KITS 07/2021

Bf 109F-4, WNr. 7183, Hptm. Hans Hahn, III./JG 2, St. Pol, France, October 13, 1941

Hans „Assi“ Hahn, a fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross with oak leaves was in command of 4./JG 2 from December,

1939 and starting from October 1940 he overtook the lead of III./JG 2. Fifty kill marks on the rudder related to his service on the

Western Front. Hahn added the fiftieth kill to his tally on October 13, 1941, shooting down a Spitfire near Boulogne-sur-Mer. Altogether he destroyed 66 enemy aircraft in the West. In late 1942 “Assi” Hahn moved to the East and commanded II./JG 54 from November 1, 1942. On February 21, 1943, he was downed and captured. He spent seven years in captivity, returning back to Germany

in 1950. He wrote a book about his life in prison Prisoner of War in Russia (Ich spreche die Wahrheit – I Speak the Truth). Hahn´s

total score stands at 108 kills. The rooster head was the crest of III./JG 2, based on Hahn´s family name (“der Hahn” means “the

rooster” in English).

Bf 109F-4, WNr. 7243, Oblt. Otto Kath, Stab/JG 54, Staraya Russa, Soviet Union, early December 1941

Otto Kath served as Geschwaderadjutant for Hannes Trautloft, the famous fighter ace and CO of JG 54 from March, 1941 till September, 1943. Trautloft retained Kath when moving from I./JG 20 to JG 54. Kath is credited with 6 kills. The standard camouflage

of RLM 74/75/76 was oversprayed with washable white paint on the upper sides as the temporary winter camouflage. The only

exception was the framing of the canopy. The non-standard Geschwader Stab marking is green, which was the color reserved

for aircraft of the HQ members. The green heart was the symbol of the JG 54 “Grünherz”. Note the yellow Eastern Front markings on the wings, rudder, and fuselage.

Bf 109F-4, Uffz. Hans Döbrich, 6./JG 5, Petsamo, Finland, September 2, 1942

This aircraft was flown by Hans Döbrich, a fighter ace credited with 65 victories. He was downed three times and seriously

wounded during the last incident. He never flew a combat sortie again. During the second half of 1942, II./JG 5 was equipped with

“Friedrichs” manufactured for service in a tropical environment. The desert camouflage colors consisting of RLM 79 and RLM

78 were applied at the factory. Feldflugpark (Repair Field Unit) in Pori added segments of RLM 74/70 (some sources state RLM

75/71) which helped to camouflage effect over the northern territory. The green shamrock on the cowling was a crest of 6./JG 5.

INFO Eduard - July 2021

eduard

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