KITS 06/2023

Bf 109F-2, WNr. 6801, Lt. Detlev Rohwer, Stab I./JG 3, Byelaya Tserekev, Soviet Union, August 1941

Rohwer's fighter career began in September 1939 at

the Stab I./JG 3 and the first victory achieved June

6, 1940. He served in the ranks of JG 3 throughout

the entire war. He was several times shot down and

was several times severely wounded, but he always

recovered and carried on flying. Except for when his

career, and ultimately his life, ended on March 29,

1944, when his Bf 109G-6 was hit by defensive fire from

a B-17. He had to set down, and P-38s in the area were

bent on finishing him off. During their attack, Rohwer

was seriously wounded. His lower limbs had to be

amputated, but he nevertheless succumbed to his

injuries the next day. He shot down a total of 38 enemy

aircraft and was awarded the Knight's Cross. The

illustrated aircraft was flown by Detlev Rohwer during

the summer of 1942. The wing camouflage was made

up of RLM 70/02 while the fuselage had already been

sprayed in RLM 74/75. The sides of the fuselage were

covered by irregular snakes of RLM 70. The aircraft

markings were supplemented by the typical yellow

quick identification aids carried by aircraft serving in

the East, a fuselage band, wingtips and engine cowl.

The side of the cowl sports the Tatzelwurm, the unit

marking of I./JG 3 and Rohwer's personal emblem of

the Götz von Berlichingen knight below the cockpit.

The right side probably carried the Coat of Arms City

of the City of Kiel, the hometown of Detlev Rohwer.

Bf 109F-2/B, Uffz. Richard Übelbacher, 6.(Jabo)/JG 2, Abbeville-Drucat, France, Summer 1941

Austrian Richard Übelbacher was born in 1918 in

Innsbruck and after pilot and fighter training he

was assigned to 6./JG 2 in the summer of 1940.

Its commander was Oblt. Frank Liesendahl, who

later became the key officer for the deployment of

JG 2 fighter aircraft in the bomber role, primarily

against shipping targets. Übelbacher saw combat

June 2023

during the Battle of Britain and achieved his first

victory in August 1941. He also achieved an aerial

victory during the fight against the Allied landing

at Dieppe. At that time, II./JG 2 had already been

rearmed to the Fw 190A type. In the autumn of

1942, he moved with his unit to Tunisia and was

by then one of the most experienced veterans. He

had a total of seven or eight victories to his credit.

Übelbacher was killed on March 3, 1943, south-east

of Ferryville when he was accidentally shot down

by a pair of 1./JG 53 pilots with Messerschmitt

Bf 109 fighters during a landing maneuver. Richard

Übelbacher was buried at Borj Cédria and was

posthumously promoted to the rank of Leutnant.

INFO Eduard

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