Osprey - Aircam Aviation - 039 - Messerschmitt Bf 109B-C-D-E in Luftwaffe and Foregin Serv

No. 39

AIRCAM AVIATION SERIES

(Val. 1 j

R i 109E-1. 7./JG2 - ' R i c h t h o f e ~ "'lowr, by Ohlt. Macholrls. S'affelkap~tan.S t a i d ~ r dspliiter upuw s ~ r l a c r sh~!rlvy , 4:rQy rnott'e on fuselaqo. Ra:tlc o f B i ~ t i l ~D(!~IU<+ r, t)as,~'I at LFI Havre. France. Luftflcftc 3.

# LUFTWAFFE 8 FOREICN SERVICE ACYUOWLEDGEMENTS T h s 1s the first of fcur volumes an :he M e s s e r s c h r n l t t Bf 104. When t h e S P ~ ~ CI SS cnmplete the four books will preseqt the most thorough

Text by Francis K. Mason

plctorlal coverage of this famous slrcrnft rvrr puhllshed. Acknowtedgement rnusl be madc to the puhllshed researches of Herr Karl R P I ~ Jr.. and t o all those who assisted with photographs and lnturmat~onwhose names are l~stpdbelow In alphnhrt~calordpr Borw Hlelrn IWM. Gerhard J h o s MOISCSCU Mlharl. Hans Obert, ~ a r ; s Redernesln. F. SFIII~C~. WSAF, Martln C. Windrow

Illustrated and compiled by Richard Ward

R f 1095-1. 1 I J G 5 2 R a t t 3 e c f Britain period. shot dawn o t Maidstoro, Yent. 78 Septcwbor 1 ! d o . Standarc! spllnter upper sudaces, grey -roltle on fusrlage s~dps,VP-v l~eavvhrbnralb cock~11t6 !J'I c l o r d of wlnq laor-C3uvron, France, Luftllot:e 2.

Publtshed by: Osprey Publ~shrngLimited, England Edtrort~lOffrce: P.0 Box 5. Canterbury. Kent. England S~~bscrtprton R B u s t n ~ sOfftce: .~ P.0 Box 25. 707 Ox'ord Road. The Derksl~urePrinllng Co Ltd

r9

Osprey P u b l ~ s h ~ nLtd. q 1973

R e a d l n g . Berkshire. England ISBN O 85045 152 3

l~, Abcve ?.lc-c\r.rs:.P11>1;1 ?f 1:irkP .7 :! iJRF L e y ~ o nCondor. Frunete area, I r A r Msdr:d. Spa~n.J u r c 1 5 3 7 A1 1k;. l i r - f l . , , o ~ ~ u-r,,pl, 79;. " l o p 1-l?t 1-1sl5nl;l hd:l 11l:tbeen a ~ p ! l c d tr) Ihe fuse aqe, ro:e thr: wrng roundels sllgbl!y ovorla3 tke sller0r.s ( b a n s I?,:;--:]

$\b ov(, Lp [,,l! , L,; 1 1 !.I,-, I,:., bcrn .-oulnped w ~ l hF r y p r ~ r h a u s~t y s l t - ~ r l Eelow. A Bf 103C-1 after

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oitcn remarkcd rhst thr H a w k c ~I-lurricanc was h e oi a generation and the Supermarlne Spitfire was rhc lirst of a newr one. Whrrca5 rhc former prrwsted tn a clructure d e ~ p nth?r had orlg~natcdamong the Biplancr clt a prcvlcTu9 cra, tlic lattcr was ro lntroducc strcsscdd u n manocoquc Into Rr~tirh ~n-servrce hghtes deslm. 'l'hat tlic I-Iursicanc Rca 71x months befosr the S p ~ t i ~ r e 3nd was larger> ohwlcscent rcvcral year< bcforc rhc "atl-metal" de\ipn 1s further evidence that the Ilawkcr iigltter wap rcdlsticaHx of an carl~er generatiun. As such. despltc a great deal of adaptat~on in later l ~ f e , 11 could never match the dr\rgn dsvclopmcnt potential of rhr Splthrc. I ' h ~ k prramhle I\ necewary to ~llustratc. in corrcci wr+pcLtlve thc true slgnlticancc of Professor I l ~ l l vMrswrcchmnt'\ quprrb Bf 109 dcr~gn,for th~kalrraft flew two months before the Hurr~carir,Wac a marrh Tor the Spitfirc thrnughout i r s I I ~ L , and by thc time thc Sccond World V( ar c n d ~ dcould st111 he counted among d ~ cbt>r p~ston-eng~nedhghrers of rhe dav. When onc Eurrhtr ~ u n w d e r rthc relar~venhwnce nf uitable powerplanr dt.vclopmcnr d u r r n ~thc ~Mcs~ercchrnitt's earl) d e r q n per~cd,and the extent o f prlbatlon suffered h t Gemany towards the end of the n a r , that ~ u c han aircraft rquld c v e n rnnrcnd top honaurr amonfi rhc b c ~ tf i g h t ~ r 'ln ~ tIlc world mu?[ bear arnplc teltrmony to ITS rxtraord~nary qualitv. I\

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Prototypes end early productian

Concclvcd in Scpternbcr 1933, the Bf 109 rvas one of four designs 5cEcctcd for protnlypti mmpetirivc cvaluat~on-tllc others bcing thc Arado Ar XDV1, Heinkel He l l Z V l rind Iz~)cke-WuliI+'w 159VI-to replace rhe He 51 znd Ar hX blplaac lighters. The BF 109V1 ( 0 - I A R I ) firrr flew In Scptmmber 1935 and attended the rrlals a t Travcmundc the foltowing month. Dclpitc being puwered by nn impnr~ed695 h.p. Rolls-Rotce KestreI V. and \u\talning ttic coltapse of i t s ~ ~ n d e r c a r r ~the a ~ e.Mc.\.;erschm~tt , dcslgn w:rs ed1udgt.d thc wlnncr. l ' h c Rf 104V2 ( D - I U D E ) flrrv In ]nnuar\- 1936, pnwcred hy the new 610 h.p. Junkers Jumo 710iZ, and was folloaed by rhtl Rf 109V3 (13-IH,%"Y) In Jane Thcse twn protorvpcf included provision for two spnchranrsed 7 9-mm. MG 1 7 mach~nc-guns in the top novc dccklng, b u ~111 the light of report? of the frrefiring cigirt-gun :jrmarnent to be carried hv ~ h cHurricanc, i t rcrm dc-cide3 1 0 abandon t11c propurcd RE 109A producrion vtraiun In favour of the more heavilc armed I3 varlant, of which the Rf 109V4, V5. Y6 and Y7

