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{"cz":"Info EDUARD"}
{"cz":"Měsíčník o historii a plastikovém modelářství.","en":"Monthly magazine about history and scale plastic modeling."}
06/2023
Good day, Dear Friends Among the 84 new items being released for June, the 72nd Limited Edition kit dubbed “Wunderschöne neue Maschinen” stands out. This “Wonderful New Machines” kit centres around the Messerschmitt Bf 109F, which, when introduced into the arsenal of the Luftwaffe at the beginning of 1941, brought an increase in the performance and quality of German fighters committed to aerial combat.
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INFO Eduard# 160e-magazine FREE Vol 22 June 2023Page 2
INFO Eduard# 160e-magazine FREE Vol 22 June 2023© Eduard - Model Accessories, 2023FREE FOR DOWNLOAD, FREE FOR DISTRIBUTION!This material may only be used for personal use. No part of the textor graphic presentations can be used in another publication in any other mediaform or otherwise distributed without the prior writtenpermission of Eduard - Model Accessories and authors involved.Editorial and Graphics - Marketing department, Eduard - Model Accessories, Ltd.Page 3
eduardeduardJUNE 2023CONTENTSEDITORIALKITSBRASSINPHOTO-ETCHED SETSBIG EDBUILTON APPROACH–July 2023TAIL END CHARLIEHISTORYBOXART STORYSopwith 2F.1 Camel ProfiPACK 1/48WUNDERSHÖNE NEUE MASCHINEN pt.IDUAL COMBO Limited 1/72A6M2 Zero Type 21 Weekend 1/48Tempest Mk.II Weekend 1/48Bf 109G-6 late series ProfiPACK 1/48 reediceP-51D-10 Mustang 1/48SAMURAI 1/48Sopwith Camel Comic 1/48Bf 109 F-2 & Bf 109 F-4Rufe pt.IILetecká vojna nad Ukrajinou-Migs fly East!Letecká vojna nad Ukrajinou-Another calm before the stormThe doomHickam Field ZeroFriedrich Eberle463538668692102110128Published by Eduard-Model Accessories, spol. s.r.o.Mírová 170, Obrnice 435 21support@eduard.com www.eduard.comPage 4
Good day, Dear FriendsAmong the 84 new items being released for June,the 72nd Limited Edition kit dubbed “Wunderschöneneue Maschinen” stands out. This “Wonderful NewMachines” kit centres around the MesserschmittBf 109F, which, when introduced into the arsenal ofthe Luftwaffe at the beginning of 1941, brought anincrease in the performance and quality of Germanfighters committed to aerial combat. It could not havecome at a better time, when, after the end of the Battleof Britain, the RAF went on the offensive and took thefight to over German-occupied Western Europe. TheLuftwaffe, as of June 22, 1941, was weakened in theWest by the transfer of a large number of its units tothe east to support the ill-fated attack on the SovietUnion. It had faced British pressure for a long timewith success, causing the RAF significant losses.Fighter units were also successful on the EasternFront, in this case enormously so, thanks to theinferior qualities of the Soviet fighting machine. Weknow today that a future collapse was hidden in allthose initial successes, but that does not change thefact that the Bf 109, in many different developmentalversions, would have a profound impact on aerialcombat and would become an undisputed legend ofworld aviation.The new Bf 109 F and its newdesign featuresOur development of these new kits took over threeyears. This may seem like an unreasonably longgestation period, given the fact that we have the1:48th scale kits under our belt. However, this factcarries much less weight than one would expect.This is because there are so many changes in thedesign process from those larger kits, mainlybecause technology has changed so much since the48th scale versions were released some ten yearago. These changes are recognized as being forthe better, because they have opened up so manypossibilities in terms of design solutions. For theBf 109 F/G/K series, we focused on overallsimplification of the kit, reducing the number ofparts used and strengthening the sprue gates.Some solutions are interesting and even unique. Forexample, the main landing gear assembly, where themain landing gear legs are molded together with theoleo scissors and include seating elements that allowthe connection to the landing gear covers withoutthe need to search out optimal, symmetrical spatialrelationships. And most importantly, it has a dedicatedanchoring element that anchors the leg in the wingso that the tongue slides into a corresponding groovein the wing, behind the wheel well. Three walls ofthis groove are part of the cockpit floor, and after thewing is glued to the fuselage, the feature is closedoff by a fourth wall, formed by the lower surface ofthe wing. At the end of the construction, it is enoughto insert the landing gear legs into the groovewhich, at the same time, gives the landing gear legsa precise position in relation to the wing. So there isno need to monitor and adjust the geometry of thelanding gear in any complicated way. It is the samewith the tail wheel, which is also installed by way ofinsertion using a similar tongue and groove system.The design of the tail surfaces is also an innovativefeature. The fin and rudder is molded as a whole witha tongue that widens as it extends away from thepart. This then fits into a groove of the same shapethat is molded in both halves of the fuselage. Thenwhen the tongue is inserted into the fuselage halvesand the assembly is sealed off, the physical shapeof the seating elements sort of pulls and pinchesthe fin toward the fuselage, perfectly seating it withthe correct geometry. But be aware that the fin mustbe glued to one half of the fuselage and closed withits corresponding other half, and can’t be insertedinto the assembled fuselage per se, because thatwon’t allow the positioning system to take over andline everything up correctly. To glue this assemblytogether, it is a good idea to use classic solventglue, which keeps the glued joint active for sometime. This will allow the rudder to be retracted intothe hull. There are certainly alternative options forgluing this assembly, but in any case, it’s good toknow about this feature, which is unusual but I’mnot sure any reviewer will even notice it. You theninsert the single piece elevator into the cut-out in therudder assembly. This is a tight fit by design. The factthat the two parts have practically no play meansthat they settle into each other in a precisely definedand correct position. And it is also one of the sub-assemblies of the model where there is practicallyno need to use glue, as it holds together on its ownvery nicely. The whole thing is sealed off with therudder and voila! – you’re done. To the contrary, thecockpit assembly is inserted into the assembledfuselage, sliding in from below and you don't haveto worry that it won’t fit. It fits precisely. I just don’trecommend pressing too much on the sides of thefuselage when gluing in the cockpit, the glue willsoften the material and the fuselage will narrow inthat area and could create a gap between it and thewing. This happened to me while test gluing one ofthe two models I built. It is best to glue in the cockpitand cover the joint with a quick flashing type glueand leave it alone without any pressure. It will settlein by itself. You will find other similar details andassemblies on the model, for example the oil coolerdoes not need to be glued into the fuselage, and thewing dynamics allow for a very good fit as well.The new Bf 109 as an easy buildSpecific issues come up with the Bf 109F seriesdue to the evolution of many small but naggingvariations throughout its development. The F modswent through a rather complex development andthe pace of innovation was frantic. And so it wasn’ttoo simple, they were produced in five factorieswith their own little trademark elements sprinkledliberally on individual aircraft. As a result, we havetwo different wingtips to cover different positionlight arrangements, fuselages with or without rearreinforcements under the tail, two types of seat andtwo shapes of the main landing gear well, round orsquare. An aircraft that even boasted one round andone square well made it to our marking options. Thismay prove to be a challenge for less experiencedmodellers and we won’t get into how you shouldexecute the arrangement, suffice to say that theexperienced ones will tackle this without the needto bombard us with desperate emails over this spicylittle point of interest. The design of the kit takesthese distinguishing features into account. Most ofthe small parts are on the U-sprue which is commonfor all upcoming versions including all Bf 109 G andBf 109 K releases. Your first glance at the kit may giveyou the impression that it is a complicated … dareI say “fiddly” … affair. But in reality, the oppositeis true. This kit is relatively simple in terms ofconstruction and is especially very user friendlyand inviting to the modeller! I’ve already built two ofthese little gems, so I can state this with completesincerity. Among other things, this is manifestedby the fact that some small parts, such as theposition lights for the F-4, the sight, the antennaeor the aileron balance horns are duplicated on thesprues. Yeah – you know how it is, and so do we. Youpick up a small part with your nifty little tweezers,press just a little too hard, and the thing getssucked up by the vacuum cleaner at some futurepoint without you ever seeing the damn thing again.EDITORIALINFO Eduard4June 2023Page 5
There is a total of fourteen marking options, carefullytaking into account the physical attractiveness of themarkings, balanced with a strong consideration forhistorical significance. This latter point focuses onareas of operations, of which there were three for theBf 109 F, i.e., the Western Front over occupied Franceand the English Channel, the Eastern Front over theSoviet Union, and the Mediterranean theatre withemphasis on North Africa. To be honest, it will notbe possible to build any combination that includesone specific subtype from the two kits included in the“Wunderschöne neue Maschinen” package. But thisis usual with such Limited Edition Combo kits, andthis is why the Overtrees option exists. These are ofcourse available.The new Bf 109 – what´s next with it?The future looks great for the Bf 109 in 1:72nd scale.In August, we will release the ProfiPACK versionof the Bf 109F-4, and it will be available as a newrelease at the US IPMS Nationals in San Marcos,along with the FM-2 Wildcat in 1:48th, along with theLimited Edition F-104C in the same scale (Kineticplastic). The ProfiPACK version of the F-2 will followin September, and at the end of the year, probably inDecember, we’ll see “Wundeschöne neue Maschinen”Pt 2, dedicated to the Bf 109 G-2 and G-4. After theNew Year, the G-6 will arrive, and this will lead is tothe G-14 and G-10 to K-4. This year, however, therewill be one more project dedicated to the Bf 109. Thiswill be the Bf 109 K-4 1:48th. Among other things,it is interesting in that, just like the actual article,it will bring significant changes to the originaldesign of the kit, in many ways similar to the 72ndversion released today. The new Bf 109 K-4 willnot include a single mold used for the Bf 109 F andG kits. When introducing the 72nd Bf 109 F, wereceived some disgruntled feedback on Facebook,because according to their authors, it took a longtime, and we make promises that are hard to keep.But without apology, we try our best to keep up withour release schedules, and yes, our projects can takea long time. That’s because we try to do them right.You wouldn’t like them any other way, would you?KITSWe are used to the fact that modelers are neversatisfied, and we understand that. One of thefavorite pastimes of modellers is that when weannounce something new, for example the Bf 109Fin 1:72, immediately there are statements made that,great, but why not in 1:32nd ?, or why not somethingcompletely different, like a Catalina in 1:48th. Oreven the currently active Bf 109 K-4 or G-12 in 1:48.We would like to comply, but within the full range ofmodelling demands, it’s just not humanly possible.We are only people and Superman and Spidermanalready have ventures elsewhere, regardless of thefact that we unfortunately could not afford suchcapable people.Nevertheless, we have one more kit premierefor June, the naval Camel 2F.1 in 1:48th scale. It isthe last of the Camels we are releasing as part ofthe current Camel project. It is undoubtedly aninteresting machine, standing at the birth of navalaviation. Among other things, its wing did not fold likethat of later and contemporary ship borne aircraft,but the fuselage did. The path of progress is full ofdead ends, is it not? There are six marking options,mostly of birds operating off of Royal Navy ships,although not always carriers. You can read aboutthe 2F.1 Camel and their deployment in Jean Laffite’sarticle in the historical section of today’s newsletter,and about the most famous action of naval Camels inthe Boxart Story by Richard Plos. And if you buy thenaval Camel, remember we have a 3D printed wickerseat. It’s a little older print, but still a little gem!We still have a 48th scale ProfiPACK, a late versionBf 109 G-6 reissue. This is an interesting kit forseveral reasons. It is commercially one of the mostsuccessful kits we have ever had, features a boxart by maestro Shigeo Koike, and it is a version thatthe producers never paid too much attention to. Inshort, even this older thing has something to it. Andwhile I’m on the subject of pointing out interestingaccessories, the simultaneously released printedcockpit complements this kit very nicely. Thisnew printed item replaces the older cast resincounterpart. I have already explained the advantagesof printed sets compared to cast resin ones severaltimes in the past, now you have a unique chanceto try them out in person. The new cockpit has thecatalog number 648843.The range of new kits is complemented by two olderitems in 1:48th scale. There is the Tempest Mk.II, and,perhaps more significantly, the A6M2 Zero Model 21.We paid a lot of attention to this, especially the boxartimage and the color scheme and marking options.Even though the Zero may, perhaps, be considered, atleast in terms of the service schemes, to be a ratherboring aircraft. I dare say that there are some damninteresting machines in the new Weekend versionof the kit. And in addition to these there are alsointeresting stories to go with them to boot, the mostepic of which is the boxart subject. You can also readabout that specific aspect of the kit in the Box artstory in today's edition of our newsletter. I would alsolike to remind you that you can buy the new Zero 21in our e-shop with a bonus, the Space set, just asyou can have the “Wundeschöne neue Maschinen” kitwith printed exhausts. The event is on while stockslast.ACCESSORIESWith respect to the new accessory sets, I wouldlike to draw your attention to several large 3Dprinted sets. In addition to the already mentionedcockpit for the Bf 109 G-6, there is a new Fw 190 F-8cockpit and a radio equipment set for the Bf 110 G.All sets are designed for the appropriate Eduardkits and are in 1:48th scale, as is the engine for theF4F-3 Mid Production Wildcat. In June we are alsoreleasing a printed cockpit for the Tamiya F-35A,also in 1:48th. The objection I often encounter withaccessory sets for stunning models like this F-35is that these virtually perfect models don't needany improvements and aftermarket items for themare unnecessary. However, our sales results arguedifferently. Modellers tend to invest in aftermarketaccessory items for the best kits of a given subjectmatter available The reason, I think, is that well-made accessories are almost always better thantop-of-the-line plastic, and will potentially push themodel to absolute perfection. Often, in fact, little isenough for this, perhaps just an exhaust nozzle ora well-made seat. The cockpit is just a higher league.To the large set category, I would add the engines forthe equally high-quality B-25J Mitchell from HKM.In addition to these, there are also a number ofsmaller sets on offer, including for the new Bf 109Fin 1:72nd and 2F.1 Camel in 1:48th.Interesting new releases are not limited to theprints, and can also be found among photoetchedsets, masks and Space sets. Among them are setsfor the 32nd Spitfire MK.I from Kotare, the 48th scaleMi-8MT from Trumpeter, the F-4E Phantom II fromMeng and the 72nd MiG-29 from GWH. There are alsonew kits for the old but still excellent Do 335 kit fromTamiya and the PV-1 Ventura from Academy.HISTORYIn the historical article section of this month’s Info,in addition to the already mentioned article aboutthe 2F.1 Camel, we have a historical-technical articleabout the development of the Messerschmitt Bf 109F. I wrote it myself. It follows in the footprints ofother similar articles, such as the one outlining thetechnical development of the Spitfire. Series on AirCombat over Ukraine by Miro Barič continues withanother two continuations, as we had to skip theNo. 14 part in the previous English issue. So, thereis double batch of the information about what washappening over Ukraine during the last months.Things are getting interesting in Ukraine, and I thinkMiro’s series has interesting times ahead of it aswell. Large articles are complemented by smallerbut no less interesting Boxart Stories. Richard Ploswrites aforementioned story about the raid from theaircraft carrier HMS Furious on the Zeppelin base inTondern, Jan Zdiarsky describes the fate of MajorEberle, the Bf 109 G-6 pilot from the boxart by ShigeoKoike, and Jan Bobek describes the epic story of thedowning of Major Swenson’s B-17 during the landingat Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 which is theevent depicted on the boxart of the Zero 21. This wasan event that was a scene that even made it into thefamous movie Tora! Tora! Tora!. It’s a scene that stillruns chills up and down the spine!I won’t keep you anymore. You’ve got some readingto do!Happy Modelling,Vladimír ŠulcINFO Eduard5June 2023Bf 109F-2 and Bf 109F-4
No other aircraft is more closely associated with the rise and fall of the Luftwaffe during the Second World War than the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter. Its early versions became the symbol of German dominance of the skies over Europe in the first half of the war, and its development ensured its competitiveness with newer Allied types. The distinguishing line between the older versions and the later developments was defined by the Bf 109F, nicknamed the ‘Friedrich’, which brought about a slew of changes from the preceding ‘Emil’, first and foremost in the powerplant.
HISTORYThe history of the Bf 109 began to be written atthe end of March, 1933, initiated by the ReichAir Ministry’s specification L.A.1432/33, callingfor the development of a single-engine fightermonoplane. The competition for contractsincluded Arado, Heinkel, Focke-Wulf andBayerische Flugzeugwerke. The latter had, as itstechnical director, Willy Messerschmitt, whosereputation was greatly enhanced by the successof the recently completed Bf 108 courier aircraft.Messerschmitt’s goal was to design an aircraftwith the best possible ratio of performanceto weight and size. This would involve thecleanest aerodynamic lines possible. Over thecourse of the next several months, a number ofprototypes were produced, which were mostlyused for testing and further development. Theend result was a relatively small aircraft withaerodynamically gentle lines and progressivedesign innovations, such as the use of the low-wing concept, a retractable landing gear, a verythin wing profile, leading edge slats, landing flapsand a weapon firing through the propeller hub.Even the enclosed cockpit or the stressed skinfuselage wasn’t common four years before thestart of the Second World War. Messerschmitt'sBf 109 was therefore a very promising projectfrom the very beginning of its development, andit somewhat surprisingly won the competitionover designs submitted by its more renownedcompetitors. The problems with the Jumo 210powerplant, which was a component of thefirst phase of development, were only solved byreplacing it with the more advanced DB 601. This,together with the later DB 605, is inextricablylinked to the entire development and serviceof the Messerschmitt Bf 109. The inverted inlineV-12 engine powered several tens of thousandsof Bf 109s in more than 25 versions.Bf 109EThe first combat deployment of three test Bf 109stook place during the civil war in Spain, wherethese aircraft were sent in December 1936.Preproduction aircraft were primarily intendedto demonstrate the capabilities of the plane inmodern aerial warfare. Subsequently, seriesmachines of the Bf 109B-1 variant began to seecombat deployment with 2.J/88 Legion Condor.Germany also used sports competitions todemonstrate its air prowess. The success of theBf 109E prototypes at the air show in Zurich in thesummer of 1937 was additionally complementeda few months later by the establishment ofa world speed record of 610.95 km/h. TheBf 109E was a breakthrough version, replacingthe Jumo 210 engine with a more powerfuland reliable Daimler-Benz DB 601 unit drivinga VDM 9 three-blade variable pitch propeller.Production of the E-1 versions armed with four7.9 mm machine guns and the E-3 armed withtwo 7.9 mm machine guns plus two 20 mm MG-FF cannon ran in parallel from the beginningof 1939. Thus, the Luftwaffe entered World WarII armed with the most modern and powerfulsingle-engine fighters of its time, forming theNo other aircraft is more closely associated with the rise and fall of theLuftwaffe during the Second World War than the Messerschmitt Bf 109fighter. Its early versions became the symbol of German dominance of theskies over Europe in the first half of the war, and its development ensuredits competitiveness with newer Allied types. The distinguishing line betweenthe older versions and the later developments was defined by the Bf 109F,nicknamed the ‘Friedrich’, which brought about a slew of changes from thepreceding ‘Emil’, first and foremost in the powerplant.Text: Vladimír ŠulcINFO Eduard6June 2023Page 7
backbone of its units until the spring 1941. Fromthe invasion of Poland through the Sitzkriegon the Western Front, the invasion of Norway,the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain,the Bf 109E ensured the technical and tacticalsuperiority of the Luftwaffe over its opponents.After the Battle of Britain in the autumn of 1940and in the winter months of the following year,however, it became increasingly clear that thetime was ripe to replace the Emils with a morepotent successor.Bf 109FThis would become the Bf 109F, the developmentof which had in fact already begun during thepreparation for series production of the Bf 109Ein the autumn of 1938. The new project wasdesigned around the new DB 601E engine with anestimated maximum power of 1350 hp, comparedto 1055 hp for the DB 601A engine. In addition tothe use of a more powerful engine, the intentionof the design team led by chief designer RobertLusser was the overall aerodynamic refinementof the airframe, combined with the introductionof a number of technical improvements. Itsaw the light of day by way of a complicateddevelopment, leading through prototypes andthe pre-production Bf 109F-0, built mostlyaround the Bf 109E airframe and still carryingsignificant elements of the original design. Insummary, all design changes were reflected inthe first series version, the Bf 109F-1, radicallydifferent in shape from both the Bf 109E and theprototypes and the pre-production Bf 109F-0.Since the DB 601E engine was not yet availableduring the long development of the variousconcepts incorporated into the new design, theprototypes and pre-production Bf 109F-0 werepowered by DB 601A engines, as was most of theBf 109E production. Production Bf 109F-1 and F-2aircraft were powered by DB 601N engines, andonly the Bf 109 F-4 version received the plannedDB 601E. Before we deal with the developmentof individual versions of the Bf 109F, it will beappropriate to first familiarize ourselves withthe development of the power egg, the DB 601engine, and also the evolution of the enginecooling system.DB 600The DB 601 engine was a development of the DB600 carburetor equipped engine, development ofwhich began in July 1933. It was a liquid-cooledinline turbocharged inverted twelve-cylinderunit of 33.9 L displacement, with a single-stagesupercharger and carburetor. In the A version,it offered 986 hp, with gradual development itworked its way up to 1036 hp in the DB 600 Gaversion. The first Bf 110 V1 prototype with DB 600engines reached a speed of 505 km/h (314mph)on May 12, 1936. The DB 600 of various versionsalso powered the first versions of the He 111 B, G,etc. However, problems with the supply of theseengines led to their replacement by more readilyavailable units, mainly the JUMO 210 engine,which in the D version also powered the firstversions of the Bf 109B, C and D.DB 601AThe fundamental innovation of direct fuelinjection into the cylinders of the DB 601series made a significant contribution to theadvancement of the line and in the furtherdevelopment of the Bf 109 and Bf 110. The DB601Aa, production of which began in March,1937, had the same displacement as the DB 600at 33.9 liters ,and the compression ratio of 6.8:1was also the same. Also unchanged were thebore and stroke of the cylinders (bore 150 mm,stroke 160 mm). The DB 601A used 87 octane B4gasoline, introduced as the standard aviationgasoline in early 1939. Maximum power outputof 1160 hp (1175 PS) at 2500 rpm was achievedby the DB 601A at an altitude of 1700m (5577ft).However, this output was only achieved fora short time when the engine's filling pressurewas increased to 1.40 atm. The use of boost waslimited to one minute. On the ground, the highestpower with the same parameters was 1085 hp(1100 PS). At a filling pressure of 1.30 atm and2400 rpm, the highest (combat) power on theground was 986 hp (990 PS) and at an altitude of2100m (6890ft), this was 1055 hp (1070 PS).DB 601NIn the following version, the DB 601N, higherperformance was achieved by increasing thecompression ratio to 8.1:1 and introducing 100octane C3 aviation fuel. The bore and stroke ofthe cylinders remained the same as in the DB601A and DB 600. Using an emergency boostpressure of 1.42 atm at 2,600 RPM, 1,321 hp (1340PS) could be produced at an altitude of 2,100 mand 1,233 hp (1250 PS) on the ground. The useof boost was possible for three minutes. Combatperformance at 1.30 atm boost pressure and2400 RPM provided 1,168 hp (1,185 PS) at 2,100 mand 1,085 hp (1,100 PS) at sea level.HISTORYENGINES USED INDEVELOPMENTALVERSIONS OF THEBf 109FBf 109 F-0 WNr. 5604 VK+AB. The aircraft with the DB 601 A engine already had the compressor intake witha circular cross-section. It was used to test the newly designed glycol cooler flaps combined with landing flaps.The wing still had the straight ends of the Bf 109E.Ground crew maintaining the weapons of Bf 109 F of JG 54 “Grünherz” on the Eastern Front in 1942.Photo: SDASMPhoto: BundesarchivINFO Eduard7June 2023Page 8
