Green Tails.

[Ginger.]

With it being the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Britain I have swapped my SE5 for a 56 Sqdn Hurricane.Flying high my brain cleared and I had a thought.Did Jasta 5 resurrect in WW2 and take part in the battle?
I wondered if these old foes met over Kent,and if the Jerries kept any of their green markings on their 109s or 110s.Wrong war and wrong forum but I'll wager one of you lads will know.
If they did meet I'll raise a glass to both in the Officers Mess this afternoon!!!

[Vigilant]

Intriguing question! Haven't a clue.

[Ron_F]

As far as i know, only Richthofens helaldry/legend continued into WW2. In the form of JG2 'Richthofen'. The other JGs, as they were called and thus divided into Gruppe and staffeln, usually had thier helaldry made from famous aces that died during WW2, or some of the shields from cities and towns.
Ie, JG3 'Udet', JG51 'Moelders' etc.

so, i would say no, Jasta 5 lineage didnt make it to WW2. Not that i can see from the emblems book i have. Most can be traced to the 20's or more so the 30's, if named after a famous person. Such as Sclageter who was executed by the French for sabotage. JG26 was named after him.

hope that helps some,
Ron

The current German airforce has used WWI aces names for some their current squads.

In the two on twenty (Atkey/Gurdon)Dad reported that some of the german aircraft had green tails.
Who were they?

George Atkey

[Droops]

Slightly off topic. . . . .didn't 56 squadron disband permanently in 1919? If so, how could you be flying a Hurricane of 56 squadron?

Droops

[Barrett]

Hoo-boy, this is a real pet peeve of mine.
To answer the question, no/nein/no way no how. The German air service was disbanded in 1918 and was not reformed until 1934/35. Consequently, even if the squadron/group organization had been retained, it was not possible to trace a direct lineage between a WW I staffel and its 1930s/40s counterpart. Honorific titles such as today's Richthofen, Boelcke or Moelders wings are historically oriented but in no way descended from WW I or WW II.
The US armed forces have been woefully mishandled in this regard, and despite similar or identical unit designations, most have no relationship to one another. Case in point: the US Navy's Air Group 15 of WW II fame in the Pacific disestablished in 1946 but the air wing of the Cold War (1950s and beyond) claimed descent. The USAF has been slightly better in that regard, and the marines may be best of all, keeping the same unit numbers "in play" for decades even if the lineage is interrupted.
Probably the longest-lived of all US air units is the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing, which traces its lineage to the 1st Pursuit Group of 1918 (including the 27th and 94th Squadrons which are still with us, flying F-15s)
The marines get away with it by saying that squadrons are "reconstituted" after a lengthy interval. I don't like the terminology (sounds like dehydrated potatoes) but at least the leathernecks acknowledge the difference.

[Ron_F]

<Honorific titles such as today's Richthofen, Boelcke or Moelders wings are historically oriented but in no way descended from WW I or WW II.>

Barett, could you explain further in detail on this? i dont quite understand how it could not trace its lineage back to the name its using. or are u saying that because it wasnt continuous, ie, when the Luftwaffe reformed in '34, its not the same?

As far as the USAF goes, i know that a fighter unit one war could be a photo recon unit the next, then disband, then be a cargo or tanker unit in a few years with the same number and crest. if thats what you were trying to say?

curious..

Ron

[Ron_F]

Should have put this in last post.

56th disbanded in January of 1920, cant seem to find it mentioned in HITEB. then it reformed in Egypt, then absorbed into 208 sq. then reformed in '22 with Snipes.
later, it was equipped with Hawker Hurricanes. then typhoons.
so, ginger isnt completly off his rocker... ;]
fwiw
Ron

[Ginger.]

Thank you Ron!!!