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1) Wow, nice pictures.
2) That gentleman's work is truly magnificent....
Gepp - which airfield location for the Fw 190D w/Mustangs in background?
Great Photo,the two girls dont look verry happy
The interrogation reports of several pilots from JG53 shed some interesting light on the history of the Geschwader's markings. According to these reports, when first formed, the personnel of JG53 adopted as their badge the Ace of Spades, or card of death, and are believed to have worn uniforms with a distinctive cut to show they belonged to an elite unit (in much the same way as RAF fighter pilots denoted their status by leaving the top button of their tunics unfastened). However, in the Summer of 1940, Reichsmarschall Goring ordered that the special uniforms and the Ace of Spades badge were to be dropped and the Geschwader became known as the Red Ring Geschwader on account of the red circle which was then painted round the engine cowling. Neither the reasons for Goring's order, nor the particular significance of the red ring, are yet fully understood but it was probably intended as a punishment and may also have had some ideological relevance.