version of the aircraft. And even this short section on the single-engine Ju 52 is quite detailed; Lange lists eight subtypes with dedicated brief descriptions. The text then covers the subsequent Ju 52/3m (again with a surprisingly extensive list of subtypes), details on the export of the aircraft, special flights, and accidents.
Lange continues with details regarding the bomber and transport versions of the Ju 52 and then sheds light on the engines and airscrews utilized by the aircraft. Once again, both of these chapters feature lists and descriptions of the relevant aircraft and engine subtypes. The 67-page text section of the small book then concludes with a look at further developments of the Ju 52 and the (then) surviving examples of the aircraft.
The second part of Tante Ju - Alles über die Ju 52, comprising another 44 pages, contains a collection of often exceptional photos (with brief captions) and reproductions of period documents that serves to illustrate some of the points of the preceding text. These photos remain interesting even now, 44 years after the publication of Lange's book.
All in all, Bruno Lange created a competent, condensed, and handy primer on the Ju 52; it could be viewed as an initial gateway to a more serious study of the aircraft. If one used Tante Ju - Alles über die Ju 52 in concert with, for example, Karl Kössler's equally condensed and competent Transporter - wer kennt sie schon!, also published in 1976, it was indeed possible to quickly gain a proficient basic understanding of the development and operational use of the Ju 52.
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Junkers W 34
Unfortunately, both angle and lighting conditions make it difficult to discern any defining details regarding this particular aircraft. The distant background seems to be shrouded by a haze, which, along with the apparently wet tyres of the aircraft, might indicate that the scene occurred in autumn. Of further note is the distinctively large direction finder loop on top of the fuselage. Exact date and location unknown. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)
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Siebel Fh 104
The aircraft appears to be camouflaged either in low-contrast standard 71/70/65 or in 71/65. Unfortunately, no other distinctive features or emblems are visible that would allow for further identification.
Sections of the photo were heavily damaged and have been restored. Exact date and location currently unknown. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)
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Klemm Kl 35
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Indulgent Retrospection: Die Giganten. Me 321-Me 323
[Full title: Die Giganten. Me 321-Me 323. Eine Dokumentation von Karl R. Pawlas] Karl R. Pawlas, Publizistisches Archiv Karl R. Pawlas, Nuremberg, Germany, 1975, Luftfahrt Monografie LS 3. Illustrated, softcover, published in German.
Cover image © by Publizistisches Archiv Karl R. Pawlas, 1975.
As previously mentioned in my review regarding Karl R. Pawlas' pioneering compendium about the Arado Ar 234, Pawlas established his Publizistisches Archiv publishing house in order to make use of a significant collection of original aviation documents, with a main focus on German aviation. The publications thus released were – and remain – an abundant treasure trove of detailed information and rare photos.
Pawlas'Die Giganten. Me 321-Me 323 is no exception, of course. The wealth of in-depth content provided by this physically somewhat small book is astounding; it served to both shed light on numerous little known aspects of Messerschmitt's giant Me 321/Me 323 transports, and, in some cases, correct previous misinformation. Other books on the Me 321/Me 323 have of course been published in the many years since Pawlas's Die Giganten first appeared, and yet it is testimony to its thorough and professional approach that it still remains a relevant and extremely precious reference.
The result of 15 years of document collection, Die Giganten contains 336 printed pages which provide 394 photos and 34 drawings, in a format of 21 by 15 cm. Pawlas methodology is obvious right from the start, as the book remarkably begins with a list of original period sources consulted in its gestation, something other authors would customarily place in the closing appendices of their books.
Pawlas then delves more conventionally into the design, development, and testing of the Me 321 transport glider, also listing details regarding the individual prototypes. This is complemented by a 1943 report on the production of the aircraft in Leipheim. In a following brief chapter, it becomes apparent that thoughts to motorize the Me 321 also included the serious proposal to fit the aircraft with 12 Argus pulsejets (!), in combination with Walter RATO units.
The next 80 pages detail the manufacturing process of the Me 321. Almost the entire chapter consists of photos, some of which revealing incredibly enlightening minutiae. Further heavily illustrated chapters show Me 321 cargo loading, take-off, and towing procedures. The content then moves to the development, production, and utilization of the Me 323, the powered transport version of the Me 321. These chapters are again enhanced with photos and facsimile documents. Pawlas also provides detailed information regarding the individual subtypes of the Me 323, the armament carried by both the Me 321 and Me 323, the Me 323 Waffenträger [weapons carrier] version, and plans for further development of the Me 323. All of this is, again, opulently illustrated.
