Tail End Charlie
Where is Hartmann’s Bf 109 K-4?
Text: Jan Bobek
If you have an interest in Luftwaffe aircraft and German fighter aces, sooner or later you have likely encountered the question of Erich Hartmann's last personal aircraft: did he fly a Bf 109 K-4, or did he not?
Over the years, numerous interpretations of Hartmann’s alleged Bf 109 K-4 have appeared, some relatively restrained, others strikingly colorful. It is obvious that more than one reconstruction artist though lacking a firm grasp of the subject matter, made up for it with abundant artistic enthusiasm. Hartmann did indeed command I./JG 52 under the authority of Luftflotte 6 in the final phase of the war, but never mind, lets simply add the yellow identification markings of Luftflotte 4 to the profile, it will look more attractive!
In the last days of the war, Hartmann and his unit relocated from what was then German Silesia (today southwestern Poland) to occupied Bohemia, to the airfield at Deutsch Brod (Německý Brod, today Havlíčkův Brod). The Geschwaderstab of JG 52, commanded by Kommodore Hermann Graf, also moved there, along with III./JG 52 under Maj. Adolf Borchers. Other units were present at the base as well, including air elements of the Russian Liberation Army (ROA). Part of the ground crew even consisted of Czech mechanics assigned to the airfield under the so-called Totaleinsatz (comprehensive mobilization) from Prague air bases.
(Photo: Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe)
After several days of the Czech national uprising in early May 1945 and the departure of the German units from Deutsch Brod into American captivity, local inhabitants were able to access the airfield. The aircraft left behind were damaged to varying degrees, and fortunately for researchers a considerable number of photographs were taken. Among the wrecks were Messerschmitt Bf 109s bearing large tulip motifs painted on their engine cowlings - markings well known from earlier aircraft flown by Graf and Hartmann.
When the 16th issue of REVI magazine was published in May 1997, containing the fourth part of Erich Hartmann’s biography co-authored by Martin Šíla and myself, we could claim a small distinction. We were the first to publish photographs of a Bf 109 K-4 from Deutsch Brod featuring the tulip motif on its nose. The images came from the collection of Mr. Tománek, and access to them was arranged by Zdeněk Fikar, Mr. Pešek, and, if memory serves, Aleš Ehrenberger and Pavel Grund, who played an important role in facilitating communication. Later, we assisted colleagues from JaPo publishing in obtaining access to the photographs as well. In subsequent years, it was somewhat amusing to observe these same images appearing in foreign publications with the caption “author’s collection.”
Looking back at the article three decades later, I would not change anything that Martin Šíla and I wrote at the time regarding a hypothetical Hartmann’s Bf 109 K-4.
Photographs from Deutsch Brod confirm the presence of three aircraft with the tulip motif on their noses. In two cases, these were Bf 109 K-4s from the Stab JG 52, carrying small fuselage numbers positioned behind the Balkenkreuz. The third tulip-marked aircraft is a Bf 109 G-10, so far known from only a single frontal photograph. Could this be Hartmann’s Bf 109 G-10 built by the Erla factory, the aircraft with which he was photographed in mid-April 1945? It is difficult to say.
According to the testimony of a Czech mechanic who served at the airfield, an unexpectedly large number of Bf 109s with tulip motifs were present among the JG 52 aircraft upon their arrival. Therefore, further surprises cannot be ruled out. However, if Hartmann was satisfied with his Bf 109 G-10, he would have had little reason to change. Both the G-10 and the K-4 were powered by the DB 605D engine, and Hartmann may have preferred the G-10’s 20 mm cannon, which, compared to the 30 mm cannon installed in the K-4, was more reliable, offered a higher rate of fire, and had more favorable ballistic characteristics.
Within Stab JG 52, several Bf 109 K-4s are documented in various sources, as they are within III./JG 52, including Wilhelm Batz’s personal aircraft. In Hartmann’s I./JG 52, however, only a single Bf 109 K-4 has so far been reliably confirmed. And that machine was damaged at the end of March 1945.
So do not entirely abandon hope for the discovery of Hartmann’s Bf 109 K-4. Yet until a photograph is published, or a verifiable record emerges that unequivocally links this variant of the Bf 109 to the pilot, the subject should remain in the realm of legend.
Bf 109G-10, Hptm. Erich Hartmann, CO of I./JG 52, Görlitz, Germany, April 1945