Markings for Bf 109F-2 1/72

Hptm. Hans Hahn, CO of III./JG 2, Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, France, July 1941                                                                         

Hans “Assi” Hahn, a fighter ace and recipient of the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, led the 4./JG 2 from December 1939 and the III./JG 2 from October 29, 1940. A total of 31 victory symbols on the tail of his aircraft were tied to Hahn’s operations on the Western Front. His 31st victory was achieved on July 10, 1941, near Saint-Omer, when he shot down two Spitfires. Beginning on November 1, 1942, he took command of II./JG 54 and led this Gruppe until February 21, 1943, when he was shot down and captured by Soviet forces. Hahn was not released from captivity until 1950, during which he wrote a book about his experiences in prison titled Ich spreche die Wahrheit! (I speak the truth!). Before his capture, he achieved 108 victories, 66 of which were on the Western Front. The rooster’s head painted on his aircraft symbolized the III. Gruppe JG 2’s staff planes and was derived from Hahn’s surname, as “Hahn” means rooster in German. Hans Hahn passed away in 1982, and his wife later remarried the night fighter pilot Wolfgang Falck.

WNr. 8239, Lt. Hans Strelow, 5./JG 51, Bryansk, the Soviet Union, March 1942                  

Hans Strelow was born on March 26, 1922, in Berlin. In 1939, he voluntarily joined the Luftwaffe. After completing training in February 1941, he was assigned to 5./JG 51. From the start of Operation Barbarossa, he flew on the Eastern Front. He achieved his first aerial victory on June 25, 1941. In January 1942, he was appointed Staffelkapitän of 5./JG 51. On March 24, 1942, he became the youngest recipient of the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves. His “Black 10” was painted with white on the upper surfaces during the winter period. The JG 51 insignia was displayed on both sides of the nose. The yellow band behind the cross and the yellow wingtips were identification markings used on the Eastern Front. The victories he achieved were marked on the left side of the tail. On May 22, 1942, Hans Strelow was shot down by a Pe-2 crew and forced to make an emergency landing behind Soviet lines. Fearing capture by the Red Army, he conducted suicide by shooting himself in his head.

WNr. 8165, Hptm. Karl-Heinz Leesmann, CO of I./JG 52, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, June 1941

Karl-Heinz Leesmann was born on May 3, 1915, in Osnabrück. After completing pilot training with the Luftwaffe, he participated in the French campaign and the Battle of Britain as a member of JG 52. On August 27, 1940, he was appointed Staffelkapitän of 3./JG 52. On May 24, 1941, he became Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 52. His WNr. 8165 aircraft displayed victories achieved on the Western Front on the port side of the fin below the swastika. Before Operation Barbarossa, I./JG 52 was transferred to the Eastern Front. On November 6, 1941, during combat with Soviet aircraft, Leesmann made an emergency landing near Ruza with a shattered right forearm. After a long hospitalization and recovery, he returned to I./JG 52 in May 1942. In March 1943, he transferred to III./JG 11. On July 25, 1943, while flying a Bf 109G-6, he was shot down during an attack on a B-17 over the North Sea near Heligoland. His body was washed ashore on August 16, 1943, and he was buried in Recklinghausen.

Lt. Max-Hellmuth Ostermann, 7./JG 54, Dugino, the Soviet Union, September 1941

Max-Hellmuth Ostermann was born on December 11, 1917, in Hamburg. In 1937, he joined the Luftwaffe and became a pilot. His first unit was I./ZG 1, flying the Bf 110s, and he participated in the invasion of Poland. Before the start of the French campaign, on April 7, 1940, he was transferred to I./JG 21. On May 20, 1940, he recorded his first aerial victory. After moving to the English Channel coast, I./JG 21 was renamed III./JG 54, and in April 1941, the unit saw combat in Yugoslavia. Ostermann achieved his ninth victory on April 6, 1941, over Belgrade, shooting down a Bf 109E-3 flown by Karl Štrbenek, who was killed in action. During the early stages of Operation Barbarossa, on June 23, 1941, he shot down two SB-2 bombers. By early September 1941, his aircraft, White 1, bore 25 victory markings on its tail. The sides of the fuselage were darkened with spots of RLM 02, 74, and 70 paints. The nose displayed the insignia of 7./JG 54, and below the windshield was the emblem of III./JG 54. In November 1941, Ostermann was transferred to I./JG 54, and in March 1942, he assumed command of 8./JG 54. On May 12, 1942, Ostermann became the second pilot in JG 54 to achieve 100 victories. During this engagement, he was severely wounded but managed to return to his home airfield. His luck ran out on August 9, 1942, during a confrontation with P-40s. After scoring one victory, a group of LaGG-3 fighters emerged from the clouds. Ostermann’s Bf 109G-2 was hit in the cockpit and crashed behind Soviet lines near Lake Ilmen. He became the first recipient of the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves to be killed in action.