Thought I'd be nice

[Xasthur]

Krusty isn't making that up, I have photos of blackmen (ground crew) diligently washing 'unsightly' exhaust stains from a 109 F. I don't think he meant that the LW were more elite than other air forces, I believe he was suggesting that within the LW there was a higher level of prestige surrounding the fighter squadrons as opposed to the bomber and attack squadrons.

[Bodhi]

Krusty isn't making that up, I have photos of blackmen (ground crew) diligently washing 'unsightly' exhaust stains from a 109 F. I don't think he meant that the LW were more elite than other air forces, I believe he was suggesting that within the LW there was a higher level of prestige surrounding the fighter squadrons as opposed to the bomber and attack squadrons.

I just quoted what the man said.

Considering his past...  you have to really wonder about what he posts.....   

[Guppy35]

Krusty isn't making that up, I have photos of blackmen (ground crew) diligently washing 'unsightly' exhaust stains from a 109 F. I don't think he meant that the LW were more elite than other air forces, I believe he was suggesting that within the LW there was a higher level of prestige surrounding the fighter squadrons as opposed to the bomber and attack squadrons.

But that applies to all ground crews.  I'd also suggest that the propoganda machine put out lots of 'photos' showing that kind of stuff too.

[Xasthur]

That's possible though I doubt the shots I've seen were intended for use as propaganda.

They look more like 'happy snaps' to me.

[Motherland]

Krusty isn't making that up, I have photos of blackmen (ground crew) diligently washing 'unsightly' exhaust stains from a 109 F. I don't think he meant that the LW were more elite than other air forces, I believe he was suggesting that within the LW there was a higher level of prestige surrounding the fighter squadrons as opposed to the bomber and attack squadrons.

'Washing' isn't really an appropriate term. They merely painted over the exhaust stains with black, making them un-noticable. This is often hidden by the wing diehedral on 109's, but you can clearly see the method when used on 190's.

[Xasthur]

I know what you're talking about, I've seen images of the over-painting you're talking about. So far as I can tell that was very, very rare on 109s. It was wide-spread on 190s but not on 109s. I've seen photos of only one 109 painted in such a way.

I'll try and find that photo, they were not painting over exhaust stains with black.

[Serenity]

You said, "They simply had dedicated ground crews that kept the planes very clean to keep morale up for the pilots." 

That would lead any reasonable person to believe you were implying they had special washing crews.

Thats not what I took away from his post.

I somewhat agree with Krusty. The concept of what made a good air force is different to Germany than the U.S., same as the idea of the perfect fighter itself. It seems to me that the asthetic look of the aircraft was a LOT more important to Germany, at least earlier in the war. This isnt to say they had better ground crews, but that ground crews simply had different priorities. It makes a lot of sense to me, since the Bf-109 was often in the limelight of propoganda. Same as today you see the F-22 cleaned and scrubbed a LOT better than an A-10. The crews arent better on the Raptor, they just know the Raptor gets more attention in photos and movies and place a higher priority on cleaning.