Neil P

looks dodgy, but perhaps set #3 was not actually sold the first time around - the original auction states 'withdrawn from sale -no longer available'

thank you John..not many Gfr. (or even Ofw.) pilots with the RK in the Nachtjagd, that was my point.

no 'fraid not. Neither of those names appear in the Obermaier book. Think you were right the first time - look at this image of Gildner at http://www.ritterkreuztraeger-1939-45.de/Luftwaffe/G/Gildner-Paul.htm

there is indeed a resemblance - Gildner had around 30 vics by the spring of 1942 (time frame identified by Stipdonk/Meyer for at least two of these images) and flew a Dornier Do215 of course (photo 07). Liebherr left 7./NJG3 during 1942 and as you say wasn't awarded the RK prior to 1944...

.. as an Ofw. he was probably not a pilot....looks vaguely like Hans Liebherr -

nice NJG3 album ..photo 6 is reproduced on P164 of Stipdonk/Meyer Teil 2 along with a photo of Bf110 'D5+IN'. anybody manage to identify the RK holder - unfortunately James I don't think its any of those gentlemen...

..didn't win them, didn't expect to .. but bidding was fun !

it is ..I'd linked back to this thread from that one but not vice versa. Think the pics are in Cornwell's ATB opus

Hi Chris, ..see P72-75 of Prien's III./JG3 history..the a/c is apparently Bf109E-4 WNr. 1559 which Balthasar kept after moving from I./JG1 - III./JG27 (cf. Gruppenemblem) ..it would appear that Peter's negatives are from the same sequence presented on the pages in Prien's history, image 8 set 1 being reproduced on P74.. Lützow in some of the pictures (Kommodore JG3 ) gives us a time frame of around late September 1940 ..

..died from his injuries sustained in his crash-landing IIRC

..first image set 1 is also Balthasar - Kommandeur III./JG3 - not easy to recognise with his Brille

the same pilot appears in the 'seaplane' negative group and is identified here

great work again ..thank you for posting. they seem to be PK 'left-overs' from fairly well known sequences, Oesau, Balthasar, the Rata & JG54 Bf109Friedrich - the injured RAF Hurricane pilot is familiar too..

...I will enjoy putting on my huge bid, knowing full well that it will be beaten..

definitely looks like a treasure trove from a PK photographer ....note AH in pic 6 of Peter's last post..