Strana 46
WNr. 8165, Hptm. Karl-Heinz Leesmann, CO of I./JG 52,
Amsterdam, the Netherlands, June 1941
Lt. Max-Hellmuth Ostermann, 7./JG 54, Dugino, the Soviet Union, September 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.
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.
674007 Bf 109F LööK (Brassin)
674011 Bf 109F LööKplus (Brassin)
672313 Bf 109F propeller early PRINT (Brassin)
672314 Bf 109F propeller late PRINT (Brassin)
672315 Bf 109F gun barrels PRINT (Brassin)
672316 Bf 109F wheels PRINT (Brassin)
672317 Bf 109F undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)
672318 Bf 109F radio compartment PRINT (Brassin)
672321 Bf 109F/G external fuel tanks (Brassin)
672322 Bf 109F wheel bays rounded PRINT (Brassin)
672323 Bf 109F/G wheel bays angular PRINT (Brassin)
672325 Bf 109F/G exhaust stacks PRINT (Brassin)
672326 Bf 109F/G/K gun pods PRINT (Brassin)
672327 Bf 109F cockpit PRINT (Brassin)
672328 Bf 109F cockpit w/ early seat PRINT (Brassin)
672350 Bf 109F engine PRINT (Brassin)
SIN67221 Bf 109F (Brassin)
3DL72018 Bf 109F SPACE (3D Decal Set)
Recommended for Bf 109F-2 1/72
KITS 01/2025
INFO Eduard46
January 2025