Show us your Aircraft Insignia - Tail swastikas, Kill markings, Fabric Souvenirs

[pablo10]

these are awesome and all very good finds.
maybe one day ill add one to my collection.

[Willi Z.]

This is a great thread! I would love to pick up a Ju88 tail piece one day.

[-Ray-]

tmca05

How are you? I clearly remember some of these few examples from your elaborate collection the last several times I visited. Nice to see again and hope you will share more in the future with this interesting and uncommon subject.

Thanks, and take care.

-Ray-

[David B.]

Aircraft Insignia

Greetings,
My Father brought this one back from the War. He was stationed in France and it was "removed" from a French Cafe-so I was told. I had it framed and managed to save it before My Mom tossed it!!! She hated this piece of cloth. My Father was killed before I hd the chance to ask Him about it. Sincerely, DJB

[tmca05]

Coming from a French Café, I wonder if that is an original piece that later had the red painted over it in order to make it look like Richthofen’s “Red Baron”. Richthofen has always been popular throughout the world since WW1. His red Albatross was marked just like this piece, red with a black Maltese cross and no white. however they did paint over the cross with red as well.
You’d have to take it out of the frame and due a thread count first to see if it’s the right type of old linen fabric.

Interesting to see, thanks for sharing.

Dave

[tmca05]

Here is a piece of tail fabric off of a French Liore et Olivier LeO H-257bis.

This was brought back from Craw Field which is located at Port Lyautey in French Morocco, by Captain Benson in May 1943. Capt Benson mounted it to this board and shellacked it over.

This is off the tail of a H-257b assigned to the French squadron Escadrille B1, Aeronavale, commanded by LV Bedos. They had 7 H-257b’s in Port Lyautey.


The Lioré et Olivier LeO 25 was a bomber aircraft produced in France in the late 1920s. It was a development of the LeO 20 and retained much of that aircraft's structure, adding a new tail and liquid-cooled engines.

The only versions produced in quantity were the LeO H-257bis (60 built) and LeO H-258 (26 built), which together represented orders for 86 units from the Aéronavale. Entering service in June 1935, they flew neutrality patrols during the Spanish Civil War and some remained in service at the outbreak of the Second World War. These surviving aircraft flew convoy escort and anti-submarine patrols in September 1939 before being used as tactical bombers against land targets during the Blitzkrieg, suffering heavy losses. Fifty-three remained on strength with Vichy forces in August 1940, and these were used for secondary roles such as training and target towing until 1944.

H-257's in operations during WW2

In September 1939, LeO H-257 are put into service in several squadrons of the navy. Squadrons B1, B2, B3 belonging to the first flotilla of bombardment, designated F1B, based in Berre and directed by Lieutenant Commander Guillard. Each is strong squadron of six units LeO H-257bis, over six machines in reserve.
In June 1940, Berre and Marignane remain in the free zone. Bordeaux (Gironde) becomes an important naval base of Germany and Italy where to install the U-boats. The H-LeO 257’s are moved to North Africa. Escadrille B1, this squadron is assigned to Port Lyautey in Morocco.

Port Lyautey, Kenitra real name, was born August 25, 1939, about forty kilometers north of Rabat. In a mixed initial vocation-seaplane airline, it will be creating an east-west runway, then another 03-21 shorter. The base was home to squadrons of E1 and B1 Breguet Bizerte on LeO H 257 bis. At the time of the debacle, she had as a tenant additional and cumbersome the E6, combining all-liners airs at Latécoère is, Laté 521, 522, 523 and 611, and, tentatively, the Potez-CAMS 141.

During Operation Torch, Allied landings in North Africa, November 8, 1942, the Salesians and their American fighter escort, attacked the base, being assembled on the 3B Martin 167 F and 520 1AC on Dewoitine still on the ground where they will mostly destroyed, the few survivors will throw up a little further under the impact of shrapnel, leaving, alas, killed ten of PN. At the end of the day, after aerial combat, Naval Aviation was virtually wiped out on this site.

[tmca05]

a

[tmca05]

b

[NickG]

My contribution

Continuing the LW relic topic: JG54 II Gr

Shown is the painted unit shield JG54, II Gr as it appears on a cowling or fuselage panel (ME109) .
It was recovered from crash site in Russia in the 1990's. NOTE WHITE LINES and shield shape corresponding with illustration!!
The panel has aluminum proof marks still visible.
Note: "Erla" tag is a repro to enhance the display. (no longer in my collection...)

[Chad1]

Ju88

Did somebody say Ju88 tail piece?...this is perhaps my all-time favorite piece.

Recovered in Derna, Libya, and inscribed as having been the work of Tomahawks and Kittyhawks.

Oh, desert camo too!

[tally ho]

Fw 190 A-8 spinner, complete with .50 cal bullet holes:

[A c h t u n g !]

I just love it! Seriously, tail swastikas were my all time favorites, probably for their powerful look. Thank you for sharing. I would gladly have it in my collection. Please let me know if you ever decide to sell it.

[tmca05]

I'm not selling mine, but if Chad sells his Ju-88 tail, I'd like a crack at it.

Thanks for posting that Chad, looks GREAT !!! I love the history written on it

[robs]

Here is my wooden Bf109 swas.

[Chad1]

prop

Here's another favorite, a Heine prop made in 1918 and marked for 185ps BMW engine as used on the Fokker D.VII. It's in all original condition, over 9 feet long, formerly owned by an employee of the Fokker company back in the 1920s.