Markings Bf 109G-2 1/48
Bf 109G-2/trop, WNr. 10533, Uffz. Horst Schlick, 1./JG 77, Bir-el-Abd, Egypt, November 1942
As a fighter pilot in the JG 77 ranks, Horst Schlick served with the unit from 1942 to 1945. He achieved two aerial victories on the Eastern Front and added some thirty more on the Western Front. For most of his time with JG 77, Schlick was a member of the 1. Staffel, but he was transferred to the 4. Staffel in the autumn of 1944, where he shot down his last victim. In the spring of 1945, Schlick received orders to move to the EJG 2 training unit and later to JG 7 equipped with Me 262 jet fighters. However, he did not achieve any more victories there. He conducted 480 operational flights and shot down 32 enemy aircraft (some sources state 34). Horst Schlick’s aircraft arrived on the African battlefield in the colors of RLM 70/71/76. It was complemented on the upper surfaces with irregular lines of RLM 79 paint. The undersides were painted with RLM 78. An essential part of the marking of the aircraft of the southern region, i.e., wingtips, a band on the fuselage, and a propeller spinner in white color, were also applied.
Bf 109G-2/R-6/trop, WNr. 13916, Fw. Hans Döbrich, 6./JG 5, Alakurtti, Finland, February 1943
Hans Döbrich scored 65 kills over his combat career and was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross for his achievements. On the other hand, he was shot down himself three times, with the final one resulting in serious injuries, preventing him to return to operational flying. Döbrich began using this aircraft on February 9, 1943. At that time he was already ace with 43 kills and also one of the most successful pilots of II./JG 5. Flying this aircraft Döbrich involuntarily took to his parachute due to engine failure on March 14, 1943, shortly after a scramble take-off from Salmijärvi. The original camouflage scheme composed of RLM 74/75/76 colors and was overpainted with white squiggles to make the aircraft less visible in winter conditions. The yellow identifying markings were typical for aircraft of the Eastern Front. Döbrich’s personal marking was painted under the cockpit. It was a rendition of Mickey Mouse standing over the II./JG 5’s emblem and ripping apart a Soviet I-16. The green four-leaf clover on the nose was carried by aircraft of II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 5.
Bf 109G-2/R6, Lt. Walter Krupinski, 6./JG 52, Maykop, the Soviet Union, October 1942
Walter Krupinski entered the Luftwaffe shortly after the beginning of the war in 1939 and underwent fighter pilot training. After completing his training, he was assigned to JG 52 and at the time took part in combat against the RAF. He did not achieve first kill until he moved to the Eastern Front. The number of his kills rose quickly, and by April 18, 1944, when he left the Eastern Front, there were 177 aerial victories on his account. Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves was a result of his success, and he continued operational flying on the Western Front. Firstly as the CO of 1./JG 5, but he was appointed the CO of II./JG 11 in May 1944. Later he moved on to command III./JG 26 on September 27, 1944, where he stayed until unit’s disbandment on March 26, 1945. Krupinski’s last stand was JV 44 where he was flying Me 262 and gained twenty more victories, so his final tally stopped at 197. In the fifties, he joined the new Luftwaffe, led JaBoG 33, and later the entire 3 Division of the Luftwaffe. Krupinski was forced into early retirement in 1976 and died in Neunkirchen-Seelsheid in 2000. The illustrated aircraft was used by “Graf Punski”, as he was nicknamed, in combats over the Kuban area during second half of 1942. It was camouflaged with RLM 74/75/76 colors and carried the usual yellow Eastern Front identifiers. Below the windscreen is the JG 52 unit marking.
Bf 109G-2/R6, WNr. 13633, Hptm. Wolf-Dieter Huy, 7./JG 77, Tanyet Harun, Egypt, October1942
Wolf-Dieter Huy joined the Kriegsmarine in 1935, and was transferred over to the Luftwaffe on October 1, 1937, where he underwent fighter training. His assignment was to (J)/TrGr. 186, the fighter unit of the Graf Zeppelin aircraft carrier. This ship was never completed, and the unit was redesignated III./JG 77. Huy took part in combat over France, as well as over Britain, and over the Balkans. The unit gained notable success in the battle for Crete and Huy, who accumulated 22 victories, was awarded the Knight’s Cross on June 5, 1941. The Oak Leaves were added in March 1942. After early combats on Eastern Front the unit moved to Egypt. There, on October 29, 1942, was Wolf-Dieter Huy captured after he had been shot down by future ace J. H. Nichols who was flying a Spitfire Mk.Vc of No. 601 Squadron. Huy’s Bf 109G-2 from the time the unit moved to North Africa bore the non-typical camouflage made up of RLM 70 and 71 (some sources suggest a Soviet AMT-4 Green). The yellow band behind the fuselage cross, common on aircraft serving on the Eastern Front, was hastily overpainted with a fresh color RLM 71 (or Russian AMT-4 Green), and partially replaced by white paint used on aircraft that fought on the Southern Front. The wingtips were also painted white. The rudder was decorated with the pilot’s score and awards.
Bf 109G-2/R6 WNr. 13949, Maj. Hans Hahn, II./JG 54, Rjelbitzy, the Soviet Union, January 1943
Hans Hahn, a fighter ace and a holder of the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, held a list of command positions throughout his career. From December 1939 he commanded 4./JG 2, and from October 29, 1940, he led III./JG 2. Starting on November 1, 1942, he took over command of II./JG 54, and was commanding this Gruppe up to February 21, 1943, when he was shot down and taken prisoner by the Soviets. He wasn’t freed until 1950. At the time of his capture, he had attained 108 kills, 66 of them were achieved on the Western Front. According to Russian sources, “Assi” Hahn was shot down by Soviet ace Lt. P. Grazhdaninov. Hahn himself noted that after shooting down a La-5, he was hit in the port wing and with overheated engine he was forced to land behind Soviet lines, where he was captured. The aircraft was oversprayed in white on the upper and side surfaces to better suit the winter conditions. Double chevron and the horizontal bar on the rear fuselage were the CO marking of II. Gruppe, and this Group’s unit emblem appeared below the windscreen. The JG 54’s Green Heart (Grünherz) marking was also present. The spinner and the lower sides of the engine cowl were lightly sprayed over in white.