Page 50
WNr. 5344, Maj. Helmut Wick, CO of JG 2, Beaumont, France, November 1940
WNr. 5587, Ofw. Fritz Beeck, 6./JG 51, Wissant, France, August 1940
The appearance of this aircraft falls to the period
when it was flown by Maj. Helmut Wick. At the
time it had undergone many modifications to the
camouflage scheme and tactical markings. The
changes mirrored not only Wick’s raise through
the ranks from Staffel leader to Gruppe leader
and then to commanding officer of JG 2, but also
the prescribed changes to Luftwaffe camouflage
specifications in the second half of 1940. Our
reconstruction of the aircraft shows appearance
of the final guise, when Maj. Wick was killed in
combat with Spitfires on November 28, 1940,
after achieving his 58th victory. The aircraft
carried a standard scheme of RLM 02/71/65.
The light blue fuselage sides were darkened
with a light overspray of RLM 71, which was
applied with the blunt end of a brush. The yellow
rudder was similarly dulled. The yellow rudder
and nose segments were part of later marking
modifications. The fuselage retains evidence of
the double chevron marking denoting the CO of
the Gruppe. Besides the tactical markings, the
JG 2 unit insignia was carried below the cockpit,
and on the front fuselage, there was another one
of Wick’s original 3. Staffel. The pilot’s personal
emblem, the flying kingfisher, was partly
oversprayed with the Kommodor insignia, over
which the emblem was partially reconstructed.
This aircraft had the armored windscreen
removed towards the end of its career but was
still mounted when Wick led I./JG 2. Many JG 2
Emils, including Wick’s 5344, had the fuselage
insignia crosses with accentuated black border
at the expense of the white segments, while
those on the bottom of the wing were modified as
indicated in our illustrations.
This aircraft was lost after noon of August 28,
1940, in the vicinity of East Langdon with Ofw. Fritz
Beeck at the controls. It happened during the
second escort mission of the day that culminated
in combat with RAF fighters in which the engine
of Yellow 10 was hit. After an unavoidable belly
landing the aircraft stayed in relatively good
shape, but civilian vandals and allied soldiers
changed this state before it could be inspected
by RAF experts. The aircraft sported simple but
effective camouflage. Light blue sides of the RLM
02/71/65 fuselage scheme were sprayed with
the upper surface colors. Yellow identification
colors, typical for mid-August 1940, were
applied to the wing tips, horizontal tail surfaces,
and top of the fin. As the aircraft belonged to
6. Staffel, tactical numbering and the background
II./JG 51 “Gott strafe England” emblem were
yellow. Three victory tabs on the left side were in
white. It cannot be ruled out that these were also
applied on the right side, but there is no known
evidence of this.
32219 Bf 109E (PE
-
Set)
634021 Bf 109E LööK (Brassin)
632004 Bf 109E wheels (Brassin)
632192 Bf 109E rudder pedals early PRINT (Brassin)
632193 Bf 109E rudder pedals late PRINT (Brassin)
Recommended: for
Bf 109E-4 1/32
#634021
#632192
KITS 08/2024
INFO Eduard50
August 2024