AIRCAM AVIATION SERIES No. 39 (Val. 1 j

R i 109E-1. 7./JG2 - 'R ich tho fe~" 'lowr, by Ohlt. Macholrls. S'affel- kap~tan. S t a i d ~ r d spli iter upuw s ~ r l a c r s , h~!rlvy 4:rQy rnott'e on fuselaqo. Ra:tlc of B i ~ t i l ~ r , D(!~IU

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$\b ov(, L p [,,l! , L,; 1 1 !.I,-, I,:., :,,:,l(,, ,a;:t,,>;: l , , , l l l , dt*,.. t r , , , : - ~ ~ l , ~ ~ l , > l , t - I. , , ( 1 :,I1 I ,, c< 1 8 , : - , , - - :,.-,L8c:!

It I \ oitcn remarkcd rhst thr H a w k c ~ I-lurricanc was h e Id\[ oi a generation and the Supermarlne Spitfire was rhc lirst of a newr one. Whrrca5 rhc former prrwsted tn a clructure d e ~ p n th?r had orlg~natcd among the Biplancr clt a prcvlcTu9 cra, tlic lattcr was ro lntroducc strcsscd- dun 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 v Mrswrcchmnt'\ quprrb Bf 109 dcr~gn, for th~k alr- raft 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 ~ d could st111 he counted among d ~ c bt>r p~ston-eng~ned hghrers of rhe dav. When onc Eurrhtr ~unwderr thc relar~ve nhwnce nf uitable power- planr dt.vclopmcnr d u r r n ~ thc ~Mcs~ercchrnitt's earl) de rqn per~cd, and the extent o f prlbatlon suffered h t Gemany towards the end of the nar , that ~ u c h an aircraft rquld c v e n rnnrcnd top honaurr amonfi rhc b c ~ t f i g h t ~ r ' ~ ln tIlc world mu?[ bear arnplc teltrmony to ITS rxtraord~nary qualitv.

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 lZVl rind Iz~)cke-Wuli I+'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~ed 695 h.p. Rolls-Rotce KestreI V. and \u\talning ttic coltapse of i ts ~ ~ n d e r c a r r ~ a ~ e , the .Mc.\.;erschm~tt dcslgn w:rs ed1udgt.d thc wlnncr. l ' hc Rf 104V2 (D- IUDE) 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 frre- firing cigirt-gun :jrmarnent to be carried hv ~ h c Hurricanc, i t rcrm dc-cide3 10 abandon t11c propurcd RE 109A pro- ducrion 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 proto- tvpcs hung 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, sub- varlantr. A prototype sub-varunt, the Hf 109V13, was a standard B-ser~es airframe with a specially boosred Dnimler-Beni: 601 enqnc 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. on 11 November 1937. (It is worth mentioning here that rhe later spced rccord of 469.22 rn.p.li., e~tabl~shed on 26 April 1939 n a y not ~ c t up 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 ~pccd thcn about 315 rn.p.11,). These early aircraft wcre supplied to ~0'fl~dguscl17uudcr "RichrhoJen", but the poor cl~mb per- formance heqlowed by rhc carly fixed-pirch w d c n pro- pclltrr had alrcadv prompted arrangcmenty to liccncc- manufacture 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 Natlon- ahst forces In the Spanl?Ii Civil WRT and facing thc Po l1ka rpov4es l~ed 1-1 5 and 1-16 fightcrq puppl~cd by Kuwa, prompted the hurried despatch of 13 Bf 109II-15 and SIX 33-2s for ~ssuc to 1 and 2 Stofjcln, 3u~r i~~z tppe 7/88 In the Fenin~ula. Such participation b y Gcrman p~lors in modern lighter< afforded con

Nose detall of a P,f 1 0 9 F 11 . ; . 1 8 , , : . . -,,'I I i : ' l , , r , i l 1 1 ' ' I., " ' 2 ' ,,I pl lot Unternftl?,er u a n s Scll#lr2 vl . ~ l i , ~ ,!, ~..t) l .rt) !o a wrdcTy-held hellef that the fighter was badIy undcr- .jrrt.ssed. I n fact no such wcakne~r cuisted. On the othcr h-lnd ~t wnr confirmed that thc Uf 109 was undcr~unned- t v tn h> t11c ptandord~ of. t hc Civil \Tar-~hilr rhree other weakne~ser; werc rrcopisrd: that of ruddcr buffct. of a lng \huddtr rccultinq from the autnmaric slats opcning at ton low an nrrspeed, and ~nhercnr undercarri~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~ la lned by lLicc~crschrnltt pilols who wcrc to f~aurs prominently In tlic Sccnnd World War were those b) Wrrner MnFders (14). Herbert Ihlrfeld (7>, Rcinhnrd Seiler

White 11 ol I I /JG 1 roseu-odor In thc sI,,nw un UE. KO] airf~eld.

