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[Piotrek1]

Hello all

Lately on the internet I came across information about Wettererkundungsstaffel and more specifically Westa 26, I really like the paint scheme on the some aircraft that unit.
Please, whether anyone can do such skins as those in the picture?
unfortunately I found only one picture of this aircraft:


Bf-110D-Wekusta-26 ''Rositta'' ,  5Z+AH-Grimbergen-Belgium-1940
http://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Bf-110/W26.html

a bit more information about Westa 26:

5Z+  Wekusta 26 (26th Metrological Squadron) with the squadron letter A + H
5M+  Westa 26 (26th Metrological Squadron)/Lft.2, Westa 26 Squadron southern Greece, renemed on 10.6.43 to Westa 27. No Squadron letter were painted on the aircrafts.

Squadron name:                      Wekusta 26
Squadron Identification Code :   5M, from June 1944 C5+_H (Lft.6)
(Geschwaderkennung format)
Formation:                             June 1939, later 6./Aufkl.Gr. 122, June 1944 Neuaufstellung
Subordinate:                           Luftflotte 2

Regards,
Piotrek

[Knochenlutscher]

Code: [Select]

Wettererkundungsstaffel 26

    Formed 1.6.39 in Wesendorf from parts of Blindflugschule Wesendorf.

    In 6.44 redesignated 6./Aufklärungsgruppe 122.

    Reformed 7.44 in Thorn(?).

    Disbanded 2.45.

    Known bases:

        Wesendorf, 6.39 - 7.39
        Goslar, 7.39 - 11.39
        Köln-Ostheim, 11.39 - 6.40
        Brüssel-Greimberghen, 6.40 - 5.41
        Warschau-Bielany, 5.41 - 7.41
        Orel, 8.41
        Smolensk, 9.41 - 12.41
        Trapani*, 12.41 - 6.43
        Frosinone, 6.43 - 9.43
        Perugia, 9.43 - 1.44
        Parma, 1.44 - 7.6.44
        Bergamo, 7.6.44 - 6.44
        Thorn, (?)7.44 - 12.44
        Kolberg, 12.44 - 2.45

            * detachment at Kastelli from 12.42 (known as Wekusta 26/1), which in 5.43 became Wekusta 27.


http://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/germany/aircrafts-2/junkers_ju88/junkers-ju88-wekusta-26-1941/

5Z+AH, look at the A, it seems white on the unusually placed yellow theatre band.
You have luck, in this picture you see the right underwing perfectly, which reveals further details, elongated yellow wingtips and
full tactical code doubling, with visible Stammkennzeichen overpainting.

The picture to me seems to sport the same kite, here the canopy damage and exact parts missing are the same.
They used a variety of aircraft (amongst others Do17, Ju52 etc.) and the Staffelführer seems to have a heart for exxtraordinary personal markings.

I have seen further Wekusta 26 kites, in some pictorial LW books. I remember the frog duely.
I'll look them up for you and post the reference pics here. Maybe that's of help to you.

Skinning the Ju88 is not on my agenda, have no reference up running this sector...  \
Hope you understand
Cheers, Tobias

[Piotrek1]

Hi Tobias
Thank you for your reply, the new information would be greatly appreciated. To be honest I did not know that the Westa used the Ju-52 to meteorological purposes. Maybe you're not doing skins for Ju-88, but the ones you do for other airplanes are always top notch .
Best regards,
Piotrek

[Knochenlutscher]

Just for variety, another German source.
The dk air source is mainly used in foreign literature, and
differs from any german source. That's a mess.

