German soldiers inspect a downed  Messerschmitt Bf.109F-4 , weiß 4, serial number 7187, 53rd Squadron Luftwaffe (4.Staffel/Jagdgeschwader 53 «Pik As» - «ace of spades") Feldwebel Fritz Dinger , Sologubovka in the Leningrad region. 


Messerschmitt Bf.109F-4

A Fiat 626 truck, one of the many Italian military vehicles seized by the Germans after the Italy’s armistice (8 September 1943), towing a Ju 87D (“Dora”) of Nachtschlachtgruppe 9 (NSGr 9) on an airstrip surely on the Northern Apennines between Tuscany and Emilia, perhaps Cavriago’s zone, late Autumn 1944. The night harassment missions against the Allied lines during the operations around the Gothic Line of this well specialized Luftwaffe’s unit wasn’t immunes to risks caused by the AA fire and the night fighters, without calculate the weather conditions, frequently severe during the winter, and the difficult of the night flight in mountainous areas. At least two Stukas was loss by enemy reaction. One is surely the plane code E8+DH shut down late November 1944 by a night fighter during a raid, together the code E8+CH, against troops, artilleries and transport in the Anglo-Polish sector near Forlì. Another “Dora” was likely shut down by anti-aircraft guns. Victor Sierra

Towing the “harasser”

Panoramic view of Malta taken from an altitude of 7,500 meters by a German reconnaissance aircraft on 23 February 1942. The plane was a Junkers Ju 88 of 1.(F)/122, a Staffel of the Aufklarungsgruppe 122 based in Sicily, sent from Gerbini on a sortie to Malta. Aircraft’s crew: Oblt. Steppacher (Beobachter/observer), Lt. Bohlens (Flugzeugfȕhrer/pilot-aircraft commander), Gefr. Ueffing (Bordfunker/radio) and Gefr. Haring (Bordschutze/navigator). On the same day the Flieger Führer Süd despatched two Ju 88s of another Staffel of the same Gruppe, the 4(F)./122, between 0820 and 1040 am on sea and land reconnaissance sorties. The two aircraft returned between 0940 am and 1457 pm. In addition to Ju 88, the 1(F)./122 employed for high altitude reconnaissance missions over Malta also some Bf 109 camera equipped. Victor Sierra