German Air Power In View

Messerschmitt Bf 108.

Blohm & Voss Bv 138 MS.

Blohm und Voss Bv 138 Seedrache (Sea Dragon).

Blohm und Voss Bv 138.

Blohm und Voss Bv 138C.

Blohm und Voss Bv 138.

Blohm & Voss Bv 138.

Dornier Do 17.

Dornier Do 17F-1 54+J39 Luftwaffe. This aircraft was assigned to 9 Staffel of KG 255.

Dornier Do 17Z-1.

Dornier Do 17Z-2. This aircraft belonged to KG 76.

A flight of Dornier Do 17 bombers, 31 December 1939.

Dornier Do 17.

Dornier Do 17Z after being shot down and crash landed on the railway tracks somewhere in the Soviet Union.

Dornier Do 17Z shot down and crash landed in Russian village.

Ground crewmen running up the engine of a Messerschmitt Bf 109 of JG54. In the background is a Dornier Do 17.

Ground crewmen working on a Messerschmitt Bf 109 of JG 54. In the background is a Dornier Do 17.

Dornier Do 17s.

Dornier Do 17P, Bulgaria, 1941.

Dornier Do 17E.

A German mechanic makes a snowman in front of a Dornier Do 17. 1941.

Dornier Do 17, c. 1939/40.

Dornier Do 215.

Dornier Do 215.

Field Marshal Albert Kesselring in the nose of a Dornier Do 215B-2, July 1942.

Dornier Do 215, Budaörs Airport, Budapest, Hungary, 1940.

Dornier Do 335A-1, WNr 240161, Freeman Field, Indiana.

Dornier Do 335A-12 "Pfeil".

Focke-Achgelis Fa 233 "Drache".

Fieseler Fi 167A-0, WkNr 167005, TJ+AN, Luftwaffe, 1938. The Fi 167 was designed as a torpedo bomber for Germany's projected aircraft carriers. The type passed through testing very successfully but, since the carriers were never completed, only about a dozen Fi 167s were built. Most ended up in a Croatian unit in 1944.

Flettner Fl 282 "Kolibri".

Flettner Fl 282 V17, CJ+SK, after crashing, 13 April 1944.

Fokker T.VIII in Luftwaffe service.

Fokker T.VIII-W/M used by the Luftwaffe at a base in the Aegean Sea where the See-Aufklärungsgruppe operated.

Focke-Wulf Fw 189 after a forced landing in the snow.

Focke-Wulf Fw 189 being warmed up before a flight.

Fw 189 Uhu of the NAG 12, 1942.

Focke-Wulf Fw 189 A-3, WkNr 0192, V7-1J, Luftwaffe, Tiiksjärvi, Russia, 20 June 1943.

Focke-Wulf Fw 189 A-3, WkNr 0192, V7+1J, Luftwaffe, Tiiksjärvi, Russia, 10 June 1943.

Fw 189 “Uhu” (Owl), D-OPVN, was a German twin-engine, twin-boom, three-seat tactical reconnaissance and army cooperation aircraft. The aircraft’s origin came from the drawing board of Focke-Wulf’s chief designer himself, Kurt Tank.

Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-3, Werknummer 223, Hauptmann Hans "Assi" Hahn, Gruppenkommandeur III./JG 2, France.

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 "Würger", Hauptmann Bruno Stolle, 8./JG2, 1943.

Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-3, Werknummer 223, Hauptmann Hans "Assi" Hahn, Gruppenkommandeur III./JG 2, France.

Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-3, Werknummer 223, Hauptmann Hans "Assi" Hahn, Gruppenkommandeur III./JG 2, France.

Focke-Wulf Fw 190A3, 1./JG51 (I. Gruppe/Jagdgeschwader 51) "Mölders", Jesau Germany, 1942.

Focke-Wulf Fw 190A, III./JG2 (III.Gruppe/Jagdgeschwader 2), Vannes France, 1943.

Focke-Wulf Fw 190.

German engineer Kurt Tank, chief designer of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and pilot Colonel Josef Priller on the left with Fw 190s.

