Markings for Bf 109G-6 ERLA 1/48

Bf 109G-6, Hptm. Heinrich Ehrler, CO of 6./JG 5, Alakurtti, Finland, July 1943

Heinrich Ehrler began his military career in 1935 with the anti-aircraft artillery and fought in the Spanish Civil War as a member of 3.F/88. He completed fighter training in early 1940 and was assigned to 4./JG 77, which was later redesignated 4./JG 5, based in Norway. In late May 1942, Ehrler was transferred to 6./JG 5 at Petsamo and became its commander in August. He achieved his 100th victory on June 8, 1943. During this period, he flew a Bf 109G-6 Yellow 12 in Erla factory camouflage, with the symbols of his aerial victories painted on the left side of the rudder. As the Kommodore of JG 5, Ehrler was responsible for cover of the Tirpitz battleship, which was anchored in Norway. After its sinking, he was wrongly convicted, but the sentence was commuted. On February 27, 1945, he joined JG 7, flying Me 262 jets. In combat with Liberator bombers on April 4, 1945, he managed to shoot down two B-24s and rammed a third. According to witnesses who heard Ehrler’s last words, he carried out a suicide attack. His number of victories thus stopped at 208, and for these achievements, he was decorated with the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves.

Bf 109G-6/R6, WNr. 15367, Oblt. Herwig Zuzic, CO of 8./JG 1, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, July 1943

Herwig “Lauser” Zuzic was born on June 23, 1917, in Oberweissburg, Austria. During Operation Barbarossa, he flew with 4./JG 77. On September 24, 1941, flying his Bf 109E-4 he collided with Ofw. Eugen Wintergest’s Bf 109E-7 to the north of Perekop. Both pilots were captured by the Soviets and used in propaganda efforts to convert Luftwaffe pilots to the Soviet Air Force. After a few months, they were dropped off in Romania as agents. They immediately reported to the German authorities, were reinstated into Luftwaffe service, but withdrawn from the Eastern Front. In early 1943, Zuzic served at the rank of Oberleutnant with IV./JG 1 and in March 1943 was appointed commander of 8./JG 1. He had 13 kills from the Eastern Front painted on the left side of the rudder of his Bf 109G-6 Black 1. His 14th and last victory came on July 27, 1943, when he shot down a B-17. On August 19, 1943, he collided mid-air with another Bf 109G-6 during an air battle over Zuidzande and was killed.

Bf 109G-6, WNr. 15909, Hptm. Gerhard Barkhorn, CO of II./JG 52, Anapa, the Soviet Union, September 1943

The personal aircraft of Gerhard Barkhorn, who was CO of II./JG 52, was manufactured by the Erla factory. At least a part of Erla G-6 production utilized the cowling designed for the G-5 version with an additional small bump on the right side. The name “Christl” is a reference to Barkhorn’s wife Christa. The black double chevron identifies the aircraft of the Gruppe CO. Barkhorn achieved 301 aerial victories during WWII, all of them as a member of JG 52. This makes him second among German fighter aces. His first victim was downed on July 2, 1940 and the last on January 5, 1945. In 1945, Barkhorn became the CO of JG 6 and flew Me 262 jet fighters as a member of JV 44 shortly before the German surrender. In the post war era, he joined Bundesluftwaffe. Barkhorn was awarded the Knight’s Cross on August 23, 1942 with Oak Leaves (on January 11, 1944) and Swords (on March 2, 1944).

Bf 109G-6/R6, WNr. 26048, Oblt. Friedrich Brock, 8./JG 54, Ludwigslust, Germany, January 1944

Friedrich Brock was born on May 6, 1916, in Perlach. In August 1939, he began his training at the Schule/Flieger-Ausbildungs-Regiment 23 in Kaufbeuren. In November 1940 he transferred to Flugzeugführerschule A/B 63 in Marienbad. In March 1942 he joined Jagdfliegervorschule 3 in Vienna-Schwechat and completed his fighter pilot training on November 12, 1942, with Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost in France. His first combat unit was 8./JG 54 at Siverskaya Air Base. He joined on November 13, 1942. In January 1943, III./JG 54 was transferred to Oldenburg to defend northern Germany. Brock achieved his first kill there on June 13, 1943. Later he was shot down several times during fights with American B-17s and was seriously wounded on April 8, 1944. His Black 8 aircraft bore all the identifying features of the period, i.e., the 8./JG 54 emblem on the nose, the III./JG 54 emblem under the cockpit and a blue identification stripe on the rear. Flying this aircraft, Uffz. Günther Sahl was shot down and killed on April 9, 1944. After his recovery, Friedrich Brock became the operations officer of III./JG 54 (later renamed IV./JG 26) in October 1944 and did not fly combat missions anymore. In May 1945 he was captured and after his release in September 1945 he devoted himself to his profession as a dentist. He died on May 3, 1994, in Berlin.