This truly excellent source of information on Messerschmitt's intriguing aircraft was the third installment of a small series by Publizistisches Archiv Karl R. Pawlas on German transport gilders. The first publication, Luftfahrt Monografie LS 1, focused on the DFS 230 and DFS 331, the second one, Luftfahrt Monografie LS 2, provided information on the Gotha Go 242, Go 244, Go 345, P 39, and Kalkert Ka 430. And all three of these books still are indispensable additions to any serious library on this topic.
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Henschel Hs 126
Parked in the background is Focke-Wulf Fw 58 trainer, transport, and liaison aircraft ??+FD. Exact date and location unknown. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)
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Junkers G 38
The windows of the G 38's unusual wing leading edge passenger cabins can easily be recognized. The aircraft is secured to the ground, and a canvas cover protects the cockpit windows.
G 38 D-APIS was later used as a Luftwaffe transport (then registered GF+GG) in Norway and Greece. It was destroyed on 17 May 1941, in Athens-Tatoi. Exact date photo was taken is currently unknown to me. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)
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Embleme der Luftwaffe – Band 1
[Full title: Embleme der Luftwaffe – Band 1: Nah- und Fernaufklärer] Axel Urbanke, Peter Petrick, Gerhard Stemmer & Ulf Balke, Luftfahrtverlag Start, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany, 2018, ISBN 978-3-941437-30-2. Illustrated, hardcover, published in German & English.
Cover image © by Luftfahrtverlag Start, 2018.
It is likely that this book does not even need a review.
Nor do publisher and author require an introduction, for that matter. For almost two decades, Axel Urbanke and his Luftfahrtverlag Start have created invaluable specialist publications on German military history of the 1939 to 1945 period. Far from simply rehashing previously known material, Luftfahrtverlag Start has thankfully focused on discovering, collecting, and expertly interpreting previously unseen images and, if possible, placing them within a wider context. Moreover, Luftfahrtverlag Start is a publishing house that embraces corrections and amendments to their own published products, routinely featuring such in subsequent publications. In short, this publisher follows an exemplary manner of procedure that should serve as a shining example for others.
Against this background, a team of renowned experts comprising Axel Urbanke, Peter Petrick, Gerhard Stemmer, and Ulf Balke launched, in 2018, a new book series on one of the most fascinating aspects of the former German Luftwaffe: the countless and often peculiar emblems seen on so many aircraft of the service. And precisely because the scope of the topic is almost limitless, the authors are subdividing the instalments of their chronicle in accordance with specific fields of operations. According to the statement on the publisher's website, it is the intention to thus eventually create the most comprehensive guide to the emblems of the Luftwaffe, based on some 20 years of research. Given this initial release, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, it is easy to imagine that they will actually be able accomplish exactly this.
The first book of the series, Embleme der Luftwaffe – Band 1: Nah- und Fernaufklärer [Emblems Of The Luftwaffe – Volume 1: Short And Long-Range Reconnaissance Aircraft], therefore puts the spotlight on photo and weather reconnaissance units. One may be forgiven for thinking that this amounts to a few fringe units, but in actual fact, the resulting book is a substantial publication, at 320 pages, 412 photos, and a format of 24 by 30 cm. The book features an abundance of material, some of which previously unseen. It has been compiled in a clear, pleasing, and well-structured layout, as has become one of the hallmarks of Luftfahrtverlag Start. The emblems are presented by means of drawings (in black & white and colour), photos (also in black & white and colour), and bilingual text (German/English). Occasional colour profiles are interspersed. The text briefly but concisely describes the units and, if any, relevant facts regarding the emblem depicted. The photo reproduction, crucially important given the topic, is crisp and delightfully large.
There really isn't more one could say about this publication, other than that it further underlines the excellent reputation of its authors and publisher. It is a priceless work of reference that, assuming the future completion of the planned series, truly has the potential to supplant all previous studies of this subject area. What a beautiful, beautiful book.
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Gotha Go 145
The Go 145 was designed by Albert Kalkert (subsequently of Go 242, Go 244, and Ka 430 fame) and powered by an Argus As 10 C engine. It remained operational with the Luftwaffe from the mid-1930s until the end of the war. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)
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Edmund Schneider ESG 29 / Grunau 9
Detailed examination of the airframe reveals Olympic rings on the vertical tail, signifying the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. According to the sketchy information available to me, this photo was taken in Neudorf/Oppeln, Silesia, in summer of 1939 (but an earlier year is possible). The pilot's fate is unknown to me. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)
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STANAVO Handbuch für Flieger
Far from simply being an advertising stunt, the softcover Handbuch für Flieger comprised of 128 pages of concise information regarding all aspects of flying. As can be seen on the cover, the booklet consisted of eight chapters: "The Aircraft", "Fuels And Oils", "Flying Nationally And Abroad", "Sailplanes", "Navigation In The Air", "Weather", "Standard And Aviation", and "Tables And Information". The 21 by 14 cm booklet was illustrated throughout (drawings and photos) and provided densely written text that sometimes went into quite some detail, such as in the case of operation of aero engines and causes of engine defects, or adjustment of the aircraft's compass, to name but two examples. Moreover, the chapter on sailplanes makes use of information penned by legendary sailplane designer and pilot Wolf Hirth.