DB 601EThe further improvement in the performance ofthe DB 601E engine was not achieved by furtherincreasing the boost pressure or the octanerating of the engine. The DB 601E engine actuallyreverted to the easier to produce B4 gasolinewith an octane rating of 87. The compressionratio was 7.0:1 on the left side cylinders and 7.2:1on the right side, and was thus lower than theDB 601N. The cylinder bore and stroke were thesame as in the DB 601A and DB 601N, bore being150 mm and the stroke 160 mm. As a result, thedisplacement was also the same at 33.9 l. That'sabout all that remained the same. There werea lot of new and modified parts: a new engineblock, metering pump, boost pressure regulator,injection pump drive housing and mixtureregulator for the injection pump, new reinforcedconnecting rods, rocker arms, connecting rods,new intake manifold and rebuilt engine cylinderswith larger intake manifold and modified valves.Using an emergency engine boost pressure of1.42 atm, at 2700 RPM, the highest output was1,420 hp (1,440 PS) at an altitude of 2,100 m and1,331 hp (1,350 PS) at sea level.Combat power at 1.30 atm boost pressure, 2,500RPM was 1,262 hp (1,280 PS) at 2,100 m and 1,183hp (1,200 PS) at sea level.The development of the new version of the DB 601engine was long and rather complex, startingat the end of 1938, with series production ofthe zero series of 180 units (later increased to290 units) beginning at the Werk 90 factory inBerlin-Marienfeld in the second half of 1940.Then, in January, production at the Büssingfactory in Braunschweig and Henschel in Kasselwas initiated. When the engines were introducedinto service, they had cooling problems, whichled to a limitation of the maximum permissibleengine power during take-off and climb. Therewere also problems with the life of the pistonrings and the bronze valve bushings. There werealso problems with the spark plug cables, whichquickly wore and burned out. For these reasons,most engines had a service life of only 50 hours,with few engines reaching 100 hours, which wasa far cry from the expected 100 service hoursto a midlife overhaul and 200 service hours toa general overhaul. Back in May 1942, duringa joint inspection by the procurator of theDaimler-Benz company, von Berg and ColonelGalland (at that time in the capacity of the FighterAir Force Inspector-General der Jagdflieger),a critical situation was discovered for the unitson the Eastern Front, armed with the Bf 109 F-4,stemming from the unsatisfactory conditionof the engines. Heavy engine wear threatenedto ground a large part of the machines inoperation and significantly reduce the combatcapability of the fighter units. It can be seenfrom this that although there was a remedy bymodifying the problematic components, suchas the introduction of steel valve bushings andvented wiring harnesses, this remedy was timeconsuming and engine problems accompaniedthe Bf 109F-4 for practically the entire first yearof their service. That is, the entire time of theirfront-line service, because in the summer of1942 the first Bf 109 G-2s with DB 601A engineswere already making their way to Luftwaffefighter units.Coolant RadiatorsDue to the anticipated use of the more powerfulDB 601E engine, new radiators were developedfor the Bf 109F and the engine cooling systemTwo synthetic aviation fuelswere used in the DB 601 seriesof engines. Both were producedfrom brown coal by Fischer-Tropsch. The final mixtures,depending on the requiredtype of fuel, were producedin the so-called WiFo depots(Wirtschaftsforschungsamt)according to the requirementsof the individual branches ofthe armed forces.B4 Flugmotorbenzin wasa synthetic gasoline withan octane rating of 87. Itcontained tetraethyl lead and25% aromatic additives. It wascolored dark blue, and it wasgraphically symbolized by ayellow triangle outlined inwhite with the number 87 orB4 in it. It was the syntheticequivalent of B2 gasoline,produced from petroleum.C3 Flugmotorbenzin wasa synthetic gasoline withan octane rating of 100. Itcontained tetraethyl lead and45% aromatic additives. Itwas colored dark green, andit was graphically symbolizedby a yellow triangle outlined inwhite with the number 100 orC3 in it. This was the syntheticequivalent of C2 gasoline,produced from petroleum.For a more detailedexplanation of the meaningbehind the octane rating,please see.Bf 109 F-4/Z during an oil refill. The aircraft has circular wheel wells, a larger compressor intake anda VDM 9-12087A propeller with wider propeller blades.Photo: BundesarchivAVIATION FUELS IN THE LUFTWAFFESudetendeutschen Treibstoffwerke AG Brüx, located between Most and Litvínov in northernBohemia, was the third largest producer of synthetic gasoline in Germany and the occupiedterritories. Construction of the plant began in May 1939, and the first train of synthetic gasolinewas dispatched from STW Brüx on December 15, 1942. Albert Speer, Reich Minister of Armaments,attended the opening ceremony. The plant was producing up to 50,000 tonnes of synthetic fuel permonth at full operation. In the last year of the war, after the Allied bombing offensive against theGerman fuel industry began, it became a frequent target of Allied air raids, mainly led by the8th USAAF from Britain and the 15th Air Army from Italy. The first raid on this chemical plant on8. USAAF carried out on May 12, 1944, and 12 more major American raids followed by the end of1944. A heavy night raid was carried out by 231 Lancasters of RAF Bomber Command on January16, 1945, virtually putting the factory out of action for the rest of the war.Photo: Edward D. Beneš archives, Aviation archives of Northen BohemiaHISTORYINFO Eduard8June 2023Page 9
was updated. The coolant radiators hada completely new design compared to those of theBf 109E series of aircraft, which not only ensureda higher efficiency of the cooling system, but wasalso simpler to manufacture. The manufacturingcomplexity of the new radiators was said to be50% that of the older Bf 109 radiators. Aluminumalloys were used extensively in the constructionof the new radiators. Although the new radiatorswere larger, with a frontal area of 0.334 m2compared to the Bf 109E's 0.292 m2, they werelogically more efficient due to the cross fall,and they were also aerodynamically moreadvantageous due to the fact that they wereembedded deeper into the wing. The air flow wasregulated by two hydraulically opening flaps onthe trailing edge of the wing, the opening andrelative position of which were automaticallycontrolled by a thermostat. At the same time,when the flaps were extended, the flap on thefront of the radiator opened. If necessary, thepilot could bypass the automatic the automaticfeature and set the coolers manually with a leverin the cabin. The cooling system was filled with75 liters of a mixture of glycol and water, twoseparate overflow tanks of the cooling system,each with a volume of 5 liters, were located onthe sides of the engine block (on the sides of thecrankcase). In the Bf 109E, the U-shaped coolantoverflow tank was located on the front of theengine block.The cooling system of the Bf 109E and the firstBf 109Fs was extremely sensitive to damage,most often by gunfire. Any interference withthe radiator or other part of the cooling systemmeant a rapid loss of coolant, followed byengine seizure. This was a problem commonto all fighters powered by liquid-cooled inlineengines. The P-51 Mustang, for example, hada large underbody radiator which was extremelysusceptible to damage and a single lucky shotmeant an almost immediate engine seizure anda total loss of the aircraft. Splitting the coolingsystem between two radiators, one under eachwing, offered a theoretical advantage. But thiswas not the case with the Bf 109E and Bf 109F-1and F-2, where the cooling system was a single-circuit affair with one pump. In February andMarch 1941, a design modification of the systemwas successfully tested on the test Bf 109E,consisting of the introduction of separationvalves (Kühlerabschaltventile), which, in theevent of damage to one of the radiators, enabledthe pilot to close it and separate it from the otherpart of the cooling circuit. This modification(Kühlerabschaltung) was introduced intoseries production on July10, 1941 by regulationÄnderungsmotteilung I 181. The earlier claim(Prien/Rodeike) that these valves were suppliedas retrofit kits for previously produced aircrafthas no basis in any known regulation andappears that such sets were actually neverproduced and delivered to units. To the contrary,new aircraft on the production line wereequipped with separation valves as standard,which, given the date of the regulation, wouldinvolve aircraft from the F-4 version on. Theclaim from the same source that the shortageof these kits and the high demand for them ledto a race by groundcrew to cannibalize theseitems from shot down and damaged aircraftseems to be a reasonable one, where most of theBf 109F-2s produced and part of the F- 4 (as wellas all Bf 109 Es still in service) did not have thesevalves. Even the Bf 109F-4s produced had themas standard from the second half of July 1941 atthe earliest, and possibly even later. The useof these valves cannibalized from aircraft thatwere no longer combat capable makes sense.A claim regarding the stopping of the installationof these valves in the Bf 109G is probably alsoerroneous. These valves are, for example,documented on a British captured Bf 109 G-2carrying the W.Nr. 10639.OIL COOLERSThe oil cooler was located as in the Bf 109E,under the engine. Like the coolant radiators, itwas a new design, developed for use with theDB 601E engine and was already installed in theBf 109F-1 powered by the DB 601N. The Fö 699B oilcooler (9-6130A–Vogt) had a frontal area of 590cm2 , the two-position control flap at the outletof the cooler (outlet edge) was hydraulicallyopened and automatically controlled bya thermostat. It had only two positions, closed/open, the difference between the two positionswas 4 cm. The control hydraulics were notconnected to the aircraft's hydraulic system assuch, but used oil from the engine's oil pan. Thisamounted to 35 liters of oil (and 8 liters of air)in the DB 601N engine, and 36.8 liters of oil and6 liters of air for the DB 601E. The Bf 109F-4/Zand part of Bf 109 F-4 Trop production were fittedwith the new Fö 870 radiator (9-6150 Vogt). It hada frontal area of 650 cm2 and a depth of 250 mm.Vogt also states that the first F-4/Z still had theoriginal smaller radiator Fö 699B) with a frontalarea of 590 cm2. The hydraulic system of theBf 109F was expanded compared to the Bf 109Eand, in addition to retraction of the main landinggear, also controlled the retraction of thetailwheel and the regulating flaps of the coolantradiators.Bf 109 F-0 PH+BE already had oval wingtips, but the intake turbocharger had a rectangular cross-section,characteristic of the Bf 109 F-1 produced by the WNF factory.Bf 109 F-4 od 10. (Jabo)/JG 2 in France during the summer of 1942. The aircraft sports reinforcing stringerson the rear fuselage. The photo shows the typical position of the open landing flaps and the combined glycolcooler and landing flaps.Photo: SDASMPhoto: SDASMHISTORYINFO Eduard9June 2023Page 10
Fuselage tailsection externalreinforcementVDM 9.12007.10 propellerVDM 9.12087A propellerFö 669B oil coolerFö 669B oil coolerVDM9.12007.10propellerVDM 9.12087A(usually)propellerLarger oil coolertype Fö 870Larger air intaketo compressorLarger air intaketo compressorwith sand filterLarger oil coolertype Fö 870Bf 109F-1As already mentioned, the design of theBf 109F underwent radical modernization andoverall aerodynamic fine-tuning. Apart fromthe aerodynamic refinements in the nose, theintroduction of a new spinner and air intake tothe circular compressor, a visible change ofthe Bf 109F compared to the Bf 109E was theabsence of horizontal tail struts. The changein the armament arrangement was radical.Compared to the Bf 109E, this was reduced toan MG-FF fuselage cannon firing through thepropeller hub and two 7.9 mm MG 17 machineguns above the engine. Due to the delay in thedevelopment of the DB 601E engine, the DB601N engine was used to power the Bf 109F-1.Development delays also prevented the useof the planned MG 151/20 or MG 151/15 cannon,so the MG-FF (engine-mounted) cannon witha 60-round magazine was used. The propellerwas the VDM-9.12007.10. The wing received anelegant wingtip curvature with a cut-out for aposition light on the leading edge and, above all,new radiators, as described above, the controlHISTORYPRODUCTION VERSIONSOF THE Bf 109FINFO Eduard10June 2023Page 11
flap of which also formed the inner part of theflap system. The slats remained automatic ason the Bf 109E, the control surfaces with metalinternal construction were fabric covered. Thetailwheel was retractable. The fuselage fueltank, located under and behind the pilot's seat,had a volume of 400 liters, the Bf 109F-1 notbeing equipped to carry a drop tank. The aircraftreceived the FuG VIIa radio, and in 1941 somewere retrofitted with the FuG 25 IFF system. Thesight was the REVI C12/D reflector. An importantfeature was variable VDM-9.12007.10 propeller,the switch between automatic and manualmodes being located under the throttle lever.The maximum speed is stated to be 595 km/h(370mph) at 5,200m (17,050ft), and 495 km/h(310mph) at sea level in combat mode. Therate of climb was 17 m/s (56ft/s), range 700km (435 miles), with a ceiling of 12,000m(39,400ft). It is somewhat complicated whenit comes to performance data, as sourcesdiffer somewhat. The figures presented herecome from the records of the Test Center inRechlin (E-Stelle Rechlin), and they are listedin their books on the development of the Bf 109by M.Baumgartl and H.H. Vogt. M.Baumgartlalso reports a maximum speed in emergencymode of 615 km/h (383mph) at 5,200m(17,050ft) and 515 km/h (320mph) at sea level.Series production ran at the BayerischeFlugzeugwerke (Messerschmitt – Mtt. Reg) inRegensburg from July (Prien/Rodeike) or August(Murawski) 1940, while Vogt and Valtonen quotethe start of production as October 1940, butthis does not seem likely. By February 1941,apparently 137 machines were produced by MttRegensburg (Vogt, Valtonen and Rodeike state157 units). In November 1940, production of theBf 109F-1 also began at the Wiener NeustädterFlugzeugwerke (WNF) facility, where upto fifty aircraft were produced by January1941 (Vogt, Valtonen, Prien/Rodeike claim 49machines). The aircraft produced by the WNFfactory are different from those made by Mtt.The Regensburg examples differed in details,such as the intake to the compressor havinga rectangular cross-section, and probablyalso the shape of the aerodynamic transitionbetween the wing and the fuselage, where therewas a small symmetrical bulge above the wingspar connection pin to the fuselage, similarto the Bf 109E, as opposed to the Bf 109F andG fairing, which had an irregularly shape.The new aircraft began to trickle to frontlineunits during the fall of 1940, but none ofthe combat units were ever completely re-equipped with the F-1 version. Stab/JG 51 wasthe first to receive them at the beginning ofOctober. Major Werner Mölders made the firsttwo combat flights on October 9th, 1940 withBf 109F-1 WNr.5628 SG+GW, and by October 11th,he had shot down a Spitfire Mk.I from No.66Squadron, RAF over Folkestone. It was Mölders43rd kill, and the Spitfire pilot, P/O Pickering,survived the encounter with some injuries. Inearly November, several Bf 109F-1s were alsoreceived by I./JG 51, which suffered its first losswhen the commander of 1./JG51, Oblt. GeorgClaus, was shot down over the British coast.Smaller numbers of Bf 109F-1s were given tothe replenishment groups (Ergänzungsgruppen)of JG26 and JG51 during November, with otherunits in France receiving individual pieces inearly 1941.As was usual when introducing new equipmentto combat units, a number of defects andshortcomings appeared rather quickly. Inaddition to problems with the brakes and tirequality, a problem was found with the seatbeing positioned too far forward, which causedproblems when pulling the control columnback. The question remains whether this wasthe original seat of the same type used in theBf 109E, or the new type with a separate seatand backrest integrated into the rear wall of thecockpit. Some F-2s were fitted with the sameseat as the Bf 109E, later machines and at leastmost F-4s had the aforementioned new seats. Itis not entirely clear whether the new seats werereplacements for unsatisfactory older seats, orwhether the new seats were not satisfactoryand were in some cases replaced by provenolder seats, as indicated by some sources.But the most serious problem was theinsufficient integrity of the rear fuselage. InFebruary 1941, three planes were lost whenstrong vibrations from the engine, transmittedto the structure of the aircraft, caused thefailure of the tail section. The investigation ofa fourth accident revealed structural problemsand insufficient structural integrity of theconnection of the tail unit with the last fuselagebulkhead. The problem was temporarily solvedby adding four external stiffeners, two on eachside of the fuselage at the last bulkhead. MostBf 109F-2s built were later equipped with thesereinforcements.Bf 109F-2In November 1940, large-scale production ofthe first major version of the Bf 109F, the dashtwo, began at the AGO facility in Oschersleben,and began reaching combat units in January1941. That same month, production also beganat the WNF plant in Wienerneustadt, and laterin the spring, it was also undertaken at Aradoin Warnemünde, Messerschmitt in Regensburgand Erla in Leipzig. The F-2 version was againpowered by the DB 601N engine, but this time themain armament was the new 15 mm MG 151/15engine mounted cannon fed by a 200 roundmagazine located in the left wing root. Loadingthe cannon was not exactly a comfortabletask due to the limited access to the magazinethrough two relatively small holes in the upperwing surface.The increase in range by about 500 km (310miles) was made possible by the installation ofa drop tank under the fuselage, carrying 300 lOberstleutnant Werner Mölders, Commodore of JG 51, pictured with OberleutnantGeorg Claus (centre) in late 1940. Claus served as Mölders' Adjutant until October 18,1940, when he was appointed commander of 1./JG 51. He was killed in aerial combatover the Thames Estuary on November 11, 1940, becoming the first airman shot downin a Bf 109 F-1.Bf 109 F-4 Trop prior to delivery to JG 5, which operated in Finland. The aircraftalready had a yellow band on the fuselage painted, which was the identificationmarking for the Eastern Front aircraft. The tropical camouflage of sand RLM 79Sandgelb on the upper surfaces and blue RLM 78 Hellblau on the lower surfaceswas complemented by fields of grey RLM 74 or 75 on the upper surfaces. Theaircraft carried an additional 300 liter fuel tank.Photo: SDASMPhoto: BundesarchivHISTORYINFO Eduard11June 2023Page 12
(66gal), the same that already equipped theBf 109E-7. The system of pumping fuel from theauxiliary tank to the main fuel tank was based onthe principle of pressurizing the auxiliary tankwith compressed air, dispensing the need fora fuel pump. It should be noted that photographsof the Bf 109F-2 carrying the centerline droptank are very rare.The Bf 109F-2 could also be modified for thefighter-bomber role by installing an ETC 500/IXbbomb rack under the fuselage to carry a 250 kg(550lb) SC 250 aerial bomb, or an ETC 50/VIIdcombined bomb rack for four 50 kg (110lb) SC50 bombs. The designation of the bomb capableversion was Bf 109F-2/B or Bf 109F-2/Bo.In terms of performance, H.H. Vogt statesa maximum speed of 630 km/h (390mph), and atsea level, 528 km/h (330mph). According to Vogt,the rate of climb is the same as that of the F-1,17 m/s (56ft/s), a range of 700 km (430 miles),and a service ceiling of 12,000m ((39,300 feet).M. Baumgartl, in a performance table derivedfrom the British Research iInstitute R.A.E. atFarnborough, gives a top speed at 6,629 m(21,750 ft) 597 km/h (371 mph), 491 km/h (305mph) at sea level. The Soviet institute NII VVSgives a top speed 561 km/h (350mph) at 2,900m(9,500ft) and 510 km/h (317mph) at sea level. TheBritish data in this case are consistent with theGerman figures for the Bf 109F-1. All in all, thiswould correspond to the fact that both versions,the F-1 and F-2, were powered by the sameengine with the same performance, while thedifferences in the design of the aircraft wereessentially negligible.The F-2 also had a number of shortcomings thatmanifested themselves in service. A report fromearly April, 1941 by the commander of Luftflotte2, General-Field Marshal Kesselring, describedtwenty-four defects of varying degrees ofseverity. These were gradually addressed onthe production line, but most were resolvedwith the next production version, the Bf 109F-4.A total of 1,586 Bf 109F-2s (Vogt) were built,production ran in parallel at five factories: MttRegensburg (228 units produced), Erla Leipzig(219 units), AGO Oschersleben (378 units), WNF(169 units) and Arado Warnemünde (358 units),where production ended in August 1941.Bf 109F-3This version was a direct development of the F-1,and featured a combination of the DB 601E engineand the MG/FF engine mounted gun. Productionwas stopped after 15 aircraft had been builtafter the new more powerful MG 151/20 cannonbecame available.Bf 109F-4Production of the final and most powerfulversion of the Bf 109F, the dash-4, began at theWNF factory in May 1941, and the Erla factory inJune. The first Bf 109F-4s arrived at front lineThe nitrous oxide (N2O) injection systemof the GM-1 engine cylinders allowed fora short-term increase in engine power athigh altitudes (above 9,000m or 29,500ft). Theprinciple of increasing performance is thatwhen the mixture burns in the cylinder, nitrousoxide is decomposed into oxygen and nitrogen.Nitrogen cools the mixture and oxygen causesthe mixture to become lean (the mixturecontains more oxygen than fuel). Thanksto this, it is possible to add more fuel to themixture, without the need to supplement theboost pressure with the compressor, becausethe necessary additional amount of oxygento burn the fuel in the cylinder is obtained bythe decomposition of nitrogen oxide. For thisreason, the GM-1 system was used at highaltitudes. To increase performance at altitudesof up to 8,000 m (26,250ft), the water injectionsystem MW 50 or MW 30 was later used, whichreduced the temperature of the mixture byevaporating the water in the cylinder, but didnot generate the necessary oxygen. This hadto be supplemented by increasing the fillingpressure with a compressor, but could nolonger produce the necessary filling pressureat higher altitudes.The GM-1 system increased the DB 601N and Eengine power at 9,000 m and 2600 RPM by up to246 hp (250 PS), and the aircraft's speed by asmuch as 90 km/h. Maximum N2O injection timewas 3 minutes (Baumgartl – sources vary onthe exact numbers.GM-1JG 27 Bf 109 F-4 Trop in North Africa. Mechanics are cleaning the barrel of the MG 151/20 cannon.A photo reconnaissance Bf 109 Fs from the 4.(F)/123 in 1943 at Cherbourg.Photo: BundesarchivPhoto: SDASMHISTORYINFO Eduard12June 2023Page 13
