Fw 190A-8/R2 "Fw. Adalbert Koch"
6./JG 300, Löbnitz, Germany, Fall 1944

Fw 190A-8/R2 / Flown by Fw. Adalbert Koch, 6./JG 300, Luftwaffe / Löbnitz, Germany / Fall 1944.
JG 300 was initially tasked with nighttime interception of Allied bombers headed to targets in occupied Europe as was the case with her sister unit JG 301 as well. However, at the beginning of 1944, attention shifted to daylight operations. The II. Gruppe of the unit was formed in July 1943 and equipped with heavily armed and armored Fw 190A-8/R2s or R8s in the summer of 1944. It was also designated as a Sturmgruppe. One of the unit’s pilots was Fw. Adalbert Koch, who in the fall of 1944 flew an aircraft with the “yellow 15” code. The armor plating on the sides of the fuselage carried the inscription “Titi Wau Wau”. The Defense of the Reich marking for JG 300 consisted of a red fuselage band. By this time, very few of these aircraft retained their armored glass on the sliding portion of the canopy. The pilots generally had these removed because of condensation, which formed between the glass surfaces at high altitude, compromising visibility of the pilot.