BUILT

W.Nr.160303, Flown by Hptm. Friedrich Eberle, CO of III./JG 1, Volkel, November, 1943

Friedrich Eberle, the commanding officer of III.

Gruppe of JG 1, was downed in this Bf 109G-6 on

January 30, 1944. The man who recorded the kill

was a P-47D Thunderbolt jockey, Lt. Robert Booth, of the 369th FS / 359th FG, a fighter ace with a

total of eight kills to his credit. Booth himself was

downed a few months later, on June 8, 1944 and

became a POW. Eberle was injured but survived

March 2023

the encounter with Booth and led III. Gruppe until

April 27, 1944. In July 1944, he was appointed the

CO of III./JG 4. Eberle led his unit in Operation Bodeplatte, the attack on Allied airfields on January

1, 1945. He was court martialled for cowardice but

finally was acquitted of the charge and survived

the war with 33 kills. Eberle´s aircraft had been

marked with a double chevron but in accordance

with temporary orders, this marking was painted

over and the commander´s aircraft was marked

with a number. The JG 1 crest was painted on the

left side of the cowling only. The rear part of the

fuselage was partially overpainted with RLM 76 to

tone it down.

INFO Eduard

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