units in June, 1941. The main update offered bythe F-4 was the finally completed and fine-tunedDB 601E installation, driving a three-blade,variable VDM 9-12004.10 propeller. Armamentwas also improved via the installation of theengine mounted 20mm MG 151/20 cannonwith 200 rounds. The fuselage machine gunsremained the same, being 7.9mm MG 17s.A redesign and strengthening of the rearfuselage was carried out, thanks to which theneed for external reinforcement was eliminated.Nevertheless, in the photographs of someBf 109F-4s, the external reinforcements are stillvisible. A possible explanation for this is the useof older F-2 airframes either in initial productionor over the course of subsequent conversions.The FuG 25 IFF unit was replaced by the moremodern FuG 25a in the spring. The wing alreadyhad position lights as standard with a covercopying the shape of the wingtip curvature,introduced on later Bf 109F-2s. The wheel wellswere either circular in shape, copying the shapeof the tire, or angular, the same design as onthe Bf 109E. The round design of the wells wasmore common. Here, it is reasonable to considerthe use of F-2 airframes during conversion toF-4 standard by installing a DB 601E engine, ora different design of the wells from differentmanufacturers and production blocks.Around 600 aircraft were equipped with GM-1nitrous oxide injection system. These machineswere designated Bf 109F-4/Z and had a larger9-6150 (Fö 870) oil cooler, later standardized onthe Bf 109G. These machines were also usuallyequipped with a VDM 9-12087A propeller withwider blades. A larger oil cooler was alsopart of the 576 tropicalized Bf 109F-4 Trop thatwere produced at the Erla factory in Leipzig.They also received a larger air intake to theturbo supercharger with a closable dust filter.Tropical equipment also included a vent on thetop of the canopy windscreen and an emergencylanding survival kit stowed in the rear fuselagecontaining a food pack, water and a Mauser K98carbine. A larger air intake to the turbochargerwas standard on later production Bf 109F-4s.Between December 1941 and April 1942, the WNFfactory produced a total of 240 Bf 109F-4/R1s,allowing the installation of underwing nacelleshousing MG 151/15 guns with 135 rounds ofammunition. However, gun nacelles were rarelyused by combat units and they were widelyused only later on the Bf 109G. Bf 109F-4scould also be converted to Bf 109F-4/B fighter-bombers, the bomb racks were the same ason the Bf 109F-2/B, but could not be fitted tothe Bf 109F-4/Z or Bf 109F-4/R1 equipped withunderwing gun nacelles. Some Bf 109F-4s wereconverted to photo-reconnaissance use as theBf 109F-4/R2, R3, R4 and R8, which carrieddifferent types of photographic cameras.A total of 1,808 Bf 109F-4s of all versions wereproduced, including 1,034 at the WNF and 774at the Erla factory in Leipzig. Production at theWNF factory ended in April 1942, and ERLA builtthe last Bf 109F-4 Trop in May of the same year.A month later, both factories, plus MesserschmittA.G. in Regensburg, began production of theBf 109G-2.With respect to performance data, H.H. Vogtreports a maximum speed of 670 km/h (416mph),540 km/h (336mph) at sea level. The rateof climb is stated by Vogt to be the same asfor the F-1, 17 m/s (56ft/s), a range of 525 km(330 miles), and a service ceiling of 11,800m(38,700ft). M.Baumgartl gives in his performancetables sourcing the records of E-Stelle Rechlina maximum speed 645 km/h (400mph) at 7,000m (23,000ft), and 523 km/h (325mph) in combatmode. In emergency mode, he states a maximumspeed of 670 km/h (416mph) at 7,000 m(23,000ft) and 540 km/h (336mph) at sea level,which corresponds to the data presented by H.H.Vogt. The increase in performance comparedto the Bf 109F-2 also corresponds to the use ofa more powerful engine.Bf 109F-5 and Bf 109F-6The Bf 109 F-5 was a high-altitude fighter andphotoreconnaissance aircraft, based on theBf 109F-2, equipped with the GM-1 boost system.One aircraft was built and further developmentwas stopped due to the RLM's lack of interest.The Bf 109F-6 was to be a heavy fighter againbased on the Bf 109F-2, with an MG 151/20 enginemounted cannon and two MG 17 fuselage machineguns, plus two MG 17 wing mounted machineguns. No aircraft were built. The designationBf 109F-6/U was used by Stab/JG 26 in Francefor Bf 109F-2 W.Nr.6750, which in addition tothe standard armament was equipped withtwo wing-mounted MG FF/M cannon, similar tothe Bf 109E. The aircraft was tested by Obstlt.Adolf Galland, who shot down a Spitfire over theEnglish coast with it on November 18, 1941. At thesame time, Galland tested another non-standardaircraft with the type designation Bf 109F-2/U1,armed with two 13 mm MG 131 machine gunslocated in the fuselage above the engine insteadof the standard MG 17sThe Western Front, FranceIn the first months of deployment of the Bf 109Fon the Western Front, their opponents wereJG 54 Bf 109 F-4 on the Eastern Front in the care of mechanics. The position of the deployed automatic slat canbe clearly seen in the picture. That was its usual position when the aircraft was parked and still.Photo: SDASMPhoto: BundesarchivThe Bf 109 F-2 (W. Nr. 12764) was the first plane of F version to fall into RAF hands. Commander I./JG 26Hptm. Rolf Pingel made an emergency landing near Dover on July 10, 1941 after an aerial battle.HISTORYCOMBAT USE OF THEBf 109F AND ITSADVERSARIESINFO Eduard13June 2023Page 14
Spitfire Mk.I, II and Vs of various sub variants,as well as Hurricane Mk.I and Mk.IIs. The mostpowerful were of course the new SpitfireMk.Vs, introduced into service at roughly thesame time as the Bf 109F-2 and F-4. The knownperformance parameters of the Spitfire Mk.V areas follows:The speed of the new Spitfire Mk.V in March 1941was 595.5 km/h (370mph) at 5,944 m (19,500ft). But even with the Spitfire, performancedata is hard to pin down exactly. In six differentSpitfires tested at the A & A.E.E. between March1942 and August 1946, the top speed achievedat 5,486 m (18,000 ft) varied between 555 km/hto 571 km/h (345mph to 355mph). The climb to4,877 m (16,000 ft) was recorded as between4.05 min and 6.4 min, and 6,096 m (20,000 ft)was between 5.6 min and 10.25 min. The bestperformances was attributed to Spitfire Mk.VbW3228 with a Merlin 50M engine in May 1943,andthe worst by Spitfire F.Mk.Vc AB488 with Merlin46 engine.For the Spitfire Mk.II, top speed was 570 km/h(355mph) at 5,487 m (18,000 ft), top speed at6,096 m (20,000 ft) was 563 km/h (350mph),and climb to 6,096 m (20,000 ft) was between7 minutes and 9.8 minutes depending on theengine type. I don't want to burden you witha flood of data, but in general, according toknown performance data, the Bf 109F-4, likethe F-2, surpassed its opponents. However,the Spitfire Mk.V was able to keep up with theBf 109F-4 in climb rate, but in speed, it laggedbehind at all altitudes. Compared to the lesspowerful Bf 109F-2, it, of course, fared better.The Hurricanes, with their top speed of 504 km/h(313mph) at 6,096 m (20,000ft) and a climb to thesame height of between 7.5 min and 8.2 min, werealready significantly behind the Messerschmittsand were not equal term opponents for them.AfricaIn Africa, in addition to the aforementionedadversarial Spitfires and Hurricanes, theBf 109F-4 faced American P-40 Warhawkfighters of various versions and the P-39Airacobra.The P-40B/C (Tomahawk Mk.IIa) had a maximumground speed of 445 km/h (277mph), 544 km/h(340mph) at 5,000 m (16,400ft) and climbed tothis altitude in 7 minutes.The P-40E (Kittyhawk Mk.Ia) had a maximumspeed of 575 km/h (360mph) at 4,750 m 15,600ft)and climbed to 5,000 m (16,400ft) in 8.1 minutes.The P-39D Airacobra had a maximum speedof 576 km/h (360mph) at 4,572 m (15,000 ft),climbing to 5,000 m (16,400ft) in 6.4 minutes.The Eastern Front – The Soviet UnionOn the Eastern Front, the superiority of theBf 109F over Soviet fighters is indisputable. Atthe time of the German attack, a large part ofthe Soviet air force consisted of Polikarpov I-16,I-15, I-152 and I-153 fighters, which were alreadysignificantly outdated. Newer designs in theform of the Yak-1, LaGG-3 and at higher altitudesthe higher powered MiG-3 were rare in the firstmonths and their losses were heavy during thatperiod of the war.I will present the performance parameters oftwo fighters that were produced in large seriesin the later period of the war by the Soviets, theYak-1 and LaGG-3.The Yak-1 reached a top speed of 586 km/h(364mph) at 5,000 m (16,400ft), and 490 km/h(305mph) at sea level, and climbed to the16,400ft level in 5.7 minutes. It was more orless comparable against to the Bf 109F-2, butobviously would find its life more difficult againstthe F-4 This is similar to the comparisons withthe Mk.V Spitfires, which, in the latter stagesof the war, also served in the Soviet Air Force,along with the other British and American typesmentioned above.The LaGG-3 fared significantly worse witha speed of 549 km/h (340mph) at 5,000 m(16,400m) and 457 km/h (284mph) at sealevel, and would reach that 16,400ft levelin8.6 minutes. However, like the Yak-1, it wasproduced in large quantities over the first halfof the war and, despite also suffering heavylosses, was a tenacious opponent. Both typesin their successive versions were opponents ofvarious versions of the Bf 109 until the end of thewar, and in their peak versions of the La-7 andYak-3 were at least worthy opponents. It mustbe added that ultimately, these opponents werevictorious, as were the Mk.IX Spitfires on theWestern Front and in the Mediterranean.Source:Harald Helmut Vogt: Messerschmitt Bf 109 –Einsatzmaschinen-Das NachschlachgwerkHarald Helmut Vogt: Messerschmitt Bf 109 –Versuchs und Erprobungsträger und der Wegzur SerienproductionJochen Prien/Peter Rodeike: MesserschmittBf 109 F, G & K SeriesMichael Baumgartl: Das jagdfugzeugMesserschmitt Bf 109: Technik, Eigenschaften,Leistung, Stückzahlen, BewährungMarek J.Murawski, Asen Atanasov:Messerschmitt Bf 109 FMesserschmitts Bf 109 F from II./JG 54 “Grünherz” with camouflage characteristic of this unit in a picturetaken in summer 1941 at the beginning of the campaign in the EastThis image was taken in late 1942 at the El Daba base scrap yard. In the foreground on the right are the fuselagesof Bf 109 Fs from II. and III./JG 27.Photo: SDASMPhoto: SDASMHISTORYINFO Eduard14June 2023Page 15
partneři17.6.2023Sokolovna DobšiceSpitfire Mk. IXby Tomáš DundaObec DobšiceRUFE part two
Kamikawa Maru In response to the Guadalcanal landing and lacking airfields between that island and the base at Rabaul, the IJN decided to establish a seaplane command in the area from August 28, 1942. It was given the name R-Hōmen Kōkū Butai (abbreviated R-Butai), R being the code name for Rabaul, i.e., R-Area Air Force. It was headed by Rear Admiral Takatsugu Jōjima, who had previously commanded several carriers, the last being Shōkaku. In late June 1942, he became commander of the 11th Seaplane Tender Division, which was the operational part of the newly formed R-Butai.
Kamikawa MaruIn response to the Guadalcanal landing andlacking airfields between that island and thebase at Rabaul, the IJN decided to establisha seaplane command in the area from August28, 1942. It was given the name R-Hōmen KōkūButai (abbreviated R-Butai), R being the codename for Rabaul, i.e., R-Area Air Force. It washeaded by Rear Admiral Takatsugu Jōjima, whohad previously commanded several carriers,the last being Shōkaku. In late June 1942, hebecame commander of the 11th Seaplane TenderDivision, which was the operational part of thenewly formed R-Butai.The seaplane tenders Chitose (with Pete andJake planes), Sanyo Maru (Petes and Jakes),and Sanuki Maru (Petes) were the first onesunder Jōjima's command. During September,they were joined by Kamikawa Maru (Rufes andPetes) and Kunikawa Maru (Petes). These unitswere tasked with defending the anchorages atShortland and Rekata Bay off Guadalcanal. TheAmericans consistently attacked Rekata Bay,where the Japanese were trying to establisha base. Its supplies were provided by theseaplane tenders Akitsushima, Chitose andNisshin. The seaplanes from R-Butai could notstay overnight in Rekata Bay for safety reasons,so crews flew to this location from Shortland inthe early morning hours.The Kamikawa Maru was completed as a cargovessel in 1936. The Imperial Navy took herover in 1937 and completed her conversionto a seaplane tender two years later. Afterdeployment in war against China she took partin campaigns in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo andJava. In May 1942, Kamikawa Maru participatedin the Japanese landing at Tulagi, took partin Battle of the Coral Sea, and supported thelandings in the Aleutians.In August 1942, the Kamikawa Maru air unit wasjoined by a fighter Buntai with Rufe aircraftunder the command of Lt. Jirō Ôno, who hadcommanded a seaplane unit aboard the cruiserChikuma during the attack on Pearl Harbor.Commanding the Kamikawa Maru was CaptainTorahachi Shinoda, who had held that positionsince September 1941. The primary missionof the Rufe pilots was base defense andreconnaissance. However, they also took on therole of ground attack aircraft during the fightingon Guadalcanal.From the Shortland base near Bougainville, theKamikawa Maru´s Rufe seaplanes operated fromSeptember 4, 1942, that very day their pilotsalready engaged a reconnaissance bomber B-17and reported its damage.The first victory was achieved by two pilots onSeptember 13. The two Rufes piloted by CPOJirō Kawai and W.O. Makio Kawamura took offfrom Rekata and were tasked with determiningif Henderson airfield on Guadalcanal was backin Japanese hands. Although they did not spotJapanese forces at the base, they encountereda lone SBD Dauntless from VMSB-231. Theymanaged to shoot it down and then attackedground targets. Both Americans were killed,one of them, gunner Cpl. Horace B. Thomas whohad survived the Battle of Midway at VMSB-241.The tables turned the next day when, in the earlymorning hours, three Rufes under the commandof Lt.(jg) Masashi Kawashima conductedanother reconnaissance over Henderson Field.However, they encountered a force of sevenWildcats from VF-5 under the command ofText: Jan BobekThis image was taken in 1943 during a Kōkūtai 802 patrol in the central Pacific. Note the paint wear on both machines. The 60kg bomb armament was standard for patrolflights against enemy surface vessels and submarines.Photo: ©IzawaPhoto: Naval History andHeritage CommandContinued from issue 04/2023Kamikawa Maru anchored off Amoy (Xiamen), China in July 1939, with a deck load of Kawanishi E7K and NakajimaE8N float planes. The Kamikawa Maru was completed in 1936 as an ocean liner but was converted to a seaplanetender a year later and was combat deployed in the aggression against China until the spring of 1941. At the startof the fighting in the Pacific, her air unit was equipped with E13A1 Jake and F1M2 Pete seaplanes. She was sunkby USS Scamp on May 29, 1943 approximately 250 miles north-west of Kavieng.HISTORYINFO Eduard16June 2023Page 17
Lt. Cdr. Simpler. In combat, which ended lowover the terrain, the high maneuverabilityand stability of the Rufe impressed Americanopponents. However all Japanese were shotdown and killed. One of them was gunned whileon a parachute by Wildcat pilot.During the afternoon of the same day, twentyobservation floatplanes escorted by two Rufearrived at Guadalcanal. Their crews weretasked with attacking ground targets with 60kgbombs. The attack took place at dusk and wasopposed by five Wildcats from VMF-224 and sixmachines from VF-5.The Rufe seaplanes, piloted by Ôno and PO2cMatsutarō Ômura, clashed with Stover andByler of VF-5. In a dogfight that included frontalattacks, Stover managed to shoot down Ômura.Ôno escaped the fight and claimed one of theWildcats as downed.The seaplane bases in Shortland area wereattacked in the early hours of 5 October byAvengers and Wildcats from the USS Hornet(CV-8). There was very poor visibility overthe target, and coincidentally two Petes fromSanuki Maru and two Rufes as their escorttook off to join seven more floatplanes alreadypatrolling. They were tasked to cover thedestroyers Oyashio, Kuroshio and Hayashioon their voyage to Guadalcanal. In suddendefense of their own base, they were creditedwith shooting down five fighter planes.An even more dramatic encounter occurred onOctober 10, 1942 during an attack on the TokyoExpress (a convoy of two light cruisers and fourdestroyers) including the light cruiser Tatsuta,on board of which was Lt.Gen. Hyakutake. TwoRufe seaplanes from Kamikawa Maru and twoPete biplanes from Sanuki Maru were deployedto cover them.The Americans sent fifteen USMC Dauntlessesand six USMC Avengers against the vessels,accompanied by eight Airacobras and fifteenWildcats.The chunky gray-blue fighter planes of VMF-212,223, and 224 were mistaken for bombers bythe Japanese aviators, who attacked the groupof “bombers” from above. The surprise of theAmericans must have been no small one whenthey were attacked by two biplanes and twofloat Zeros, as the Rufe was then referred to byits enemies.All the Japanese machines were shot down.A total of seven claims were made for thedestruction of the two Pete aircraft, indicatingthe ferocity of the fight. While 2nd Lt. Gutt, Capt.Marvin and Maj. Smith of VMF-223 each claimeda Rufe shot down. They killed Seaman 1st ClassMaruyama (in YII-107) and CPO Kawai (YII-104).Two American aircraft were shot down byartillery fire from the decks of the ships, andthe vessels were not hit. Maruyama and Kawaiwere among the most experienced seaplanepilots in the area. In September 1942, theiraircraft were cited in a commendation by theCommander of the Combined Fleet.The Kamikawa Maru’s fighter Buntai pilotsscored 14 victories and had flown a total of 360combat sorties in 211 missions by November 7,1942. But nine of them were killed. After thatdate, remaining fighter planes and pilots weretaken over by Kōkūtai 802.Photo: ©IzawaKamikawa Maru fighter planes on her cruise in the summer of 1942 during a transport to the Solomon Islands area.Of note on the YII-101 is the number on the front of the main float pylon and the convex cover on the top of the float,which covered part of the tank purge system located in the float.Seaman 1st class, Takio Maruyama, aviation unit of seaplanetender Kamikawa Maru, Shortland, September 1942c/n 15, Lt.(jg) Keizō Yamazaki, Kōkūtai 802,Shortland Island, February 1943Kōkūtai 802, Faisi-Poporang base, Shortland Islands, February 1943HISTORYINFO Eduard17June 2023Page 18
The fight for the Solomon IslandsIn mid-October 1942, R-Butai was reinforced bynine Rufes under the command of LieutenantToshio Igarashi of the 14th Kōkūtai. Original unitwith this designation was armed with Zeros andfought against the Chinese armed forces untilthe fall of 1940. In April 1942, the 14th Kōkūtaiwas newly created as seaplanes unit. FromRabaul it soon moved to Shortland and latereven to Rekata.The unit encountered B-17s on October 13 andon following two days, losing one of its officersin the process. It achieved its first victory onOctober 17 when four Rufes downed a Dauntlessfrom VS-71. The unit had its first encounter withWildcats on 30 October, when three Rufes fromthe 14th Kōkūtai and one Rufe from the KamikawaMaru engaged US Marines with two SBDsfrom VMO-251 and six Wildcats from VMF-212in an early morning raid on the Japanese baseat Rekata. The Americans claimed three FloatZeros and two Float Biplanes as shot down,which was not far from the truth. In this combatCapt. Jack E. Conger scored his 9th and 10thvictory. Two Pete machines from Sanyo Maruand one from Chitose were destroyed. Theformation of four Rufes was led by 14. Kōkūtai´sLt. Hideo Goto, but his machine was hit on takeoffand he managed to land later. The next Rufe totake off was not so lucky, with Teruo Watanabeof Kamikawa Maru perishing in the flames.In early November 1942, the 14th Kōkūtai wasredesignated Kōkūtai 802 and its fighter Buntaiwas led by Lt. Hideo Goto. This officer, with fourof his pilots, got into a large-scale fight onNovember 7 when, together with four Petes fromKamikawa Maru, they were tasked to providecover for destroyers enroute to Guadalcanal.Dauntless crews were also headed toward thesevessels, escorted by Wildcats from VMF-121,112 and Airacobras from the 347th FG. In thisengagement, Goto and his colleagues wereshot down and none of them survived. One Petealso fell victim to the Americans, who lost oneDauntless and three Wildcats, including themachine piloted by the legendary Joe Foss,brought down by the rear gunner of a Petebiplane.During December, the two remaining Rufe pilotsof Kōkūtai 802 were still conducting patrolswhile preparations were underway in Japan tocompletely rebuild this unit. During turn of theyear and the first half of February, their unit,facing frequent raids on Bougainville, beganencountering Lightnings and Warhawks.For instance,such a clash occurred on January5, 1943, during the raid of five B-17 from the26th BS escorted by six P-38 from the 339thFS, 347th FG under the command of Maj. JohnW. Mitchell. Their targets were Kahili airfieldon Bougainville and the port of Tonolei. Theywere attacked by six Zeros from Kōkūtai 204,two Rufe aircraft from Kōkūtai 802, and severalPete biplanes.At the controls of the floatplane fighterswere PO1c Eiji Matsuyama and his wingmanSuperior Flyer Shinkichi Ôshima. Early in thefight, Matsuyama, in cooperation with onePete seaplane crew, hit a P-38 piloted by 1stU.S. Marine Corps F4F-4 Wildcats of VMF-121 at Henderson Field, Guadalcanalat the end of 1942. Note centerline drop tank on the first F4F and the P-38F Lightningsin the background.F1M Pete aircraft from Kunikawa Maru and Rufe seaplanes at Poporang base in early 1943. Some Rufe aircraft hadalready received a coat of dark green paint on the upper surfaces. To the far right is Yamazaki's NI-118, note that itdoes not have the convex cover on the top of the main float that it apparently originally had.Lt. Murray “Jim” Shubin of the 339th FS poses in front of his P-38G-13 (43-2242) onGuadalcanal. In all, he scored eleven certain victories and one probable victory. Hewas the only P-38 pilot to achieve five kills in a single combat flight in the Pacific.His unit frequently encountered Rufe fighter seaplanes from Kōkūtai 802 and didnot always emerge victorious from the engagements, especially when engagedin maneuver combat. Shubin achieved his first victory on February 2, 1943 overShortland in a dogfight with Rufe. In an attack from above, he shot down a machineof a PO2c Kiyoshi Akizuki, who bailed out from the burning seaplane.Photo: U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval AviationPhoto: Fold3Photo: ©IzawaHISTORYINFO Eduard18June 2023Page 19
