KITS 05/2021

Bf 109G-2/R6, WNr. 13633, Hptm. Wolf-Dieter Huy, 7./JG 77, Tanyet Harun, Egypt, October1942

Wolf-Dieter Huy joined the Kriegsmarine in 1935, and was transferred over to the Luftwaffe on October 1, 1937, where he underwent fighter

training. His assignment was to (J)/TrGr. 186, the fighter unit of the Graf Zeppelin aircraft carrier. This ship was never completed, and the

unit was redesignated III./JG 77. Huy took part in combat over France, as well as over Britain, and over the Balkans. The unit gained notable

success in the battle for Crete and Huy, who accumulated 22 victories, was awarded the Knight’s Cross on June 5, 1941. The Oak Leaves

were added in March 1942. After early combats on Eastern Front the unit moved to Egypt. There, on October 29, 1942, was Wolf-Dieter Huy

captured after he had been shot down by future ace J. H. Nichols who was flying a Spitfire Mk.Vc of No. 601 Squadron. Huy´s Bf 109G-2 from

the time the unit moved to North Africa bore the non-typical camouflage made up of RLM 70 and 71 (some sources suggest a Soviet AMT-4

Green). The yellow band behind the fuselage cross, common on aircraft serving on the Eastern Front, was hastily overpainted with

a fresh colour RLM 71 (or Russian AMT-4 Green), and partially replaced by white paint used on aircraft that fought on the Southern Front.

The wingtips were also painted white. The rudder was decorated with the pilot’s score and awards.

Bf 109G-2/R6 WNr. 13949, Maj. Hans Hahn, II./JG 54, Rjelbitzy, Soviet Union, January 1943

Hans Hahn, a fighter ace and a holder of the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, held a list of command positions throughout his career. From

December 1939 he commanded 4./JG 2, and from October 29, 1940, he led III./JG 2. Starting on November 1, 1942, he took over command

of II./JG 54, and was commanding this Gruppe up to February 21, 1943, when he was shot down and taken prisoner by the Soviets. He

wasn’t freed until 1950. At the time of his capture, he had attained 108 kills, 66 of them were achieved on the Western Front. According to

Russian sources, “Assi” Hahn was shot down by Soviet ace Lt. P. Grazhdaninov. Hahn himself noted that after shooting down a La-5, he was

hit in the port wing and suffering an overheated engine, he was forced to land behind Soviet lines, where he was captured. The aircraft was

oversprayed in white on the upper and side surfaces to better suit the winter conditions. Double chevron and the horizontal bar on the rear

fuselage is the CO marking of II. Gruppe, and this Group’s unit emblem appears below the windscreen. The JG 54’s Green Heart (Grünherz)

marking is also present. The spinner and the lower sides of the engine cowl are lightly sprayed over in white.

26 eduard

INFO Eduard - May 2021