Strana 47
Bf 109G-6, W.Nr. 18107, Uffz. Georg Amon, 7./JG 53, Torazzo-Catania, Sicily, June 1943
Bf 109G-6/R6, W.Nr. 18502 or 18503, Hptm. Horst Carganico, CO of II./JG 5,
Pskov-South, the Soviet Union, early 1944
Georg Amon was born on July 1, 1920. He joined
the Luftwaffe in 1941 and began fighter training
in January 1942. In September 1942, he was
assigned to 7./JG 53, which was then operating
in the African theater. In the summer of 1943, the
Luftwaffe was under great pressure from Allied
air raids, resulting in the withdrawal from the
African theatre of operations and the subsequent
capture of Sicily as German forces retreated to
Italy. This aircraft was manufactured in April
or early May 1943 at the Messerschmitt plant
in Regensburg. The camouflage of RLM 74, 75
and 76 colors was complemented by splotches
of RLM 02 on the fuselage sides. The color of
the limbs of the Spade floating in the boat is
not completely confirmed, the blue color is
based on the theory that der Seemann (sailor),
which was Amon’s nickname, wore blue clothing.
The aircraft was lost on July 3, 1943, when Uffz.
Walter Reinicke was shot down flying it, thus
falling in captivity. In January 1944, Georg Amon
began working as a fighter instructor in the
south of France. The last day of Georg Amon’s
wartime career was April 2, 1945. He was shot
down by American anti-aircraft half-track fire.
He jumped from a low-flying, burning aircraft.
With serious burns, he was captured and
survived the war. Georg Amon achieved nine
victories.
Horst Carganico was born on September 27,
1917, in Breslau (Wroclaw in Poland nowadays).
The first combat unit to which the then twenty-
two-year-old Lt. Carganico joined was JG 1 at
the beginning of the war. This was followed by
an assignment to Norway on January 1, 1941,
where he served as commander of 1./JG 77. On
September 25, 1941, Carganico was awarded the
Knight’s Cross after achieving his 27th victory.
In March 1942 Carganico’s unit was renamed
6./JG 5, but by April 1942 he had already taken
command of the entire II. Gruppe. On March 26,
1944, he was appointed commander of I./JG 5,
which participated in the fighting against the
Allies as part of the Defense of the Reich. On May
27 of that same year, Major Carganico flew his
last sortie. During an attack on a B-17 formation
his Bf 109G-5 was badly damaged, hitting
a high-tension power line while attempting an
emergency landing. He did not survive the crash
near the French town of Chevry. Carganico’s
total score stands at sixty kills in 600 missions.
The camouflage of his aircraft was painted over
white and RLM 70 on the upper surfaces. Under
the cockpit was the emblem of II./JG 5 aircraft
on both sides. On the left side of the fuselage
behind the cockpit was Carganico’s personal
emblem – Mickey Mouse dragging his boots with
dates commemorating the pilot’s returns to his
unit after emergency landings behind enemy
lines. On the right side of the fuselage, there was
probably the marking of the Gruppe commander
– a double chevron and a horizontal bar.
KITS 02/2026
INFO Eduard
47
February 2026