Lt. Ronald W. Hilken. Lt. Holmes and Lt. Norristried to save him, but Hilken was last seendescending toward Vella Lavella Island.Matsuyama then attacked a Lightning pilotedby 1st Lt. Wallace L. Dinne, Jr., igniting his leftengine with cannon fire, the machine went intoa spin and that pilot also remains missing.In the encounter, Ôshima was shot down, bailedout and rescued by the crew of seaplane Peteof Sanyo Maru. He was apparently shot down byMaj. Mitchell, who was the only one to claim theFloat Zero. This is the same Mitchell who wouldlead the strike group of four airmen, includingthe aforementionned Lt. Holmes, in the attackon the bomber of Adm. Yamamoto and its escort.In mid-January 1943, 15 new Rufes and15 pilots arrived at Shortland to reinforcethe last remaining Rufe of the original unit.Reinforcements were under the command ofLt.(jg) Takeo Yokoyama, who had previouslyserved as one of the officers of the KamikawaMaru. His deputy was Lt.(jg) Keizō Yamazaki.Kōkūtai 802 did not fare badly in theseengagements. Their most notable successwas their part in the so-called Valentine'sDay Massacre. This was the name given to theFebruary 14, 1943, by American airmen afterthe attack on vessels in the Buin and Shortlandarea.Nine PB4Y-1 Liberator bombers from VB-101flew to the target, escorted by ten P-38Gsfrom the 347th FG and twelve F4U Corsairsfrom VMF-124. Thanks to Japanese patrolson the islands between Bougainville andGuadalcanal, the Japanese naval fighters gotairborne in time. Waiting for the attackerswere 13 Zeros from Kōkūtai 204, 18 Zerosfrom Kōkūtai 252, and Yokoyama with 11 Rufes.The Americans damaged two freighters butcame under strong flak fire and faced attacksfrom well-prepared Japanese fighters. TheJapanese lost only one Zero and two otherswere damaged. The Americans, however, losttwo Liberators, four Lightnings and two Corsairsin fierce fighting. Yokoyama's unit claimed twobombers and one single-engine fighter.To the coast of AustraliaIn mid-1942, the 36th Kōkūtai was formed inBalikpapan, Borneo. This unit was armed withPete, Jake and Mavis seaplanes. In November1942, its designation was changed to Kōkūtai934, and in late February 1943 a fighter unit wasformed. The unit operated first from Ambon andlater from Maikoor, Indonesia. While defendingits own bases, however, it also fought with four-engine B-24 Liberator bombers. Its primarytask, apart from defending own bases, waspatrolling against Allied vessels. Patrols usuallyconsisted of one Jake and one Rufe aircraft asfighter escort. The area of operations extendedas far as the north-west coast of Australia,so Japanese airmen would face not onlyHudsons and Beaufighters, but also Spitfires.Leader of fighter unit of Kōkūtai 934, Lt.The NI-118 was the fifth Rufe seaplane produced, so it was a rebuilt machine from the A6M2 Model 21 carrierfighter produced by Mitsubishi during its overhaul and rebuild by Nakajima. Pictured here in early 1943, aftera year of service, this vintage aircraft shows considerable signs of paint wear. It is possible that the darkerareas on the stabilizer are made up of reddish-brown primer.A Rufe seaplane at an island base is strafed and setafire by PB4Y-1 Bomber of U.S. Navy BombingSquadron 106, in the Solomons area, 1943.Kōkūtai 802 pilots in the Shortland Islands duringoff-duty time.Captured H8K Emily a A6M2-N Rufe seaplanesat Kwajalein Atoll in early 1944.One of the tents that were used to prepare for Kōkūtai802's combat activities at Shortland.Photo: ©IzawaPhoto: ©IzawaPhoto: US Naval History andHeritage CommandPhoto: ©IzawaPhoto: US Naval History andHeritage CommandHISTORYINFO Eduard19June 2023Page 20
Toshiharu Ikeda, fought against Spitfires onAugust 10, 1943 while escorting the crew ofE13A Jake which belonged to his parent unit.On the route of the patrol flight, they reacheda point about 50 miles off the Australian coast.An Australian radar operator sent a pair ofSpitfires from No. 452 Sqn RAAF against them,with F/O “Fred” Young and P/O “Bill” Coombesat the controls. Early in the engagement, theJapanese first surprised their opponents withthe maneuverability of their machines. However,Young eventually managed to shoot down theJake which crashed into the water in flames.Coombes attacked Ikeda, hitting his Rufe inthe central float and fuselage. Although thefloat tank caught fire, Ikeda managed to returnto base. He was not injured, but his machinesank on landing. After the fight, he claimed oneSpitfire as shot down.By the end of 1943 the unit had achieved 21victories with the loss of four pilots. In early1944 it also deployed new N1K Rex seaplanesin combat, but in March its fighter unit wasdisbanded.Pacific and JapanIn March 1943, the fighter unit of the Kōkūtai 802led by Lt.(jg) Yamazaki moved from Shortland toJaluit Island in the Central Pacific. In Octoberit was integrated into Kōkūtai 902 basedon Truk Atoll. The base was often attackedby B-24s, but the massive raid (OperationHailstone) by American carrier planes on Trukin the early hours of February 17, 1944, had fatalconsequences. The Japanese radar operatorsconsidered the incoming formation to be theirown bombers, and Japanese naval land-basedand seaplane fighters only took off during thebombardment. The Japanese lost 81 aircrafton the ground and 31 were shot down. TheAmerican airmen were impressed by the raid asif it were a Hollywood movie. Kōkūtai 902 sentPart of the US enemy aircraft identification manual,dedicated to the Rufe. It was created using capturedphotographs.An image of the wreck of the seaplane Rufe from Kōkūtai 802 taken in 1944 at Emidj Island, Juluit Atoll,in the Marshall Islands. The reddish-brown base paint is visible on the aircraft.Japanese seaplane base on Dublon Island under bombing attack on the first day of raids, February 17, 1944.Note bombs falling in lower center, and variety of Japanese planes in the water and on the ground at left.This was the base used by Rufe seaplans of Kōkūtai 902.Photo: US Naval History and Heritage CommandPhoto: Jeffrey Ethell CollectionPhoto: US Naval History and Heritage CommandHISTORYINFO Eduard20June 2023Page 21
eight aircraft and claimed five victories. Theyclashed successively with Hellcat pilots fromVF-5, 6, 9 and 10. However, four Japanese pilotswere killed, and three others made emergencylandings or parachuted. One of the pilotstook off a second time, achieving one victory,but his machine was hit and had to make anemergency landing. In early March 1944, thefighter unit of Kōkūtai 902 was disbanded.Sasebo Kōkūtai performing patrol duties inWestern Japan had its own Rufe unit. In May1944, part of Sasebo Kōkūtai including Rufesled by Lt. Teijirō Yonemasu, moved to ChichijimaIsland for defense against the US Navy. Theygot into combat very early on July 4 and of nineRufes, seven were shot down and four pilotswere killed. Three victories, including twoprobables, were scored by the CPO TeruyukiNaoi. Their opponents were the night fighterHellcats of VF(N)-76. Lt(jg) John William Dear,Jr. claimed three downed Rufes and Lt(jg) FredLeRoy Dungan even four.Towards the end of 1944, some airmen weretransferred to land-based naval fighterunits and the rest of the Sasebo Kōkūtai wasincorporated into the anti-submarine Kōkūtai951.In Japan, Rufe aircraft served with several unitstasked with training, and their assignmentslater expanded to include patrol operations.Training on Rufe seaplanes was usuallya precursor to the more powerful N1K Rexfighter.In April 1943, Sukumo Kōkūtai was formed,consisting of twelve fighter and twelveobservation seaplanes. It used the base of thesame name in Kochi Prefecture. In early 1944 itsstatus changed to a combat unit, redesignatedKōkūtai 934 at Ambon Base used at least two machines with lightning bolt painting on the fuselage. Its designwas different on both aircraft and was apparently painted white. While the seaplane with the lightning bolt andmarking 934-116 is captured in several photographs at the shore or during taxiing, the second machine (in thisphotograph) is not photographed in a way that shows its tail code. In the past, it has been presented by somedecal makers with, for example, the code 934-06, but this does not correspond to the marking system of theaircraft of this unit, which are captured in the newly discovered photographs.F6F-3 Hellcat fighters landing on USS Enterprise (CV-6) after strikes on the Japanese base at Truk, 17-18 February 1944. Flight deck crewmen are folding planes' wingsand guiding them forward to the parking area.Photo: US Naval History and Heritage CommandHISTORYPhoto: ©IzawaINFO Eduard21June 2023Page 22
to Kōkūtai 453 and moved to Ibusuki Base inKagoshima Prefecture. From February 20 itconducted anti-submarine patrols, but on thatdate its fighter section was disbanded.Similarly, the Kashima Kōkūtai and KatoriKōkūtai training units were based in ChibaPrefecture. Their aircraft, including the Rufes,sporadically came into conflict with Americanaircraft.Among the pure training units that also usedsome Rufes was Kitaura Kōkūtai. In its case,several Rufe were reserved for instructors forthe purpose of practice flights and maintainingskills in maneuver combat. One of them, CPOTsuji, was killed in a dogfight with a Hellcat piloton February 17, 1945.One of the seaplane units that participated inKamikaze missions at the end of the war was thetraining unit Takuma Kōkūtai. It was establishedin mid-1943 and its main armament was the E7KAlf and H8K Emily seaplanes. Rufe fighters aredocumented with this unit as early as 1943.The Nakajima A6M2-N Rufe fighter seaplaneswere already outperformed by their opponentsat the time of their introduction into service.But like the A6M2 Zero Type 21, from which theirdesign was based, the Rufe seaplanes remainedin first-line service until the end of the war.Sadly, no complete example of this beautifulfloatplane survives to this day.I was kindly assisted in the preparation ofthis article by Messrs Yasuho Izawa, OtaJírovec, Voytek Kubacki, Nick Millman,Noah Muranishi and the team at ScaleAviation magazine, Ryan Toews andY. Yoshino. I would like to express mythanks for their support.Sources:CLARINGBOULD, Michael J.: IJN Floatplanes inthe South Pacific; Avonmore BooksFRANK, Richard B.: Guadalcanal, The DefinitiveAccount of the Landmark Battle; Penguin BooksHATA, Ikuhiko, IZAWA, Yasuho, SHORES,Christopher: Japanese Naval Aces 1932 – 1945;Stackpole BooksHERDER, Brian L.: The Aleutians 1942 – 43;Osprey PublishingKAWASAKI, Manabu: Nihon kaigun-no kanjōkito suijōki: Sono kaihatsu to senreki; Dai-NipponKaiga co.LEWIS, Tom: The Empire Strikes South, Japan´sair war against northern Australia; AvonmoreBooksLUNDSTROM, John B.: The First Team and theGuadalcanal Campaign, Naval Fighter Combatfrom August to November 1942; Naval InstitutePressModel Art 439: Heroes of the Imperial JapaneseNavy Air Force in 1937 - 1945MIKESH, Robert. C.: Zero – Combat &Development History of Japan´s LegendaryMitsubishi A6M Zero Fighter; MotorbooksInternationalMILLMAN, Nicholas: Combat Colours No. 9, Anillustrated guide to the colour schemes andmarkings of the Mitsubishi Zero; GuidelinePublicationsSAKAIDA, Henry: Imperial Japanese Navy Aces1937 – 1945; Osprey Publishing Ltd.WATANABE, Yoji: Pictorial History of AirWar over Japan, Japanese Navy Air Force;Gendaishi Shuppankai Co.arawasi-wildeagles.blogspot.comcombinedfleet.compacificwrecks.combearynostalgic.blogspot.com/2014/08/into-wild-blue-lt-bearys-wwii-adventures.htmlTakuma Kōkūtai, Takuma base, Japan, 1944This aircraft was originally finished with grey paint on all surfaces. Later, at the unit, it wasgiven a dark green paint job on the upper surfaces. By the time it was in service with TakumaKōkūtai, the green paint was badly worn, with reddish-brown primer and metal surfacesvisible in some areas. The stripe on the fuselage was probably the designation of the aircraftflown by leader of fighter unit. Takuma Kōkūtai was established in mid-1943 to train seaplanecrews and it included a fighter unit with Rufe aircraft which was also tasked with training,including dogfight practicing. However, the command envisaged the eventual deploymentof Rufe aircraft by this unit for the air defense of Japan. A photograph of a Rufe seaplanefrom the Takuma Kōkūtai exists, showing the mount of Ensign Kyoshi Suga armed with 30 kgbombs for use against B-29 bombers, but there is no evidence that sucha combat deployment occurred. In 1945, part of the Takuma Kōkūtai was deployed onKamikaze missions. Takuma Kōkūtai was disbanded at the end of the war.Kōkūtai 802, Emidj Island, Jaluit Atoll,Marshall Islands, October 1943Ensign Jin´ichirō Ozawa, Sasebo Kōkūtai,Sasebo Air Base, Japan, September 1944Kōkūtai 934, Ambon island, Moluku Islands, March 1944Kashima Kōkūtai, Kashima base, Japan, 1944This late production aircraft was finished in a factory applied dark green paint. KashimaKōkūtai was established in 1938 as a training unit for seaplane crews. Her fighter unit,armed with Rufe floatplanes, was deployed several times to fight alongside Katori Kōkūtaiairmen in the Home Defence and achieved several fighter and bomber kills. It was probablywith this unit that the Hellcats of VBF-12 from USS Saratoga (CV-3) came into conflict aroundKashima on February 16, 1945 and the Hellcats of VF-29 from USS Cabot (CVL-28) on March18. In the first mentioned combat, the American fighters reported five Rufe kills and in thelatter encounter claimed four victories. In May 1945, the Kashima Kōkūtai training sectionwas cancelled, and a number of aircraft and crews were deployed on Kamikaze missions.Kashima Kōkūtai was disbanded at the end of the war.HISTORYINFO Eduard22June 2023Page 23
Air war over Ukraine - Migs fly East!
The war in Ukraine carried over to the next year. From March 1 to March 31, period we cover in this episode, the most important event of the air war were reinforcements in the form of Mig-29 fighter from Poland and Slovak Republic and an incident during which the American MQ-9 Reaper drone and Russian Su-27 fighter collided in the international airspace over the Black Sea. Let look closer at both events.
It is admirable how long the Ukrainian defendersresist the Russian “three-day” special operation.Even the next large-scale counterattack is beingprepared of course preceded by a large amountof the disinformation to confuse the enemy. It iscertain that the Russian attempt at the winteroffensive vanished. In Bakhmut the Russiansmake slow progress but it has been eightmonths since the operation to capture it startedand 58th largest city in Ukraine still resists.The Russian advance at Vuhledar graduallystopped and the occupier’s efforts on Svatovo-Kremnina line are not bearing fruits. There werehard time for Avdiyivka though. The Russianstook advantage of the fact that the city sticksout of the frontline, and they control bothright and left wings. The Ukrainian AA defensehas to operate further from the front and theRussians could achieve the local air superiority.The coordinated deployment of the electronicwarfare, artillery and ground-air missiles tosuppress the Ukrainian AA defense createsa small window through which the Russianbombers can attack unmolested. Russain Mig-31and Su-35 armed with air-to-air missilesengage the Ukrainian fighters equipped withsimilar rockets but of shorter range. Price paidis the increased number of the Russian groundradars and jammers destroyed. Those are notonly hit by HARM rockets launched from theUkrainian aircraft but due to the vicinity of thefrontline by the Ukrainian artillery as well.American drone vs. Russian fighterOn Tuesday, March 14, the most serious incidentoccured between the Russian and Western armedforces since the outbreak of war in Ukraine. TwoSu-27 fighters attacked the American MQ-9Reaper drone in the international airspaceabove the Black Sea and caused the drone’scrash. It was maneuvering approximately60 km south-west from the occupied Crimea.The whole incident lasted 30–40 minutes.According to the American statements thepair of Su-27 fighters approached the droneas many as 19 times. During the last three orfour passes they splashed it with fuel in aneffort to blind or damage the drone. In the endone of the fighters crashed into it from behindand destroyed its propeller. The drone couldnot sustain the flight and an operator guidedit into the water. Washington called upon theRussian ambassador who, in the line with theRussian propaganda, claimed that it was anAmerican provocation. Moscow maintained thatRussia is not responsible, there was no physicalcontact made and MQ-9 Reaper crashed due tothe abrupt maneuvers. It’s interesting that theambassador stressed out several times that theRussian fighters had not deployed any of the on-board weapons, regardless no one made suchan accusation.Two days after an incident Pentagon publisheda video captured by drone’s camera whichagain proved the Russian lies. The only aircraftmaneuvering abruptly were the Russian fighters.Text: Miro BaričPhoto: Ukrainian Armed Forces, socialmedia and other public sourcesAir war over UkraineMigs fly East!Mig-29UBS bort number 5304 was also handed over to Ukraine. The picture was taken at SIAF 2019.The war in Ukraine carried over to the next year. FromMarch 1 to March 31, period we cover in this episode, themost important event of the air war were reinforcements inthe form of Mig-29 fighter from Poland and Slovak Republicand an incident during which the American MQ-9 Reaperdrone and Russian Su-27 fighter collided in the internationalairspace over the Black Sea. Let look closer at both events.HISTORYINFO Eduard24June 2023Page 25
Raid and fuel released from the Russian Su-27 fighter onto an American MQ-9 Reaper drone on March 14.No retaliation this time.Anti-aircraft tank Gepard in the Ukrainian service. Except of the small number 52 painted on the armor the onlyother markings are the kills marked on the right side of the turret – three Shahed-136 drones and two cruisemissiles.The damage of the drone’s propeller blade is clearlyvisible.Until the impact Reaper maintained the stablecourse. First it could be seen that the Russianfighter rushed in from behind and below, flewclosely above the drone and released the fuelat the same time. Drone however maintainedits altitude and heading. Next the Russianfighter performed an attack while releasingthe fuel. This time the pilot miscalculated. Hestarted to disengage too late, and Su-27 closedin too much and hit the drone. At the momentof impact, the communication was lost briefly.Once re-established one of the propeller bladeswas deformed and cut off. That was the reasonReaper could not sustain the flight and theoperators guided it into the sea. Despite the factthat the close approaches were intended, theUSA qualified the collision as an accident andwere not interested in the conflict escalation.Even though the Russians lied that there had notbeen any collision, the fighter pilot was awardedfor destroying the American drone, despite thefact that due to his inability and idiotic behaviorhe jeopardized himself and his aircraft in thefirst place.Only after this incident the details of otherprevious encounters between western andRussian aircraft appeared, which only bysheer luck did not result in a disaster. OnSeptember 29, 2022, very dangerous situationtook place when two armed Su-27 fighters forapproximately 90 minutes shadowed the BritishRC-135W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraftin the international airspace above the BlackSea. One of the fighters released the air-to-airmissile which luckily missed the British plane.Consequently, the western aircraft startedto fly escorted missions. Despite this fact, onDecember 30, 2022, another Rivet Joint escortedby two Typhoons fighters was closely shadowedby the Russian fighters which closed in to barely30 meters.Important reinforcementsDespite all those incidents the Alliedreconnaissance flights above the Black Sea(Baltic Sea as well) continue. The militarysupplies continue as well and during thisreporting period culminated by employment ofthe modern Leopard 2 and Challenger 2 MBTstogether with trained crews to Ukraine andalso with public offer to provide the supersonicfighters. Already in April 2022, the Ukrainiansreceived 21 Mig-29s. However, these were non-airworthy aircraft which had been acquired bythe USA in Moldova and were offered for thespare parts at the beginning of the invasion. Thathelped to repair several grounded UkrainianAF fighters. The Ukrainians also received 14Su-25 fighter-bombers from Bulgaria but thisdelivery was provided by the third party and notpublicized at that time.Both Poland and Slovakia spoke about possibleMig-29 fighter deliveries to Ukraine duringthe first days of the Russian invasion in 2022.At that time, this matter sadly ended in thepolitical chaos and effort to avoid the directsupply. The discussion was seriously revisitedonly this year. Poland and Slovak Republiccoordinated their actions this time. On March 16,Poland was the first to announce four airworthyMig-29 delivery to Ukraine with more to follow.Slovakia joined the suite the following day.Polish MigsDuring 1989-1990, Polish AF bought 12 Mig-29sfrom the Soviet Union. There were nine single-seaters (9.12 version) and three two-seaters.Consequently, in 1995 10 aircraft were sourcedfrom the Czech Republic (9 single-seaters andone two-seater) as a barter for 11 PZL W-3 Sokolhelicopters. In 2002 Poland bought 22 aircraftfrom Germany for a symbolic price one euro peraircraft. There were airplanes originally flownby East Germany AF. Four of them were two-seaters, rest of them single seaters. Due to thefact that these airplanes had served for quitesome time, only 14 of them, those in the bestcondition, were assigned to the regular duty. Inthe beginning of the year, Polish AF had 28–29Mig-29s on the strength. They decided to donate14 of them to Ukraine. Four fighters flew overto Ukraine in March, four of them were in theprocess of transfer during March and April andanother six were being prepared for the transferin the coming weeks. Poland announced thatthe remaining Migs would be delivered as wellif necessary. It was clarified later that theseremaining aircraft were in fact of German origin.HISTORYINFO Eduard25June 2023Page 26
Therefore, Poland requested Germany’s approvalfor the transaction and German governmentpromptly approved it. At this time, it is quitepossible that another batch of Polish Migs arebeing prepared for the handover.Slovak MigsAfter the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993,Slovak AF received nine Mig-29A (9.12) single-seaters and one Mig-20UN two-seater. Asa compensation for the trade deficit with Russia,further 12 single-seaters and two two-seaterswere delivered from Russia to Slovakia. During2005-2006 Aircraft Repair Facility in Trenčínperformed a partial upgrade of 10 single-seatersto AS version and two two seaters to UBSversion. They were equipped with the westernavionics, but the armament remained the same.As of 2006 the service of the Slovak fighter wascontracted to the Russian company RSK MIG.And that became a hot issue in operating theSlovak aircraft. The standard maintenance wasprovided by Slovak ground personnel, but morecomplicated jobs could only be performed by theRussian civilian technicians. Their long-termpresence at the NATO airbase caused the raisedeyebrows of the Slovakia’s allies. The Russianservice was neither reliable nor financiallyfeasible. According to the contract at least eightfighters were supposed to be airworthy at alltimes, but this number varied around four tofive aircraft and pilots could not log the requiredflight hours. In 2018 the purchase of new F-16C/DBlock 70 was approved and after their arrivalMigs were to be struck of charge.After the Russian invasion to Ukraine thesituation became unsustainable. Therefore,Slovakia made agreement with Czech, Polish andlater Hungarian neighbors to protect the Slovakairspace. On September 9, 2022, after 30 years inservice, Mig-29s were officially grounded. Evenafter this deadline some of them performed thesporadic training flights. Even though the talksabout their transfer to Ukraine were going on fora whole year this only took place in March 2023.Officially Ukraine received 10 airplanes fromSlovakia in airworthy (repairable) conditions andthree grounded without engines for a long time asa source of the spare parts. In reality only eightaircraft, flying until the official grounding onSeptember 9, 2022, went to Ukraine. Remainingfive had been struck of charge before this date.Donated single-seat fighter carried the followingbort numbers: 0619, 0820, 0921, 2123, 3709, 3911,5113, 6124, 6425, 6627 and 6728. Two two-seaterswere coded 1303 and 5304.Airframes 5113 and 0820 were not upgraded to ASversion and it is safe to say that they belongedto three engine-less airframes stored for spareparts. 5113 was from original Czechoslovak batch.3709 and 3911 belonged to those as well and eventhough they were upgraded to AS standard in2018 they were beyond their airframe life and in2019 they were struck of charge. The last of fivedecommissioned aircraft was Mig-29UBS two-seater, bort number 1303 which technical lifewas exhausted in the beginning of 2022. As ofthe end of 2018 the second two-seater marked5304 reached the end of its airframe resourcebut some maintenance was performed on itand it flew until September 9, 2022. In addition,the following single-seaters Mig-29AS weregrounded: 0619, 0921, 2123 from the first Russianbatch and 6124, 6425, 6627 and 6728 from thesecond one.Before the airplanes were handed over toUkraine the US origin equipment (navigational,communication aids and friend-foe identification)had to be removed from the AS and UBS versions.A week before the hand over the Ukrainiantechnicians arrived in Sliač and brought withthem their own devices and parts which theyinstalled into Migs in place of those of thewestern origin. On March 23, 2023, four aircraftwere flown over to Ukraine. They were 2123,6124 and 6627 in the grey-green camouflage and0921 sporting the digital camouflage. The Slovaknational markings on the wings and vertical tailsurfaces as well as unit markings on the engineintakes were overpainted. Only bort numberswere retained. The freshly painted areas canbe identified by the higher sheen. The Ukrainianpilots flew them eastbound, towards the border.According to the official sources these four MiGswere immediately deployed to the Kharkiv areadefense. The remaining nine airframes weredelivered to Ukraine by ground.Besides the fighters Slovakia also delivered fuel,lubricants, spare parts and ground equipmentto Ukraine. AA systems 2K12 Kub (SA-6 Gainfull)with 200 missiles were donated as well. Forthe delivered fighters and rockets, Slovakiawas compensated from EU funds. At the sametime Slovakia was offered to purchase 12 BellAH-1Z Viper attack helicopters. These aircraftwere originally manufactured for Pakistan, butthe Americans ultimately cancelled the sales.Slovakia should receive them at one third of theoriginal price. It’s a compensation for Mig-29transfer to Ukraine as well as delayed deliveryof new F-16s.Falklands war veteranIt took more than a year to deliver fightersfrom Poland and Slovakia since the talks aboutit started. It’s not an isolated case though. Forexample, the delivery of 14 Mi-8 helicopters fromThe photograph from SIAF 2018 held at Sliač shows Mig-29AS bort number 6627. The tapein front of the windshield indicates rather poor technical condition but in the end thisaircraft was one of those which did fly to Ukraine.Mig-29AS bort number 0921 sporting digital camouflage is getting ready todepart for Ukraine on March 23, 2023.Four Slovak Mig-29AS are getting ready to depart from Sliač to Ukraine.The aircraft bort number 6124 is in the foreground.The Ukrainian armed forces publishedthe video featuring Mi-24 helicoptersof the Czech origin. The video containsthe older images, for example thoseshowing the sunflowers.HISTORYINFO Eduard26June 2023Page 27