were prototypes. I t was intended to include a 20-mm. FF cannon ltring through lhe prnpcllcr hub, but early cnollng troubles wilh rhrl gun led to the later prototvpcs h u n g completcd with a third 7.9-mm.MG 17 in phce of thc largcr gun. The I3f 109B entercd production 1n 1937 (a batch of Rf IO9B-0 pre-prcluction aircraft being delivered for wrvice evaluarlnn) and cxtendcd to the R - l and RZ, subvarlantr. A prototype sub-varunt, the Hf 109V13, was a standard B-ser~es airframe with a specially boosred Dnimler-Beni: 601 e n q n c developing 1,650 h.p., and, flown h y I l r . I-Icrmann Wurster, .;et up a new landplane world spccd rrcord ol 379.39 m.p.h. o n 11 November 1937. (It is worth mentioning here that rhe later spced rccord of 469.22 rn.p.li., e ~ t a b l ~ s h e on d 26 April 1939 n a y not ~ c up t by n Bf ln9-as was suggested at the tlme. The so-called "hie l09R" was a ahollv dlffcrcnr design, specially developed for h~ph q x c d prc~tipc purpure\.) -1 hc first pmduc~ifln version, the BF 109R-1, waq powered by the 635 h.p. Jumo 210D, had a rop speed of 292 m.p h. at 13,100 fret-the low maximum $peed being lhe dirtct reculf of the abscncc of powerful engines pcr ava~lnbic.In Germany, when compared with rhc 1,030 h.p Rolls-Royce iUcrlln of the Hurricanc (top ~ p c c d thcn about 315 rn.p.11,). These early aircraft wcre supplied to ~0'fl~dguscl17uudcr "RichrhoJen", but the poor cl~mb performance heqlowed by rhc carly fixed-pirch w d c n propclltrr had alrcadv prompted arrangcmenty to liccnccmanufacture IIam~iton two-blade var~ablc-pitch metal propeIlerc and t h r v west Iirtcd to the Bf 109B-2, powered by the rwn-sragc suprrcharged Jumo 21 (X; developing 670 h.p. Thi? fightcr variant ]lad a lop spccd of 302 m.p.11. s t about 17,500 feet. Empty and loaded weights were 3.R10 and 5.180 Ih. respccrivcly. Mcanwhrlc. rapid strengthening of the fighter unlts of the Lcgmtl 66ndur, fightlng In support of the Natlonahst forces In the Spanl?Ii Civil WRT and facing thc P o l 1 k a r p o v 4 e s l ~ e d 1-1 5 and 1-16 fightcrq puppl~cd by K u w a , prompted the hurried despatch of 13 Bf 109II-15 and SIX 33-2s for ~ s s u c to 1 and 2 Stofjcln, 3 u ~ r i ~ ~ z t p 7/88 pe In the Fenin~ula. Such participation b y Gcrman p~lorsin modern lighter< afforded conh\ of ~ t \mil In a hlgh-specd dlve, i i lent currency

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! o a wrdcTy-held hellef that the fighter was badIy undcr.jrrt.ssed. I n fact no such wcakne~rcuisted. On the othcr h-lnd ~t wnr confirmed that thc Uf 109 was undcr~unnedt v t n h> t11c ptandord~of. t h c Civil \Tar-~hilr rhree other weakne~ser; werc rrcopisrd: that of ruddcr buffct. of a l n g \huddtr rccultinq from the autnmaric slats opcning at ton low an nrrspeed, and ~nhercnrundercarri~gt.w ~ a k n r s p (this latter penl\ting thrtnughout the lll9'\ lift and ilu-ays demandinfi spcclal care when landing and tnxling). yo~wlthstandinp thcsc shortcom~ngs, German pilots gamed ctmslderahle succesces i n air vornbnt. and amonR t h t scores a ~ l a l n e d by lLicc~crschrnltt pilols who wcrc to f~aursprominently In tlic Sccnnd World War were those b ) Wrrner MnFders (14). Herbert Ihlrfeld (7>, Rcinhnrd Seiler <9), W1alter Oernu !X) a t ~ dGhnthcr Lutzuw ( 5 ) . ETorrs t o rcmcdy tIic arnlarnent sllorrcomin~shad continucd unchecked a t Aup~hurg: the Bf l04VX prurotype included the ~dditionof t w o wing-mountcd M G 17 gun.; and the Bf 109V9 i'catured lwa win^-maunrcd 70-mm. FT: gun5 (nlmost clmulrancouslv In Rritnm the Hurricane was being readied for experlmental 1n51allalion of a pair of 20-mrn Runs under t h e winp). I'hc outcomc o l these protutvpc., waq thc fif 117PGthc p r d u c t i o n verfion which occupied the axsemblv linc durnng September to Octohcr 1937. T h e prc-product~nn Rf 1WC-0 and early C-1s were armed with two now-mo~intcdand two wlngrntluntcd MG 17 rnachlnc-guns. whilc the C-2 ~ncludcd the hub-tir~nghlG 17 In addlhnn. T w c (:-Is wcre sent to Spa~ri as rcplncrmcnt\ for ~ u ~ d g v u p p7J8R's c 2 S~nffcl in M a y 1938, and the following A u ~ s t12 cuch alrcraft rc-cqulppcd thc 3 Sraffel-later led with w c h success bv Molders. Tlrc Rf lfl9G-4 was an unsuccessful variant armed with four MG 17 m n r and a huh-fir in^ 20-mm. FF cannon, but the wc~_ehtof armament lim~tcdrllc speed to no more than 172 m.p.h., while the cannon c n ~ l r ~ n u c dto p v c lurthcr pcrwstcnt trouhle. Mora powerful engines at l a s t