(Hans Oberr)

advnntagc in comhat as the cllrlIic ~ ~ o u l t l tlur cul out undcr nrgnt1r.e-g forceu-an advantage rr.>li.;ed by Ailled pilors durlng rhe war whcn rhcrr engine5 falrered under ~ c h conditions while thosc of thelr opponents contlnucd to give normal power. T h e ~peedy perlcct~on of thtse innovations In thc re-desipcd DB 601 cnglne and in the production 13B hOlA resulted in the declyion LO d~scon- tlnue 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 o nose-mounted MG 17 a m ? . I1 was followcd bv the BE 109VLi; with huh-fitlng 1'1: cannon and no w ~ n g guns, but rhc engine-mounted cannot1 was slill pruving rccalcjtrsnt and the drwlopmenr Rf 1QYE-0s and tnitrnl 13f 109k+1-ls pcrsisrcd (kith t l~clr :armament of two wing-mounted and two nose-mounled =,ynchronised MG 17 machine-guns. The 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 hr the end ol 1939 a total oi 1,54fl had bcen produced In nine factnrrc5 (a roughly similar numher of Hurrlcane~ and Sp~ttires had bccn produced af that time).

filmpared to other 11~h1crs cntcring servlce in 1939, thc Ef lW1I was unrnarchcd, even b y rhc Spitfire in its ln~lial servicc configuration. On the one hand the Bf I09 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~tudc of 34,000 Ecct [the Splrfire had l im~ta r ion~ imposed above Zh*000 f ret 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 ~ v r 11ic Spirlirr. That thest conclu~ions wcrc not ~trict ly born o u t -1111cr in c0mha.r or when Brrr~sh pilotu f c w n cap- lured 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 prcl- grewvr rernov~l uf crlmhnt limitations.

Aside From cornhat the Messerschrnirt was unqucslion- ably a trlcky tiyhrer to fly. It posscsscd a wing lrnding 20",, abovr. lhnt *\I the Spitfirc and this demanded par- rlcular care whm landing, wtiiIe the undercarria~c short- cemlngs rarrmdy rncnt~oncd) cau~ed 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 ~ ~ h t turn ro match thnt of the Sprtfire.

I'he rv~luntian Rt 109E-05 appeared In D ~ c m b e r 1938 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

rime .tnrl ttdlowcct I r l .:rd,t\mlrll: hpatc, s~d l nrn~c.d 1~1rh four MG 17,. txhilc a n ~ w hub-\-: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 dcs- crihcd as a ground-support fightcr, the E - l / B war an 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 3 the aItzrnatlvc tc.rI [nl thouglr carinus nurnhcr~ 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 ~uhwquent variations had commenced mnnuf~c~uring asscmbly :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 wnr~nued 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 obsol- escenr Bf 109D-1s. A few other Bf 109E-1s operated searuhllght co-operation sorties with a f i gh~r r Grrrppe of L e h r g t ~ c h wader 1. Whatever the relative schievemen~s by 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 RAF 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. (h a raid hy 24 Wrllingtonc, of Nos. 9, 37 and 149 Squadronr on W~lhelmshavcn un 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~ng the E-1 Into Luf t~enf fe service was the E-3, wliich had commrnced delircrg d u r ~ n g 1939. 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~od September 1939 ahout M a y 1940, though as will bc sel~red later the hub-firing cannon way unpopular in service and was fre- quenrly discarded, while the alrcraft variant itself appears to have been pha~ed out 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. thp E-411'- camc to be used In the TC'estern Dcser~; it fzalured a DB hOlN cnglne with 1rnpr0vc.d fuel Injection and supercharger coupling, and servcd for many months with ~ u ~ d ~ e i c l t r 3 d c 1 27 and 53.

