Fw190F-8 flown by Theo Nordmann,
Gruppenkommandeur of II/SG 3 in August 1944 while based in Riga, Lithuania. Nordmann began the war flying reconnaissance aircraft before transferring to a Stuka unit (III/St.G. 1). He participated in the the battles of France and Britain on 1940. In the first half of 1941, St.G. 1 took part in the raids on Malta in the Mediterranean, where Nordmann was credited with sinking a 5000 ton merchant vessel. His unit was then posted to the Eastern Front for Operation Barbarossa in June 1941. Nordmann became the first Stuka pilot to complete 600 combat missions in August 1942. He spent most of the next year back in France working as a test pilot but was appointed command of II
Gruppe of
Sturzkampfgeschwader 3 (II/St.G. 3) in August 1943 and was back on the Eastern Front by December still flying the obsolete Ju 87. Finally in July 1944 the now redesignated
Schlachtgeschwader 3 transitioned to the Fw 190F-8, which Nordmann would fly in over 200 missions. Sadly, Theo Normann would not survive the war. He was killed after colliding with his wingman on Jan 18, 1945. By the time of his death, Nordmann amassed over 1300 combat missions, destroying about 80 Soviet tanks and sinking over 43,000 gross tons of merchant shipping.
Nordmann's F-8 features the standard gray camouflage scheme of RLM 74 and 75 over 76 with some additional splotching on the fuselage sides in RLM 70. The radio hatch is a single lighter color, probably RLM 02. Yellow theater markings are seen on the lower cowl, wing tips, and rudder with a broad band wrapping the fuselage above and below the insignia. On the cowl is painted the emblem of II/SG 3, a diving raven that is the German cartoon character "Hans Huckebein" who must have been quite popular since nearly identical emblems can also be found on aircraft of I/St.G. 1 and 5./JG 26.