Nune of the rMeqwrrchmitr\ which werc cent to Spain up l o the 5umrncr of 1938 urere capabtc of %peed.;greater

th:m ahour 300 m.p.h. T h e completion of rhc Bf 109V10 prorotvpc I~n~vvvrr reprcscntcd a cubstantial improvcmmr; ilclng a rtandard B-2 airframe, it was pwcrtld lly a development DH 650 engine of 960 h.p., and thih rctilrncd a maximum spccd o I 320 m.p.h. T h e ncxr two protorvpes, V-11 and Y-12 (also uqlng R-Z airtrame.;) were fltted with production DR 600,4 cnglnes. snd thesc aircraft rvcrc patrtrnq for rhr RI 10913 protiucrion ver5tm which had a maximum spced of 323 m.p.11. and a qervicc ce~lingof 31,200 fret. Rv uslnl: I3-2 nirframcs a $mall prc-production batch of Rf 109D-0.; u7a5 completed earlv In 1938 armcd with twn wing-rnountcd MG 13\ and a vinglr hub-fir~ng FF cannon. Ds5pite the improvement5 in power provided by thc DH hW. such wa\ the rnpidiw ol cnglne dt.velr>pment In Gcrnmanv in 1937-38, the Ef l09D rvas 5horrlivcd in T,ufrrr~af(efir-r-I~ne use. It ic helieved that only about 350 w c h aircraft. t h e HI 10913-1, wrre built : ~ n dthat these only cquippcd nnc Y a g d ~ r u p p ein Gcrmanv in 193s l'hev were witl~drawn from operational usc and re-J~striburinn to 6phrrr schools in small numbers, n,fi!le othcrs contlnucd to he flown h y Srnh SrajJeln of combat unity a s late nq 1941 (one or ~ w o cvcn featuring in low rccords duslng rht. alr hstrlcs of 1940). Silch was the ascendancv nnricipatcd in thc Iarer verqinnq rhnt Gtrmanv [rlr. confidrnt in allowing rhc cxporr of rhrce Bf IR9C-Zc to Hungnrv late in 1938 and ten to Switzerland. Dthcr Bf lfl9D-1s scrvcd wlrh Z~r+torerfesc/ru~arler T h e SU'IISRf IWC\ were regi\tered as 7-70! to 9-310. deliverier b c i n ~cornpletcd b y mid-lanuarv 1939: they wesr mainly riped for conversion tralninq ~ n wcrc d dlstrihuted among P l ~ e g e r k o r n p a ~ i e1;. n 15 nnd 21 of the Sw15s Alr Force bawd a t Thun. Payerne and D u k n d o r f respcctir.cly. The "Ernil'" appears 'The cnglne development referred to above cenrred principally ;ibnut carburnrion nnd ~uprrchnrgirq-~ndrcd German eneineers l~arl for some vear< bccn advancing in direct lurl ~nlc.ctionand it was r ~ c o g n l ~ ethat d cllminaiion ot rhc customary carburettor would bectow cun\idrrah]e

White 1 1 o l II /JG 1 roseu-odor In thc sI,,nw un UE.KO] airf~eld. ( H a n s Oberr)

advnntagc in comhat as the cllrlIic ~ ~ o u l ttlur l cul out undcr nrgnt1r.e-g forceu-an advantage rr.>li.;ed by Ailled pilors durlng rhe war whcn rhcrr engine5 falrered under

~ c conditions h while thosc of thelr opponents contlnucd to give normal power. T h e ~ p e e d y perlcct~on of thtse innovations In thc re-desipcd DB 601 cnglne and in the production 13B hOlA resulted in the declyion LO d~scontlnue the Dl3 600-and at thc same time rhc RI' 109U. A new prototype, the Ht 109V14 wac Rown In the summer of 1938. powered by the 1,100 h.p. DH hOLA nnd armcd wit11 two wing h'F cannon and t ~ v onose-mounted MG 17 a m ? . I1 was followcd bv the BE 109VLi; with huh-fitlng 1'1: cannon and no w ~ n gguns, but rhc engine-mounted cannot1 was slill pruving rccalcjtrsnt and the drwlopmenr Rf 1QYE-0sand tnitrnl 13f 109k+1-ls pcrsisrcd (kith tl~clr :armament of two wing-mounted and two nose-mounled =,ynchronised MG 17 machine-guns. T h e E-l sub-variant of thc "Bm~l", as the Bf 109F. came to be af'rcctinnatdv known, was rlre Iirlt mar;?-produced versjrm, and h r the end ol 1939 a total oi 1,54fl had bcen produced In nine factnrrc5 (a roughly similar numher of Hurrlcane~ and Sp~ttireshad bccn produced af that time). filmpared to other 11~h1crscntcring servlce in 1939, thc Ef lW1I w a s unrnarchcd, even b y rhc Spitfire in its ln~lial servicc configuration. On the one hand the Bf I 0 9 posct..;\ed an initldl climb rate of 3,100 feet/minu~e (Spirfirc., 2.500 fcet/minute), n a s fully comhat-clmrcd up to an alt~tudcof 34,000 Ecct [the Splrfire had l i m ~ t a r i o n ~ imposed above Zh*000 f r e t owing to qun-hearing problems for many months). while those 109s equipped with wlng cannon could iar nutrnnxr thc machlnc-gun armamcnr of !hc Britlsh t~ghtcr. Tlw 109 could aha o ~ ~ t d ~11ic vr Spirlirr. That thest conclu~ions wcrc not ~trictly born o u t -1111cr in c0mha.r or when Brrr~shpilotu f c w n caplured Ef 1U9E in 1931) has now been a~crihcd ro the substnnrinl lmprovemcnt5 In rhc Spitfire (such a5 the addition ol rhr vnr~ablc-pitch propeller) and the prclg r e w v r rernov~l uf crlmhnt limitations. Aside From cornhat the Messerschrnirt was unqucslionably a trlcky tiyhrer to fly. It posscsscd a wing lrnding 20",, abovr. lhnt *\I the Spitfirc and this demanded parrlcular care whm landing, wtiiIe the undercarria~cshortcemlngs rarrmdy rncnt~oncd) c a u ~ e d frequent rnlshaps among the less rxper~enccd pilor.;. The wine; slats llclprd to scqtore somc deyree of cnmhnt rnnnocuvrab~llty, although hey were ncvcr able to be4tow a Fully controlled t ~ ~ turn h t ro match thnt of the Sprtfire. I'he rv~luntianRt 109E-05 appeared In D ~ c m b e r1938 and some of rhesc rvcre lsslled to operational 7eq.d,prcltmader in Fehruarr 1939 lor scnficc commenr. I-'uIl produ~tiun standard Hf 109C-19 appeared a1 about thlr