A Ukrainian Su-24 bort number “yellow 54” carrying yellow-blue painted drop tanks. The inscription on the side of the tank, PTN-PNCH, could be translated as “Putin posholna khuy” (Putin is screwed up).Another aircraft bort number 60 is visible behind Su-24 “yellow 54” tail.This Ukrainian Mig-29 is not only interesting due to its Easter messaged to theoccupiers painted on the HARM missile but also featuring a shark mouth.A series of photographs capturing the pilots and ground personnel servicing the Ukrainian Mig-29s. Their bort numbers were censored.HISTORYINFO Eduard27June 2023Page 28
Croatia was mentioned the first time in November2022 and they are not in Ukraine yet, even thoughthe talks resumed recently. However, Ukraine isalready flying Sea King and Black Hawk helicopterwhich deliveries we mentioned in the previousarticles of this series. Black Hawk is an upgradeof the older model UH-60A and was receivedby the military intelligence. So far, a video waspublished supposedly showing the special units’training with this helicopter. Sea King’s historyis even more interesting. Two of them have beendelivered so far, the third aircraft was still inBritain at the time of this article release. It hasbeen several year the helicopters were stuck ofcharge from the Royal Navy so they needed to becommissioned again. BBC journalists spoke withtwo Ukrainian technicians who had trained formaintenance of this type for seven months andthey were very satisfied with the it.As per their account very little remains from theoriginal equipment as most of the componentswere upgraded. Even more interesting, the BBCreport was made on board of one the Sea Kingswhich is already in Ukraine. It appears that theseaircraft had served in 1982 during the FalklandsWar, therefore its Ukrainian crew is younger thantheir helicopter! In addition, more than 40 yearsago it played an important part in the conflict.Flown by the 820th Squadron commander, RalphWykes-Sneyd, it flew through the storm to bringthe British ground forces commander, GeneralJeremy Moore to Port Stanley to accept theArgentinian surrender on June 14, 1982. No otheraircraft could make it through the storm at thattime. “It was very interesting operation,” retiredRear Amiral Ralph Wykes-Sneyd told BBC. “Thearmistice has not been signed yet so on our flightto Stanley we not only faced the bad weather butalso several rather hostile Argentinians.This helicopter, currently in Ukraine, had beenflown several times by Prince Andrew who in theFalklands War served as a naval pilot. Speakingabout esteemed war veteran the Ukrainianpilots highly praise Sea King. They say it’s easilycontrollable in the difficult conditions, has a lotof space, good payload and operational economy.These helicopters fly the soldiers and suppliesmissions, but their most important role is for thesearch and rescue missions. That, according toits pilots, includes flying behind the enemy lines.If the Ukrainian aircraft is hit and pilot has toeject Sea King sometimes has to fly over theterritory which is not under Ukrainian control.Ukrainian lossesAs stated before, not all kills could have beendocumented and more often than not areconfirmed after a long period of time (if confirmedat all). During this reporting period there wereonly two confirmed losses on the Ukrainian sideand in neither case it was necessary to crossthe frontline. On March 1, near Bakhmut, Su-24bomber form the 7 Brigade of the Tactical AF wasshot down. Its crew, Lt. Col. Viktor Volynets andLt. Igor Solomenikov lost their lives. The flightof Su-27 fighter, bort number “blue 30”, whichtook off on March 27 at 10:20 pm from Myrghorodin Poltave region, ended tragically. The pilot wsMajor Denys Kyrylyuk credited with 80 combatmissions in the defense of the motherland fromthe Russian invasion. On March 28, at 12:45 am,after intercepting Shahed-136 Iranian-madedrones he crashed at Tovkachivka village inTchernighyv region and was killed.In addition to the national markings the marking of themilitary intelligence air force was added to the noseof the aircraft.The military intelligence released the imagesfrom the training on Black Hawk.Images from the BBS documentary on Sea King helicopter deployment in Ukraine.HISTORYINFO Eduard28June 2023Page 29
Russian lossesThe confirmed Russian losses during thereporting period are higher than Ukrainianones – at least four aircraft destroyed andtwo helicopters. On March 1, the images werepublished from the crash site of a Russian Su-25which was shot down at the unknown locationin Ukraine. It’s pilot successfully ejected a wasrescued by a Mi-8. On March 3, the friendly firedestroyed the Russian Su-34 fighter-bombernew the town on Yenakiev in Donetsk region.It was hit by Nikopol’s AA rocket regiment.Both crew members ejected however MajorAlexander Bondarev did not survive. AnotherRussian Su-25 was shot down near Bakhmutby the 93 Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainianarmed forces. The aircraft crashed near thevillage of Zaitsevo. A pilot, supposedly memberof the Wagner’s mercenary group ejected.The fourth aircraft was lost under the unusualcircumstances. Su-27 fighter burnt at theUglovoye airport in Primorsk area in the Russianfar east. Normally such a loss would not havebeen relevant to the war in Ukraine, however,the attack was claimed by a partisan group anda video of the burning aircraft was publishedon March 10 by Liberty for Russia Legion.Two destroyed helicopters were both KamovKa-52. Since the beginning of the invasion Russiahas lost at least 33 aircraft of this type. First, onMarch 6 a video of a Ka-52 wreck near Vuhledarwas published. More details about this loss arestill unknown. Another one crashed on March16 after it hit the high voltage lines. Both crewmembers were killed. Some sources state thistook place near Orichiv in Zaporozhiye region,others say it happened south-east of Donetsk.Deputy commander of the 831 Brigade of the Tactical AF, Major Denyc Kyrylyuk, wasshot down on March 28 while flying Su-27 „blue 30“. He was probably hit from largedistance by a R-37 missile launched from the Russian Su-35.Ka-52 wreck found on March 6near Vuhledar.On March 15 a Su-25 was shot down nearBakhmut. It was supposedly flown bya Wagner’s mercenary. A deployedparachute is visible in one of the pictures.The picture released bythe Russian Departmentof Defense capturesKa-52 in action. At least33 helicopters of this typewere lost in Ukraine.A Ukrainian Su-24 from the 7 Brigade of the Tactical AF,shot down on March 1 near Bakhmut. Lt. Col. Viktor Volynetsand Lt. Igor Slomenikov were killed.HISTORYINFO Eduard29June 2023Air war over Ukraine - Another calm before the storm
The period from April 1 to May 1 can be described as the calm before the storm. Sure, the fierce fighting for Bakhmut continued, as well as at some other places, however, the front line was practically stagnant. Also, the preparations for the Ukrainian counterattack were on the way in the form of attacks on the important targets in the Russian rear. Similar situation occurred last summer before the liberation of the Kharkiv area and Kherson.
Bakhmut did not fall. That’s the summary of thefighting during the month of April. Sadly, a lotof horror hides behind this short statements,experienced by both the defenders and Ukrainiancivilian population. The worst was the rocketattack on Friday April 28, when after 51 days ofcalm Kiev became the target again. It happenedexactly on the day when Slovak president ZuzanaČaputová and Czech president Petr Pavel werevisiting the capital. Both had to seek shelter dueto the air raid alarm. On that day, the Russianstrategic bombers launched 23 missiles, theUkrainian AA defense shot down 21 of them.Two kamikaze drones were also destroyed. Novictims were reported in Kiev however in Dniproa women with three years old daughter died. Theworst impact was suffered by the town of Umanwhere part of nine stories apartment buildingcollapsed after the hit. 23 people died includingfour children. The attack took place at fouro clock in the morning when people were asleep.Patriot protects UkraineIn the end of April, the Ukrainian AA defensereceived an important reinforcement. Accordingto the official statement of the Ukrainian AF,the first battery of the Patriot system wasfully operationally deployed and in the end ofthe month another battery was preparing todeploy to the positions and the action. Therehave been talks about the possible Patriots’delivery since October until the USA confirmedin December delivery of one battery. In January,Germany promised delivery of another batteryand Netherlands then joined with delivery oftwo launchers. At peace time the crew trainingtakes a year, but the Ukrainian soldiers had tocomplete it at Fort Sill in Oklahoma much sooner.Their training was scheduled for 10 weeks – andyet they managed to speed it up. “The Ukrainiansoldiers made impression and learned very fast.Thanks to their deep knowledge and experiencesin the AA defense in the combat zone it waseasier for them, even though not always easy,to understand Patriot system”, told US ArmyGeneral Shane Morgan to server Politico.In total 65 Ukrainian soldiers, age 19 to 67,including several women, participated in thetraining. All were veterans of fighting againstthe Russian invasion with older AA system ofthe Soviet origin. Thanks to their vast combatexperience they could advance faster than thestudents who would have to learn it all fromthe scratch. After several weeks they were ableto erect the system from the transportationconditions to combat ready and operate it againstthe simulated threats in less than 45 minuteswhich is the American standard. They repeatedthis exercise 2–3 times per day to obtain thehighest proficiency. Based on their knowledgeof the Russian operation they even created theirown scenarios. “They are best of the best in whatthey do for the AA defense of Ukraine”, concludedGeneral Morgan for Politico. The training at FortSill was completed in March. Then the Ukrainiansoldiers left the USA to an undisclosed locationin Europe where the training of the second groupof the Patriot crews took place. Both groupscompleted their training there together and fromthe end of April defend Ukraine.Revenge in SevastopolImmediately the following day after the tragedyin Uman an attack on the port of Sevastopol onthe occupied Crimea took place which Ukrainecalled “God’s revenge”. Officially they don’t claimthese incidents at all. On Saturday April 29,after the drones’ attack, the fuel dumps for theBlack Sea fleet were set on fire. The massive firedestroyed, according to the Ukrainian estimates,40.000 tons of fuel. The Russian officials statedText: Miro BaričPhoto: Ukrainian ArmedForces, social media andother public sourcesLetecká vojna nad UkrajinouAnother calm before the stormA group of Mi-17s supplied to Ukraine by the US and originally intended for Afghanistan. Various markings can be seen, including on the lower fuselage and on the tail gates.The period from April 1 to May 1 can be described as the calm beforethe storm. Sure, the fierce fighting for Bakhmut continued, as wellas at some other places, however, the front line was practicallystagnant. Also, the preparations for the Ukrainian counterattackwere on the way in the form of attacks on the important targets inthe Russian rear. Similar situation occurred last summer before theliberation of the Kharkiv area and Kherson.HISTORYINFO Eduard30June 2023Page 31
Shots of Mi-17 helicopters delivered from the USA and used by the 12th Separate Brigade of the Army Aviation of Ukraine.Nice detail of the decoy targets on a Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopter.A pair of Ukrainian Mi-8s armed with a machine gun in the nose. Between them is an MI-24.Unusual coloring of one of the Ukrainian MiG-29 fighters.The first photo showing theoriginally Slovak MiG-29 inUkrainian service. Judging bythe distinctive camouflage, itis a two-seater UBS number1303. It can be seen that theSlovakian insignia has beensprayed with the original shadeof camouflage. The number1303, which remained on themachine during transport fromSlovakia, was repainted by theUkrainians in a different color.S-8 missiles on a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter.S-8 missiles being loaded into the missile launchers of a Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopter.This member of the 12 Separate Brigadeof the Army Air Force of Ukraine has aninteresting patch of the Slovak HelicopterWing Prešov on his shoulder.HISTORYINFO Eduard31June 2023Page 32
that four drones attacked the dumps and two ofthem were destroyed. Two however penetratedand destroyed four tanks. The images of theburning dumps show however that 10 to 12tanks had been hit, which is approximately halfof the dumps capacity. After several day theunconfirmed reports were released that in factas many as 30 drones had been used in the attackin three waves. In that manner they managed todeluge the Russian AA defense and part of thempenetrated to the target. The drones were readilyavailable, commercial, Chinese-made Mugin-5modified by Ukraine to carry the explosives.Another piece of information worth pointing out isthat there were no casualties during this attackon the Russian military target. That’s in the sharpcontrast with the official Russian statementswhich continue to stress out that only Ukrainianmilitary targets are attacked. Somehow, theymanage to hit the apartment buildings, marketsand kill civilian population on the regular basis.Bombs fall on a friendly townThe attacks against civilian targets took placeon their own territory. On Thursday April 20 at10:15 pm the explosion took place in the Russiancity of Belgorod, approximately 30 km from theUkrainian border. The security camera recordedthe incident. It occurred near the busy crossroadof Vatutin and Gubkin streets. First, the impactraising cloud of dust was recorded. Afterapproximately 18 seconds the explosion tookplace damaging the buildings in the vicinity anddestroying several parked cars – one of themwas thrown in the air to the height of severalstories and landed on the roof of a marketlocated nearby. Next day the Russian authoritiesconfirmed three people injured with the greatluck no one was killed. The Russian Departmentof Defense confirmed that Su-34 were flyingover the city and the “abnormal deploymentof the ordnance” occured. The most probableexplanation is that the Russian bomber intendedto launch the gliding bombs on the Ukrainiantargets but for some reason the wings on themdid not deploy and they hit Belgorod in the freefall. The aircraft attacking Ukraine had been flyingover the city on the regular basis. The explosioncreated the crater 20 m wide. During the damageand debris removal another unexploded bombwas found. Until its disarming 3.000 citizens from17 apartment buildings had to be evacuated.A civilian captured in RussiaDuring the reporting period no confirmed kill ofthe manned aircraft or Ukrainian AF helicopterwas recorded. The Russians of course claimedseveral kills without confirmation, and it cannot beexcluded that some of those will be documentedmuch later, as it happened previously. It ishowever a first month since the outbreak of thewar that not a single loss of a Ukrainian militaryaircraft was visually confirmed. Only one bizarreincident occurred involving a Ukrainian civilianaircraft. On Wednesday April 5, near Butovskin Briansk area, an ultra-light Aeroprakt A-22Foxbat airplane made an emergency landing.This type has been in production since 1990sand marketed in the USA as “Valor”. The airplanehad to land after one of its propeller bladesbroke off. The pilot was captured byt the Russianborder patrol. An older man supposedly statedthat he was a Ukrainian civilian with a task tophotograph the important objects. The Russiansalso published the pictures of the guns andammunition supposedly in his possession. Thisdescribes the event release by Russians only,the real events remain unknown. To dispatcha civilian aircraft to photograph military objectsat the time of available drones doesn’t makesense.Russian lossesDuring the reporting period several confirmedRussian losses were reported. On Friday April7 a video was published showing a Russian Su-25 fighter-bomber shot down. It was hit by aA series of photos shows the destruction caused by a Russian missile in Uman on April 28. 23 people were killed in the destroyed apartment building.One unexploded bomb was also found after the actual bombingof the Russian city of Belgorod on April 20.A Ukrainian civilian ultralightaircraft made an emergencylanding in Russia’s BrianskOblast on 5/4. The Russiansimmediately released photosof its captured pilot and hisweapons.HISTORYINFO Eduard32June 2023Page 33
detachment of the Ukrainian paratrooper unit atOleksandrivka in Donetsk region. The aircraft fallcan be seen in video followed by great explosionupon impact. To the left of the cloud of smoke andfire a white parachute descending to the groundcan be seen. Therefore, the pilot was most likelyrescued. By the way it was Russia’s 30th loss ofthis type of aircraft since the war started. OnlyKa-52 helicopters suffered higher losses, 34. InApril Russia also lost three helicopter, all of themMi-24. One was shot down by a Ukrainian 10thIndependent Mountain Attack Brigade on April5 near the village of Berestov in the county ofBakhmut, Donetsk region. The aircraft belongedto the 112th Independent Helicopter Regimentand its loss was confirmed by the Russianauthorities. It was hit by Piorun portable missile.Both crew members were killed. One of them wasLt. Ilnaz Fazylov. On April 20, under the unknowncircumstances, Mi-24VM was lost. According tothe limited information it crashed into the Seaof Azov near Kyrylivke in Melitopol county. Atleast one crew member was killed identified asMajor Andrej Suetov. On April 24, near Krupyanskin Kharkov region a wreck of the RussianMi-24VM helicopter was found. It was statedthat it had crashed after hitting the high voltagelines. Both crew members were killed. One losswas sustained far from the war zone during thenon-combat flight. It’s an example of the negativeimpact of the war on the Russian aircraftmaintenance. On April 26 a Mig-31BM was set onfire and consequently crashed near the village ofRizh-Guba. Both pilots ejected successfully.Accused of treasonIn the end let’s present the case which show thedamages caused by disobeying the orders-evenwith the best intentions. In the middle of April,a group of Ukrainian soldiers was accused oftreason and abuse of power. The reason was thatduring the unauthorized mission they disclosedthe information that, in July 2022, enabled theRussians to successfully attack the reserveairbase Kanatove. The Ukrainian secret serviceLieutenant Commander Ilnaz Fazylov was killed onApril 5 after his Mi-24 was shot down by the Ukrainian10 Independent Mountain Assault Brigade.Russian Major Andrei Suetov was killed on April 20in a Mi-24VM.A Ukrainian Su-25 fires unguided missiles at Russianpositions.A HARM missile homed in on this Russian Torsystem (SA-15 Gauntlet).The crash of a MiG-31BM fighter in the Murmansk region wascaptured on video on April 26.About half of the tanks in the Black Sea Fleet's fuel depot in Sevastopol burned down on April 29.Major Andrei Suetov's name is also on the S-8 rocketthat the Russian unit feeds into the missile launcheron the Mi-24.HISTORYINFO Eduard33June 2023Page 34
SBU stated in their report that the accusedgroup of soldiers decided to proceed with anoperation in order to capture the Russian militaryairplane with its pilot who supposedly agreedwith the proposed defection to the Ukrainians.The operation was not approved however,and the soldiers acted against the secretservice disapproval. “Thank to this, the enemyacquired the information about the Ukrainian AFpersonnel and operational aircraft locations. Thisinformation enabled the Russian Army to shellKanatove airport in Kirovograd region”, statedSBU and added that during the Russian raid theunit commander was killed, 17 Ukrainian soldierswounded, two fighters completely destroyedand the airport runway with building heavilydamaged.The Russian rocket attack took place on July23, 2022. As a result, two Su-27 fighters weredestroyed. After that the photographs appearedof the wrecks of at least two more Su-24destroyed at Kanatove airport. Those had beenmost likely struck of charge before the Russianrocket attack. This case is obviously related tothe article written this March by the Americanjournalist Michael Weiss from Yahoo News. Hespent several weeks researching the Ukrainianefforts to convince Russian pilots to defect totheir side. Weiss also met a Ukrainian volunteerBohdan who took par in the operation. The ITsector volunteers, together with the secretservice and special units have worked on itfrom March to June 2022. It was based on thelaw adopted after the Russian invasion by theUkrainian Parliament. Large sums of money wereoffered to the Russian soldiers who would defectwith their equipment. One million US dollars fora military airplane, half a million for a helicopter.In addition, the soldiers and their families werepromised new identity and help with relocationabroad. Volunteer Bohdan described three casesfor Yahoo News when the Russian pilots werealmost convinced to defect. The Russians on theother side claim to have known about the planfrom the beginning and playing double game withthe Ukrainians.One of those three pilots was Igor Tveritin. Thisexperienced 48 years old pilot previously flewstrategic Tu-160 bombers and served in Syria aswell. During the war in Ukraine, he already flewTu-22M3 and bombed the targets in Mariupol. Hehad a wife and three children and demanded thatthe Ukrainians get them out of Russia first. Hewas supposed to fake a technical problem duringthe flight and land on the Ukrainian side. Therest of crew had no idea about his plans. Then,the Russians captured Mariupol and Tveritinwas transferred to other flight duties. Also, hesupposedly kept raising his demands and theUkrainians cut off the relationship with him.Another pilot, 33-years old Andrei Maslow, flewSu-24 bomber. He was married as well butwanted to flee with his lover and demanded thatthe Ukrainians arrange a new identity for her.Once the Ukrainian checked her background, theyfound out she was in contact with the RussianFSD and this plan fell through. For the thirdtime the Ukrainian established the contact with36-years old Roman Nosenko who fle Su-24 andSu-34. He was going to incapacitate his co-pilotwith drugs put in his coffee. He demanded thoughthat his wife escaped first but the Ukrainians alsofound out she was in contact with FSB so theybacked off. These attempts were suspended lastJune and according to Yahoo News it is clear nowthat the Russian FSB knew about these plans inmany cases. The Russians claim they had knownabout all of this from the beginning, and theywere pulling the Ukrainians’ leg. It is clear todaythat the attempt organized by the soldiers fromthe Kanatove airbase on their own was a Russiantrap in fact. It is certain though that FSD doesn’ttrust their own pilots-three of them mentionedabove no longer fly.Photos of the aftermath of the July 2022 Russian missile attack on the Kanatove reserve airfield have only now been released by Ukraine's SBU secret service.The non-airworthy Su-24s were also destroyed in the attack on Kanatove on July23, 2022.The Russian attack on Kanatove destroyedtwo Su-27 fighters.HISTORYINFO Eduard34June 2023Page 35
