FW 190A, Spitfire Mk VB skins by Emel, October 2012. !!this skin pack for modded Il-2 versions (FW190)!!


Twin Pack No 8 - The Channel Front.


1. FW 190A-3, (W.Nr. ?),
Black 8, flown by
 Olt. Wilhelm-Ferdinand Galland, Staffelkapitn of
 5./JG 26, Abbeville Drucat, 
June 1942.*

2. Spitfire Mk VB, 
W3238, PR+B, (The London Butcher) flown by Sqdr. Ldr. 
Michael Robinson, No 609 Sqn, 
Biggin Hill, July 1941.**

						-    -    -    -    -


The period 1941 and 1942 was a bad time to be a fighter pilot in the RAF. Inspite of the phenomenal victory in the Battle of Britain the war continued, world wide, and it did not go so well for Britain. In the east the renewal of the German advance seem to spell the final doom for Soviet Russia. In Africa Rommel's forces were advancing. Everywhere, it seemed, the nazi-armies would be invincible. In Europe, inspite of the most welcome news of the United States joining the war against Germany in December 1941, England was still very much fighting alone. Due to the commitments in the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Far East, Fighter Command had very few experienced Battle of Britain pilots left to serve on the 'Channel front'. On the contrary, on the other side of the Channel the Jagdwaffe pilots abilities and skills were peaking. New flying equipment were received in the form of the excellent new Messerschmitt Bf 109F and the even more formidable Focke-Wulf FW 190A. The Messerschmitt Bf 109F outclassed the old Spitfire Mk I and II completely and to some extent retained its superiority to the newer Mk V which was introduced in the RAF in 1941. The arrival of the FW 190 brought back echoes from the Great War and the "Fokker Scourge". But still the fight was taken back to the enemy coast and beyond, again and again, in the form of the famous 'Circuses', 'Rhubarbs', 'Rodeos' and 'Roadsteds'. 

Sqdr. Ldr. Michael 'Mickey' Robinson was one of those who continued to take the fight to the other side of the Channel and enjoyed a successful fighter pilot career in 1941 and 1942, the dark years. He had been a Battle of Britain ace on Hurricanes and led an even more successful career with the Spitfire. Serving as Oc No. 609 Sqn he destroyed between 3rd and 12th July 1941 five Bf 109F's and damaged four more with 'The London Butcher' (W3238). In late July Michael Robinson replaced Sailor Malan as Wing Leader of the Biggin Hill wing. He remained in that position only for few weeks. At the beginning of September, like Malan before him, he too was rested. At that time his score stood at 18-4-8. 
  After holding various staff positions Michael was given command of the Tangmere Wing in early 1942. Returning to operations, a pleasing choice, proved disappointing at first. During the winter months in 1942 there weren't that many operations and time was spent on training new pilots for the coming spring-summer season and making plans for the coming ops with his three squadrons. Tough schedule and hard work, especially now that the Focke-Wulf FW 190 was beginning to make things difficult for the Fighter Command.

						-    -    -    -    -


Wilhelm-Ferdinand Galland began his career with II/JG 26 'The Abbeville Kids' on 27th June 1941. Thus he was very much a rookie pilot at the time Michael was already leading a squadron, and occasionally the entire Biggin Hill Wing in the summer of 1941. Galland was the second oldest of the three Galland brothers who served in the same unit Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter". He began his career in 6./JG 26 and claimed his first aerial victory over Hesdin (a RAF Spitfire) on 23rd July 1941, about the same period When Michael Robinson was promoted to Wing Leader and left 609 Sqn. By the end of 1941 Galland's score stood at three, all Spitfire's. 
  'Wutz' Galland was flying in Joachim Mncheberg's - at that time OC II/JG 26, and also a proven ace and an extremely succesful fighter pilot - Stabsschwarm on the fateful day on 10 (12th?) April 1942 when Michael led his Wing on a high cover sweep over Boulogne to support a rodeo of 12 bomb-carrying Hurricanes attacking Boulogne harbour. Michael was leading the French No. 340 Sqn and it was their task to sweep behind Boulogne in order to tackle any German fighter formations attempting to engage the Hurricanes. From this mission Michael Robinson did not return. His wingman Maurice Choron was also lost on this mission. No. 340 Sqn was attacked by Mncheberg's II/JG 26. The engagement of these two units led into a viscious battle which Rene Mouchotte describes: " Then we went into hell, attacked from below, while four Focke-Wulf's fell on us from behind, out of sun. Our Squadron was the centre of the whirlwind..."
  At that day JG 26 pilots claimed 5 Spitfires destroyed. German pilots who made claims on that day were: 