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MG 17,. txhilc a n ~ whub-\-:ir~,~nt, rhe Bf lOYE-1/R. capablc of carrying either fuur 50-kilo or a +idgle 2%-k~lo hnmh, rcrac also lhsued In mid-1939. Often wrnnglv dcscrihcd as a ground-support fightcr, the E - l / B war a n unqlinlificd dive-bomber. for the procedure flown was a 45-degrcc divc along a. siyht-linc provided by thq rrandard Carl Zeips Rmi gurnight. AS S U C ~it U ' ~ F fairly inacrurate --a\ ~ 3 the 3 aItzrnatlvc wlrollt, accurate production figure for thA varlana can hc qut>tc.rI [nl thouglr carinus n u r n h c r ~have been su-ggcftcd, mnging from 1,800 to about 3,400) aq from rrarntnatlon r r f thc Werke Nr. records ~t 1s clrar rhat ~ u h w q u e n t variations had commenced mnnuf~c~uringasscmbly :IS E-ls, although this wa5 to some evtenr offset hu scsvice reverqlon tn E-1 standnrd hv field e n ~ i n c e r facilitie\. What is nowr quite clear is that production of the E-1 w n r ~ n u e d aImost throughout 1940, alongside the later E-3 and E-4 variants. When Germany invaded Poland on I September 1939 the i,nfrzlbaffc fighter vtrength was 12 Gruppen with an estnbl~shment of $50 Ef 1mF.-1s and E-l/Bs. In addihun a Zersrdrcrpesclrwader ficldcd about 230 obsolescenr Bf 109D-1s. A few other Bf 109E-1s operated searuhllght co-operation sorties with a f i g h ~ r rGrrrppe of L e h r g t ~ c hwader 1. Whatever the relative schievemen~sby thc Lu]rwafle and the Polish A I Force ~ may appear In the hght of ~ubrequrtnt scrutiny, there 1s no doubt thnt ahe L~tfrw~lfJe Stad did not derive much from the combat cxperlence gamed by Hf 109B unirs in the shrm Polish campaign. Indccd, much more significant were the fleeting brushcc with thc R A F and Armde de I'Air In the west, bcfore the end of 1939. Despite the stalemate reached on the Western Ikon€, in urhlch there were probahly fcwer than a dozen indances of iightcr-vcrsus-fighter ~mmbat, unessortcd R A F bombers were b a n g punished by BI 109E-equipped units based In Northern Germany, especially YG 77. (ha raid hy 24 Wrllingtonc, of Nos. 9, 37 and 149 Squadronr on W~lhelmshavcnun 18 Drcembcr 1939, III/YG 77 Bf 109E1;shot down no fewer than 12

of tlre bombcrs-,A ccrtnln Lcutnnni Irdidnnc\ hrr.ii~Ilof? scorinE two oi thc vrctrlcs; t111\ pilot r\.rntuallr slrut down 1715 encmy aircrnft during the war.) Follow~ngthe E-1 Into L u f t ~ e n f f eservice was the E-3, wliich had commrnced delircrg d u r ~ n g1939. Armed with two MG 17s in the nose, a furrher p l r in the wings, and an MG E'FJhil hub-firing cannon, this varlant was the principal producricm varmn1 durkng thc per~odSeptember 1939 ahout M a y 1940, though as will bc sel~redlater the hub-firing cannon way unpopular in service and was frequenrly discarded, while the alrcraft variant itself appears to have been p h a ~ e dout durmg the sccond half of 1940. 'I.he E-4 enrcsed production early in 19413, but 11 l< thoughr ro have bcen too late to sce action In the Battle of France. I n chi5 the mgme-mounted cannon was dl\cardrd, but the wing rnachinc-guns were replaced bv MG FF cannon. Rarhcr later on, In 1941, a sub-variant of the E-4. t h p E-411'-camc to be used In the TC'estern Dcser~; it fzalured a DB hOlN cnglne with 1rnpr0vc.dfuel Injection and supercharger coupling, and servcd for many months with ~ u ~ d ~ e i c l t r 3 d27c 1a n d 53. Other Improvements in rhr E-4 included improved armour protcctlon ( a fcature that rendered thr E-4 more popular lhan the E-1 during the Ratde of Britain) and sl~phrly improved pilot iicld of vis~on. 'I'i~e neat versions rvhich joined the Ltrfrwufle simultaneouvly in A U ~ W L 1940 kvcrc the E-2 (rvhich raw only limited service) and the E-7. The 1:-7 was hnth widely built and retrospec~ively mdified from the B-4. It jotncd yuiyi~ejchwader and LG 2 in France and featured rhe B-4 gun armament, plus belly-shackles for either SOU-klin bomb or ~crrisonable 66-Imp. gal. fuel tank. A minor varrctv of thi, verslon wap u5ed by Erpvobungsffuuppe 210 l a t e in the Rattle of Br~taincarrylng the drop-tank plus two or lour .?O-k~loImrnhs, thus being able to reach No. 12 Group airfield% of the RAF. T h e 1:-7 w a s flown b y the ubiqulrous I I I JYG 77 in the Balkans. snd a l ~ oover Malta in 1941. T h e Rf 109E-7/U2 was sn armoured groundattack version, trnpicaltred €or use in North Africa, and t h e Rf 109E-7/% was a little-used "~prlnl" variant uung

