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Eric Mombeek has recently published
the second volume in his JG4 history, Sturmjäger , Zur Geschichte des
Jagdgeschwaders 4 und der Sturmstaffel 1, Band 2 which looks at this
unit's operations through many first hand pilot accounts and some 250 rare
photos. Well put together and handsomely presented, the book is available
directly from Eric via his site and should be indispensable for all
interested in late war Luftwaffe subjects.
The successes achieved by Sturmstaffel 1 and IV./JG3 had led quickly to the establishment of two new Sturmgruppen II./JG4 and II./JG300. von Kornatzki was ordered to begin setting up II./JG4 during the early summer of 1944 and appointed Kommandeur with promotion to Oberstleutnant. A small core of battle experienced former Sturmstaffel pilots, Peinemann, Metz , Oblt Othmar Zehart, who had not joined IV./JG3 , were retained by von Kornatzki, the pilot roster being supplemented by an intake of twin engined Ju 88 pilots from ZG1 hastily retrained on the Focke Wulf 190 Sturmbock.
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Focke Wulf 190 A-8 of Uffz Erich Keller, 5.(Sturm)/JG4. The illustration above, created with Micrografx Picture Publisher, is based on the photos that appear on Page 110 of Eric Mombeek's new Sturmjäger volume. Note the Ritterhelm emblem on the cowling , the black/white/black Bauchbinde and the cockpit armour or Panzerplatte. The colours of the Ritterhelm emblem are not known with certainty, although the background appears to be light blue and the plumes either white or red depending on the machine. The yellow cowling is conjectural. The outer wing Mk108 cannon seem to have been removed. The Scheuklappen or armoured canopy glass had also been removed by the time this aircraft was lost on 23 December 1944 and were absent from most JG4 Sturmbocks. Ice would tend to form between the armoured glass and canopy at high altitude . Note also that not all II.Sturm a/c wore the second Gruppe bar either. Blaue 21 of Major Schröder, also featured in Eric's book ,does not carry one but does have the Scheuklappen. Eagle Editions have recently released a new JG 4 sheet
The Eagle Editions JG 4 sheet features the following aircraft
1.) Weisse 16 of Franz Schaar, September 1944. According to the text the upper cowling MG's were removed and the gun troughs are open. Many of these JG 4 Sturmbocks were equipped with these weapons. More often than not it was the outer wing MG's that were removed particularly on aircraft utilised by the Hohenschutz pilots tasked with combating the P-51 fighter escort . The colours on the Ritterhelm have been depicted as white over a red plume. Jan Zdiarsky's team have located and excavated two of the Sturmböcke of 5 Staffel lost in the air battle of 11 September 1944, weisse 6 of Fhj-Uffz Günther Jung and weisse 5 flown by Fhj-Uffz Siegfried Zuber . Both Fw 190A-8/R2 aircraft were fully armoured Sturmböcke but Zuber's was not equipped with the upper cowling MG 131 .
2.) Blaue 21 of Maj. Schroeder. The blue 21 is outlined in white. The gun troughs are open again, but this is unlikely to have been the case given that the image on which this profile is based shows a fully armoured Sturmbock. This aircraft should look like Schlegel's Sturmbock as portrayed on the cover image reproduced below. The Ritterhelm is in white over a black plume . Eagle Editions show the Balkenkreuz to be black.
3.) Keller's weisse 20. Again the Balkenkreuz is in black . Also Tom Tullis's artwork shows the outboard 30mm cannon . See my image above !
4.) Gelbe 2 of Guldenpfennig. Profile looks nice except for that unarmoured windscreen
It seems that the Ritterhelm was provisional on the aircraft and the confusion over the colours has led researcher Erich Brown to suggest that amongst II. Gruppe Sturmbocks at least the plumes could have been coloured according to the Staffel i.e.
5th Staffel had white over white,
6th Staffel white over black
7th Staffel white over yellow
8th Staffel white over blue
The first major Sturmangriff flown by II/JG4 occurred on the 11 September 1944. The 8th AF sent over 1,000 bombers escorted by some 450 fighters to attack oil refineries and power stations in central Germany. It was to be one of the most successful days for II(Sturm)./JG4 as the unit claimed some 23 B-17 bombers destroyed with a further 13 claimed by III./JG4, the Sturmgruppe's escort . Amongst the pilots claiming victories that day were Lt Rudolf Metz and Oblt Hans-Martin Markhoff of 8 Staffel. I have translated a few short extracts.
Oblt Hans-Martin Markhoff 8.(Sturm)/JG4
"...We received very good directions from the ground controller who vectored us to the Chemnitz area at about 12.10hrs onto a formation of B-17s. The order to attack was given ," Pauke Pauke! Sturmangriff ! " My 8 Staffel was flying in the high rear element of the Gruppe as a last line of fighter protection ( um den letzten Jagdschutz zu bilden ) should our escort fighters be drawn off. We were to continue to fly this formation on further Sturm attacks..."
Uffz Kurt Scherer 6 (Sturm)./JG4
"...The sky was full of aeroplanes as far as the eye could see. P-51s dived down onto our close formation but our escorts fought them off. We were getting closer and closer to the bomber stream . The first tracers came flying past my ears. From then on everything happened very quickly. Our formation curved down right into the middle of the bomber stream in a textbook ( schulmässig gerissene Kurve ) manoeuvre. We were flying now in the bomber formation with B-17s in front and behind us. The deadly explosive shells from the first attack formation ( Angriffskeil ) of our Sturmmaschinen drilled into the B-17s that were growing ever bigger. I was amazed at the size of these huge machines, far bigger than I had imagined. But the fate of the four engined bomber growing ever bigger in my gunsight would be decided by my 3 cm cannon...."
Uffz Herbert Chlond 5./JG4
".. My machine was not serviceable on the 11 September and as our Kommandeur , Obstlt von Kornatzki couldn't fly this mission ( for what reason I do not know ) I flew in his aircraft. Although I didn't know it , his plane was fitted with a gun camera. I shot down a B-17 and this kill was recorded, being filmed from the moment I pressed the firing button up to the point where the B-17's rudder and tail fin broke away . I however knew nothing of this until a couple of days later when the film was replayed ... I can still remember how von Kornatzki ordered us that following our first victories we should have the front of the cowling of our aircraft ( Flugzeugnasen ) painted red to put fear into the enemy crews.."
The following day ,12 September, saw another all out effort launched by the three Bomber Divisions of the 8th AF. As a result of the previous days action some fifty pilots of II/JG4 had landed back at airfields other than their own and the unit was ill prepared to meet another major incursion. It was to be a black day for II./JG4. von Kornatzki's machine, Fw 190A-8 'grüne 3' was seen to take hits from the B-17 he was attacking and dropping out of formation , he hit power lines whilst attempting a crash landing. The father of the Sturm idea was dead. His was a loss that was keenly felt by the young and inexperienced pilots to whom he had become a father figure ( Ersatzvater ) . The new Gruppenkommandeur, Major Gerhard Schroeder, formerly of KG51 spoke of von Kornatzki thus....
".... II./JG4 has lost an outstanding unit leader, a model officer and Gruppenkommandeur. Moreover the Luftwaffe has lost the pioneer in the effective combat of the American heavy bombers.."