#82173BOXART STORYA thick smoke pours from the huge building and thesounds coming from its burning insides resemblethe roar of a wounded animal. Flames are rapidlyconsuming more than a four millions of cubic feet ofhydrogen of the two airships inside, and the glare ofthe fire competes with the sun, which is just about tostart climbing over the horizon to shine on anotherday of the war ...The Zeppelin base in Tondern was a thorn in the side ofBritons during the WWI. It had been under constructionsince September 1914 with the first two hangarscompleted during March 1915. From then on airshipstook off from there to raid Great Britain. The largest ofthe three hangars was completed on January 17, 1916,and named Toska, while its two smaller predecessorswere named Toni and Tobias. All the names thereforebegan with the letters TO, as did Tondern. Toska wasof directly gargantuan proportions. It measured 730ft long, 220 ft wide and 130 ft high. The base was atempting target, but it remained out of range ofBritons. However, the development of naval aviationand the emergence of the aircraft carrier HMS Furiousoffered a new option: an attack from the sea.The first suggestion for such action came fromW/Cdr Richard Davis and after his plan was approvedby the Royal Navy supreme, Admiral David R. Beatty,the airmen quickly set about preparing before the“old-school battlewagon commander” changed hismind. The operation, designated F.5, was scheduledfor May, and the attack was to be carried out by twoflights of Camels. Capt. William Jackson was to leadCapt. William Dickson and Lt. Norman Williams, whilethe second flight was to be led by Capt. BernardA. Smart, Capt. Thomas Thyne, Lt. Samuel Dawsonand Lt. Walter Yeulett. The standard bomb load of four20 lb Cooper Mark II-A bombs, was replaced by two49 lb Mark IIIs for this mission, and the pilots practicedattacks on targets, which were drawn on the ground.At the end of May 1918, HMS Furious sailed withseven 2F.1 Camels on board, but shortly afterwardsa German U-boat appeared, and so she returned tothe port. She set sail again on June 18, but the fleetwas spotted by a pair of German floatplanes. HMSFurious launched some Camels, which shot down oneenemy, but the other escaped. As they were detected,another return was logical. HMS Furious than sailedfor a third attempt on June 27. The code was changedto F.6 and rolling, but the weather was against.At midnight on June 28 a storm broke and there wasno choice but to return for a third time. The fourthtime attempt started at noon on July 17, 1918, and bymidnight the HMS Furious was as close to the Danishcoast as she could get. But before the F.7 operationcould begin, the storm came again. Instead ofreturning, the command decided to cruise well awayfrom the Danish coast, and at dusk, under overcastskies, HMS Furious set off again for the Danish coast.At 0315 the first of seven Camels took off. The targetwas some 80 miles away, so the return leg was atthe limit of the Camel’s range. The backup plan wasto land in Denmark and to get to internment. Thynesuffered an engine failure shortly after take-off andhad to return, so six Camels continued to the target.An hour and twenty minutes after take-off, Jacksonsaw the silhouettes of the hangars ...At the Tondern base, the sky was clear at the time.Kptlt. von Buttlar-Brandenfels was looking from thewindow of his house just a half a mile away from thebase. In the Toska hangar, both his L 53 and the moremodern L 60 of Kptlt. Hans Flemming were resting.Each of these airships was filled with approximatelytwo millions of cubic feet of hydrogen and severaltons of bombs were also prepared on trolleys in thehangar. The first flight hit Toska with at least threebombs and all hell broke loose inside. A frantic vonButtlar-Brandenfels rode his bicycle to the base afterthe first explosions. There, he could only watch thedoom of his airship through the open giant doors(which were at either end of the hangar). The bravesoldiers, despite the flames, got to the bomb carts andpulled them out before they could explode!The second flight appeared on the scene ten minuteslater and flying from the opposite direction, i.e., fromthe east. Smart hit Tobias with one bomb. A dirigibleballoon inside burned up, while the second Smart’sbomb hit a wagon full of hydrogen cylinders but didnot explode. In Adam Tooby’s painting for the new1/48 scale Sopwith 2F.1 kit, Smart’s Camel justoverflies the burning Toska seconds after he himselfset the Tobias on fire.Three of six pilots decided on plan B and headedfor Denmark after the mission was accomplished,but three remaining, Smart, Dickson and Yeulett, setthe course for return. Unfortunately, Yeulett ran outof fuel and his body was washed up on the Danishcoast a few days later. He was the only casualtyof the whole event on both sides. Yeulett was just19 years old and due to his poor performance duringpracticing prior to L.6 operation, Davies cut him offthe lineup. However, in the interim before operationL.7, young pilot improved and was taken in, whichproved fatal. Only Smart and Dickson made it back.Both landed on the water and were lifted from thesea as were their Camels. The raid marked the end ofthe base. It continued to serve only as an emergencylanding strip, and when the borders changed after thewar, Tondern became the Danish Tønder...Text: Richard PlosIllustration: Adam ToobyThe doomINFO Eduard35June 2023Page 36
BOXART STORY #84189The Japanese attack on the Americanbase at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii onDecember 7, 1941, is one of the decisivemilestones of the Second World War andof the entire twentieth century. It wasthe catharsis of a long-standing crisisin Japanese–American relations andbrought the United States into the WorldWar 2. United States as a global economicand military power had until then keptaloof from the war in Europe, even theywere preparing for it and supportingtheir future allies.Japanese task force launched 350machines into action out of the 414available on board of six carriers. In thefirst wave were lost three Zeros, one D3Aand five B5N bombers. In the second wave,six Zeros and fourteen D3As were lost.Fifty-five pilots were killed, none werecaptured, except for the ironic situationof fighter pilot PO1c Nishikaichi. A totalof 74 aircraft returned with damage.Nine midget submarine crews also losttheir lives and one was captured. Of the79 fighter pilots who took part in bothattack waves, only 17 lived to see the endof the war.The airstrike killed 2,335 members ofthe US armed forces and injured 1,143.68 civilians also lost their lives and 35others sustained injuries. In addition tothe sunken and damaged ships, nearly350 aircraft were destroyed or damaged.Three civilian machines were also shotdown.During the two waves of the Japaneseraid on Pearl Harbor, 21 US Navy shipswere sunk or damaged, but 18 wererecovered or repaired and returned toservice. For example, the badly damagedbattleship USS Nevada was combatdeployed in October 1942.The USS Enterprise, as one of the carriersthat escaped the raid on Pearl Harbor,fought in the Battle of Midway six monthslater and participated in the sinking offour of the six carriers that participatedin the attack on Pearl Harbor.During this raid, which wasunprecedented both in terms of scale andthe manner in which a large carrier groupwas deployed, a number of dramaticmoments occurred. One was the landingof B-17 bombers at Hickam Field. Theirarrival from the U.S. had been expected,and the first wave of the Japanese raidwas initially mistaken by the Americansfor the very B-17 bombers that were toarrive in Hawaii.The unarmed B-17s arrived at Hickam justas the base was being targeted. B-17swere attacked not only by Zeros, but evenby crews of D3A Val dive bombers. One ofthe four-engine machines they deployedfor the landing was a B-17C (40-2074)of the 7th Bombardment Group, 14thBombardment Squadron, whose firstpilot was Captain Raymond T. Swenson.Their aircraft was attacked by commanderof the first wave fighter escort, Lt. Cdr.Shigeru Itaya of the aircraft carrierAkagi. His second wingman, who wasPO1c. Shinaji Iwama, managed to setfire to a crate of flares in the fuselageof Swenson's bomber just before landingand a fire broke out on deck. Swensondecided to abort the landing manoeuvre,regained altitude and hid in the low lyingclouds. On the second landing attempt,Swenson's machine broke in two shortlyafter touchdown. As it did so, it was stillunder attack by Japanese fighters, whoopened fire on the fleeing crew.The wounded passenger, who wasa surgeon, 1st Lt. William R. Schick, wasstrafed by Itaya's first wingman, PO1cTakashi Hirano. Unfortunately, Schickwas hit again and soon succumbed tohis injuries. Hirano, however, struck thesurface of the airfield with his propellerand auxiliary tank. His engine stoppedand the Japanese airman crashed ina nearby street, causing the deaths offour soldiers.People flocked to the wreckage ofhis Zero, shouting “kill him, kill him!”.However, Hirano died when he crashedinto one of the buildings. His planeAI-154 became the first Zero to beexamined after the attack on PearlHarbor. Among other things, a mapwas found in its cockpit, which led theAmericans to attempt to attack theJapanese as they sailed away.Illustration: Piotr ForkasiewiczHickam Field ZeroText: Jan BobekINFO Eduard36June 2023Page 37
#82111BOXART STORYThe bombing mission of the 8th AF on 22.12.1943 againsttransport targets in Osnabruck and Munster took placein very difficult conditions. Thick cloud cover, coupledwith a radar malfunction of one of the lead aircraft,caused great navigational problems and ultimately theimpossibility of good target aiming. Of the 402 B-17 andB-24 bombers from 8th AF, only 311 were able to attacktheir targets. Lessons learned by VIII. Bomber Commandheadquarter from previous heavy losses of four-enginebombers, which were attributed to Luftwaffe fighters,led to the dispatch of strong fighter protection. Thebombers were protected by 40 Lightnings and 448Thunderbolts from the 8th AF, along with 28 Mustangsfrom the 9th AF. Still, bomber losses were quite heavy -five B-17s and twelve B-24s, with three more bomberswritten off on their return.Fighters from JG 1, JG 3, JG 11, ZG 26, and JG 54 flewagainst the intruders. They claimed victory over sevenAmerican fighters in addition to the eighteen bombers.However, losses among the "little brothers" amounted toonly two Lightnings and one Thunderbolt.The two P-38s lost belonged to the 55th FighterGroup based at Nuthampstead. While one of them, Lt.R. W. Brown managed to crash-land his aircraft nearOnnerpolder, Holland, after a dogfight with Germanfighters and was captured, the other, Lt. J. R. Pruittcrashed and is still listed as missing. His aircraftprobably crashed near Wilsum, Germany.The conqueror of Lt. Pruitt was Hptm. Friedrich Eberle,commander of III./JG 1 and thus became his fifteenthvictory. At the time, the recently thirty-year-old AustrianEberle was an experienced fighter and commander.His combat career began with the outbreak of war inSeptember 1939, when he served with JG 51. He scoredhis first kill, a French Morane, on 23 November 1939.This was followed by involvement in the Battle of Britain,during which he scored two more kills. In November 1940he was appointed commander of 1st Staffel JG 51. Withthis unit he raised his score to twelve. Various commandposts in training and replenishment units followed fromthe end of 1941, after which, already at the rank of Hptm.,he was assigned to 9./JG 1 on 8 October 1943.The battle of 22 Dec 1943, depicted in Koike Shigeo'spainting, also falls into this period. The victory depictedwas achieved by Hptm. Eberle in the cockpit ofa Bf 109G W.Nr.160303 marked "White 20". He was shotdown himself in the same machine on 30 January 1944.It happened after a duel with Lt. Robert Booth of the359th FG.Although Eberle was wounded in combat, he continuedto command the unit until 22 April 1944, when heturned it over to Maj Hartmann Grasser. He himself wastransferred to the Frontflieger-Sammelgruppe (depot ofoperational pilots) at Quedlinburg, and after less thana month's rest, he became the Staffel commander atKdo. Skagerrak. At that time his victory score stoppedat number 33.On 1.7.1944 he was sent to Rotenburg/Wümme, tobecome the commander of the newly formed III. Gruppeof Jagdgeschwader 4. In this new command positionhas not achieved any victory. Neither air nor personal.According to the pilots of his unit, he showed a strongtendency to avoid danger, even to cowardice. Many timeshe turned his aircraft back after takeoff because ofalleged malfunctions. This happened already on the veryfirst combat operation of his fresh Gruppe on Monday,September 11, 1944. The premonition came true. III./JG4 suffered heavy losses that day in an encounter with3rd BD bombers and their fighter escorts. Sometimeshe withdrew from combat alone, at other times he ledhis entire unit out of the possibility of encountering theenemy. Failure to obey orders, self-interpretation ofinstructions... The pilots of III./JG 4 still remembered hisdefeatism decades later with considerable disdain.But it's very easy to judge. At that time, they were allyoung boys shortly out of training, full of vigor tofight and could not put themselves in the skin of theircommander. He himself had been through many battlessince the beginning of the war, he had been shot downand wounded several times, rescued by parachute,made crash landings. In addition, he witnessed manytimes how pilots under his command died, he musthave been the one who sent out casualty reports, wroteletters to the families.Whether justified or not, the situation with the unit'sleadership in combat was repeated on 1 January 1945during Operation Bodenplatte. That day, Hptm. Eberle ledI. and III./JG 4 to the Belgian A-89 Le Culot airfield. Ina combination of successive problems and navigationaldifficulties, Hptm. Eberle turned his III Gruppe backshortly after crossing the battle lines. Confusion ensuedamong the other pilots, some continuing on to a targetthey could not find, some returning. Eberle faced severepunishment for this action. Although some sources statethat he was court-martialled in a field trial, it was morelikely a sort of public pillorying involving the pilots ofI. and III. Gruppe JG 4. An actual field trial would probablyhave had a more far-reaching impact on Eberle himself,but also on the commander of JG 4, ObstLt. Michalski.Friedrich Eberle retained his military rank, but had toleave the unit. It is impossible to know what was goingthrough his mind during the flight to LeCulot. What iscertain, however, is that his decision probably saved thelives of quite a few pilots in his unit. Whether he had anyidea what a disaster the whole Bodenplatte would be forthe Luftwaffe is questionable. This last act of FriedrichEberle in command of III./JG 4 is indicative of thepsychological strain and exhaustion that could easilybefall a commanding officer in a war that lasted severalyears, rather than the personal courage or failure of anyparticular pilot.Not only for courage in combat, but for the art ofdefying what we consider to be senseless and beyonddangerous, those who can do so deserve great respect.Text: Jan ZdiarskýIllustration: Shigeo KoikeFriedrich EberleINFO Eduard37June 2023Page 38
#82173Sopwith 2F.1 Camel1/48The ProfiPACK edition kit of British WWI fighter Sopwith 2F.1 Camel in 1/48 scale. This version of thelegendary fighter was designed as the aircraft to be launched from the platforms mounted on theturrets of the major warships or from the early aircraft carriers. The split and folding fuselage helpedto stow “Ship’s Camels” on the decks.plastic parts: Eduardmarking options: 6decals: EduardPE parts: yes, pre-paintedpainting mask: yesresin parts: noProduct pageKITS 06/2023INFO Eduard38June 2023Page 39
N6755, Capt. Bernard A. Smart, HMS Furious, July 1918N6812, FSL Stewart D. Culley, Special Flight, NS Felixstowe, United Kingdom, July 1917Bernard Arthur Smart was born on December 24,1891 in Luton. He qualified as a pilot on July 24,1916, becoming a Captain in the Royal Naval AirService. He made himself famous with shootingdown the Zeppelin L23 German airship in hisSopwith Pup on August 21, 1917, the 17-men strongcrew led by Oblt. Bernhard Dinter was killed.As he took off from a platform on a gun turretof the HMS Yarmouth, he thus achieved the firstever aerial victory with an aircraft launchedfrom a vessel. Smart’s second day of glory cameon July 19, 1918, when he led the second wave of“Ship’s Camels” in a raid on the German Zeppelinhangars at Tondern (today Tønder, Denmark).It was the first bombing raid carried from thedeck of a Royal Naval Ship. Seven Camels 2F.1took off from the HMS Furious and managed todestroy two airships (L54 and L60) hidden in thebiggest hangar named Toska. A captive baloonin hangar Tobias was also destroyed. The N6755serial of this Camel is probable and the coloringdepicted here shows the aircraft prior to theTondern raid. For this mission, the roundels onthe upper wing as well as on the fuselage andcockade on the rudder were toned down withPC10 or PC12 overspray, under which the insigniacolors were only hardly visible. Some sourcesstate the undersides were also oversprayed inone of the aforementioned colors, but the photoof one of the Camels which landed in Denmark onthe return leg shows it was not the case. It is notclear whether the nose checkerboard was toneddown for the raid as well.Stewart Douglas Culley was born on August 23,1895, in Omaha as the son of an English father anda Canadian mother. After his studies in Californiaand Vermont he joined RNAS in Ottawa on April19, 1917. A month later he arrived in UK and aftertraining he served at Calshot and Falmouth NavalAir Stations before he moved to Felixstowe. Therehe made the first successful take off from lighterH3 barge towed by a destroyer steaming at 36knots. It happened on July 31, 1918 and he usedN6812. On Sunday August 11, Culley was in hisCamel aboard a lighter towed by HMS Redoubtas a part of the Harwich Strike Force tasked withdefending east coast of Britain. When a Zeppelinairship was spotted, Culley took off and it tookhim about an hour to reach his quarry and attack.One of his machine guns jammed, but he emptiedthe other one’s magazine into the sky giantsetting it afire. His victim was L53 and crew of 19led by Kapitänleutnant Eduard Prölss died. Justprior to this event, N6812 was modified, sportingtwo Lewis machine guns mounted atop theupper wing. The fuselage-mounted Vickers wasremoved and an Aldis gunsight added. Later, theaircraft served with No. 212 Sqn RAF. At the end ofits service, it was presented to the IWM, where itis on display until today. Originally, the undersideswere painted in light blue, since restoration theCamel sports the natural doped linen.KITS 06/2023INFO Eduard39June 2023Page 40
N6602, HMS Furious, April 1918N6764, HMS Lion, April–June 1918This 150hp Bentley BR.1 powered 2F.1 Camelwas one of the 50 aircraft delivered by theSopwith Aviation Company under productionorder contract Nos. A.S.762 and C.P.103733/17. Itwas delivered to AAP Brooklands on November22, 1917 and initially served on HMS Nairanaseaplane carrier from December 21 and HMS Lionbattlecruiser from January 11, 1918. The aircraftwas then put into service with HMS Furious fromApril 6, 1918, but only for a brief period, as itwas sent to HMS Glorious two weeks later. RAFTurnhouse and Donibristle were other places ofservice of this unusually marked “Ship’s Camel”.The reason for the white cross striping on thefuselage is not known, the fuselage roundel wasoverpainted by color which might be just fresh ofthe same shade or slightly different one. As in themost cases it is not clear, whether the aircraftwas finished in PC10 or PC12. Noteworthy is thedark staining on the bottom side of the fuselagein the area covered by linen. We believe it wasmade by the same color which was applied onupper sides.This Camel was manufactured by Sir WilliamBeardmore & Co LTD in January 1917 and wasfinished in the standard colors. For whateverreason the fuselage and wings needed re-covering sometime in the period between Apriland June 1918 and N6764 was photographed onboard of HMS Lion in this appearance. The newcover was left in doped linen color, only thehorizontal stabilizer kept its original camouflageand the tricolor on the elevator, which was thetypical feature of the aircraft manufactured bySir William Beardmore & Co LTD company. Theaircraft served also on the Donibristle and Rosythair bases.KITS 06/2023INFO Eduard40June 2023Page 41
N6822, HMAS Sydney, mid 1918N8130, HMS Vindictive, Koivisto, Finland, October 1919This “Ship’s Camel” is one of those manufacturedby Sir William Beardmore & Co LTD and sportsthe typical tricolor elevator, kind of a trademarkof this company. It was a Bentley BR.1 poweredaircraft and was delivered to Aviation AcceptancePark in Renfrew on June 20, 1918. From there itwas subsequently sent to HMAS Sydney lightcruiser. There it served with several interruptionsfor maintenance (or due to other reasons) at themainland bases until November 21, 1918.The N8130 was an aircraft manufactured byHooper & Co Ltd and one of the 50 “Ship’s Camels”from the penultimate order of this type undercontract Nos. 38a/906/C947 & A.S.37354/18.As the first from this batch, it was originallyintended as the presentation aircraft and wasgiven the name Tamworth. It was sent aboardHMS Argus on May 19, 1919, then to HMS Vindictiveas one of the eight Camels sent to join the fightingagainst Russian Bolsheviks. There it was usedin the fighter-bomber role. On return it servedwith No. 203 Squadron and served on board ofHMS Argus again. The Tamworth inscription waspainted on the starboard side of the fuselage, asthe photo shows. It is not known, whether it wason port side as well, but the decal sheet containstwo inscriptions. Just in case … There is also astitched area on the starboard, probably a fieldrepair of damage.KITS 06/2023INFO Eduard41June 2023Page 42
Recommended:for Sopwith 2F.1 Camel 1/48FE1215 Sopwith Camel seatbelts STEEL (PE-Set)644116 Sopwith Camel LööK (Brassin)648657 Sopwith Camel wheels Type 1 (Brassin)648658 Sopwith Camel wheels Type 2 (Brassin)648659 Sopwith Camel seat PRINT (Brassin)648660 Sopwith Camel Vickers Mk.I gun (Brassin)648661 Sopwith Camel US Colt Vickers gun (Brassin)648725 Sopwith Camel 2F.1 Lewis gun PRINT (Brassin)648674 Sopwith Camel Rotherham air pumps PRINT (Brassin)648677 Sopwith Camel Bentley engine PRINT (Brassin)3DL48038 Sopwith Camel SPACE (3D Decal Set)OVERTREES#82173XSopwith 2F.1 Camel1/48Product pageOVERLEPT#82173-LEPTSopwith 2F.1 Camel PE-Set1/48Product page# 648659# 648725# 644116# 648657KITS 06/2023INFO Eduard42June 2023Page 43
WUNDERSCHÖNE NEUE MASCHINEN pt.IThe Limited edition of the kit of the famous German WWII fighteraircraft Bf 109F in 1/72 scale. The kit offers aircraft of F-2 and F-4versions. Marking selection covers all fronts of WWII where these“Friedrichs” were fighting.plastic parts: Eduardmarking options: 14decals: EduardPE parts: yes, pre-paintedpainting mask: yesresin parts: noProduct page#21421/72DUAL COMBOKITS 06/2023INFO Eduard43June 2023Page 44
Bf 109F-2 and F-4 - Sprues detailSprue HSprue WSprue KKITS 06/2023INFO Eduard44June 2023Page 45
Sprue LSprue UKITS 06/2023INFO Eduard45June 2023Page 46