Wekusta 26

This Unit was formed in june 1939 in Braunschweig-Waggum and was part of Luftflotte 2.
In the beginning the unit was equipped with Ju 52, He 111J and Do 17. It was moved to
Münster-Loddenheide oon 9th of october 1939 and again on 23rd of april 1940 to Köln-Ostheim.
For about a year it flew operations over France. The unit re-equipped with faster and better armoured Bf 110C in august 1940.
The unit moved to Warsaw-Bielany in june 1941. During operation Barbarossa it used the following airbases Minsk (july),
Setschinskaya (early September), and finally on 24th of September to Orscha. After heavy losses the unit was moved
over Minsk to Finsterwalde, to be stationed in Würzburg and refresh with brandnew Ju 88D-1.
After completing the unit was moved south of Trapani
in Sicily, where it established bases between 28th of december 1941 and 19th of january 1942.
On 20th of May a small Detatchment of Wekusta 6 was sent to Crete, where it established Wetterkette Kreta
and later adopted designation Wekusta 26/1. In June 1942 this unit was renamed
again "Teilstaffel Süd-Griechenland" (parts of Squadron Southern Greece) and moved from Iraklion to Tatoi in November 1942.
Sicilys Wekusta 26 saw not just weather forecast operations, but increasingly more reconnaissance and convoi protection duties as well.
On 10th of July 1943 the unit moved to Frosinone, south-east of Rome. There Wekusta 26 was dispatched
under Aufklärungsgruppe (F) 122 command and her combat duties were tactical reconnaissance.
On 13th of September 1943 the Wekusta 26 moved to Perugia, where it was officially disbanded
and reassigned 6./(F)Aufkl.Gr.122 in June 1944.
On 15th of June it moved to the Eastern Front near Dokudovo and became Wekusta 26 (Ost) under
Luftflotte 6 command. In December 1944 the unit moved to Kolberg and from there to Neubrandenburg,
where it was disbnanded on 14th of February 1945.

http://www.zweiter-weltkrieg-lexikon.de/luftwaffe-/165/1217-der-deutsche-wetterdienst

Yeah, the Ju52s I guess where part of their Transport fleet, lot of units had them in use, when on move or for secondary duties...

Wekusta 26 used Ju88A-4s too

https://books.google.de/books?id=UmwwBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA213&lpg=PA213&dq=WEKUSTA+26&source=bl&ots=2PtDNi8xFs&sig=bMXkkEt3g2h8Zm4Dma4zRExUGwo&hl=de&sa=X&ved=0CFwQ6AEwCGoVChMIsq2fg5aIyAIVQhAsCh2qDwrg#v=onepage&q=WEKUSTA%2026&f=false

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=38990



Thanks for the props and understanding...
Will sight my books in search for more Info
Cheers, Tobias

[vpmedia]

http://ulozto.net/xWFwegkh/bf-110d-wekusta-26-rositta-5zah-grimbergen-belgium-1940-rar

( skin is based on this picture: http://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Bf-110/W26/pages/COD-asisbiz-Bf-110D-Wekusta-26-5Z+AH-Grimbergen-Belgium-1940.html )

[Piotrek1]

@ vpmedia
Fantastic work , Thank you very much, VP.

@ Knochenlutscher
Thank you,
   Links placed by you contain very detailed and interesting information.
I also found few interesting information about Westa 76, the emblem of this unit (as well Westa 26)  I wanted to add to the game but I have with this a little problem.
I found conflicting publications when it comes to the appearance of the emblem, for example, on this page:
Westa 26 and 76, nr.669, 670,  nr.672 - Westa 76 again?
http://www.rc-network.de/magazin/artikel_07/art_07-043/art_043-01.html
in another publication, the emblem of Westa 76:

It's hard to figure it out...
Maybe you have any information on this subject ?

Best regards,
Piotrek

[vpmedia]

You're welcome!
Here's a correction to the skin...in the previous version I forgot to add the letter 'A' to the underside of the wings + now I added a blank skin with sqn insigna only.

http://ulozto.net/xBe83cEG/bf-110d-wekusta-26-rositta-5zah-grimbergen-belgium-1940-7z

[Piotrek1]

Again, Thank you VP,
I've always been a big fan of skins that you're doing.
Best regards,
Piotrek

[Piotrek1]

Hi all,

Unfortunately I have no skills in making skins, but I prepared these two TGA files (based on photos)  to add to the "Forgotten Countries" in the same way as any other squadron, nothing big , but maybe for someone it will be useful:

Ju-88 "Natascha"

Ju-88A-1 "Traudl"

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-9znoRErNtoZEJRVmZ2X2NENzA/view?usp=sharing

Regards,
Piotrek

[Ont_R]

Nicely done Piotrek1 

I would have never thought of doing it that way but I'm glad it works for you. If I ever get around to doing the Ju-88 I'll definitely be adding these markings.

Thanks for sharing these with us.

Cheers,
Ont_R 

[Piotrek1]

You're welcome.

Regards,
Piotrek

[Knochenlutscher]

Hi Piotrek,
LOoking good your custom Emblems/squad, glad it worked for you.

The Emblem
As you can see from both source pictures, the RC-Network Emblem is closest resemblance.
The flattened can be due to the angle of photograph or a post war drawing from a Vet based on sth.
If the source doesn't mention, maybe semi-historic then...

Still searching my books for the frog, might take me a while...

Cheers
Tobias