Focke Wulf Ta 152H-0

Focke Wulf Ta 152H-0    'Black 13'    Wk Nr 150007
Stab/JG 301 Obfw.Willi Reschke, Neustadt-Glewe, Germany, April 1945.

The record of Willi Reschke clearly shows his boldness and determination, in about 48 combat missions he acheived 27 confirmed victories, 20 of them four-engined bombers. He was shot down 8 times, bailing out 4 times, and he was wounded once.
He was born on February the 3rd 1922 at Muhlow in the Crossen region of Mark Brandenburg. After training, Unteroffizier Reschke was transfered to I./JG 302 based at Gotzendorf near Wien on June th 20th 1944 . On July the 2nd he achieved his first victories when he shot down two B-24 Liberators over Budapest. He rammed the next B-24 he downed on the 7th of July near Malacky in Slovakia when his guns malfunctioned successfully bailing out of his damaged aircraft. On the 24th of August, he claimed another B-24 Liberator near Jindrichuv Hradec in Czechoslovakia, but shortly after, during an attack on a second, his aircraft was hit by return fire. Reschke wanted to force-land with a dead engine, but P-51 Mustangs began pouring fire into his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 "White 10" and he had to use his parachute. On the 29th of August, he shot down a B-17 Flying Fortress south of Zlin. During the attack his Bf 109 G-6 "White 6" was fired on by other Bf 109 and Reschke had to force-land near Uhersky Brod. At the end of August 1944 he had 14 victories to his credit. After re-equipping with the Focke-Wulf 190 A-8, I./JG 302 was redesignated III./JG 301 on the 30th of September. In October the unit was transfered to Stendal airport near Berlin. On new years day January 1945, Reschke downed a B-17 for his 22nd victory but was again hit by return fire and baled out of his Fw 190 A-8 "White 6". On the 13th of March, he was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold. In March he transferred to Stab JG 301. On the 14th of April, he flew the final evolution of the famous Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the Ta 152 and claimed an RAF Tempest, six days later he was awarded the Ritterkreuz.
Willi Reschkes Black 13 features the classic late war camouflage scheme of RLM 76, RLM 81,and RLM 82, together with the colourful 'Defence of the Reich' bands to the rear fuselage. Used for high altitude combat the aircraft has extended wingtips a feature rarely seen on Luftwaffe aircraft.