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Bf 109F-1, WNr. 5628, Obst. Werner Mölders, CO of JG 51, Krefeld, Germany, June 1941Bf 109F-2, WNr. 8085, Lt. Jürgen Harder, Stab III./JG 53, Sobolewo, Germany, June 1941Bf 109F-2, WNr. 8235, Hptm. Werner Pichon Kalau vom Hofe,Stab JG 54, Trakehnen (Yasnaya Polyana,Russia today), Germany, June 1941Werner Mölders, nicknamed Vati (Daddy), gained theace status in the Spanish Civil War where he developedfinger-four formation tactics. He was the first pilot toreach the mark of one hundred enemy kills. In June1940, as CO of III./JG 53, he was shot down by a Frenchfighter and was captured. A month later he wasappointed commander of JG 51 and successfully ledit in combat against both the RAF and the Soviet AirForce. Due to the fears of Nazi leadership regardinghis possible capture or killing, he was withdrawn fromcombat operations and appointed Inspector of DayFighters in August 1941. He perished in the crash ofa Heinkel He 111 in a storm near Wroclaw on November22, 1941. He was flying as a passenger to Berlin for thestate funeral of Ernst Udet. His score stopped at 115victories of which he scored 14 in the Spanish CivilWar and 68 in fighting on the Western front in Europe.For his achievements, he was awarded the Knight’sCross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. Theillustrated aircraft was flown by Werner Mölders inthe summer of 1941 during a downtime as the unitprepared for Operation Barbarossa (the attack on theSoviet Union). The aircraft carried a camo schemefrom the first half of 1941, as the top surfaces weresprayed RLM 71/02 and the bottom ones in RLM 65.The engine cowl sports the unit marking of JG 51, andthe rudder displays the pilot’s score.Jürgen Harder, brother of the better known HarroHarder, achieved his first kill on June 22, 1941, the dayOperation Barbarossa began. He joined the Luftwaffein 1939 and served in 7./JG 53 from early 1941, thenbecame a staff officer in III. Gruppe. In April 1942 hetook command of 7./JG 53 in Africa and in February1944 became commander of I./JG 53 in Italy. Until theend of the war he claimed further 63 kills both onthe Eastern and Western fronts. On February 1, 1945,he was decorated with the Knight’s Cross with theOak Leaves. His luck ran out on February 17, 1945,when, due to the engine failure of his MesserschmittBf 109G-14, he crashed to death nearby the town ofStrausberg. Harder’s WNr. 8085 later served with4./JG 51, Jagdgruppe West, underwent an overhauland its version designation was changed to F-4. Itwas destroyed on December 2, 1943, in SouthernFrance when it was allocated to Jagdgruppe Süd,commanded by Heinz Bär. In its cockpit, Uffz. AlexisPrinz zu Bentheim und Steinfurt was shot down incombat with American airmen.Werner Pichon-Kalau vom Hofe (1917–1999) wasa pre-war member of I./ZG 1 and early after startof conflict he served with I./JG 3. After servicewith III./JG 51 he became in August 1940 Trautloft´sGeschwaderadjutant in JG 54. Later on he actedin JG 54 also as Technischer Offizier and in early1942 became commander of 7./JG 54. Later inthe war he was a member of several fightercommand headquarters in Western Europe. Hewas credited with 21 victories. He achieved hisfirst successes on the Eastern front on June 25when he shot down two twin-engine bombersas his 7th and 8th victories. His aircraft, whichthis pilot has captured on color footage, bearsthe non-standard designation, which relate tohis position as technical officer. The airplane wascamouflaged on the upper surfaces in brown andgreen paints.KITS 06/2023INFO Eduard48June 2023Page 49
Bf 109F-2, WNr. 6801, Lt. Detlev Rohwer, Stab I./JG 3, Byelaya Tserekev, Soviet Union, August 1941Bf 109F-2/B, Uffz. Richard Übelbacher, 6.(Jabo)/JG 2, Abbeville-Drucat, France, Summer 1941Rohwer's fighter career began in September 1939 atthe Stab I./JG 3 and the first victory achieved June6, 1940. He served in the ranks of JG 3 throughoutthe entire war. He was several times shot down andwas several times severely wounded, but he alwaysrecovered and carried on flying. Except for when hiscareer, and ultimately his life, ended on March 29,1944, when his Bf 109G-6 was hit by defensive fire froma B-17. He had to set down, and P-38s in the area werebent on finishing him off. During their attack, Rohwerwas seriously wounded. His lower limbs had to beamputated, but he nevertheless succumbed to hisinjuries the next day. He shot down a total of 38 enemyaircraft and was awarded the Knight's Cross. Theillustrated aircraft was flown by Detlev Rohwer duringthe summer of 1942. The wing camouflage was madeup of RLM 70/02 while the fuselage had already beensprayed in RLM 74/75. The sides of the fuselage werecovered by irregular snakes of RLM 70. The aircraftmarkings were supplemented by the typical yellowquick identification aids carried by aircraft serving inthe East, a fuselage band, wingtips and engine cowl.The side of the cowl sports the Tatzelwurm, the unitmarking of I./JG 3 and Rohwer's personal emblem ofthe Götz von Berlichingen knight below the cockpit.The right side probably carried the Coat of Arms Cityof the City of Kiel, the hometown of Detlev Rohwer.Austrian Richard Übelbacher was born in 1918 inInnsbruck and after pilot and fighter training hewas assigned to 6./JG 2 in the summer of 1940.Its commander was Oblt. Frank Liesendahl, wholater became the key officer for the deployment ofJG 2 fighter aircraft in the bomber role, primarilyagainst shipping targets. Übelbacher saw combatduring the Battle of Britain and achieved his firstvictory in August 1941. He also achieved an aerialvictory during the fight against the Allied landingat Dieppe. At that time, II./JG 2 had already beenrearmed to the Fw 190A type. In the autumn of1942, he moved with his unit to Tunisia and wasby then one of the most experienced veterans. Hehad a total of seven or eight victories to his credit.Übelbacher was killed on March 3, 1943, south-eastof Ferryville when he was accidentally shot downby a pair of 1./JG 53 pilots with MesserschmittBf 109 fighters during a landing maneuver. RichardÜbelbacher was buried at Borj Cédria and wasposthumously promoted to the rank of Leutnant.KITS 06/2023INFO Eduard49June 2023Page 50
Bf 109F-2, WNr. 9553, Oblt. Siegfried Schnell, CO of 9./JG 2, Théville, France, November 1941Bf 109F-2, 9./JG 54, Siverskaya, Soviet Union, December 1941Bf 109F-4, WNr. 7205, Oblt. Josef Priller, CO of 1./JG 26, St. Omer-Arques, France, October 1941Siegfried “Wumm” Schnell, a native of today’sPolish Sulecin (then Zeilenzig in Germany) joinedthe ranks of the Luftwaffe in 1936 and at thebeginning of the Second World War he served with4./JG 2. His first kill was in combat over Franceon May 14, 1940, others followed over Britain andagainst English and American pilots over westernEurope. After being assigned to JG 54, he firstserved with its III. Gruppe and on February 1, 1944,he was appointed CO of IV. Gruppe. While servingin this function, he was shot down over Narva onFebruary 25, 1944, by a Soviet fighter, this provingto be a fateful encounter. For his combat results,he was awarded on July 9, 1941, the Knight’sCross with Oak Leaves. He downed 93 enemyaircraft in WWII. Siegfried Schnell’s aircraft wascamouflaged in the standard Luftwaffe fighterscheme using RLM 74/75/76. Both sides of the finwere decorated with the Knight’s Cross with OakLeaves and markings symbolizing his victories.Oblt. Hans Ekkehard Bob was the commandingofficer of 9./JG 54 from November 1940 to July 1943.He joined the Luftwaffe in 1936 and in July 1939 wasassigned to 3./JG 21 (later 9./JG 54). Bob achieved hisfirst victory on May 10, 1940, in combat with a BelgianGladiator. In August 1943 he was appointed CO ofIV./JG 51 on the Eastern Front and from May 1944 ledII./JG 3 in the Defense of the Reich and Normandy. FromAugust he led the operational training unit II./EJG 2and he ended the war as a member of Jagdverband44, unit equipped with the Me 262 Schwalbe. Over thecourse of some 700 sorties, he shot down sixty enemyaircraft, and was awarded the Knight’s Cross. Afterthe war, he first worked on a farm, later formed hisown transportation company and in 1956 he formedthe world-famous company BOMAG. The illustratedaircraft was taken over from 6./JG 54 and it wasflown by Bob’s Staffel in the winter of 1941/42 in thenorthern section of the Eastern Front, where in aneffort to better hide their aircraft when on the ground,support personnel sprayed them in a washable whitepaint on the upper surfaces. The aircraft carriedthe typical identifiers carried on the Eastern Front– a yellow fuselage band and yellow wingtips.This aircraft was produced in August 1941 by theWNF and became the personal mount of Josef“Pips” Priller, who was commander of 1./JG 26“Schlageter” at that time. Rudder shows his55th victory, which was achieved on October 21,1941. On both sides of the fuselage, a heart cardsymbol with the name of Priller’s wife Juttawas painted under the cockpit. Priller began hismilitary career in the infantry in 1935 and joinedthe Luftwaffe a year later. After fighter training,he was assigned to Stab I./JG 51 in November 1938and transferred to I./JG 71 (later II./JG 51) in July1939. In October 1939 he became CO of 6./JG 51and recorded his first two aerial victories on May28, 1940. By October he had increased his numberof victories to 20 and was awarded the Knight’sCross. In November 1940 he was transferred toJG 26 and became CO of 1. Staffel, which he ledfor a year. After achieving his 58th victory hebecame CO of III./JG 26. During 1942 he achieveda further 23 victories and in January 1943 becamecommander of JG 26. His last victory, the 101stone, came in October 1944 and in early 1945Priller became Inspector of Day Fighter Units inWestern Europe. He attained the rank of Oberstand was awarded the Oak Leaves and Swords inaddition to the Knight’s Cross.KITS 06/2023INFO Eduard50June 2023Page 51
Bf 109F-4/Z, WNr. 7420, Lt. Hermann A. Graf, CO of 9./JG 52, Kharkov-Rogan, Soviet Union, May 1942Bf 109F-4/Trop, Maj. Erich Gerlitz, CO of III./JG 53, Martuba, Libya, May 1942Bf 109F-4, Lt. Walter Nowotny, 3./JG 54, Krasnogvardeysk, Soviet Union, July 1942Hermann Anton Graf was born on October 24, 1912. Hetrained as a locksmith and was a keen football playerin his youth. Later he took up sailing and entered thearmy in 1939. In the spring of 1940, he served in JG 51 andparticipated in the Battle of France. In April 1941, he foughtover Greece and Crete, but did not record any victoriesduring this period. His first kill came on August 4, 1941,near Kiev and things changed. At the end of January 1942,he received the Knight’s Cross for 45 kills, in May 1942he achieved his 100th aerial victory and received OakLeaves and Swords in addition to the Knight’s Cross. Hewas the fifth in line of pilots to be awarded the Diamondsto the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords onSeptember 29, 1942. Graf became part of propagandacampaigns, even a member of the Luftwaffe footballteam. At the end of the war, he was leading JG 52 andretreated with the unit from East Prussia, through Silesiaand into Bohemia. He surrendered on May 8, 1945, inPísek (South Bohemia) to the Americans. They promptlyhanded him over to the Russians and Graf spent morethan four years in captivity.Austrian Erich Gerlitz graduated from the militaryacademy in Wiener Neustadt in 1935 and becamecommander of Jagdstaffel 5 of the AustrianJagdgeschwader II. After the Anschluss of Austria hebecame commander of 3./JG 135 (later 3./JG 51). InMarch 1940, he was appointed commander of 7./JG 2and after several other posts, in April 1941 he became COof 2./JG 27. He served with Jagdgeschwader 27 duringthe following year, briefly serving as commander of 7.Staffel and in December 1941 was appointed CO of II./JG27, which was then fighting in Africa. In May 1942, afterachieving 15 victories, he became commander of III./JG53 “Pik As”, which was operating in the same theatre ofoperations. He won three more victories with this unit.His personal aircraft was apparently retained from hisprevious posting. He led the unit until October 1942, afterwhich he served for some time as part of the LuftwaffeHQ branch in Romania. In January 1944 he returned tocombat as commander of I./JG 5, which was then basedin Bulgaria. After moving to Western Europe, he waskilled on March 16, 1944, in a dogfight with a P-47.An Austrian with Czech ancestry, Walter “Nowi”Nowotny came from Gmünd near the borderwith Czechoslovakia. He joined the Luftwaffein October 1939 and was assigned to 9./JG 54in February 1941, shortly after which he wastransferred to Stab Erg. JGr. 54. With this trainingpart of JG 54 he achieved his first victory in Balticon July 19, 1941. In March 1942 he was transferredto 3./JG 54 and by the beginning of August he hadachieved over 40 victories with this unit. Afterrecovering from wounds he suffered, he becamecommander of 1./JG 54 in October 1942 and inAugust 1943 was appointed commander of theentire I./JG 54. Walter Nowotny was a holder ofthe Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords andDiamonds, and shot down 258 enemy aircraftover the course of 442 combat sorties. He waskilled in combat with American escort fightersnear an airfield at Hesepe on November 8, 1944,when flying his Me 262 Schwalbe. The aircraftcarried a non-standard scheme consisting of twogreens on the upper surfaces, probably RLM 70and RLM 71, typical for JG 54. The lower surfacesremained in RLM 76. The wingtips were paintedin RLM 04 yellow on the lower surfaces, whichwas an identification mark of aircraft servingon the Eastern Front. The port and starboardwheel wells have different designs. The fuselagenumber is painted on the undercarriage legs.KITS 06/2023INFO Eduard51June 2023Page 52
Bf 109F-4, WNr. 13376, Hptm. Heinz Bär, CO of Stab I./JG 77, Comiso, Sicily, July 1942Bf 109F-4, Uffz. Hans Döbrich, 6./JG 5, Petsamo, Finland, September 1942Heinz “Pritzl” Bär successfully fought over allmajor battlefields of World War II. He first servedin the Luftwaffe in the 1930s as a mechanicbut aspired to become a fighter pilot. Despiteopposition from his superiors, he got into flighttraining and became a Ju 52 transport pilot withI./JG 51. With this unit he was unofficially trained onthe Bf 109, which had to be retroactively legalized.He achieved his first victory in September 1939and by April 1945 had scored 220 more successes.He was awarded the Knight’s Cross with OakLeaves and Swords. After a previous command of12./JG 51, he was appointed commander of I./JG 77in the Crimea in May 1942. He then successfullyled this unit for a year in the Mediterranean andAfrica. At the end of the war he was in the rankof Oberstleutnant in command of the elite JV 44armed with Messerschmitt Me 262s. After the warhe continued to fly sport planes but was killed onApril 28, 1957, during an air show demonstrationof extremely slow flight in an LF-1 Zaunkönig.The Bf 109F-4 carried a classic Luftwaffe schemecomprised of RLM 74/75/76. Previous markingwas oversprayed in a dark color, probably RLM70. The white fuselage band identified aircraftfighting In the Mediterranean, but in this case,wingtips were not painted white.This aircraft was flown by Hans Döbrich, a fighterace credited with 65 victories. He was downedthree times and seriously wounded during thelast incident. He never flew a combat sortieagain. During the second half of 1942, II./JG 5was equipped with “Friedrichs” manufacturedfor service in a tropical environment. The desertcamouflage colors consisting of RLM 79 andRLM 78 were applied at the factory. Feldflugpark(Repair Field Unit) in Pori added segments of RLM74/70 (some sources state RLM 75/71) whichhelped to camouflage effect over the northernterritory. The green shamrock on the cowling wasa crest of 6./JG 5.KITS 06/2023INFO Eduard52June 2023Page 53
Recommended:for Bf 109F-2 and F-4 1/72672313 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)3DL72018 Bf 109F SPACE (3D Decal Set)672317 Bf 109F undercarriage legs BRONZE (Release 07/2023)672318 Bf 109F radio compartment PRINT (Release 07/2023)672321 Bf 109F/G external fuel tanks (Release 07/2023)672322 Bf 109F wheel bays rounded PRINT (Release 07/2023)672323 Bf 109F/G wheels bays angular PRINT (Release 07/2023)672324 Bf 109 SC250 bomb (Release 07/2023)672325 Bf 109F/G exhaust stacks PRINT (Release 07/2023)OVERTREESOVERTREES#70154XBf 109F-21/72#70155XBf 109F-41/72Product pageProduct pageOVERLEPT#2142-LEPTWUNDERSCHÖNENEUE MASCHINENPE-Set1/72Product page# 672313Bf 109F-4/Trop, WNr. 8673, Hptm. Hans-Joachim Marseille,CO of 3./JG 27, Quotaifiya, Egypt, September 1942Hans-Joachim “Jochen” Marseille became themost successful German fighter pilot fightingagainst the Western Allies. He was awarded theKnight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords andDiamonds. A master of piloting, shooting and dogfighting, he also shoved a respect and grace tohis opponents as he tried to save downed enemyairmen in the desert by dropping news of theirfate on the other side of the front. Marseilleused this plane after his return from Rome andachieved 49 victories with this last of “Friedrichs”he used from August 24, 1942, to September25, 1942. On September 30, 1942, he flew theMesserschmitt Bf 109G-2/Trop as he led escortmission of the 3. Staffel to cover a squadron ofJu 87 Stukas. On the return leg, a smoke filledthe cockpit and Marseille was forced to bail out.Hitting the rudder after the emergency exit of theplane, he lost consciousness, and his parachutedid not open. Seconds later, Marseille died fromthe impact on the ground. After his death, WNr.8673 was used by 1./SG 2 but was hit by flak andlost southward of El Alamein on October 22, 1942.The aircraft had the upper camouflage colorRLM 79 sprayed all over the fuselage sides asa non-standard finish. The lower surfaces weresprayed with RLM 78 and the camouflage wascomplemented by the markings of the aircraftoperating on the Southern front, i.e., whitewingtips, white propeller cone and a band on theaft fuselage of the same color. The engine cowlingbore the emblem of I. Gruppe JG 27 on both sides.# 672316# 672324KITS 06/2023INFO Eduard53June 2023Page 54
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c/n 5289, PO1c Takashi Hirano, Akagi Fighter Squadron, December 1941c/n 5404, PO3c Yoshirō Hashiguchi, 3. Kōkūtai, Kendari airfield, Dutch East Indies, March 1942This Zero was manufactured by Mitsubishi,finished on August 9, 1941. It was one of theaircraft that were equipped with additionalaileron mass balance. The design of the Romannumeral on this aircraft differed slightly on theright and left side of the tail. During the attackon Pearl Harbor it was flown by Takashi Hiranoas a wingman of Lt. Cdr. Shigeru Itaya who led43 Zero fighters, including nine from Akagi. Itaya’sown Akagi formation shot down one sightseeingand three training aircraft. Then, at John Rodgers,Hickam and Ewa airfields, they destroyed about 25aircraft and also attacked incoming B-17s. Hiranofirst shot down a Piper Cub near the NuuanuPali mountain pass in cooperation with Itaya’ssecond wingman. Piper pilot Marcus F. Postonbailed out. Itaya and his wingmen damaged andset afire a B-17C of the 7th BG flown by the crewled by Capt. Swenson. The bomber broke in halfon the ground and the fighters strafed its fleeingcrew. Hirano mortally wounded the passenger,1st Lt. (Dr.) William R. Schick, Flight Surgeon ofthe 38th Reconnaissance Squadron. However, theHirano struck the ground, lost its auxiliary tank,damaged the propeller, and suffered an enginestall. Flying low between buildings, he then hit anobstacle, killing both himself and four Americansoldiers. A map was found in the wreckage ofthe Zero and with this information the Americansattempted to search for the Japanese task force.This aircraft left Mitsubishi factory on November10, 1941 and was equipped with ailerons withoutadditional mass balance. Its pilot was YoshirōHashiguchi (born 1918, Fukuoka). He completed hisflight training in September 1938 and after furthertraining with several units was assigned to the12th Kōkūtai in China in June 1939. However, hewas wounded in a Chinese raid on his unit’s baseand after recovering he became an instructor withthe Suzuka Kōkūtai in January 1940. In November1941 he was assigned to the 3rd Kōkūtai andsuccessively fought in the Philippines, the DutchEast Indies or Guadalcanal and participated alsoin the raids on Australia. He returned to Japan inJune 1943 and served as an instructor with the ÔitaKōkūtai. In December he was assigned to Kōkūtai601 as a member of the carrier fighter squadronof the IJN Shōkaku and survived the Battle of thePhilippine Sea. In July 1944 he was transferred toHikōtai 164 as part of Kōkūtai 653 and took part inthe Battle of Cape Engaño aboard the IJN Chiyodaon October 25. He made several operationalsorties during the battle but remained missingafter the sinking of the carrier. The total numberof Hashiguchi’s victories is not precisely known butis reported to be in excess of ten. At the time of hisdeath, he held the rank of Chief Petty Officer andwas posthumously promoted to Warrant Officer.KITS 06/2023INFO Eduard55June 2023Page 56
Kōkūtai 302, Atsugi Base, Japan, August 1945Kōkūtai 261, Kagoshima airbase, Japan, 1944This aircraft, probably built by Nakajima, boredark green paint applied at unit level. Plane wasseized by the Americans at the end of the war atAtsugi Base, where it was captured on both sideson a color footage. It bore considerable signs ofwear and one aerial victory marked on the tail.The Zero was painted black on the undersideof the wing, horizontal stabilizer and elevator.Kōkūtai 302 was established in 1944 as a unitdedicated to the defense of Yokosuka Base. Its1st Hikōtai was armed with Raidens and Zeros,while its 2nd Hikōtai was armed with single- aswell as twin-engine fighter and bomber aircraftthat were modified for night interception. Theunit specialized in fighting B-29 bombers bothday and night. It was commanded by Capt. YasunaKozono, who had night fighter experience in theSouth Pacific when he commanded Kōkūtai 251(formerly Tainan Kōkūtai) in 1943. He had its J1NGekkō (Irving) reconnaissance aircraft fitted withfuselage-mounted guns that pointed obliquelyupward for night pursuit purposes. He pushed thesame solution, despite opposition from many pilots,for the Kōkūtai 302. A single fuselage-mountedgun was also fitted to some Zeros of Kōkūtai 302,as they were primarily intended for night pursuit.The YoD-1101 was not equipped with this additionalarmament. A Squadron (Buntai) of night-fighterZeros claimed to shoot down seven B-29s, fourfighters, one Catalina, and one Privateer.This Zero was manufactured by Nakajima withfactory painted dark green paint on the uppersurfaces. The white stripes and bands servedas a quick identification feature but their exactpurpose is unknown. Kōkūtai 261 was establishedin June 1943 at Kagoshima Air Base, Japan, andwas given the battle name Tora (Tiger). It wasalso referred to as Tora Butai. The identifyingfeature of its aircraft was the numerical code61, or Kanji character for tiger. Unit went throughheavy combat with US Navy airmen, primarily inCentral Pacific, but operated briefly also fromBiak Island north of New Guinea. By May 1944, itsaircraft strength was already reduced to half andin July the unit had to be disbanded due to highcasualties. Some of the remaining members ofthe unit were killed in ground combat or aboarda submarine during the evacuation. The positionof Hikōtaichō was held by Lieutenant MasanobuIbusuki, who participated in the attack on PearlHarbor and the Battle of Midway on the aircraftcarrier Akagi and served on the aircraft carrierShōkaku during the fighting in the South Pacific.It is possible that Ibusuki achieved from 25 to 30aerial victories during the war. After the war, hebecame the first JSDAF unit commander withF-86 Sabre jets, reaching the rank of LieutenantColonel, but was killed in January 1957 ina collision with another F-86.KITS 06/2023INFO Eduard56June 2023Page 57
Recommended:for A6M2 Zero Type 21 1/48481076 A6M2 landing flaps (PE-Set)481077 A6M2 Zero (PE-Set)FE1238 A6M2 seatbelts STEEL (PE-Set)644128 A6M2 LööK (Brassin)644134 A6M2 LööKplus (Brassin)648692 A6M2 Zero Model 21 cockpit PRINT (Brassin)648693 A6M2 wheels (Brassin)648694 A6M2 engine PRINT (Brassin)648695 A6M undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)648698 A6M2 seat PRINT (Brassin)648722 A6M2 exhausts PRINT (Brassin)648723 A6M2 cannon barrels & cockpit guns PRINT (Brassin)648724 A6M2 landing flaps PRINT (Brassin)648731 A6M2 Zero Model 21 folding wingtips PRINT (Brassin)648763 A6M2 engine complete PRINT (Brassin)648771 A6M2 gun bays PRINT (Brassin)648772 A6M2 tailwheel PRINT (Brassin)648808 A6M wheels w/smooth tire (Brassin)3DL48050 A6M2 SPACE (3D Decal Set)D48098 A6M2 stencils (Decal Set)D48100 A6M2 national insignia (Decal Set)EX821 A6M2 TFace (Mask)# 644128# 648698# 648763# 648692# 648731# 648724# 648808KITS 06/2023INFO Eduard57June 2023Page 58
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Tempest Mk.IIThe Weekend edition kit of British fighter aircraft Tempest Mk.IIin 1/48 scale. The marking selection offers RAF, Royal Pakistan AirForce and Indian Air Force markings.plastic parts: EduardNo. of decal options: 4decals: EduardPE parts: nopainting mask: noresin parts: no#841901/48Product pageKITS 06/2023INFO Eduard59June 2023Page 60