Commander of JG26, Colonel Josef (Pips) Priller, 1915-1961, before departing on a flight.

Captured Hs 129, RAF. An Fw 190 in RAF markings sits next to it.

Unloading a BMW 801 engine for a Focke-Wulf FW 190 fighter from a Gotha Go 242 glider, Russia, 1943.

Luftwaffe model of B-17 with wire depicting the arcs of each machine gun on the Fortress, with an Fw 190 model at upper right. These were used to show Luftwaffe pilot trainees how to attack a B-17.

Focke-Wulf Fw 200.

Focke-Wulf Fw 200 "Kondor" after an emergency landing on the water.

A Luftwaffe Heinkel He 111 bomber flying over Wapping and the Isle of Dogs in the East End of London at the start of the Luftwaffe's evening raids of 7 September 1940.

Early model Heinkel He 111s of Kampfgeschwader 26 in flight in 1939.

A captured Heinkel He 111H aircraft at Celone, Italy, in 1944. The Heinkel caused some excitement at the airfield in Italy used by RAAF Handley Page Halifax crews when it circled the airfield and came in to land.

Tail of a crashed Heinkel He 111H-6 bomber at Palmyra, Syria, in December 1941. Aircraft of the 4. Staffel, II. Gruppe, KG 4 (4th Squadron, 2nd Group, 4th Bomb Wing) operated briefly in Iraq in May 1941, their German markings being overpainted with Iraqi ones.

An abandoned Heinkel He 111 at Fuka, Egypt on 13 November 1942.

Heinkel He 111 ready to tow a Gotha Go 242 glider, Russia, January 1943.

Polish Army soldier holding last remaining part of German He 111 bomber destroyed by Poles over Warsaw when airplane was killing civilians. Visible journalist Julien Bryan on the left side. Bryan said that Polish anti-aircraft artillery shot down about 50 enemy aircraft during his visit. Powiśle Power Station, Warsaw, Poland 1939.

Heinkel He 111 with V-1.

Me 321 being towed by a Heinkel He 111Z.

A five-engine Heinkel He 111Z Zwilling (Twin) and, just coming in to land in the background, a six-engine Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant (Giant), possibly Sicily, 1943

The bomb aimer in a He 111H-18 manipulating the “Knupple” (joystick) on the FuG 203 Kehl III guidance system. To the right of the transmitter is the second control panel containing four gauges. (The He 111 had also been selected as a mother aircraft for the Hs 293; it never saw operational use, but did conduct test programs with the Hs 293.)

Heinkel He 111Z-1 "Zwilling".

Heinkel He 118.

The unsuccessful Heinkel He 118 dive bomber, D-UKYM.

He 177A-3, VD+XS, belonging to Pilot School (B) 16, at Burg airfield near Magdeburg.

This He 177 of I/KG 100 took part in Operation Steinbock, the night bombing attacks on Great Britain in the early part of 1944. Note the lack of fuselage crosses on this aircraft.

Close-up of the nose of an He 177 of II/KG 40 show the aerials of the Hohentwiel ship search radar.

He 177A-5 of III/KG 1, which operated with the type on the Eastern Front in the summer of 1944.

The crew of a He 177 in life jackets and their parachutes, prior to a mission over Britain, at Bordeaux-Merignac in June 1944.

A He 177A-5/R2 with ventral fuselage rack and outboard underwing racks for the Hs 293 and Fritz X.

Close-up of the rear gun turret of the He 177A-5.

The second prototype Heinkel He 177 at the Heinkel works at Rostock/Marienehe, early in the war. This aircraft later broke up in mid-air, following severe control flutter.

Heinkel He 177A-3.

Heinkel He 177.

Heinkel He 177.

In Germany during World War II there were severe political pressures against the introduction of completely new aircraft. Had this not been the case the Heinkel He 219 would have replaced the Me 110 and Ju 88 as the standard Luftwaffe night fighter. Shown at a display of captured aircraft at Farnborough, this A-7/R1 carried SN-2 radar and armament of six 30mm (two being Schrage Musik) and two 20mm. It was not the first prototype, despite having 'V1' on the nose in the position where such V (versuchs) numbers were stenciled.

