This year I've finished a really big scale-project: it's the famous "Sachsenbergschwarm" (Parrot Squadron) of the german special unit "Jagdverband 44".
The Jagdverband 44 ("JV 44") was a fighter-unit equipped with Me 262, in service from February to April 1945. Commanded by Adolf Galland and later Heinrich Baer, the JV 44 achieved 24 victories by losing 3 of his own machines.
The Me 262 needed long driveways and land stretches due to the engines, and was quite cumbersome in these phases and so extremely vulnerable. Allied fighters quickly took advantage of this circumstance and shot down the turbos on takeoffs and landings.
To protect the Me 262 some Fw 190 D's were delegated.
The 190's should rise just before the start of the Me 262 and clean the air space around the airborne horseshoe of enemy machines, shoot them down or push them away.
After the start of the Me 262, the 190's returned to the supply area. The fights usually took place at an altitude of 500m.
Parts of the JG 52 and 54 were seconded to this task, and Galland personally selected the pilots for this unit.
The so-called "Sachsenbergschwarm" was created, named after Lieutenant Heinz Sachsenberg, the swarm leader.
Fw 190 D-9 and D-11 machines were used.
The unit consisted of originally five aircraft (2xD-11, 3xD-9), with only four known as "Sachsenbergschwarm".
This consisted of the following:
Fw 190 D-9 "Red 1", flown by Lieutenant Heinz Sachsenberg
Fw 190 D-9 "Red 3", flown by Captain Waldemar Wübke
Fw 190 D-11 "Red 4", flown by lieutenant Karl-Heinz Hoffmann
Fw 190 D-9 "Red 13", flown by Oberleutnant Klaus Faber.
The fifth and also hardly documented machine was an Fw 190 D-11 "Red 2", probably flown by Sergeant Bodo Dirschauer. Operated by Munich-Riem and later Ainring (Oberbayern).
In order not to be attacked by their own anti-aircraft gun in their operations, the Doras of the squadron got a striking under-floor paint. This consisted of his full-surface painting in red, traversed by white stripes. On the spot, the paintwork was carried out by the maintenance teams. The Sachsenberg swarm owes its nickname to this painting "Parrot Squadron", which was only made after the war.
A widespread habit of all fighters, no matter what nationality, was the decoration of their machines with painted figures and / or slogans. Even the pilots of the Parrot Squadron swarmed this tradition.
Because of the advance allied troops the JV 44 had to move to Salzburg-Maxglan at the beginning of May 1945, whereby the "Rote 1" and the "Rote 13" were omitted.
The remaining Doras were made useless at the end of the war in Salzburg shortly before the arrival of US troops.
And now.....her are the "Doras" of the "Sachsenbergschwarm" in 1/32 scale:
Cheers....
Stefan