Tables, graphs, and mathematical formulae were included liberally, which undoubtedly served to make this booklet a versatile and conveniently sized learning aid for any student flyer. My copy of the Handbuch für Flieger has apparently been used exactly as such at the time; the original owner has left notes and annotations written by pencil on countless pages.
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Arado Ar 66
The fuselage panel between the cowling of Argus As 10 C engine and the transition to the fabric-covered, welded steel tube rear fuselage is noticeably brighter (painted?) than the surrounding fuselage. Moreover, there appears to be a bright fuselage band immediately aft of the Balkenkreuz. Unfortunately, further information regarding this photo is currently lacking. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)
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Bücker Bü 181
Camouflage seems to be standard 71/70/65; the underside of the wing tips appears to be painted yellow. Of note is the school's large emblem below the aircraft's windscreen. Exact date and location currently unknown. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection; with profound gratitude to Göran Larsson, Chris Simmonds, and Eric Guillaume at luftwaffe-research-group.org for contributing information regarding this aircraft's identity)
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Der Feldflugplatz Brunnthal
[Full title: Der Feldflugplatz Brunnthal. Ausweich- und Schattenplatz der Luftwaffe 1944-1945] Norbert Loy, Verlag Veit Scherzer, Bayreuth, Germany, 2016, ISBN 978-3-938845-64-6. Illustrated, hardcover, published in German and English.
Cover image © by Norbert Loy/Verlag Veit Scherzer, 2016.
Many years ago, in what now seems like another life, I was romantically involved with a German woman who lived outside of Munich, in a village south of the Hofoldinger forest. I therefore made numerous return trips between Munich and her home on what is now the southbound Bundesautobahn 8 [German federal motorway 8] and once was the Reichsautobahn [Reich motorway] Munich to Salzburg.
None of these trips was ever ordinary to me, for a reason. In spite of the fact that the modern Bundesautobahn has been massively expanded with regard to infrastructure and width when compared to the original configuration of the 1930s and 40s, it still passes the hamlet of Brunnthal in a perfectly straight routeing and, north and south of the hamlet, is still flanked by woods. It is thus easy even today to imagine Luftwaffe aircraft hidden between the trees just beyond the shoulder of the Autobahn and using this very motorway for take-offs and landings. For the fields and the Reichsautobahn around Brunnthal served as an improvised auxiliary airfield during the last, desperate months of the war.
Numerous photos have been printed here and there throughout the years of Luftwaffe bombers, destroyers, nightfighters, and jets either concealed in the forest next to the motorway or on the immediate post-war aircraft scrapyard that Brunnthal airfield became after the cessation of hostilities. Some of these pictures were properly identified. But many weren't, and the story behind them, more often than not, was either told in mere fragments or left to misinformation or even obscurity. It is far easier to bemoan this situation, however, than to actually research the history of the Brunnthal airfield and collect the vast and widely scattered photographic evidence in order to compile a chronicle and properly integrate and connect all these pieces of the puzzle. Thankfully, local historian Norbert Loy has undertaken the effort, and the result is magnificent.
We had to wait for years for this beautiful book to appear. There were glimpses at photos and information in various publications, for decades. David E. Brown had written about some of the aircraft found at Brunnthal on an online specialist discussion forum in 2008, for example. And Norbert Loy himself published a comprehensive article on Brunnthal airfield and its few months of operations in German magazine Jet & Prop 4/2010. The information and photos provided therein were extraordinarily interesting. A footnote at the end of Loy's article announced the forthcoming publication of a full book of the author's findings. Given the article's content, it was clear that this had the potential to become an important and deeply intriguing work.
But years passed, and nothing happened. In fact, an initial announcement of the book subsequently disappeared again, indicating, perhaps, that it actually might never see publication. But in 2016, Loy finally released the results of his comprehensive research, under the title of Der Feldflugplatz Brunnthal. Ausweich- und Schattenplatz der Luftwaffe 1944-1945 [Brunnthal Airfield. Auxiliary And Shadow Field Of The Luftwaffe 1944-1945]. It is quite a massive book, at 392 pages and a format of 23 x 28 x 5 (!) cm, with 40 colour photos, 178 black & white photos, plus uncounted facsimile documents, colour profiles, listings/charts, and maps. Moreover, the book is thankfully published with both German and English text, a decision that should be applauded.
