Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Taz
Langdon, CW, Dave- Will try and post the images of the WN and the two part image from Fighter Units. CW, if you have Greg's Albatros Productions book, photo number 49 is the left side of a one piece panoramic photo in Imrie's Units book and number 48 is the right side (Jasta 6 Dr.Is) of this photo. It does not clearly show 425/17 and 477/17 I believe, just a bunch of Dr.Is in the distance and one overpainted Dr.I top wing which could be from any of 4 or 5 aircraft.
The Hemer aircraft was a real distraction, so I ignored it. It has a Jasta 6 maintenance panel on it so could not be a Jasta 11 aircraft at all, especially not 425/17 or 477/17. My mistake on Steinhauser, at 11:00 pm his X marking became a Hakenkreuz in my mind.
Just to be perfectly honest, Peter Grosz has the red Lechelle aircraft identified as 477/17 in his files and the aircraft underwing marking I read as WN 2103, Peter read as WN 2112, which equates to Dr.I 486/17. Paul Leaman used Peter's identifications in his book and they are the ones Dan-San quotes. It is also the source of Paul's listing 486/17 as a Jasta 11 aircraft. I am confident in my reading of WN 2103, but am trying to be completely transparent about the sources for the data everyone is using. Alex Imrie was also using a first copy print as well when he identified WN 2103, Dr.I 477/17, in his Triplane book photo #95. Ferko (who had the original print), Imrie, Ray Rimell, and Greg VanWyngarden come down on the side of the red Lechelle Dr.I with the "V" marking being 425/17. Peter Grosz, Paul Leaman, and Dan-San have it as 477/17. I read WN 2103, so will side with the first group.
"Just the facts, Ma'am."
Taz
Terry Phillips
|
Taz,
I appreciate what you are saying. This identification has gone back and forth for many years and way back the LeChelle photos were even thought to be of a silk covered Dr.I. It's always good to view these things with an open mind and plenty of enthusiasm and I believe we have done well here.
Unfortunatey in Leaman's book he goes through all the confusion we have seen here. He has 477/17 on page 133 for the quarter front on LeChelle photo with the blemish but on page 132 he shows the same aircraft with latter style cross as 425/17 as does the art work and then he has the Hemmer aircraft inset also as 425/17 so there has been a lot of confusion over these images.
You mention above the large access door on the Hemmer aircraft as being a feature of Jasta 6 and not of Jasta 11, what do you make of the photo showing
LvR standing in the cockpit of a Dr.I, the photo is taken close in with the camera positioned just off the end of the wing span? This aircraft had the same style access door.
Langdon