Next Group Build Commonwealth/Night fighter

[dirkpitt289]

Would a Vickers Wellington meet the requirements of this GB?

 

[Airframes]

Double post - deleted.

 

[Airframes]

If it was from a Commonwealth squadron, eg RCAF, RAAF, RNZAF, SAAF, then yes. However, the GB ends in 12 days time!

 

[dirkpitt289]

I guess not. It seems the decals from my kit are from 99 Squadron South East Asia or 456 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force Bone Algeria. Oh well...

 

[B-17engineer]

RAAF is the Royal Australian Air Force. So yes you can build it, its part of the Commonwealth

 

[mikewint]

I'm thinking about entering the next group build, Eastern front. I have a Ju 88-A4 which I'm sure was used somewhere on the eastern front. These are the decals that came with it. Anyone familiar with what Staffeln / Kampfgeschwader they indicate?
Do I need new decals?

 

[Airframes]

Looks like KG77 (was KG153), who I think operated on the East front. I'll check and let you know Mike.

 

[Crimea_River]

Here's a good reference Mike for now and future.The Luftwaffe in Scale: Identification Codes of Luftwaffe Units 1939 - 1945

Based on this, your machine would be from KG77. The "K" and the red aircraft letter to its left would put it in the second Staffel of I Gruppe. According to Wiki, I and III Gruppen were committed to Barbarossa so looks like you've got the start of a GB entry.

 

[Wayne Little]

Kitech...that's new to me??

 

[mikewint]

Wayne, me too, got it directly from China via Ebay. Appears to be a relativity simple construction so I might be looking into some of these resin parts.
Thanks for all the info guys. I knew that the Ju88s were all over the place so I guessed some must have been in Russia

 

[Airframes]

I think the kit is a re-boxed Hobbycraft kit. The decals look the same, and I've seen the kit somewhere with the same box art. Not a bad kit overall, although the canopy and nose transparency will benefit from a polish and a dip in Future.

 

[Airframes]

Just had a quick look Mike, and found that KG77 were in Sicily in 1942. Haven't found any info to say they moved to the East front, but that's not to say they didn't.
Maybe a general question to the members will provide further details, and/or info of Ju88 units on the East front.

 

[Crimea_River]

This is from Wiki, so yes, grain of salt. However, a quick Google of other sites also speak of east forn operations by KG77.

Only I and III./KG 77 were the only units that were committed to Operation Barbarossa, with a total of 59 Ju 88s.[5] The Geschwader supported Army Group Norths drive into the Baltic states and took part in the Siege of Leningrad. During this period I./KG 77 helped defeat a strong Soviet counter-attack by the 11th Army and 34th Army. KG 77 also supported Operation Beowulf, the invasion of the Baltic islands of Osel, Moon and Dago. during the battle for Estonia inflicted severe losses on Soviet shipping, with the same dive-bombing tactics used over Norway, France and Britain. KGr 806 sank the Soviet destroyer Karl Marx on 8 August 1941 in Loksa Bay, Tallinn.[6] On 28 August the Ju 88s had more success when KG 77 and KGr 806 sank the 2,026 grt steamer Vironia, the 2,317 grt Lucerne, the 1,423 Artis Kronvalds and the ice breaker Krisjanis Valdemars (2,250 grt). The rest of the Soviet "fleet", were forced to change course. This took them through a heavily mined area. As a result, 21 Soviet warships, including five destroyers, struck mines and sank. On 29 August, the Ju 88s accounted for the transport ships Vtoraya Pyatiletka (3,974 grt), Kalpaks (2,190 grt) and Leningradsovet (1,270 grt) sunk. Furthermore, the ships Ivan Papanin, Saule, Kazakhstan and the Serp i Molot were damaged. Some 5,000 Soviet soldiers were lost.[7] KG 77 was largely withdrawn from Russia, although I./KG 77 continued to operate on the Eastern Front until July 1942, supporting German forces at the Operation Seydlitz and the Second Battle of Kharkov.

So it's possible this plane from 2/KG77 stayed east until July 1942 and then moved to Sicily.