Loy's publication is indispensable for anybody seriously interested in late-war Luftwaffe aircraft and activities. Although new information regarding the Brunnthal airfield occasionally continues to surface (and the book's existence actually serves as one of the catalysts in this regard), Der Feldflugplatz Brunnthal is without question a requisite benchmark publication. Loy has structured the book very methodically. He commences with the establishment of the airfield in may/June 1944 and then details various components of the airfield's operations, such as anti aircraft installations, local aircraft maintenance, or the use of the Autobahn as one of the airstrips. All of this is expanded upon by means of recollections by period eyewitnesses, interspersed throughout the book.
Loy also makes extensive use of US sources regarding the discovery of the airfield and the resulting attacks on it. These operations form a significant and essential part of the narrative and serve to complete the understanding of the airfield's day to day subsistence. Allied wartime aerial reconnaissance photos of Brunnthal are analyzed and captioned in detail, which helps the reader to further visualise the relevant contents of the very detailed text.
But perhaps the most interesting part of the book, at least from the vantage point of this blog's author, is the collection and examination of all available photographic material in order to provide an exhaustive overview of all Luftwaffe aircraft that were located at Brunnthal airfield at the end of the war. This is the book's most substantial and most fascinating section. The mixture of aircraft types assembled at this rather makeshift auxiliary airfield is astounding, regardless of whether these aircraft had still flown active missions or arrived there by way of retreat from Allied troops advancing on other airfields. Quite a number of these aircraft were subsequently intentionally destroyed as Germany surrendered.
Loy identifies 57 different aircraft and attempts to put them into proper context, if possible, using markings, Werknummern, wreckage, and other evidence. There is the enormous Junkers Ju 290 A-7 9V+AB, for example, photos of which have appeared in a variety of past publications. There are various Junkers Ju 88 G-6 and Messerschmitt Bf 110 G-4 nightfighters, due to their equipment among the most modern aircraft in existence at the time. There are large and small transports, such as Siebel Si 204s and Ju 52s, there are Heinkel He 111 and Junkers Ju 88 A bombers, as well as Messerschmitt Me 410s, Junkers Ju 188s, and Junkers Ju 87s. And, perhaps most intriguing, there are numerous Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighters and individual Jumo 004 jet engines.
Many of these aircraft are documented with as many photos as Loy could find, and these photos are fortunately often reproduced across full pages or even double-page spreads. Photo reproduction, on matte paper, is quite good. It must be repeated here, this book's photographic content is spectacular for any student of this topic. The final part of Loy's work provides a glossary of aircraft unit codes, a number of very nice colour profiles, further facsimile documents, flight logs, and colour photos of surviving artefacts recovered on site.
This is truly a book that cannot be recommended highly enough. It is a near inexhaustible source of diligently and internationally researched and appealingly presented material. The author must be commended for the immense effort he put into this publication. Upon seeing the scope of this book, it is easy to understand the delay in its publication. The waiting time was undoubtedly worth it.
Post script: Loy followed the publication of his book with a further article in Jet & Prop 2/2017, this time focusing solely on the Me 262 jet fighters found at Brunnthal at war's end.
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Klemm Kl 31
D-IGOL was assigned to the DLV [Deutscher Luftsportverband, i.e., German Air Sports Association] and, accordingly, subsequently to the NSFK [Nationalsozialistisches Fliegerkorps, i.e., National Socialist Flyers Corps].
The two buildings in the background make it possible to identify Stuttgart-Böblingen airfield (Klemm's headquarters) as the location where this photo was taken: the structure on the right is the older Werft hangar, the building to the left is the newer Flugzeughalle hangar, completed in 1929. Exact date currently unknown. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)
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Junkers F 13
Making its maiden flight on 25 June 1919, the Junkers F 13 was the world's first all-metal passenger transport, building on Hugo Junkers' previous pioneering experience in all-metal aircraft construction. Four passengers and two crew constituted the F 13's normal maximum operational capacity. The aircraft was fitted with both upholstered and wicker seats, and the cabin featured tentative early luxuries such as internal lighting and heating.
Note aircraft's corrugated duralumin skin, laminated wooden propeller, boarding step below cabin door, pitot tube below cockpit, and mast-mounted venturi tube above fuselage. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)
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Heinkel HD 42 / He 42
The HD 42 was powered by a Junkers L 5 Ga inline engine. Note that the underside of the tips of BB+P?'s upper wing are painted in a darker colour. Exact date and location unknown. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)
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