Other Improvements in rhr E-4 included improved arm- our 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 simul- taneouvly 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 te in the Rattle of Br~tain carrylng the drop-tank plus two or lour .?O-k~lo Imrnhs, thus being able to reach No. 12 Group airfield% of the RAF. The 1:-7 w a s flown by the ubiqulrous I I I JYG 77 in the Balkans. snd a l ~ o over Malta in 1941. The Rf 109E-7/U2 was sn armoured ground- attack 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 h Iutrtm9 uxld~* ln~r','l'd in'n lhc wper- ctmrgcr lo provide extra oxvgcn and r l idu~c dcrnnarion.

'1-hrce othcr standard "Emll\", thc 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 rccon- naiswncc vrrslons xvh~ch omirtcd 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 h a 13R 6OlN. The 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 the 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 GraJ Zeppelrn atrcraft csrricr on rvhrch work wa.r praccedlng in 1940. They featured incrcawd-.pan, manually-fold~ng wings and arrester hook!,. and when work was huvpendtld on zbe carricr about fifty a~rcrafr had 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 bang 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~umably stemming 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

i r t ) t l O 9 E n: 1 1 1 /JG 77 ( 7 ~ ' l y landed nn n Norweq~ao alrffeld ( H A ~ $ nh~rt) to close escort duties, a chore that frustrated the fighter tiations a n initial contract for 50 Bf 109E-3s was signed, pilots' Instinct for individua11sm. Sticking close to *low and t h ~ s was lollowed by an order for a further 50. In Immkrs, which ra~ded further and further into England, the event only 73 arr~ved for scrvice with the y u ~ o - resulted in thc RE 109s running dangerouvEy short of fuel, slocbnr.ko kraitevsko rarnn cw&hnplou~wu (JKRL'), They 90 thnt not only were they nftcn forced ro break off combat served with the (IZ.Lm:ncka p u p a . and the 102. and 161. and leave the bombers unescorted, bur thelr pilots had to eskdrzlla of the S1.Lrwacka q u p a of the 6th Fighter nurse thcir aircraft hack acrosq the Ionelv watcrs of the Regirnenr, the 31.Lswacka gridpa of the 2nd Flghter Channel wonder~ng whether the dreaded fuel warning Reg~ment, and with the Fighter Training Squadron Iight would signal a watery landing. Seldom after the (SomusraIna e\kadr~lra lwacke j-hnle), At thr rime of the opening weeks of the Batrle were the Rf 109s permitted German invasion of Yugoslavia on 6 April 1941 only 46 ro fly unre~trictcd fret: chases bur when thcv did (as In Bf 109Es ac re available at combat readiness, and ~ h e ~ r the first weck of September) the RAF suffered crueIly. p11ots Rave a creditable account of themselves (nfren fight- T h e mistaken use of his best aircraft was one of the basic jng agalnst s iml l~ r Wf 109Es of the L ~ i j z w o f f ~ ) but wcrc errors which cmt Goring the Batde. coon ovenvhrImcd by the huge weight of the German

forces. The "'Ernil"' in foreign colaurs A Lufrwafle misslon ro Romania in September 1940

was folPoweci by that country's joining Gcrmany in the Between I939 and 1941 a tord of 284 Bf 109Es was ex- Trlparrite Pact on 23 Nwcrnbrr, and resulted in a parted; in addition, there was a number of others, which, quantity of German rnilltary aircraft being nrdcrcd-

lortunes of war, found themselve~ m the colours of including 40 Rf 109E-47. Hy thc time of the Gcrman other natlons-including ar least four flown in Britsin, invaslon of Russia in 1941, these aircraft had nor been one in France and onc in Sweden. The i'rrqt Bf 109E, integrated in10 the Forrelor Acrlene Read d s Rorninra believcd to havc h e n an E-3, was forced down at Amicns, {Rorat Alr Forccq n l Romanla, or FARR) and the France, on 2 Mav 1940. Ir was immediately painted in Romanian elemcnts of Lufrflorr~ 4 suffcrcd considerable French colours, although only one pilot of the Armie de nttririon on the Bes~arabian Front. Early in 1942 Florila I I'Alr flew it; i t was a l w flown by pllots of Nos. 1 and 73 clndroare was wlthdrnivn for rc-equipping, it.; surviving Squadrons of thc RAF, repaintcd in British colourc and He ll2.R: and PZL F.Z41!s being replaced by the RT transferred to Boscombe Don- where it was extensively 109E-4, of which a total of 69 had bv then arrived flown. Within six months a furrher rhree Rf 109s west from Germany. These aircraft were concentrated in two flying in British co1our.;-a Rf 109F-I and two 11-45, fighter groups of the 1st Air Corps ( C ~ p u l I Aerian) and

