IL2

Focke Wulf Fw-190A NJG3.10 (DS+XV) Aalborg-West 1944 00

Profile 00: Focke Wulf Fw-190A-S of 10./NJG3 coded DS+XV, Aalborg-West, early 1944. This machine had large areas of the fuselage and the entire uppersurfaces of the wings and tailplane oversprayed with grey 74, although an area oversprayed with 75 and mottled with 74 is visible on the vertical tail surfaces. The operational markings on the fuselage were entirely in black.

Focke Wulf Fw-190A NJG3.10 (DS+XV) Aalborg-West 1944 01

Photo 01: In November 1943 there was some concern in certain Luftwaffe circles that the speed of the Ju-88C and Ju88R-1 was insufficient to combat the civil Mosquitoes which were flying between Scotland and Sweden. The Staffelkapitän of 10./NJG3, Oblt. Hans-Hermann Müller whose Staffel was then based at Aalborg-West, in Denmark, decided to employ the Fw-190, but an appeal for the loan of such an aircraft from a neighbouring unit, 10./JG11 at Aalborg-East, was refused. Müller then appealed to 2.Jagddivision and was provided with one Fw-190A-5 which was assigned the code D5+XV. In December, 10./JG11 was ordered to loan Müller two Fw-190A-4s which were subsequently coded D5+ YV and D5+zv, and while in the charge of 10./NJG3 the Fw 190 detachment was known as Nachtjagdkommando 190. However, trials with the single-seat Fw 190s did not result in the expected successes and the Fw 190A-4s were returned to JG11 in Febmary. The A-5 was also eventually returned to 2.Jagddivision in March.

Focke Wulf Fw-190A NJG3.10 (DS+XV) Aalborg-West 1944 02

Photo 02: Less easy to explain are these Fw-190s which, to judge from the 'Englandblitz' badge on the machine in the foreground, clearly belonged to a night fighter unit and may have been one of the Fw-190A-4s from 10./JG11 assigned to 10./NJG3. The machine in the background with the tactical marking 'Red 5' and a II. Gruppe bar aft of the fuselage Balkenkreuz, also has a large white gull painted below the cockpit. Such a marking is known to have been applied to the Fw-190A-5 flown by Hptm. Dietrich Wickop of II./JG1 in May 1943 (see page 141 of 'Defenders of the Reich', Volume 2, published by Classic Publications). As there is a link back to JG 1 via a number of redesignations, it is possible that Wickop's machine may have been the Fw 190A-5 later assigned to 10./NJG3 as D5+XY, and is shown here before being repainted in new camouflage and markings.