Jump to content

A couple of Luftwaffe tunics


ahrtal

Recommended Posts

Have had these for years.  One is a Waffenrock for flying personnel.  Has a few moth holes.  Boards seem sloppily applied; it's possibly period done.  Color matches perfectly the rest of the tunic, so I think it was period. Tabs each need one more gull.  Looks like room was made, but never applied.  Nice bright stamps, and is early as it has the waffenfarbe collar piping.  Guess, all in all, not a bad representative.

The second one is a standard Tuchrock for an artillery man.  Again, some mothing.  Eagle has been resewn.  Believe it to be postwar.  Also has the waffenfarbe piping around the collar.  Inside it has the unit markings, so that is a plus.  The maker stamp is difficult to read.  The gulls were moved at some time; looks to have been done to make them centered properly.  Seems to have two remnants of medal loops.  One is for a horizontal pin.  The sleeves have been professionally shortened, and by the lay of the cuffs was done for this artillery man.  

IMG_2107.JPG

IMG_2108.JPG

IMG_2109.JPG

IMG_2110.JPG

IMG_2111.JPG

IMG_2112.JPG

IMG_2113.JPG

IMG_2114.JPG

IMG_2115.JPG

IMG_2116.JPG

IMG_2117.JPG

IMG_2120.JPG

IMG_2121.JPG

IMG_2122.JPG

IMG_2124.JPG

IMG_2125.JPG

IMG_2126.JPG

IMG_2127.JPG

IMG_2129.JPG

IMG_2133.JPG

IMG_2135.JPG

IMG_2137.JPG

IMG_2139.JPG

IMG_2140.JPG

IMG_2141.JPG

IMG_2142.JPG

IMG_2143.JPG

IMG_2144.JPG

IMG_2146.JPG

IMG_2147.JPG

IMG_2148.JPG

IMG_2150.JPG

IMG_2151.JPG

IMG_2153.JPG

IMG_2156.JPG

IMG_2158.JPG

IMG_2162.JPG

IMG_2163.JPG

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lovely presentable items.....for a collection, but in the UK we still as always Remember "The Few"...British, South African, Australian, Polish.(Mad as Hell- Brilliant) and all the other Battle of Britain Pilot's that ......blew the Luftwaffe out of the skies and chased them back to their bases in France, Belgium and Holland...Still with their finger on the button to destroy them all....We Remember You All.....!!!

battle of britain spitfires in action.jpg

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

But also never forgetting "The Little Friends" the absolute Bravery of P51 Mustangs, P47 and many more,,,,who escorted the bomber crews into Germany during the RAF nighttime raids and the USAAF 8th Air force daylight raids into Germany, these were hazardous, dangerous and over 155, 000 US aircrew Never Came Back!

   This account is written by me and over 100 more chapters on www.edenbridgetown.com    soon. This is part of my story...Thank You all for reading it....any comments would be very much appreciated...                      

sorry I cannot download the images to go with this account...!

The Precious “Little Friends”  27/ 14 9 14

 

These losses were horrendous and mounting all the time, something certainly had to be done to halt this terrible aerial carnage with thousands of bombers being torn from the skies to crash in occupied territory or  kill those all aboard, or those that were fortunate to parachute to earth. Only short range fighter cover was provided to accompany the bombers across the North sea, these were affectionately called “Little Friends” by the American bomber crews, and as mainland Europe came into sight the escorts for the bombers returned to their bases in England, due to the lack of fuel.

From then on the bombers flew alone and unprotected, having to face the fury and onslaught from the merciless Luftwaffe fighters, which shot down incredible amounts of them on each and every mission.

 

 

 

 

German fighters looking-out for bombers                  Enemy plane attacks a B17

 

The journey from their bases to target, depending how far into Germany they would have to fly could take up to 6 hours or more, the same time was calculated to make the return flight. For the majority of bombers the German fighters would be waiting to attack them again on their return journey back to their English bases, and safety.

It became imperative for the Air Ministry to cut these phenomenal losses by providing fighter escorts to accompany the bombers all the way to the target and back.

For every 1, 000 bomber raid into Germany it would need 700 fighter escorts to protect them, the total men involved in these missions came to a staggering 10, 700 air crew needed on any and every operation, as long as the bomber offensive lasted.

Hence the importance of fighter protection was now paramount for the safety of the bomber crews and aircraft, every mission from then on would now have an array of fighter escorts to support and protect them, for the duration of the war.

It was 600 miles to reach Berlin from bases in England, flying on a plotted course across the North sea, over the tip of Denmark then Southwards to the allotted targets in Germany, the return trip was the same, so the round trip home was in excess of 1, 200 miles, with many long exhausting, fearful hours in the air until they hopefully reached home.

The Spitfire, Hurricane, P 47 Thunderbolt, P 38 Lightning, and the Hawker Typhoon were all used as short range bomber escorts, when long-range “slipper” or drop tanks were introduced and fitted, they could only give an extended range of an extra 300 miles, but it was still not enough to escort the bombers to Berlin or deeper into Germany, then to return back home.

But when the P 51-B Mustang made its appearance in the skies it would eventually, with its pilots become legends and champions to the bombers and crews they protected.

 P 51’s ready and alert to protect the bombers                                                                                                     P 51 Mustangs being re-armed...ready for aerial battle!