TIrc Swedish example was an E-I YWhlte 3" of 4/7G fought lor atwut six month., in the Ukrainc until replaced 77, lVerke Nr. DRZO) which accidentally forcelanded in hy 13E IflYG-6s and G-Hs. Sweden on 24 October 1940. Littlc 1s known of the fete of At the 5ame tlme hat the Bf 109E-4s joined the this aircraft save lhaf it was the subject of a diplomatic Romanian CYorpuI 1 Auem, a further 40 Bf 109E-4s exchange in November 1940, suggesting that it was re- were supplied to re-equip Hunjyrian alr elemenr~ of covered intact and probably flown In Swedish coIours. Suftflozte 4 %hose Fiat C.K.42 biplanes had also quffcred The pdot, Uffz. Frclba, was interned. consrderably m Russ~an skies.

Thc Iargesr forcign cusromer far rhe "Emil" was Swit- Ana~licr signarorv of tY~c Axis Tripartite Pact was zerland. Ih~r ty R t 109Es, powcred by the 1,100 h.p. Bulgaria, and by the time of the signlng of the Pact its D.)B 601Aa and armed w11h two 7.45-mm. and two 20-mm, air arm (an integral part of the D u l ~ ~ r i a n Army) had Hlspano cannon, were dcllvered hetwecn 14 April 1939 ordcrcd 19 Bf 109E-4s. Nevertheless, unltke Romania and and the end of June that year. A furrhcr ordcr for 50 Hungary, Bulgaria tmk no significant part in the early s l rn~hr aircraft was quickly placed, and dclrveries or campaigns la Russia and it is rhuught unlikelv that her these w a s completcd by 27 April 1940. By mid-1940 SEX BS 1091% saw combat service. F l ~ e g e r k o m p a ~ n ~ e n , Nos. 6 , 7 , 8, 9, 15 and 21 had reached O n lhe other hand, following the formation of the full opcratronal s t a m . Despitr SWISS neutraliry, frcqucnt Slorakian RepubIic in 1939, a semi-autonomous Slovak evcurslons rhrouph her sirspace resulted in numcmus corn- Air Force particlparcd alongside the Lufrmafle in the bats w t h the warring airforces. On rhc whole the Swrss Polish campalp of tha~ ycar. The following year 16 nf 109 pilot^ Seem to havc given a good acmunl of them- Bf 109E-3s wcrc supplted ta this Air Force and in 1941

'I- 1

Uf : W E I < o: ,: :JG 1 nn D e Ko al*f~e'd. Hnllnncl May . - 3 4 1 . Ail rmle almcra't V;IIII 1 ' 1 4 - rxc l crlcn of ye"low 4 are u l~ l 11 ,.,?rlv I F 4 0 s:vle ca-loutlaqc ! Y arrr U bert)

h e - L I P r>t R i 1 0 9 E - I s l n a ,I,JII~IV dappled 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 Ihr Riltlli. O' Ur~ta.n, T ~ i t - ~ 7 1 . 3 ~ ~ ~ ' l ~ n c c [113ik c$-v~ri.js Rppear IO h4ve L a e i p;llr!lrmrl r%n 1 h r 1 or iq~nal pbotcgrsph

(R. lru'arrl)

rf;%"I'w.?','..jt&& :I(, :.nnnF:'. ( G Jous vla M. C . Wlndrow) I-

R f lo?E-7!'.1:: lh ls vcrs80n was very hoavlly arm.inuro!d t:>r : r i r i ~ ~ i ~ r l ellat .: rr#lssl,,r.r. and L s e d EX~~"-~SIYCIL. I,-# t l l i . d ~ s r i : c a ~ ~ i p a , y ~ i ~ .

IF . Sm711rig?r V I : ~ M 1: L'ilndrow!