PR856, F/Lt Jack Frost, No. 26 Sqn, No. 135 Wing BAFO, Zeltweg, Austria, July 1947PR859, No. 33 Squadron, Butterworth, Malaya, October 1949A143, No. 14 Squadron, Royal Pakistan Air Force, Pakistan, 1949–1950No. 26 Squadron received the Tempest Mk.II serialnumber PR856 on New Year 1947. It was used asa personal aircraft of the A flight leader F/Lt JackFrost. His Tempest sported the red markings onthe propeller spinner and drop tanks indicatingthat the aircraft belonged to the A flight. On July15, 1947, as a reaction to the growing tension atthe Yugoslav-Italian border the No. 135 Wing flewto Austrian Zeltweg, the closest suitable airbasethe RAF could operate from, under the code nameOperation Diagram. Trieste, the center of the riots,was barely over 30 minutes of flight away. Todemonstrate its presence, four RAF Tempests ledby F/Lt Frost from the No. 26 Squadron overflewthe mansion of the Yugoslav president Josip Tito.After a month of the operations out of the Zeltwegairbase the No. 135 Wing returned to Fassberg.In April 1949, when the No. 26 Squadron was re-equipped with Vampire FB.5 aircraft, PR856 wasreturned to the Great Britain. After it was storedat the No. 20 Maintenance Unit in Aston Down thisaircraft became one of twenty surplus TempestsF.II which in the summer 1951 were sold to theIndian government.In June 1949 the Tempests F.2 (the Arabicnumerals replaced Roman ones in 1948) fromthe No. 33 Squadron were dispatched to Malayaon board of the HMS Ocean. Some of them werealready painted in the new standard “aluminum”scheme. In October 1949 the remainingcamouflaged Tempests were oversprayedwith the new scheme, one of them was PR859marked 5R-Z. The code letters on this aircraftwere painted in blue color indicating B flight.The propeller spinner was painted in the samecolor. By the end of 1949 the No. 33 Squadronwas fully operational tasked with maintainingfour Tempests on scramble for strikes againstthe MNLA communist terrorists (MalaysianNational Liberation Army). During the next 21months many sorties were flown deploying therocket and cannon weaponry to support the armyoperations to make MNLA to retreat.On November 1, 1948, in Peshawar the No. 14Squadron of the Royal Pakistan Air Force (RPAF)was established. Only four days later the firstencounter of Indian RIAF and Pakistani RPAFaircraft took place when two RIAF Tempestsattacked the Pakistani Dakota. On January 15,1949, the No. 14 Squadron was disbanded due tothe fact that during December the unit had losttwo Tempests and without replacement aircraftthe situation became critical. The supplies ofnew Tempests commenced in March 1949 andthe aircraft were immediately allocated to thecombat units. They received the serials from A128to A151 and were easily recognizable thanks totheir desert camouflage scheme. The recognitionstripes were not applied. As the material andpersonal situation improved on December 15,1949, the No. 14 Squadron was re-activated underthe leadership of Polish pilot Julian KazimierzŻuromski. On March 24, 1950, the unit has beenrelocated to Miranshah for its first combatdeployment against Faqir of Ipi uprising.KITS 06/2023INFO Eduard60June 2023Page 61
481064 Tempest Mk.II landing flaps (PE-Set)FE1208 Tempest Mk.II seatbelts STEEL (PE-Set)644104 Tempest Mk.II LööK (Brassin)644115 Tempest Mk.II LööKplus (Brassin)648636 Tempest Mk.II wheels (Brassin)648637 Tempest Mk.II undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)648638 Tempest Mk.II gun bays (Brassin)648639 Tempest Mk.II cockpit (Brassin)648641 RP-3 60lb rockets for Tempest Mk.II (Brassin)648654 Tempest Mk.II exhaust stacks (Brassin)648686 Tempest Mk.II landing flaps PRINT (Brassin)SIN64875 Tempest Mk.II ESSENTIAL (Brassin)3DL48030 Tempest Mk.II SPACE (3D Decal Set)D48086 Tempest Mk.II stencils (Decal Set)D48087 Tempest Mk.II roundels (Decal Set)EX796 Tempest Mk.II TFace (Mask)HA626 (ex MW391), F/O, Ian S. Loughran, No. 10 Squadron, Royal Indian Air Force, Jamnagar, India, January 1952HA626 flew with the No. 10 Squadron carryingthe original aluminum scheme with the fuselagenational insignia in place of the original “Chakra”markings. There is the IAF No. 10 Squadroninsignia in the form of a Winged Dagger in theyellow circle painted under the windshield. It wasdesigned by F/O Ian Steele “Locky” Loughran andpainted for the first time on Tempest Mk.II serialnumber HA626.Recommended:for Tempest Mk.II 1/48# 644104# 648639# 648637KITS 06/2023INFO Eduard61June 2023Page 62
#82111Bf 109G-6 late series1/48The ProfiPACK edition of German fighter aircraft Bf 109G-6 in 1/48 scale.The kit features Bf 109G-6 with so-called Erla canopy and standardor redesigned bigger tailplane.plastic parts: Eduardmarking options: 5decals: EduardPE parts: yes, pre-paintedpainting mask: yesresin parts: noProduct pageRe-releaseKITS 06/2023INFO Eduard62June 2023Page 63
WNr.160303, Hptm. Friedrich Eberle, CO of III./JG 1, Volkel, the Netherlands, November 1943WNr. 15729, Obstlt. Hermann Graf, Stab./JG11, Jever, Germany, early 1944WNr. 411960, Hptm. Franz Dörr, CO of III./JG 5, Gossen, Norway, May 1945Friedrich Eberle, the commanding officer ofIII. Gruppe of JG 1, was downed in this Bf 109G-6on January 30, 1944. The man who recorded thekill was a P-47D Thunderbolt jockey, Lt. RobertBooth, of the 369th FS, 359th FG, a fighter ace witha total of eight kills to his credit. Booth himself wasdowned a few months later, on June 8, 1944 andbecame a POW. Eberle was injured but survived theencounter with Booth and led III. Gruppe until April27, 1944. In July 1944, he was appointed the CO ofIII./JG 4. Eberle led his unit in Operation Bodeplatte,the attack on Allied airfields on January 1, 1945. Hewas court martialled for cowardice but finally wasacquitted of the charge and survived the war with33 kills. Eberle´s aircraft had been marked witha double chevron but in accordance with temporaryorders, this marking was painted over and thecommander´s aircraft was marked with a number.The JG 1 crest was painted on the left side of thecowling only. The rear part of the fuselage waspartially overpainted with RLM 76 to tone it down.This aircraft was manufactured by the Erla factoryas a Bf 109G-5 high-altitude fighter but wasconverted to G-6 standard later. What was typicalfor the G-5 and retained during the conversionwas the anti-fog capsule in the windscreen. Thecamouflage scheme is unusual – the formercamouflage including the Stab marking wasoversprayed with a light grey color, probablyRLM 76.Hermann Graf commanded JG 11 fromNovember 11, 1943 till March 29, 1944 and despitethe fact that he was officially banned from flying,he managed to down seven aircraft – amountingto the final kills of his career. He is credited with212 victories in total (the majority of which werewith JG 52 and three with JGr. 50). He was awardedfor his successes during the war as well as after.He received Diamonds to his Ritterkreuz withOak Leaves and Swords, the fifth recipient of thishonor, on September 29, 1942. Graf participated inpropaganda campaigns, and he was a member ofthe Luftwaffe soccer team. At the end of the war,Graf led JG 52 and retreated from East Prussia viaSilesia to Bohemia and surrendered to US forces atPísek on May 8, 1945. He was promptly handed overto the Russians and spent more than four years inRussian captivity.Franz Dörr downed his first victim, a BritishWellington bomber, on September 29, 1941 asa member of 1.(Erg.)/JG 3. This unit wasredesignated 7./JG 5 on January 1, 1942. In earlyMay 1944, Dörr took command of III. Gruppe ofJG 5 and led this unit till the end of war. Dörrwas awarded the Ritterkreuz on August 19, 1944.He managed to down 122 enemy aircraft – hisscore is marked on the rudder of his personalBf 109G-6, WNr. 411960. This aircraft wasmanufactured at the Erla factory and sports allits typical characteristics such as the small bulgeon the right side of the cowling and differentgun troughs. The exact color of the spinner isinconclusive from photographic evidence but canbe black with a white spiral. The small disc on therear fuselage identified III. Gruppe aircraft.KITS 06/2023INFO Eduard63June 2023Page 64
Oblt. Kurt Gabler, CO of 8./JG 300, Jüterbog – Waldlager Air Base, Germany, July 1944WNr. 165350, Lt. Anton Hafner, CO of 8./JG 51, Tilsit-Ost, Germany, August 1944The personal aircraft of Oblt. Kurt Gabler flewwithout camouflage. This saved on weight, reduceddrag, and made the aircraft more effective in thepursuit of the fast Mosquitos. The white tail andwingtips identified the leader´s aircraft sinceGabler provisionally led III./JG 300 from June20, 1944. The wide red tailband was common toJG 300 aircraft at the time. Gabler´s tally of 17 killsis depicted on the rudder. Gabler was wounded inaction in late September 1944 and flew no furthercombat sorties through to the end of the war.The camouflage was stripped off the aircraft tolower aerodynamic drag and help the pilot in theaforementioned pursuit of RAF Mosquitos. Thewings seem to be oversprayed with one color,likely RLM 75. The national insignia on the lowerwings surface is not confirmed by photos. Theupper cowling, canopy framing and some accesspanels could be either camouflaged or made ofa darker metal.Hafner was photographed in the cockpit of thisparticular aircraft in August 1944, when his unit wasbased at an airfield close to Tilsit in East Prussia(today Sovetsk, a city on the Russian-Lithuanianborder). Anton Hafner is credited with a total of204 victories, all of them achieved as a JG 51 pilot.He served with JG 51 not only on the Eastern Frontwhere he downed the majority of his opponents, butin North Africa as well, where he was shot down andinjured. He met up with his destiny on October 14,1944. During a dogfight with his 204th and final victim,a Yak-9, Hafner hit some trees and succumbed to hisresulting injuries. He was awarded the Ritterkreuzon August 23, 1943 and Oak Leaves were added onApril 11, 1944. The appearance of this aircraft waspartially reconstructed from existing photos. It couldhave the standard rudder. The fuselage is darkenedwith blotches of RLM 74 and 75 color.OVERTREES OVERLEPT#82111XBf 109G-6 lateseries 1/48#82111-LEPTBf 109G-6 lateseries PE-Set 1/48Product page Product pageRecommended:for Bf 109G-6 late series 1/4848885 Bf 109G-6 (PE-Set)FE910 Bf 109G seatbelts STEEL (PE-Set)644003 Bf 109G-6 LööK (Brassin)644060 Bf 109G-6 LööKplus (Brassin)648240 Bf 109G-6 cockpit (Brassin)648247 Bf 109G exhaust stacks (Brassin)648250 Bf 109G-6 engine & fuselage guns (Brassin)648255 Bf 109G-6 propeller (Brassin)648261 Bf 109G-6 wheels (Brassin)648265 Bf 109G external fuel tanks (Brassin)648309 Bf 109G undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)648310 Bf 109G control surfaces (Brassin)648843 Bf 109G-6 cockpit PRINT (Brassin)3DL48014 Bf 109G-6 SPACE (3D Decal Set)KITS 06/2023INFO Eduard64June 2023Page 65
www.eduard.com/bfcBUNNY BUNNY FIGHTERFIGHTERCLUBEduard's special membership club for all modeling enthusiasts!15% Permanent Club discount at Eduard Store – you will receive permanent 15% discount on all Eduardproducts and also discount on various other non-Eduard products. Fixed, permanent, forever!Unique valuable Club kits and accessories – you will gain access to unique and nowhere else to be soldproducts, specially made for BFC members.Even better prices at Eduard events stand – do you know that Eduard usually has huge discounts ontheir products at fairs and events all over the world? BFC members will have even higher discount atthese events.Club T-shirt – you will receive fancy BFC T-shirt with unique design and special barcode(used for event discounts). This exclusive T-shirt will be only availableto the members of BFC.Free entry fee on E-day – you will not have to pay a penny to visit Eduard's E-day.That means lot of fun at E-day for two days and entry kit, absolutely free!* E-day - INTERNATIONAL SCALE KIT EXHIBITION - IPMS Czech Republic ChampionshipBOX CONTENT:Plastic parts, Marking options 6, Decal Set, PE parts, Maska, Brassinparts (two different types of wheels, landing flaps, dust filter witheyelid, intake ring and RP-3 60lb rockets), 3D decals for main and si-dewalk instrument and control panels with photo-etched details andseat belts.BOX CONTENT:Plastic parts, Marking options 4, Decal Set, PE parts, Maska, Brassinparts (undercarriage wheels, cockpit, exhaust nozzle, FOD).How to become a member of BFC?How to become a member of BFC?Simply by purchasing the Activation product. You will be given 15% discount on (almost) every Eduardproduct in your shopping cart. To apply this discount, the Activation product has to be in your shoppingcart. Activation product is excluded from this calculation.Activation products:Activation products:Tempest Mk. V + T-shirt 1/48MiG-21MF + T-shirt 1/72Page 66
BRASSINLööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard and STEELseatbelts for Mi-8MT in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble,replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: ZvezdaSet contains:- resin: 3 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details:yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noLööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard and STEELseatbelts for PV-1 in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble, replacesplastic parts. Recommended kit: Academy / RevellSet contains:- resin: 3 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: no644215Mi-8MT LööK1/48 Zvezda644216PV-1 LööK1/48 Academy/RevellProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard66June 2023Page 67
634035Hurricane Mk.IIb w/ rounded exhausts LööKplus1/32 RevellCollection of 4 sets for Hurricane Mk.IIb in 1/32 scale.Recommended kit: Revell- LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)- TFace painting mask- undercarriage wheels- exhaust stacksBRASSINCollection of 4 sets for Hurricane Mk.IIb in 1/32 scale.Recommended kit: Revell- LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)- TFace painting mask- undercarriage wheels- exhaust stacks634037Hurricane Mk.IIb w/ fishtail exhausts LööKplus1/32 RevellProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard67June 2023Page 68
BRASSINCollection of 4 sets for F-16A MLU in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: Kinetic- LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)- TFace painting mask- undercarriage wheels- ejection seatBrassin set - the undercarriage wheels for SpitfireMk.IXc in 1/24 scale. The set consists of the mainwheels and tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replacesplastic parts. Recommended kit: AirfixSet contains:- resin: 3 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: yes644214F-16A MLU LööKplus1/48 Kinetic624004Spitfire Mk.IX wheels 5spoke1/24 AirfixProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard68June 2023Page 69
BRASSINBrassin set - crowbars for German WWII AFV in 1/35 scale.The set consists of 6 crowbars. Made by direct 3D printing.Set contains:- 3D print: 6 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no635030WWII German crowbars PRINT1/35Brassin set - lamp headlights for GermanWWII AFV in 1/35 scale. The set consistsof 12 headlights of 2 types (6+6). Made bydirect 3D printing.Set contains:- 3D print: 24 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no635029WWII German lamp headlights PRINT1/35Product pageProduct pageINFO Eduard69June 2023Page 70
635031WWII German starter crank handles PRINT1/35635032WWII German pickaxes PRINT1/35BRASSINBrassin set - crack handles for German WWIIAFV in 1/35 scale. The set consists of 3 crankhandles. Made by direct 3D printing.Set contains:- 3D print: 3 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: noBrassin set - pickaxes for German WWII AFVin 1/35 scale. The set consists of 4 pickaxes. Madeby direct 3D printing.Set contains:- 3D print: 4 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: noProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard70June 2023Page 71
BRASSINBrassin set - cockpit for Fw 190F-8in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 20 parts- decals: yes- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: no- SPACE 3D decals: no648824Fw 190F-8 cockpit PRINT1/48 EduardBrassin set - the guns for Camel 2F.1in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 13 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no648725Sopwith Camel 2F.1 Lewis gun PRINT1/48 EduardProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard71June 2023Page 72
BRASSINBrassin set - the engine for F4F-3 in 1/48 scale.The cowlings are included. Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 35 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: noBrassin set - cockpit for Bf 109G-6 in 1/48scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 21 parts- decals: yes- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: no- SPACE 3D decals: no648843Bf 109G-6 cockpit PRINT1/48 Eduard648825F4F-3 engine mid PRINT1/48 EduardProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard72June 2023Page 73
BRASSINBrassin set - pre-painted radio equipmentfor Bf 110G in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- resin: 3 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no648862Bf 110G radio equipment1/48 EduardBrassin set - cockpit for F-35A in 1/48 scale.Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: TamiyaSet contains:- 3D print: 15 parts- decals: yes- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: no- SPACE 3D decals: no648859F-35A cockpit PRINT1/48 TamiyaProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard73June 2023Page 74
BRASSINBrassin set - the undercarriage wheelsfor B-25J in 1/48 scale. The set consistsof the main wheels and a nose wheel.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: HKMSet contains:- resin: 3 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: yesBrassin set - the undercarriage wheelsfor Mi-8MT in 1/48 scale. The set consistsof the main wheels and nose wheels.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: ZvezdaSet contains:- resin: 3 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: yes648864Mi-8MT wheels1/48 Zvezda648863B-25J wheels1/48 HKMProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard74June 2023Page 75
BRASSINBrassin set - ammunition magazines for Lewis gunsin 1/48 scale. The set consists of 12 magazines.Made by direct 3D printing.Set contains:- 3D print: 12 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no648867Lewis 47-cartridges ammo magazines PRINT1/48 TamiyaBrassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Mi-17in 1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheelsand nose wheels. Easy to assemble, replaces plasticparts. Recommended kit: AMKSet contains:- resin: 3 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: yes648865Mi-17 wheels1/48 AMKProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard75June 2023Page 76
BRASSINBrassin set - the laddet for F-16 in 1/48 scale.Easy to assemble. Made by direct 3D printing.Set contains:- 3D print: 1 part- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: noBrassin set - two engines for B-25Jin 1/48 scale. The cowlings are not included.Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: HKMSet contains:- 3D print: 8 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: no648870B-25J engines PRINT1/48 HKM648869F-16 ladder PRINT1/48Product pageProduct pageINFO Eduard76June 2023Page 77
BRASSINBrassin set - the propeller for Bf 109F in 1/72 scale.The spinner could be removed.Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 2 parts- resin: 4 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no672313Bf 109F propeller early PRINT1/72 EduardBrassin set - gunsight for B-25J in 1/48 scale.Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: HKMSet contains:- 3D print: 1 part- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no648871B-25J bombsight PRINT1/48 HKMProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard77June 2023Page 78
BRASSINBrassin set - the propeller for Bf 109F in 1/72 scale.The spinner could be removed. Made by direct3D printing. Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 2 parts- resin: 4 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no672314Bf 109F propeller late PRINT1/72 EduardProduct pageBrassin set - fuselage gun barrels for Bf 109F in1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 1 part- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: no672315Bf 109F gun barrels PRINT1/72 EduardProduct pageINFO Eduard78June 2023Page 79
BRASSINBrassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Bf 109Fin 1/72 scale. The set consists of the main wheels anda tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- resin: 3 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: yes672316Bf 109F wheels PRINT1/72 EduardProduct pagePage 80
BRASSINCollection of 4 sets for F4F-4 in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: Eduard- engine- gun bays- landing flaps- wheel bayAll sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.SIN648105F4F-3 w/ early engine ADVANCED1/48 EduardProduct pageINFO Eduard80June 2023Page 81
BRASSINCollection of 5 sets for F-16 in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: Kinetic- AN/AAQ-13 LANTIRN pod- AN/AAQ-14 LANTIRN pod- AGM-65 Maverick (2 sets)- AIM-9M/L SidewinderAll sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.SIN68106F-16 armament w/ Maverick missiles1/48 KineticProduct pageINFO Eduard81June 2023Page 82
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BIG EDAll sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,but with every BIG ED set you save up to 30%.BIG33151 Hurricane Mk.IIb 1/32 RevellBIG49367 F-16A MLU 1/48 KineticBIG49368B-25J glazed nose 1/48 HKM32481 Hurricane Mk.IIb landing flaps 1/32321006 Hurricane Mk.IIb 1/3233344 Hurricane Mk.IIb seatbelts STEEL 1/32JX305 Hurricane Mk.IIb 1/3249103 Remove Before Flight STEEL491334 F-16A MLU 1/48FE1335 F-16A MLU seatbelts STEEL 1/48EX929 F-16A MLU 1/48481101 B-25J bomb bay 1/48491336 B-25J glazed nose 1/48FE1337 B-25J glazed nose seatbelts STEEL 1/48EX925 B-25J glazed nose 1/48Product pageProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard92June 2023Page 93
All sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,but with every BIG ED set you save up to 30%.BIG EDBIG49369 F-35A 1/48 TamiyaBIG72173C-130J PART I 1/72 Zvezda49103 Remove Before Flight STEEL491332 F-35A 1/48FE1333 F-35A seatbelts STEEL 1/48EX921 F-35A 1/4872728 C-130J exterior 1/7273794 C-130J interior 1/72SS794 C-130J 1/72Product pageProduct pageINFO Eduard93June 2023Page 94
MASKSJX309 Spitfire Mk.I1/32 KotareJX310 Spitfire Mk.I TFace1/32 KotareJX311 AH-64E1/35 TakomJX312 AH-64E TFace1/35 TakomEX947 Mi-8MT1/48 TrumpeterEX948 Mi-8MT TFace1/48 TrumpeterEX949 F-4E1/48 MengEX950 F-4E TFace1/48 MengEX951 A6M2 Zero Type 21 Weekend1/48 EduardEX952 Tempest Mk.II Weekend1/48 EduardCX648 MiG-29 9-121/72 Great Wall HobbyJX309 Spitfire Mk.IJX311 AH-64EJX311 AH-64EJX312 AH-64E TFace JX312 AH-64E TFaceJX312 AH-64E TFaceJX312 AH-64E TFaceJX309 Spitfire Mk.IJX310 Spitfire Mk.I TFaceJX310 Spitfire Mk.I TFace JX310 Spitfire Mk.I TFaceJX310 Spitfire Mk.I TFaceIT FITS!INFO Eduard94June 2023Page 95
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RELEASESJUNE 2023KITSPE-SETSZOOMSMASKS82173 Sopwith 2F.1 Camel 1/48 ProfiPACK2142 WUNDERSCHÖNE NEUE MASCHINEN pt.1 DC 1/48 Limited84189 A6M2 Zero Type 21 1/48 Weekend84190 Tempest Mk.II 1/48 Weekend82111 Bf 109G-6 late serie Re-release 1/48 ProfiPACK53294 USS Missouri BB-63 part 3 1/350 Hobby Boss32483 Spitfire Mk.I landing flaps 1/32 Kotare321009 Spitfire Mk.I 1/32 Kotare321010 AH-64E 1/35 Takom36501 M3A4 1/35 I Love Kits36502 Panzer IV/70 (A) 1/35 Tamiya36503 Scammel Commander w/ 62t semitrailer 1/35 Hobby Boss481111 Mi-8MT cargo floor 1/48 Trumpeter481112 Mi-8MT cargo seats 1/48 Trumpeter491354 Do 335A 1/48 Tamiya491356 Mi-8MT 1/48 Trumpeter491357 Mi-8MT cargo seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Trumpeter491358 F-4E 1/48 Meng73802 MiG-29 9-12 1/72 Great Wall Hobby33349 Spitfire Mk.I 1/32 Kotare33350 Spitfire Mk.I seatbelts STEEL 1/32 Kotare33351 AH-64E 1/35 Takom33352 AH-64E seatbelts STEEL 1/35 TakomFE1354 Do 335A 1/48 TamiyaFE1355 Do 335A seatbelts STEEL 1/48 TamiyaFE1356 Mi-8MT 1/48 TrumpeterFE1357 Mi-8MT seatbelts STEEL 1/48 TrumpeterFE1358 F-4E 1/48 MengFE1359 F-4E seatbelts STEEL 1/48 MengFE1360 Tempest Mk.II Weekend 1/48 EduardFE1361 A6M2 Zero Type 21 Weekend 1/48 EduardJX309 Spitfire Mk.I 1/32 KotareJX310 Spitfire Mk.I TFace 1/32 KotareJX311 AH-64E 1/35 TakomJX312 AH-64E TFace 1/35 TakomEX947 Mi-8MT 1/48 TrumpeterEX948 Mi-8MT TFace 1/48 TrumpeterEX949 F-4E 1/48 M