Heinkel He 219.

Heinkel He 219 Uhu night fighter.

Heinkel He 219 cockpit.

Heinkel He 219 V5 prototype. The He 219 was fitted with an unusual tricycle landing gear.

The He 219 V3 prototype VG+LW in flight.

He 219 Uhu lineup at an airfield. Note the missing left rudder.

The He 219 was provided with a cockpit that offered its crew an excellent all-around view.

The He 219 A-0 laying derelict at Munster, Germany in May 1945.

Heinkel He 219 ‘Uhu‘.

Heinkel He 274.

DB603A engines for the Heinkel He 274.

Heinkel He 280 V1 prototype.

Heinkel He 280 V1, DL+AS, taking off for its first flight on 2 April 1940.

Heinkel He 280 V7 (NU+EB aka D-IEXM) languishing at Anspach, Bavaria, in 1945. The civil registration D-IEXM was applied to the He 280 V7 after it was handed over to the DFS facility in Ainring for glide trials.

Heinkel He 280 V7 (NU+EB aka D-IEXM) languishing at Anspach, Bavaria, in 1945. The civil registration D-IEXM (applied to the He 280 V7 after it was handed over to the DFS facility in Ainring for glide trials) is partly obscured by one of the vertical stabilizers of the aircraft in the photo.

Henschel Hs 123B, 12+—, II(S.)/LG 2, Cognac, France, 1940.

Henschel Hs 123.

Hs 123 carrying registration D-ILUA.

Henschel Hs 123A-1.

Lineup of Hs 123A dive bombers, with a Junkers Ju 87 “Stuka” at right.

Henschel Hs 123.

Lineup of Henschel Hs 123Bs, II(S.)/LG 2, Cognac, France, 1940.

Henschel Hs 123B, KB+QA, white 8, Werk.Nr. 2732.

Henschel Hs 126.

Henschel Hs 126.

Henschel Hs 126.

Captured CMP Ford F15 in April 1941. This captured 2nd Armoured Division Ford was used on the Gazala airfield, Libya for various tasks amongst others towing the recon squadron’s Henschel Hs 126 aircraft.

Ju 52 transport prepares to take off from Greece as part of Operation Mercury, the invasion of Crete by German paratroopers in May 1941. The Germans suffered horrendous losses in both men and airplanes. The Germans never mounted an airborne operation of that size ever again during the war.

Coming in low, German transports seeded Heraklion airfield in Crete with paratroopers and parachute-borne equipment.

A Ju 52 hit by anti-aircraft fire goes down.

Hit by anti-aircraft fire, one plane nosed down in flames, but the Luftwaffe kept coming.

Junkers Ju 52/3mce (D-2468, 4019) Lufthansa "Joachim von Schröder". One of six production Ju 52/3mce's this aircraft was powered by three BMW Hornet A-2 engines fitted with Townend rings. It was flown for the first time in May 1933 and was re-registered as D-AFIR in August 1934, and was subsequently transferred to the RLM (Reichsluftfahrtministeri¬um, State Air Ministry).

Junkers Ju 52 27+E11 and 27+B23.

Junkers Ju 52 bomber/transports, 27+E11, 27+B23, 27+D13, 27+E13, seen pre-war. The ventral gunner can be seen just aft of the fixed landing gear in his exposed “dustbin” gun position. This is a composite photo created by taking the previous photo and adding a photo of the city and then making a copy of the smaller Ju 52 in the above photo and reducing it and adding two of them to this photo

German paratroopers jump at low altitude from their Junkers Ju 52 transport during the invasion of Holland, May 1940.

Junkers Ju 52 25+D38.

Junkers Ju 52 G6+BP.

Junkers Ju 52 stirs up the sand at Tripoli.

End of the Phony War, May 1940—German paratroopers drop from Junkers Ju 52s over the Netherlands in the vicinity of The Hague and Rotterdam.