Hptm. Joachim Mncheberg, 
Olt. Wilhelm-Ferdinand Galland, 
Olt. Kurt Ebersberger, 
Uffz. Adolf Glunz, and
Uffz. Karl Willius. 

It is probable that either the Galland-Mncheberg pair or Ebersberger/Gluntz pair were responsible for downing the Tangmere Wing Leader and his wingman. Wilhelm-Ferdinand Galland later became commander of II/JG 26. On August 17 1943 he led the 2. Gruppe to intercept the US Eight Air Force B-17s returning from Schweinfurt. He was now approximately in the same position as Michael Robinson had been, and led a Gruppe of three Staffeln - about equal in size of the British fighter wing. His unit was the only one available to still engage the American force and prior to take off he had reminded his pilots of the importance of this mission to the 'Vaterland' as well as Gring's admonition that the bombers must be attacked at any cost. Galland's force met the Bomber stream head on just east over the German-Belgium border. His attack on the lead wing of the rear half of the bomber formation cost it two B-17s downed. Galland then oredered a reforming of his Stabsschwarm to attack again. At this moment the Germans were bounced by American fighters attacking from their rear - German direction. The initial attack caused Wutz Galland's Focke-Wulf to disappear in a ball of fire. It's possible he was shot down by the 56. Fighter Group ace Walker "Bud" Mahurin. Galland's final score stood at 54 aerial victories, all in the west and included 37 Spitfires and seven four-engined bombers. Galland's remains were discovered two months later 5 km west of Maastricht buried with the wreckage of his machine.


						*     *     *     *


* In early summer 1942 Wutz Galland flew an FW 190A-3 W.Nr.(?), 'Black 8'. I'm not sure he was flying this aircraft on April 10 1942. Some sources claim that in early April this aircraft still served with 5./JG 2 (Richthofen) and later in the summer was re-assigned to Wutz Galland. A photograph shows 'Black 8', now assigned to JG 26, at its dispersal at Abbeville in "mid-1942". It is also possible this aircraft wore the black diagonal "exhaust-cover" paint on the fuselage sides, a common feature on Channel Front 190s of the period. I chose not to apply it as in an earlier JG 2-photograph the aircraft did not wear such decoration, although it has not been confirmed the JG 2 'Black 8' is in fact the same aircraft as Wutz's 'Black 8'. 

** After a research it has come to me that the name "London Butcher" was merely a nickname and did not appear as actual 'nose art' on Spitfire Mk VB W3238 PR+B. Michael Robinson did not fly this aircraft on the fateful April 10 1942. W3238 was damaged in flying accident in September 1941 and after it was repaired the following month transfered to No 92 Sqn. 


Sources:

JG 26 - Top Guns of the Luftwaffe by D. L. Caldwell Ballantine books 1991. Osprey Aircrat of the Aces - Spitfire Mk V Aces 1941 - 1945 Alfred Price, Fighter Pilot's Summer by Wg Cdr Paul Richey and Norman Franks, Grub Street 1999. www.axis&allies Paintworks.com. Jagdwaffe series - Holding the West 1941-1943 by D. Wadman & Martin Pegg, Mouchotte Diaries.

Slip the BMP files into their proper folders in your Il-2 Sturmovik/Paintschemes/Skins folder. The skins should work the next time you start the game.

The templates were redrawn from the void files. 

The mechanical layer for the Fw 190A by Fly by Shooter, cockpit by Aces.

Many thanks.

These skins are not to be uploaded further without my permission. You are permitted to use and publish the skins in this pack with IL-2 Sturmovik missions & campaigns, also you may rework these skins for your private use. No commercial use in any form is permitted. Please do not remove credits. 

Thank you for downloading these skins and happy flying.

Contact me by PM: at Mission 4 Today or Axis & Allies Paintworks

Emel