C 5sr I IP shouhn(l i*~*13v., c 3 r n c ~ ' l a q e cl~rnarcarlcr lhne q 3 C,IC 1 ~ 8 i l i l q cdce c'wsno. I I 'J'; 77 ( V a n s Doert )

L'

I 4

pi- * .-- Y "- --

.A

R-low P~lq's of 7 /JG 77 'lnd a lit-IP equestr ian 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 ~ ~ r Johsrn PicPler o r t k ~ spcond pony

[Hans Ober t )

k b r d n & Inlt i . ! J C 77 sior:iv afr.:r 1 i e . r arr ival irr Crimkvrt. 1 1 1 l " 4 l ( Y : ~ r s Oher']

R ~ g b l Nose-ovcr b y i! R f 103E i of ;./.lG 77 on s R u n ~ a r ~ a n a ~ r f ~ e l d ~ n Ju l y 1 9 4 1 . Y e l l c w f u s ~ l a q r - , a r c nose but no yel low on rhe u i d e r s ~ d ~ of the wlng 1 1 ~ s . S:ylo ond noslticn o' undr:.wlng crossps clearly siown (I-lans Obert)

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

r:. p 1- . I d lPU" I.

, , : . i t . 1: 1 - , 1 , , r , .. . , . . , , ' , , I t l , , ! I : I , l , , , l ,

Rr low. P I 109E-4 of O !JG 5 2 b a s w a t ZVissanl. Frat~ce, s'lot dawn ovcr :hc UK dur~qg the Battis of B ~ ~ t a r n . - - - - - - - - - . < - - - . - - - -. . - -

% *Y A?.

Above & h ~ l o w R 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 teen palnted on the hanqsr doors ( U Hrelm)

. .- C - *

t i..

--,

. I.. r: '+

c-'

. - I -

n~ ~ u v t - r I ruaur I t a u i, H I I I K ~ I I V I I I ~ m w y ~ O I C LIUVQII C U . > L I I ~ I ~ J U U I I I I ~ I I I I ~ U ~ ~ I I ~ I ~ ' ~ at 1941. I n the ulsladlct. U I i r l e (up pluutuyrdpri I I I ~ ~ uw beert LIIU t upon whlcl : r:l Iir clesen land~ng-grr 11uaYad from Egypt to Tunlsla. (R. Ward)

fllq'it Bf 1OSE-4Trcp s of I /JG 2 7 over -' descrt A T m2y b~ wen In rhe IGWCI , p i o t o q r a ~ h the greerl splotches cm sand

r n ~ r y o d ivtafl wlth parts of tho desPrr ( f l Ward) -" a

R~qht Black 4 (tFlrrly o ~ t l l ~ c d In red) on a desert l and~rg-qrourd Th~s Bf 109 was In iuronoan srt*pme. grven dno blsc6 green spll itcr on u lnqs tallplarles and fh:se'aqr. !cp rlocklng green and grev h dapple cri paiv h u e ' ~selapn, w'vlr rucdrr, fus~ ln ]e band anc undpr wlng t1p5 (A Ward)

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

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

Bf -0aF-7Trop's o f 7 !.IG 2 % t h ~ s unlt o ~ v r a - e d In .hp l ~ b y a n desert 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)

- .d

A Bf 7 09f -4 w ~ r h overall 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 l rs lgr la under c s c k p ~ t ( t i ans Obsrt)

-LC

A Bf 1098 cf a r uiknown F i l e ~ e r s c b ~ ~ l e in 1940 stvle carnouflaqa, t k e whi le or vcl ow fuseiags band h*~lt, Inrgc i : ~ m e r a l s was starxfard c,n F T S a~ccra't

(mans Ubrn)

J - -- .--,

- .

. - - - - .- .*

Bf 109R.1 of 2 . I J 88, Condor Legion, rn ovsrall grey scheme.

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

Condor Legion

l lpper surface details. note roundel 611ghlly oveylaps a~larcn.

Under surface details.

R I 109R-2 o l ?./J 88 Condor Legion: 'the wPite cross an tho fuselage r a u n d ~ l was ro: used to any grent rxtcnt.