1 ' v r l h l , i r ~ l hIutrtm9 uxld~*ln~r','l'd in'n lhc wperctmrgcr lo provide extra oxvgcn and r l i d u ~ c dcrnnarion. '1-hrce othcr standard "Emll\", t h c E-5, E-6 and E-8 reactled Lufrwafie units bcforc the end of the Battle ol Brltain, allhough a? far as 1% kneun, the F.-6 was nor encountercd in action. T h e E-5 and E-6 wcre rcconnaiswncc vrrslons xvh~chomirtcd the wing armament and featured a camera mounted behind the prlot'h seal. T h e y dtffcred only in the powerplant, the former with a Dl3 M I A and the latter u ~ l ha 13R 6OlN. T h e E-8 was simply a manufnctured variant which formally lncluded all fighter and fighter-hnmbrr rnoditicatlons added ro previous vcr\inns. and was powered h c a 1,200 h.p. Dl3 601E engine Only tltc E-9 remained to inin the Lufrwafle at t h e end of 1940; this had no wing armament, but inctudrd pmvi~ion slons, and w a s powercd by a 1,200 h.p. 13R 6 n l G cnginc. rngine. One "add-hall" vcrsion of the "Emil" was redesignated the 13f 1 D9T (Trh~er=Carsier)-navaIised E-3 airtramcs intendcd for service abroad the G r a J Zeppelrn atrcraft csrricr on rvhrch work wa.r praccedlng in 1940. T h e y featured incrcawd-.pan, manually-fold~ng wings and arrester hook!,. and when work was huvpendtld on zbe carricr about fifty a~rcrafrhad bticn comp1ctc.d. T h e y wcre handed over-m~nus deck hooks-to I/?G 77.

The big battle in the west

Bcforc going on to record h e Bf E09'c service during the air war uver Britain in 1940, i t is necessary to enlargc upon the cquipment b a n g delivered. flown and lorr In the battles In the west during the summer of that year. I t har been frequently stated En the pact that the Bf 1091i-3 was rhe principal variant flown by the Lufrwafle durjnp the Rattle of Hritain+n assumption prc~umablystemming from Factory Dellvery Rtlcurdc during the period March to July 1940. Yct a careful analysis of the Llr, Gen.Qu./6 Abt~ilrtng/?U.g.I
Two oood deta~lsfiol? ul a B f 109t-4 w ~ t hend w ~ t h n u bellv l bcmb rack (Hans Aederrarn)

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to close escort duties, a chore that frustrated the fighter pilots' Instinct for individua11sm. Sticking close to *low Immkrs, which ra~dedfurther and further into England, resulted in thc RE 109s running dangerouvEy short of fuel, 90 thnt not only were they nftcn forced ro break off combat and leave the bombers unescorted, bur thelr pilots had to nurse thcir aircraft hack acrosq the Ionelv watcrs of the Channel wonder~ng whether the dreaded fuel warning Iight would signal a watery landing. Seldom after the opening weeks of the Batrle were the Rf 109s permitted ro fly unre~trictcdfret: chases bur when thcv did (as In the first weck of September) the RAF suffered crueIly. T h e mistaken use of his best aircraft was one of the basic errors which cmt Goring the Batde. The "'Ernil"' in foreign colaurs

Between I939 and 1941 a tord of 284 Bf 109Es was exparted; in addition, there was a number of others, which, lortunes of war, found themselve~ m the colours of other natlons-including ar least four flown in Britsin, one in France and onc in Sweden. The i'rrqt Bf 109E, believcd to havc h e n a n E-3, was forced down at Amicns, France, on 2 Mav 1940. Ir was immediately painted in French colours, although only one pilot of the Armie de I'Alr flew it; it was a l w flown by pllots of Nos. 1 and 73 Squadrons of thc RAF, repaintcd in British colourc and transferred to Boscombe Don- where it was extensively flown. Within six months a furrher rhree Rf 109s west flying in British co1our.;-a Rf 109F-I and two 11-45, TIrc Swedish example was an E-I YWhlte 3" of 4/7G 77, lVerke Nr. DRZO) which accidentally forcelanded in Sweden on 24 October 1940. Littlc 1s known of the fete of this aircraft save lhaf it was the subject of a diplomatic exchange in November 1940, suggesting that it was recovered intact and probably flown In Swedish coIours. The pdot, Uffz. Frclba, was interned. Thc Iargesr forcign cusromer far rhe "Emil" was Switzerland. I h ~ r t y R t 109Es, powcred by the 1,100 h.p. D.)B601Aa and armed w11h two 7.45-mm. and two 20-mm, Hlspano cannon, were dcllvered hetwecn 14 April 1939 and the end of June that year. A furrhcr ordcr for 50 s l r n ~ h r aircraft was quickly placed, and dclrveries or these w a s completcd by 27 April 1940. By mid-1940 SEX F l ~ e g e r k o m p a ~ n ~ eNos. n , 6 , 7 , 8, 9, 15 and 21 had reached full opcratronal s t a m . Despitr SWISS neutraliry, frcqucnt evcurslons rhrouph her sirspace resulted in numcmus cornbats w t h the warring airforces. On rhc whole the Swrss nf 109 pilot^ Seem to havc given a good acmunl of them
t ) t l O 9 E n: 1 1 1 /JG 77

