BUILT

Bf 109G-2/R6, flown by Hptm. Horst Carganico, CO of II./JG 5, Salmijärvi, Finland, May 1943

The first unit in which the then twenty-two-year-old Lt. Carganico served after completing flight training was JG 1 at the beginning of the war. This was

followed by service with JG 77 with which he saw combat in Norway and then the Battle of Britain. On January 1st, 1941, he returned to Norway where he

commanded 1./JG 77. On September 25th, 1941, Carganico achieved his 27th kill and was awarded the Knight‘s Cross. In March 1942, Carganico‘s unit

was redesignated as 6./JG 5 and in April 1942, he was given command of the entire II. Gruppe. On March 26th, 1944 he was given command of I./JG 5,

which saw combat against Allied forces within the Defence of the Reich. On April 27th of the same year, Carganico took off for the last time. In an attack on

a group of B-17s, his Bf 109G-5 was heavily damaged and during his attempt to belly in, he struck some high power lines. He did not survive the resulting

crash near the French town of Chevry. His final tally consisted of sixty kills over the course of 600 sorties.

The camouflage scheme on Carganico‘s aircraft consisted of RLM 74 overspray on the sides of the fuselage. The tops of the wings and the front and rear

fuselage areas were given smaller squiggles in white. On both of the fuselage sides, below the cockpit, was the unit marking II./JG 5. The left side of the fuselage behind the cockpit bore Carganico‘s personal emblem, Mickey Mouse dragging shoes that symbolised the pilot‘s return to his unit after crash landings

behind enemy lines. The aircraft likely carried the Gruppe Commander double wedge marking on the right side of the fuselage.

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INFO Eduard - August 2018

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