Supplies for the invasion of Crete are being loaded into a Junkers Ju 52 in North Africa.

Junkers Ju 52, pre-war, in civilian registration, D-2600.

Afrika Korps soldiers arrive by Junkers Ju 52 transport.

German infantry landed by Junkers Ju 52 transports at an airfield during the invasion of Norway in 1940.

Junkers Ju 52 floatplane in Norway.

Junkers Ju 52/3m transports being refueled from drums on a Greek airfield. (?)Z+BF in foreground.

Junkers Ju 52 (??)+PD.

Fallschirmjägers and Junkers Ju 52, Norway.

Fallschirmjägers unloading a motorcycle and supplies from a Junkers Ju 52 in Crete.

German airmen exit a Junkers Ju 52 G6+(??) transport after landing on Crete, May 1941.

Fallschirmjägers receiving last-minute details and orders before boarding a Junkers Ju 52 transport.

Junkers Ju 52/3m Luftwaffe. Heavily retouched photo shows an aircraft of the Seenot Staffel (Maritime Search and Rescue Squadron).

Junkers Ju 52 and an Italian Air Force Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 "Sparviero", Comiso, Sicily, 1942.

Trapped in the ice at Hartvikvatnet (Hartvig Lake). Two Ju 52s in the distance are already sinking. VB‑UP was apparently one of the three worked on by the Norwegians after they retook the area. This airframe was just three months old. It was delivered to Pilot School C 3 at Lönnewitz, but assigned to reserve transport squadron 3./KGzbV 102 for the events of April and May 1940. It was salvaged in 1986 and is now on display at the Technik Museum Speyer.

Junkers Ju 52/3m, DB+QU, 6266, Hartvikvatnet, Norway, June 1940. One of eleven Ju 52s that landed on frozen Hartvig Lake near Narvik on 13 April 1940, DB+QU was written off after its landing or possibly as a result of Allied air attacks. The wreck remains in the lake today. The origin of the photo is unknown but it would seem to have been taken in June 1940, after the ice melted and useful parts, including the left engine, had been removed.

Junkers Ju 52. The wide doors permitted easy loading and unloading. The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed Tante Ju ("Aunt Ju") and Iron Annie) is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. First introduced during 1930 as a civilian airliner, it was adapted into a military transport aircraft by Germany's Nazi regime, who exercised power over the company, for its war efforts over the objections of the company's founder Hugo Junkers.

Junkers Ju 52/3m, "Hannelore", B1+HA, Luftwaffe, Käkisalmi, Russia, 11 July 1942.

Junkers Ju 52/3m, "Hannelore", B1+HA, Luftwaffe, Käkisalmi, Russia, 11 July 1942.

Soviet soldiers inspect a downed Ju 52.

Refueling Junkers Ju 52.

Junkers Ju 52, Norway.

Junkers Ju 52/3m, D-AKLQ, Luftwaffe, circa 1937-1943. The man blocking the registration might be carrying the squadron pet on his shoulder but it is probably D-AKLQ, not AKLO. Both D-AKLQ and D-VDZA (c/n 5637 or 5837) served as ambulance aircraft with Sanitätsflugbereitschaft 7 in Greece during the war, though the photo may have been taken earlier. D-AKLO is also said to have existed but no details are given. D-AKLQ was rebuilt after a crash in 1935 and its c/n is also reported as 5171.

A German Junkers Ju 52/3m transport comes in for a landing on a an airfield on Crete, probably at Maleme. In the foreground is AS419, one of three Royal Navy Brewster 339B Buffaloes (AS419, AS420, AX814) of 805 Naval Air Squadron that were left unserviceable on Crete. This was the Buffalo of Lt. Rubert Brabner, that he crash-landed short of the airfield, and the Brewster flipped over on its back, fortunately without injury to Brabner, 19 March 1941. When German paratroopers overran Crete at the end of May, the Brewsters were apparently left in the boneyard. German photographers delighted in photographing their planes landing over the hulk of a derelict Brewster.

Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Junkers Ju 52.