( 7 ~ ' l ylanded

nn n

Norweq~aoalrffeld ( H A ~nh~rt) $

tiations a n initial contract for 50 Bf 109E-3s was signed, and t h ~ swas lollowed by an order for a further 50. In the event only 73 arr~ved for scrvice with the y u ~ o slocbnr.ko kraitevsko rarnn cw&hnplou~wu (JKRL'), They served with the (IZ.Lm:ncka p u p a . and the 102. and 161. eskdrzlla of the S1.Lrwacka q u p a of the 6th Fighter Regirnenr, the 31.Lswacka gridpa of the 2nd Flghter Reg~ment, and with the Fighter Training Squadron (SomusraIna e\kadr~lralwacke j-hnle), At thr rime of the German invasion of Yugoslavia on 6 April 1941 only 46 Bf 109Es a c r e available at combat readiness, and ~ h e ~ r p11ots Rave a creditable account of themselves (nfren fightjng agalnst s i m l l ~ rWf 109Es of the L ~ i j z w o f f but ~ ) wcrc coon ovenvhrImcd by the huge weight of the German forces. A Lufrwafle misslon ro Romania in September 1940 was folPoweci by that country's joining Gcrmany in the Trlparrite Pact on 23 Nwcrnbrr, and resulted in a quantity of German rnilltary aircraft being nrdcrcdincluding 40 Rf 109E-47. Hy thc time of the Gcrman invaslon of Russia in 1941, these aircraft had nor been integrated in10 the Forrelor Acrlene Read d s Rorninra {Rorat Alr Forccq n l Romanla, or FARR) and the Romanian elemcnts of Lufrflorr~4 suffcrcd considerable nttririon on the Bes~arabianFront. Early in 1942 Florila I clndroare was wlthdrnivn for rc-equipping, it.; surviving He ll2.R: and PZL F.Z41!s being replaced by the RT 109E-4, of which a total of 69 had bv then arrived from Germany. These aircraft were concentrated in two fighter groups of the 1st Air Corps ( C ~ p u lI Aerian) and fought lor atwut six month., in the Ukrainc until replaced hy 13E IflYG-6s and G-Hs. At the 5ame tlme hat the Bf 109E-4s joined the Romanian CYorpuI 1 Auem, a further 40 Bf 109E-4s were supplied to re-equip Hunjyrian alr elemenr~ of Suftflozte 4 %hose Fiat C.K.42 biplanes had also quffcred consrderably m Russ~anskies. Ana~licr signarorv of tY~c Axis Tripartite Pact was Bulgaria, and by the time of the signlng of the Pact its air arm (an integral part of the D u l ~ ~ r i aArmy) n had ordcrcd 19 Bf 109E-4s.Nevertheless, unltke Romania and Hungary, Bulgaria tmk n o significant part in the early campaigns la Russia and it is rhuught unlikelv that her BS 1091% saw combat service. O n lhe other hand, following the formation of the Slorakian RepubIic in 1939, a semi-autonomous Slovak Air Force particlparcd alongside the Lufrmafle in the Polish campalp of t h a ~ ycar. The following year 16 Bf 109E-3s wcrc supplted ta this Air Force and in 1941 two squadrons of Bf 109Es f o u ~ h twith the German forces Invading Russia. This cumpleres the list or "Emils" exportcd for servlcc wirh foreign air forccs, akhough it is known that at least five such alrcraft werc supplied ro the U.S.S.R. in 1939-40. T w o further aircrzft werc sh~pped to Japan where it was inrrnded to licence-build the lypc at the Kawasaki planr, but this plan never mxtcrialiscd. 'Thcrc is nu doubt that the Bf 1O9E was the finest fighter based an the Europcan continent between July and neccrnher 1940, but by the lime Gcrmany attacked R u s w ir had been overlaken by thc Rf ln9F, and the "Ernil" nevcr a g i n enjoyed rhe unquestioned ~upcriorily rt Iound in the months that prccsdcd the fall of Francc.

' I -

Uf : W E I < o: ,: :JG 1 nn D e Ko al*f~e'd.Hnllnncl May . 3- 4 1 . Ail r m l ealmcra'tV;IIII 1 ' 1 4 - r x c l crlcn of ye"low 4 are u l ~ l11 ,.,?rlv I F 4 0 s:vle ca-loutlaqc ! Y arrr U bert)

1

h e - L I P r>t R i 1 0 9 E - I s l n a ,I,JII~IVdappled s c i e m r 0: Il;fl.l mrl d;irk y s c n w h i c l ape,e.lrrd rl,rrlng t k PP~IV ~ [IPrmd ot I h r Riltlli. O' Ur~ta.n, T ~ i t - ~ 7 1 . 3~ ~ ~ ' l ~[113ik n c cc$-v~ri.js Rppear O I h 4 v e L a e i p;llr!lrmrlr % n1 h r 1 o r i q ~ n a lpbotcgrsph (R. lru'arrl)

rf;%"I'w.?','..jt&& :I( :.nnnF:'. , (G I-

Jous vla M . C . Wlndrow)

R f lo?E-7!'.1:: l h l s vcrs80n was very hoavlly arm.inuro!dt:>r : r i r i ~ ~ i ellat ~ r l .: rr#lssl,,r.r. and L s e d EX~~"-~SIYCIL. I,-# tlli. d ~ s r i :c a ~ ~ i p a , y ~ i ~ . IF. Sm711rig?r V I : ~ M 1: L'ilndrow!

q

shouhn(l i*~*13v., c 3 r n c ~ ' l a q e cl~rnarcarlcr lhne I I 'J'; 7 7 ( V a n s Doert)

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1 i e . r arrival irr

R-low P~lq'sof 7 /JG 77 'lnd a lit-IP equestrian re:axa*Ion hptwren nlt~sln-s d u r i n ~thc CrrrL carnpalgn, L i t e r o f f i z ~ J~ or h s r n PicPler o r t k spcond ~ pony [Hans Obert)

R ~ g b lNose-ovcr b y i! R f 103E i o f ;./.lG 77 on s R u n ~ a r ~ a n a ~ r f ~Jeu l yd ~ 1 9n4 1 . Y e l l c w f u s ~ l a q r a r c nose but no yellow o n rhe u i d e r s ~ dof~ the wlng 1 1 ~ sS:ylo . ond noslticn o' undr:.wlng crossps clearly siown (I-lans Obert)

-

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3p13w A qf :gCE-7 o f 7 /JG 37 shot down In Greece currnq "I< sDrlrg of 1941 { I W M )

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R r l o w . P I 109E-4 o f O !JG 5 2 b a s w a t ZVissanl. Frat~ce,s'lot dawn ovcr :hc UK dur~qgthe Battis of B ~ ~ t a r n

.

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Above & h ~ l o wR f 103L 47 91 JG 5 ov a F11nus4 nlr'lr~l- .+r m o w c a d hills and t r r r s have t e e n palnted

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( U Hrelm)

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wy

at 1941. I n the ulsladlct. U I i r l e (up pluutuyrdpri I to Tunlsla. (R. Ward)

~ O I LCI U V Q I I C U . > L I I ~ I ~ JU U I I I I I~I I I ~ U ~ ~ I I ~ I ~ ' ~

: r:l Iir clesen land~ng-grr

11uaYadfrom Egypt

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I

uw ~ ~beert

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fllq'it Bf 1OSE-4Trcp s o f I /JG 2 7 over descrt A T m2y b~ wen In rhe IGWCI , p i o t o q r a ~ hthe greerl splotches cm sand r n ~ r y o divtaflwlth parts of tho desPrr (fl Ward)

R ~ q h t Black 4 (tFlrrly o ~ t l l ~ In c dred) on a desert l a n d ~ r g - q r o u r dT h ~ sBf 109 was In iuronoan srt*pme. grven dno blsc6 green spllitcr o n u l n q s tallplarles and fh:se'aqr. !cp rlocklng green a n d grev dapple cri paiv h u e ' ~selapn, w'vlr rucdrr, f u s ~ l n ] e band anc undpr wlng t1p5 (A Ward)

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Above UI-lck J (thlrlv c u r l ~ ~ rn ~ r rd~ d )In a far from stardard scheme ( R Wara)

Close-up o f rhe lnslqvra of I /JG 27, upper s u r f 9 c c ~of 7h.s a~rcrzftweresand onlv (Hans Oc?rtj Lp't

Bf -0aF-7Trop's o f 7 !.IG 2 % t h ~ sunlt o ~ v r a - e dIn

.hp

l ~ b y a ndesert cmpalgns and In the Eastern Med~~errdnean. (USAF via M C W ~ n d r o w j

.

