Kriegsmarine photo albums and Tirpitz

Wonder whose plane this is? Unfortunately the nickname is not any clearer....

 

Bf 109E from ? notice the dark camo to the RLM 76 light blue undersurfuce. JG 5 or JG 77 ?

 

JG 5 would sort of fit the shield shape, although the base doesn't look right, 77 had the diamond with a heart in it (edit also found them with a shield with a dove in it that looks possible). Next closest match would seem to be JG2, and the shield position's right, but that doesn't fit with Norway i believe

 

it's early war due to the headgear worn and the emblem may be a personal one or staffel.

II./JG 77 was moved to Stavanger and Trondheim in April of 1940, then designated as III. gruppe later. May of 1941 I./JG 77 moved to Norway where it formed the nucleus of JG 5. If I gave a hunch on Kai's foto it would be from II./JG 77. And the insignia is a staffel emblem

 

Thanx guys for the answers! Unfortunately only one Bf109 pic flying around incl the pic of the pilot above in his cockpit...

Anyway, here is more of what the crew did to have some fun....

 

Kai it looks like the little guy just "decked" the bigger guy and the NCO just gonged him as well with the bell . . .

 

Kai

a nice simple link for Z6 T.R.

German Destroyers - Z6 - Theodor Riedel

and from german navy.de some background in a bit more indepth but still continuing . . .

04.09.1939: Together with Erich Giese and the mine layers Cobra and Roland , the Theodor Riedel lays the anti submarine mine field "f" MARTHA-HANS in the North Sea. 666 Mines are laid during this operation, 100 from Theodor Riedel . 05-06.09.1939: Together with Erich Giese and the mine layers Cobra and Roland , the Theodor Riedel lays the mine field "a" MARTHA-IDA in the North Sea. 666 Mines are laid during this operation, 100 from Theodor Riedel. 13.09.1939: Together with Bernd von Arnim , Friedrich Eckold and the mine layers Cobra, Hansestadt Danzig, Kaiser, and Roland , the Theodor Riedel lays the mine field "b" MARTHA-EINS in the North Sea. 960 Mines are laid during this operation, 240 from Theodor Riedel . 07-09.10.1939: Raid to intercept Britain - Scandinavia trade together with battleship Gneisenau , CL Köln and destroyers Wilhlem Heidkamp , Erich Steinbrinck , Diether von Roeder , Max Schulz , Paul Jakobi, Bernd von Arnim , Friedrich Ihn and Friedrich Eckoldt . No results.
09-10.02.1940: Together with the destroyers Wilhlem Heidkamp and Hermann Schoemann , the Theodor Riedel supports mine laying operations of the destroyers Friedrich Eckold , Richard Beitzen , Max Schultz , Bruno Heinemann , Wilhlem Zenker and Erich Koellner . 22-23.02.1940: Operation "Wikinger": Together with Richard Beitzen , Erich Koellner , Friedrich Eckold , Max Schulz and Leberecht Maaas , the Theodor Riedel operates against british fishing boats at the Doggerbank. On their way to the operations area, the destroyers are attacked by a German bomber, sinking the Lebercht Maas . During the evasive manouvers, the destroyers run into British mines and the Max Schulz is lost after a mine hit. 07.04.1940: Operation Weserübung: Theodor Riedel joins the destroyers Paul Jakobi, Friedrich Eckold , and Bruno Heinemann in the Trondheim Attack Group. 09-11.09.1940: Together with Karl Galster , Hans Lody , Friedrich Eckold and Friedirch Ihn , Theodor Riedel is sent to Cherbourg. 19-20.09.1940: Transfer to Brest. 28-29.09.1940: Mine laying operation at Falmouth Bay together with the destroyers Friedrich Eckold, Hans Lody , Karl Galster , Paul Jakobi , Friedrich Ihn and Erich Steinbrinck . 05-07.11.1940: Paul Jakobi , Theodor Riedel , Friedrich Eckold , Erich Steinbrinck and Friedrich Ihn are returned to Germany. 09-12.08.1941: Escorted by the torpedo boats Kondor and T2 , the Theodor Riedel is transferred to Norway. The destroyer is damaged after running agound. 06-08.12.1941: The destroyer is ordered back to Germany. 11-14.06.1942: The destroyers Karl Galster and Theodor Riedel are sent to Norway. 03-06.07.1942: Operation Rösselsprung:
In a major operation of the battleship Tirpitz and the heavy cruisers Admiral Scheer , Lützow and Admiral Hipper against the allied convoy PQ17, several destroyers and torpedo boats escort the capital ships: Friedrich Ihn , Hans Lody , Karl Galster , Theodor Riedel , Richard Beitzen , Friedrich Eckoldt , Erich Steinbrinck , Z24 , Z27 , Z28 , Z29 , Z30 , T7 and T15 . The operation is cancelled, but the convoy is heaviely attacked by U-boats and the Luftwaffe.
Theodor Riedel had to quit the operation early after running aground. 25-29.06.1942: The damaged destroyer Theodor Riedl and Hans Lody are towed to Kiel for repairs. : To be continued...

feldgrau link :

http://www.feldgrau.com/z6.html

last but not least one of the few surviving early Zerstörer's having been involved in many of the major mining operations the crewmen, most of them would of earned the Zerstörer Abzeichen which your album shows but also the Minenabzeichen award.

 

Luftwaffe in Norway

that same site's JG5 pages seem to agree is most likely II/JG77 - unfortunately no exact id on the plane though;
Luftwaffe in Norway

 

That IS the site for the LW in Norway Nigel, have used it several times for the later war time zone, Ar 234's to be exact.

one other interesting point is the Theodore Riedel used very similar heavy arms (main armament) - 127mm cannon used on the Hecktor as an artilliere trainer, so a relationship if you will in this regard.

 

That short Sailor looks like Bobs Watson of Boys Town and Boys Town II fame ;-))

 

Wonder if this was done on several ships and several nations for "passing the time"? Just get the gloves and you have excellent form of sports to keep everybody happy ( incl betting of course..).
´
I´ll be back to our summer cottage after a week from now and I´ll put more pics incl destruction in Trondheim, boys posing in fjord aboard their destroyer with other ships behind them, and seemingly getting their baptism for crossing the polar circle....

 

Hi Kai, if interested? there are two original snapshot pix of Grossadmiral Donitz available. Im thinking of trying for both this eve but depends on prices then? Anyway, there are two a both are good shots of him. If I manage to get one or both? I could part with one if interested? Also, there is one original pix supposedly of Rommel-though he doesnt look like him to me--too old looking and too much waddle under the chin. Anyway, that ones fairly cheap last I checked? so if cheap enough? I might go for that one too.

 

Testing after a period...c-word hope you get this one one..

 

Bloody c... it looks good,too... enjoy the pic..trondheim 1940...

 

what a great foto Kai, save me a copy of that ! .............please

 

According to the weather and the way they are dressed this could be in later Summer 1940. All 3 sailors are smoking.

 

Kai:

the foto you presented shows Z 6 Theodor Riedel in Norwegian waters in 1942 with the dazzle like camo.

 

Thanx Erich!

My fave pic of the bunch to be honest that one... Anyway, I had trouble with the modem last night but hopefully I get to send the rest of the pics next...Hope you like ´em..I do!

 

Next set...

 

For your enjoyment...