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Bf 109G-6, WNr. 20499, Lt. Erich Hartmann, CO of 9./JG 52,
New Zaporozhye, the Soviet Union, October 1943
Bf 109G-6, WNr. 20272, Oblt. Heinrich Klöpper, CO of 7./JG 1,
Rheine, Germany, November 1943
With this aircraft, Erich Hartmann shot down his
121th victim on October 2, 1943. The same number
of kills was also painted on the aircraft’s rudder.
The red heart with the inscription Karaya was the
emblem of the 9. Staffel of JG 52, which Hartmann
commanded at the time. The white inscription
Dicker Max in the heart can be translated
as “Big Show”. The aircraft was built at the Wiener
Neustadt Werke factory in a tropical finish and
had hatches for the sunshade on the left side
of the fuselage under the cockpit. It has been
used extensively and had its camouflage repaired
several times. Erich Hartmann became the most
successful fighter ace not only in the Luftwaffe,
but also in the history of aviation. He achieved
his first victory on November 5, 1942 and his last
victim number 352 was a Yak-9 shot down on May
8, 1945. Hartmann scored all of his victories on
the Eastern Front. After the surrender he was
captured by American troops, but they handed
him over to the Soviets who sentenced him
to 25 years of forced labor. After ten years he
was repatriated to Germany and participated in
the rebirth of the German Air Force. Hartmann
became the recipient of the then highest German
war decoration when he was awarded the
Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and
Diamonds on August 25, 1944.
A native of Peine in Lower Saxony, born on
January 9, 1918 and future Knight’s Cross winner
Heinrich Klöpper took part in the ranks of JG 77
in the Battle of France and in the Battle of Britain.
He achieved one victory during both campaigns.
After the start of Operation Barbarossa,
as a member of the 11. Staffel of JG 51, he shot
down another 80 enemy fighters between June
22, 1941 and November 1943. In early November
1943, he took command of the 7. Staffel JG 1,
which was assigned to the Reich Defense Force
(Reichsverteidigung). In this unit he shot down
five four-engine B-17s, one B-24, and two P-38s.
He was killed on November 29, 1943, when he
was hit in the cockpit of his Messerschmitt
during a dogfight with two P-38s over Vollenhove,
the Netherlands. Some tactical formation
commanders had the vertical tail surfaces spray-
painted white for quicker identification of the
leader in combat. The rudder bears the symbols
of Klöpper’s victories.
KITS 01/2024
INFO Eduard
43
January 2024