Above. Rrplacemen[ Rf 10RF-45 !or JC: 5 arrivirg 0.1 a F i n n ~ s airf~eld. !~ ( H a n s Oherr)

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A Bf 7 09f - 4 w ~ r hoverall mhjt.: rapper surfacrs on a Sussran alr'leld I R W a r c )

A pranqed Bf 1 C9E-4 of Jagdfllegerschule 4. note ~ c h o o l r s l g r l a under c s c k p ~ t ( t i a n s Obsrt)

-LC

A Bf 1098 cf a r u i k n o w n F i l e ~ e r s c b ~ in ~ l e1940 stvle carnouflaqa, t k e w h i l e or vcl ow fuseiags band h*~lt, Inrgc i : ~ m e r a l swas starxfard c,n F T S a~ccra't

(mans Ubrn)

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Bf 109R.1

of 2 . I J 88, Condor Legion, rn ovsrall grey scheme.

............. ..................... .................... ........... .......... ................. ............. ................ .............. ................ .............. ............... ...............

Condor Legion

llpper surface details. note roundel 611ghlly oveylaps a~larcn.

Under surface details.

R I 1 0 9 R - 2 o l ?./J 88 Condor Legion: 'the wPite cross an tho fuselage r a u n d ~was l ro: used t o any grent rxtcnt.

Uf 1088-2 flown by Haupymann Got:hardt Handr:ck S t n f f ~ l k a p i t i nof 2./J 89 on the M a d r ~ d'ront ~ rl .h p spring of 1037.

1

Pale Plue

at 1095 ';I

1 of 6 /JG 26. manoauvra rnarklngs, Augusf

1939

4 Bf l 0 9 E 1 . 1 /JG 1 Herbsl. 1939

--

2

- Bt 109f 3, a IJG

2 R~cnlhofen Beaumont In R a ~ e r Frame, . 1940

1

1

1

4

81 #b€4,

-by

m

[I m n d w r Ill IJG 6 Whlte Sen aras 1942

Hstqlb Pmr (S mher Schdz

5 Bf IMIE-I 0 I J G 26 "Slageler" Dusseldorf. August 1939 Marmeuvb rnarklngs.

-I

l l -

2 81 l O B E 1 7 . / J G 5 1 . "Mbldsrs" Summer 1939

3

01 10gE.3. I./JG 52 Lwn-Cauwon, Franee, 1940. Shut d m during -tn+

\

of m

n

4 W Em-a,7 . M 62. C h a m Coart Phs&rbdFEsnw.lW

a ~ e a&ring the c f w g ~dew

I

of

5 Bf 109E.3. l./JG 53 D~nerrlTrel~van, Frmce. 1840 Shot down at Lengley Eaa!bnuma. Sussex. on the aflemoon ol the 30th Smptamber

I

;'a Bf 109E-1. 3 IJE 63

PI^ As" Wlesbaden. Gerrnarrv. winter 1838-39

'1

1

3 81 109E-1. I V I J G 132 Iatsr I IJG 7 7 June 1939,

Bf 1WE-4. Il./Wht)CJG

2, Calm-Mar*. Frame. Me 11940.

1

1 Bf 109E-4. It (SladnJlLG 2. St. Omw. hmae. Ocla$at

5 €if lMb-2, JsgtH+ispepwhuls, o-L

II. €My 183%

I

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-.

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q. 1.

0 Bf 1OSE-4. Slweltian Ar Force,

4

I I=-Bwh $ Air W e .

6 81 109E-3. Sw18sAir Forco

6

61 109E-3. Swias AII Force

Dl Rf l O 9 C - i ' n 2./JG 51 In ovpralr arscn black sc'lcme. 1 3 3 1

A5 B f 103C.1 of I .lJG 132: note red tall hand shol.in black

Bf 109E-1 01 I . / J G 61. The insignla of 3 /JG 233 aopearpd on Ihe p o r l s ~ d ?anly.

Upper surface de:alls of :ibnve. Tote large size W ~ P ?crnssCs

7 / J G 51. W h ~ t eon green camou'laga

3 . / J G 1 3 3 . WII:~ an prren eanouflage.

8 /JG 5 1 . Btack cat o n whit8 ~ ' S C .

Uf 104E-I.7 . / J G 51 "Molders", slJrnrnFr 793a.

Bf 109E-1. & . / J G 51 "Mfilders", prcvicusly 7.IJG 20.

nircraf: as FC3 above, note thnr the whim En the n paintar! In with green.

E

Bf 109D-1 of JE 1 in 1938-1 939 scheme of black green u ~ p o surfaces. f

R f 1 0 4 E - 1 of 9 13G 26 "Schl~getsr". port s;de ident~cal.

9./JF 2 6 "Scblageter". Red wlth whqle d ~ t a ~ l s .

J G 7 6 "Schlagcter". Black or. wt,lte sh~eld. black lir.lng.

I.:JG 5 2 Palo t o d s i t blue sky, rPlE grour'd, black hoar.

I / J C !,I variation.

Rf 1 0 9 E 3 nl 7.!JG 52. Standard spl~nterupper surfaces on the above rhree a~rcraft

,,

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GRUPPE IDENTIFICATION M A R K I N G S NIL

ImGRUFPE 11. GRUPPE

111. G R u W E \\

i ,

I

Ill. GRUPPE Substituted for Squiggle in 1941 but Squ~ggleused by some units for the durat~onof the war.

IV. GRUPPE

L+ . .1

G R u p E (variant)

Ef 10YE-7. Jagdflirrjrrschule. Cufl4re1skornrnnndoII. early t 938scheme.

