Briefings of Stuka Pilots Before their Mission

Crews of II.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 1 (SG 1) at a mission briefing in front of their Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" D-5 at Rovaniemi, Finland, early April 1944. The groups of pilots are probably from different Staffeln, each receiving a specific briefing for its particular target. Note the different color rings on the propeller spinners (first machine on the left white, then two yellow, followed by red). The last aircraft in line has a white spinner with a black ring (possibly a Stab aircraft?). In early April the days are short in the high north, and the Gruppe had only a few hours of daylight in which to fly its missions. The Stukas are finished in improvised winter camouflage with a narrow yellow fuselage band and yellow wingtips. Note the heavy exhaust stains. Also noteworthy are the yellow-painted leather cuffs on the undercarriage fairings. This photo was taken by an unidentified Hauptmann of the Gruppenstab who was taken prisoner in southern Germany in May 1945. There American soldiers took from him several rolls of exposed, but undeveloped, film. The film was later developed by Kodak in the USA, and decades after that a collector discovered the collection by chance. The photographs were subsequently returned to Germany, albeit in poor condition.

Source :
Magazine "Luftwaffe im Focus", Spezial No.1 - 2003