Page 18
to 413 800) production block between June and
August, 1944
The 413 000 production block airframes were
already built with the tall rudder and Erlahaube
canopy.
Bf 109 G-6/U4: ca total of 1,634 aircraft, pro-
duced by WNF as the Bf 109 G-6/U-4, were armed
with the MK 108 30 mm fuselage gun. The first
85 Bf 109 G-6/U4s were produced within pro-
duction block 20 000 between June and August,
1943. These machines had a tall antenna mast
(1) and did not have the PR 16 antenna, however
they could still have a short antenna mast and
could be fitted with a direction guidance ZVG 16
system with its associated PR 16 loop antenna.
Between hull bulkheads 4 and 5 (21), they had
a compressed air cylinder for charging the
MK 108 engine mounted gun and therefore had
a pressure bottle access hatch on the right side
of the fuselage bottom between the fourth and
fifth fuselage bulkheads (22).
A further 1,419 Bf 109 G-6/U4/trop within pro-
duction blocks 440 000, 441 000 and 442 000 (last
being 442 099) were produced between Septem-
ber, 1943 and August, 1944, and the last 130 Bf 109
G-6/U4s in production block 510 000 were pro-
duced between August and October, 1944. These
machines had a short antenna mast (10), could
be fitted with a ZVG 16 direction finder with a PR
16 loop antenna. They also had a compressed air
bottle access hatch for the MK 108 weapon on
the lower right side of the fuselage between the
fourth and fifth bulkheads (22).
Some of the units in production blocks 440 000
to 442 000 were produced with a tall rudder (17)
and a standard canopy, while some in production
block 510 000 had an Erlahaube canopy (18), but
the short rudder. A part of the 600 Bf 109 G-14/
U4s were produced as part of the 510 000 pro-
duction block (see Bf 109 G-14 section in the sec-
ond part of this article).
Bf 109 G-6/trop:
Some sources state that the Bf 109 G-6, like the
Bf 109 G-4, was exclusively produced with trop-
ical equipment. This is most likely a speculative
error, possibly caused by the fact that all G-6s
produced could be fitted with a dust filter on the
supercharger air intake. But only part of Bf 109
G-6 production was produced with full tropical
equipment. There were 277 aircraft with pro-
duction numbers 15290 to 15 499 built between
March and May, 1943 at Erla, and 338 machines
with production numbers
16 313 and 16 650 built be-
tween February and April,
1943 at Messerschmittt.
Also, 903 aircraft in the
18 000 production block
were produced between
April and July, 1943, again
by Messerschmittt. At WNF,
262 machines in production block 140 000 were
produced between September and December,
1943 with tropical equipment, as well as most of
the 1,419 Bf 109 G-6/U4s in production blocks 440
000 to 442 000, produced from September 1943 to
August, 1944. Conversely, the Bf 109 G-6/U4 from
production block 510 000 apparently did not have
the tropical equipment fitted. Machines built as
the Bf 109 G-6/trop are externally recognizable
by the two sunshade mounting brackets on the
right side of the fuselage below the windscreen
(23) and dust filter on the supercharger air intake
(24). And take note, a number of these were not
equipped with a dust filter in service!
Example: Bf 109G-6/R6/trop, Oblt. Emil Josef Clade,
7./ JG 27, Kalamaki, Greece, January 1944
Bf 109G-6 Nightfighter:
Schlechtwetter-Nachtjäger
A number of Bf 109 G-6s from various produc-
tion blocks and various production variations
were modified for blind and poor weather flying.
They were deployed by Wilde Sau units, carrying
out target of opportunity night intercepts. They
fought mainly against squadrons of four-engine
bombers and RAF Mosquitoes flying at night.
These aircraft received special equipment:
• FuG 16 ZY radio equipment, enabling the Pegasus Y
guidance system to be used. These machines had
a Morane-type whip antenna (Moranmast) either under
the fuselage or under the left wing (25).
• Some of the aircraft were equipped with the FuBl 2
(Funk Blindanlage 2) system with a dipole antenna
under the rear fuselage (26), commonly associated
from twin-engined heavy fighters and bombers.
• On the lower surface of the wing, downward aimed
lights were placed to help determine the height of the
aircraft during landing. Shining at an obtuse angle to
the plane’s axis below the plane, the beams’ conver-
gence on the airfield surface gave the pilot his height.
• Some aircraft had infrared lamps.
• The exhausts had sheet metal anti-glare shields (27),
and the first exhaust pipe was fitted with Ebersprächer
whistles (28), which produced a screeching sound to
alert anti-aircraft gun operators around the home
airfield that an approaching aircraft was a friendly.
HISTORY
INFO Eduard18
January 2024