Grey

on Pare

A -.:I r ol Fc~-r,,-r~i,.~ Air Furcc 31 10!1L 4s o f I'lr 1st F ghter Group f o r m a : ~ n ~w ~ t al Luf:waflr a~rcraft.(R. War?)

,\bov$

Left A y ~ l l o wnosed E' 109E-4 o+ t*le Rurnan~anAir Force the spl~nter s c q e l l e may be seen showlrg through ?he ycllow. (Molsescu M ~ b a ~ l )

Below Bf 109t-4 w ~ t hthe legend In w h ~ t eon [he cowl H ~ FI ~ t ~ t n ' (UP L~t'leG I ~ The ) cark round area under t b s wlnq appears !o be where rhr o r ~ g ~ n aLultw8f:n l Inslgrla has brPn overpa~ntpd(Mo~sescuM1ha18)

Abovs P1 r l ~ h r Port . and starboard shots ol s Bf 10'tE-4 of !he S l r i i a k ~ a n AII Fnrce ( L d e n ~ k? I n )

11.e detarls for G 4

1

.

-." Upprr surtaca derarls for G6.

( A ) Under surface detalls of Rumamsrl AI= Force.

( 3 ) Undpr surface details for S l o v a k ~ a n,Air Force.

p,' ~ r . ~ q ~ 1- n s t, Flgblrr Group of thc Royal R u m a n ~ a nAir Force

4I 4 1 4 4

GESCHWADER-KOMMODORE

GESCHWADER-ADJUTANT

<10 < < + ll I


GESCHWADER I A

GESCHWADER-TO

MAJOR STAFF

4 4

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GRUPPEN-KOMMANDEUR

GRUPPEN-ADJUTANT

GRUPPEN-TO (Technical Officer)

AIRCAM AVIATION SERIES Each publication in the original AIRCAM series illustrates one type or major sub-type of a famous aircraft in the colour schemes and markings of the Air Forces of the World. Each issue contains eight pages of colour sideview illustrations with s u ~ ~ o r t i nblack a and white plan view drawings showing where necessary both upperand under surfaces, one hundred-plus half-tone photographs, more than half of which have never previously been published. and between three and seven thousand words of text. The AIRCAM SPECIALS cover a wide range of subjects from the three single-seat fighters of the Battle of Britain to present day Aerobatic Teams. Air Force Histories and Air Force dolour Schemes and Markings, and the Specials will have new titles added at regular intervals. The content of Specials will vary, depending on subject to between five and ten thousand words and between fifty and one hundred half-tone photographs: all will have eight full colour pages.

1

30 31 32 33 34 35

1

36 37 38

AIRCAM 'SPECIALS' S1

North American P-51D Mustang Republic P-47 Thunderbolt North American Mustang Mk. I/IV North American P-51B and D Mustang Supermarinespitfire Mk. I/XVI. Merlin Engine North American P-51 B/C Mustang Curtiss (P-40) Kittyhawk Mk. I/IV Curtiss P-40 Warhawk Supermarine Spitfire-Griffon Engine Spad Scouts Lockheed P-38 Lightning Consolidated 8-24 Liberator Avro Lancaster Nakajima Ki.43 Republic F/RF-84F Thunderstreak/Thunderflash Boeing 8-17 Flying Fortress Mitsubishi A6M-Zero-Sen North American F-86A/H Sabre Vol. 1 Nakajima Ki.27lManshu Ki.79 Grumman F6F3/5 Hellcat Canadair Sabre Mk. I/VI: Commonwealth Sabre Mk. 30132 Vol. 2 Kawasaki Ki.61-1/111 HienfKi.100 North American B-25C/H. Mitchell Vought F4U-117 Corsair Hawker Hurricane Mk. I/IV Nakajima Ki.44-la/llb Shoki Hawker Hunter . Douglas A-4 Skyhawk De Havilland Mosquito Nakaiima Ki.84 Havate

Battle o f Britain The Supermarine Spitfire. Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109E.

S2 1 2 3

McDonnell F-4 Phantom Vought F-8 Crusader Kawasaki Ki.48 De Havilland Vampire/Venom North American F-100 Super Sabre Mitsubishi G3M-11213 Douglas A-20 Havoc/Boston English Electric Lightning Curtiss P-36/Hawk 75/P-40A. B. C.

}

Finnish Air Force A complete history of the Finnish Air Force from formation to the present day.

Sharkmouth In t w o Volumes. The history of the SHARKMOUTH markings from its origin in the German Air Force in the first World War to the present day.

Czechoslovakian Air Force 1918 4 9 7 0 A pictorial history of the Czechoslovakian Air Force through two World Wars to the present day.

Luftwaffe: Vol. 1 Colour Schemes 5 Markings 1935-1 945. Fighters and Ground Anack types.

Aerobatic Teams 19504970 Vol. 1 Luftwaffe: Vol. 2 Colour Schemes & Markings 1935-1 945. Bombers. Reconnaissance, Maritime, Training and Liaison types.

Polish Air Force Luftwaffe: Vol. 1 Bomber Camouflage 5 Markings 1940. He Ill. J u 88. Do 17.

Luftwaffe: Vol. 2 Bomber 5 Fighter Camouflage 5 Markings 1940. J u 87. Bf 110. F w 200, Do 18. Do 24. He 59. He 114.

Aerobatic Teams 1950-1 970 Vo1.2 United States Army Air Force Vol. 1 Bombardment Group Identification 1941-1 945.

Markings and Codes

United States Army Air Force Vd. 2 Royal Australian Air Force South African Air Force Royal Netherlands Air Force Belgian Air Force Regia Aeronautica : Vol. 1 Colour Schemes & Markings. Fighters and Ground Attack types.

Regia Aeronautica : Vol. 2 Colour Schemes 5 Markings. Bombers. Reconnaissance. Maritime. Training and Liaison types. Netherlands East lndies Air Force West German Luftwaffe

Front oovor top to bottom: Bf 1098-2. 2./J 88 Condor Leg~on,Spain 1937. Bf 1098-2. II./JG 132 "Richthofen". Bf 109E-1 flown by Major Helmut Wick, JG 2 "Richthofen" during the Battle of Britain. Bf 109E-7Trop. 7./JG 26 "Schlagater", Libyan desert campaigns and the Eastern Mediterranean.

I.*

i& ISBN 0 85045 152 3