 

When fitted with a full combination of fuel tanks, which composed of the normal tanks capacity of 84 gallons, plus 132 gallons in fuel tanks along the wings leading edge, then another 90 gallons “slipper” drop tank, gave a total of 306 gallons of fuel, its capability as escorts became phenomenal, the distance and duration of flight could take it to over 2, 000 miles, well into Germany escorting the bombers, and back home again.

This magnificent fighter of the air would also become the ultimate fighter escort to the bombers, and of the Second World War, in every battle arena that it flew in. 

The P 51-B was fitted with a Packard V-1650-3 Rolls-Royce Merlin 1595 hp engine, with four wing mounted 0.50 in caliber Browning machine-guns. With a top speed of 440 mph at 30, 000 feet, and an incredible ceiling of 41, 800 feet, it could out-perform and out manoeuvre most if not all German fighters. Late in 1944 the P 51-D was introduced, with a few changes, it armaments changed to six 0.50 calibre Browning machine-guns.

The bomber crews were completely confident with their P 51 escorts that were protecting them, with its superb handling, high performance, and devastating fire power, the Brave and Heroic Mustang pilots would give all the cover the bombers needed to accomplish their missions far into Germany.

 

Some of these Brave pilots that flew the legendary P 51 Mustangs were…

Don Blakeslee,

Steve Ananian.

Bob Irion,

Larry Powell

Bill Lyons

Ken Mille,

Bob Garlich

Bud Fortier

Frank Gerrard

To name but a few of the most, Distinguished, Heroic, Mustang pilots that ever flew in combat missions during the Second World War.

All the P 51 Mustang pilots endured long tiring flights on escort duty for the duration of the journey involved, it would be the same 6 hours approximately to get to the target and the return home another 6 hours…12 or more hours in the air, constantly watching for enemy fighters, engaging in ferocious battles with them, protecting the bombers.

Just as with the bomber crews, the P 51 pilots suffered from the intense cold, it became a dangerous enemy to all of them, flying to heights in excess of 25, 000 to 30, 000 feet, to accompany the bombers, the outside temperature was – 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and only a few more degrees warmer inside their cockpits!

Throughout the duration of the mission the pilot was constantly looking around through the perspex cockpit for enemy fighters, they could come in any direction at any time.

Fatigue was a common problem and self-discipline was needed to keep awake and concentrate, to be alert and always ready for any situation that could develop, if lost for a matter of seconds it would prove fatal as enemy fighters would be approaching the P 51’s in tenths of a second or less, if they spotted him, he would be blasted from the skies.

All these very tense moments would be with them all the way to target and the return back home. 

The P 51 pilots had unbelievable confidence in the air and would always attack the enemy first for fear that an enemy fighter should get through their own defenses, and attack the bombers.

Their incredible calculations during aerial battles were simply amazing, the same as the pilots during the “Battle of Britain” had to do in attacking enemy aircraft, it was critical that they should think fast, act fast, and spontaneously manoeuvered their fighter within tenths of a second…for their attack speed was around 400 mph, which was calculated to be an approach speed of 600 feet per second, as they closed in on the enemy plane and began to firing their deadly machine guns.

Such was the Heroism of the P 51 fighter escorts in their duty of protecting the bombers.

The tide of the air war was now turning in favour of the Allies, for every 1, 000 bomber raid that flew to the heart of Germany was now fully protected by 700, P 51 Mustang fighter escorts.

The bombers could now deliver the “Hammer Blow” to the cities of the Third Reich that C-in-C, Arthur Harris ordered, virtually unopposed by enemy fighters.

On 14th January 1945, as the war neared its end, P 51 Mustang pilots shot down 161 enemy planes over Germany, their skills were even more incredible when on 16th April over 700 Luftwaffe aircraft were destroyed, in what the pilots described as a “Turkey Shoot”.

Ground attacks or “On the Deck” strafing were highly dangerous for the P 51 pilots, as all possible targets were attacked, trains, convoys, vehicles, troops, tanks, buildings, and airfields, but for every P 51 shot down by enemy fighters, 5 were shot down by anti-aircraft ground fire.

       Enemy planes destroyed by P 51’s

 

The escort fighters or “Little Friends” became the life force for those they protected, not only killing the enemy, but destroying hundreds of enemy planes.

The Luftwaffe had nearly been defeated, the thousands of aerial battles that had been fought over the years had been ferocious and deadly, the losses of bombers horrendous, the pilots and crews killed horrific, the thousands of aircrew captured to become P.O.W.’s was a disaster, but the rewards greater as now the combined Allied Air Forces were “Masters of the Skies over Europe”.

Field Marshal Hermann Goring, an ardent Nazi, a braggart, full of arrogance, a despicable boaster, full of self-importance, and pitiful, would soon be stripped of everything as he was now a pathetic figure and prisoner of the Allies. Founder and head of the two most hated groups ever to walk this earth…the Gestapo and the S.S.

With Hitler at the very beginning, he would be with him to the very end, as the downfall of the supposed “Glorious Third Reich of a Thousand Years” neared its destructive end.

He admitted to his captors after the war saying “When I saw the fighters over Berlin, I knew that the jig was up”.

 

His “Glorious Luftwaffe” during their reign of terror from the skies had caused unbelievable desolation and destruction on an unprecedented scale, unimaginable and unbelievable horror and suffering to millions…now stood defeated, destroyed, and smashed.

        

The P 51 Mustang became the most ultimate fighter aircraft of the Second World War, as did both the Spitfire and Hurricane during “The Battle of Britain”, they would be remembered passionately as would the Brave pilots that flew them, and the people would cherish the name of these great aircraft for generations to come!

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Register for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...