Uf 1088-2 flown by Haupymann Got:hardt Handr:ck Stn f f~ lkap i t in of 2./J 89 on the Madr~d 'ront ~ r . l h p spring of 1037.

at 1095 1 of 6 /JG 26. manoauvra rnarklngs, Augusf 1939 1 ';I

Pale Plue

4 Bf l 09E 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 #b4, m [I m n d w r Ill IJG 6 Whlte Sen aras 1942 -by Hstqlb Pmr (S mher Schdz

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

I-

ll-

2 81 lOBE 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 I

4 W Em-a, 7 . M 62. C h a m Coart a ~ e a &ring the c f w g ~ dew of

\ Phs&rbdFEsnw.lW

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

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

1 Bf 1WE-4. Il./Wht)CJG 2, Calm-Mar*. Frame. Me 11940.

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

5 if lMb-2, JsgtH+ispepwhuls, L-o II. My 183%

-- .

. .

Y 0 q. 1. Bf 1 OSE-4. Slweltian Ar Force,

4 I I=-$ Bwh Air W e .

6 81 109E-3. Sw18s Air Forco

6 61 109E-3. Swias AII Force

D l R f 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 . /JG 61. The insignla of 3 /JG 233 aopearpd on Ihe por l s~d? anly.

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

7 /JG 51. Wh~te on green camou'laga

3 . / JG 133 . WII:~ an prren eanouflage.

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

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

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

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

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

R f 104E-1 of 9 13G 26 "Schl~getsr" . port s;de ident~cal.

9. /JF 26 "Scblageter". J G 76 "Schlagcter". I.:JG 5 2 Red wlth whqle d ~ t a ~ l s . Black or. wt,lte sh~eld. Palo to d s i t blue sky, I / JC ! , I variation.

black lir.lng. rPlE grour'd, black hoar.

Rf 109E 3 nl 7.!JG 52. Standard spl~nter upper surfaces on the above rhree a~rcraft

, , -; ;.- ::. ;--, -.

GRUPPE IDENTIFICATION MARKINGS

ImGRUFPE I Ill. GRUPPE NIL Substituted for Squiggle in 1941 but Squ~ggle used by some units for the durat~on of the war. 11. GRUPPE IV. GRUPPE

111. G R u W E L+ 1.. G R u p E (variant) i

\\ ,

Ef 10YE-7. Jagdflirrjrrschule. Cufl4re1skornrnnndo II. early t 938scheme.

Grey on Pare

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

Left A y~ l low nosed E' 109E-4 o+ t*le Rurnan~an Air Force the spl~nter scqel le may be seen showlrg through ?he ycllow.

(Molsescu M ~ b a ~ l )

Below Bf 109t-4 w ~ t h the legend In w h ~ t e on [he cowl H ~ I F ~ t ~ t n ' (UP L~t ' le G I ~ ) The cark round area under t bs wlnq appears !o be where rhr o r~g~na l Lultw8f:n Inslgrla has brPn overpa~ntpd (Mo~sescu M1ha18)

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

p,' ~ r . ~ q ~ - n , 1st Flgblrr Group of thc Royal R u m a n ~ a n Air Force

4 I 4 1 4 GESCHWADER-KOMMODORE 4 GESCHWADER-ADJUTANT

AIRCAM AVIATION SERIES Each publication in the original AIRCAM series illustrates 1 30 McDonnell F-4 Phantom 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 side- view illustrations with s u ~ ~ o r t i n a black 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

31 Vought F-8 Crusader 32 Kawasaki Ki.48 33 De Havilland Vampire/Venom 34 North American F-100 Super Sabre 35 Mitsubishi G3M-11213

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

published. and between three and seven thousand words 1

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 wil l have eight full colour pages.

36 Douglas A-20 Havoc/Boston

1 North American P-51 D Mustang 2 Republic P-47 Thunderbolt 3 North American Mustang Mk. I/IV

North American P-51 B 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

37 English Electric Lightning 38 Curtiss P-36/Hawk 75/P-40A. B. C.

AIRCAM 'SPECIALS' S1 Battle o f Britain

The Supermarine Spitfire. Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109E.

S2 Finnish Air Force A complete history of the Finnish Air Force from formation to the present day. } Sharkmouth In two 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 191 84970 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. Recon- naissance, 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. Ju 87. Bf 110. Fw 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 Markings and Codes 1941-1 945. 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.

I.* i& -

ISBN 0 85045 152 3 Bf 109E-7Trop. 7./JG 26 "Schlagater", Libyan desert campaigns and the Eastern Mediterranean.