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Bf 109G-5, WNr. 27119, Uffz. Gerhard Kroll, Ofw. Friedrich Ungar,
Fw. Emil Hecker 9./JG 54, Ludwigslust, Germany, February 1944
Bf 109G-5, WNr. 26082, Flg. Victor Widmaier, 7./JG 11, Oldenburg,
Germany, October 1943
The aircraft WNr. 27119 was flown by three
different pilots of the 9./JG 54. These were
Uffz. Gerhard Kroll, Ofw. Friedrich Ungar and
Fw. Emil Hecker. The upper surfaces of this
aircraft were painted with irregular patches of
light color, probably RLM 76. The layout of the
original camouflage fields was based on the Erla
factory pattern. The wide blue band was marking
of JG 54 machines. The III. Gruppe emblem
of this Jagdgeschwader is located on the sides
of the fuselage under the cockpit. The devil's
head, photographically documented only on the
left side of the engine cowling, was used by the
9. Staffel. This machine had gun cameras mounted
in the leading edge of the wing. She was lost on
April 8, 1944, when Uffz. Gerhard Kroll was shot
down and wounded near Lüneburg. This aviator
did not record any victories during his career but
was shot down several times and suffered burns
three times.
This aircraft belonged to JG 11 but was also flown
by members of JG 300 as part of Wilde Sau tactics.
Note the black paint on the lower right wing.
The camouflage scheme was sprayed on the
pattern used on the Bf 109G at the Erla factory
in Leipzig. Flg. Victor Widmaier scored his first
victory with this aircraft when he shot down
a B-17 bomber on October 2, 1943. By the end
of 1943, he had destroyed three more bombers
of this type and in early January he scored
a victory over a P-38. After III./JG 11 was rearmed
with Fw 190s in February, Widmaier scored
a victory over a B-17 and a P-47 on February 10,
but suffered injuries after hit from another P-47
and bailed out of. He landed about 200 meters
from the American pilot, who also bailed out by
parachute. Widmaier underwent a surgery on the
same evening, but after only two weeks he forced
his return to the unit. He learned the pilot he had
shot down fallen into captivity. It was probably
a 20-year-old 2nd Lt. Merrill W. De Merit, Jr. of the
361st FG, 356th FG, who was on his fourth combat
flight. Victor Widmaier died in 2011.
KITS 01/2024
INFO Eduard
41
January 2024