Info EDUARD
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{"cz":"Info EDUARD"}
{"cz":"Měsíčník o historii a plastikovém modelářství.","en":"Monthly magazine about history and scale plastic modeling."}
09/2024
INFO Eduard is a monthly scale model-historical magazine published in Czech and English by Eduard Model Accessories since 2010. The magazine is available for free on the Triobo platform and can be downloaded in PDF format. Eduard is a manufacturer of plastic models and accessories with over 30 years of tradition. Throughout its history in the plastic modeling industry, Eduard has become one of the world's leaders. Further details about the company and its product range can be found at www.eduard.com. You can subscribe to the INFO magazine and receive product information for free at: https://www.eduard.com/cs/info-eduard/
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INFO Eduard# 175e-magazine FREE Vol 23 September 2024Page 2
INFO Eduard# 175e-magazine FREE Vol 23 September 2024© Eduard - Model Accessories, 2024FREE FOR DOWNLOAD, FREE FOR DISTRIBUTION!This material may only be used for personal use. No part of the textor graphic presentations can be used in another publication in any other mediaform or otherwise distributed without the prior writtenpermission of Eduard - Model Accessories and authors involved.Editorial and Graphics - Marketing department, Eduard - Model Accessories, Ltd.Page 3
eduardeduardSEPTEMBER 2024CONTENTSPublished by Eduard-Model Accessories, spol. s.r.o.Mírová 170, Obrnice 435 21support@eduard.com www.eduard.comEDITORIALKITSBRASSINPHOTO-ETCHED SETSSPACEBUILTON APPROACH–October 2024TAIL END CHARLIEARTICLESBOXART STORYBf 109G-10 Royal Class 1/72FM-2 Wildcat ProfiPACK 1/48Bf 109G-2 ProfiPACK 1/48 Re-ReleaseP-39Q Airacobra Weekend 1/48 Re-ReleaseFw 190F-8 1/72Bf 109 G-10 1/72Unordnung – Late Versions of the Bf 109 GBernie Lay and Piccadilly LilyAir War in Ukraine-F-16s with Yellow-Blue RoundelsHighlights of the Bf 109 F/G family in 1/72 scaleConvoy off OkinawaBeginning in Africa463638647890100102116Page 4
Good evening, dear Friends!Over the summer period, I was asked ona discussion forum to write in today's editorialwhat new kits we have in store for the last quarterof this year. After careful consideration, I decidednot to do it, and that's because E-day is comingup, as well as the Czech Republic Plastic ModelingChampionship. At both events, I will present newsnot only for the rest of this year, but also for thefirst half of the next. The problem is that revealingthese plans here and now would rob me of whatI have already planned for E-day and the wayI want to present them, including any surprises wemight have up our sleeves!So today I will limit myself to Septemberreleases, and also to October’s, as they will beavailable at E-day at the end of this month.NEW RELEASES FOR SEPTEMBERNew releases for September are no secret,since they have already been available for a weeknow. The centrepiece of the list is the Royal ClassBf 109 G-10 in 1:72. If you want to know my opinionabout this kit, you can find it in a column I wroteabout it for today's newsletter. It's written in a bitof an American style, inspired by my being in theStates for three weeks on holiday and I alwayssoak up the attitude to life there. In the CzechRepublic, for about two centuries now, Americanattitudes have been considered to smack ofa certain level of self admiration. According to thewidely held cultural belief by the Czechs (and notjust), a good creator should sit nicely in a cornersomewhere and wait for praise. Typically, thattakes a decade or two after the person’s death.This is the tale that Antonín Dvořák could tell. Butwe Czechs, the proud nation of F.X. Šalda, knowour stuff. It’s an attitude with a stifling quality toit alien to Americans, and it's one of the reasonswhy I always feel freer in America. Much morefree. I enjoy it there, because there, I can say thatI did something well, even extremely well, and noone will accuse me of being an arrogant braggerif the results are there to see. In fact, I would urgeCzech modellers to adopt a bit of the Americanperspective. What if we included a national self-confidence and a healthy pride in one's own workamong those American innovations we havealready managed to adopt. If we could adoptthings like a food processor, air conditioning, bigcars, hot dogs, McDonalds, hockey (Canadian,I know, but hey!), good rock and even F-35s, why notadd that sense of self worth and make it our own?God bless America!In addition to the aforementioned Royal Classkit, we are also releasing an FM-2 Wildcat in 1:48thscale as a Profipack boxing. It comes out of theolder Limited Edition releases we dubbed ‘WilderCat’, and we have two other older pieces in theform of a reissued Bf 109 G-2 in 1:48th, also inthe Profipack line, and a P-39Q Airacobra, also in1:48th, but as a Weekend kit. It may surprise youthat we are re-releasing the Airacobra that is overtwenty years old at a time when a new kit fromPoland is coming to the market. Well, releasing itwe are. Ours is not a bad kit, has its own qualitiesand has survived Japanese competition, soI think it can and will do the same here. Otherwise,however, we wish our colleagues from Poland goodluck and will be watching with interest how theyfare with their effort. This is in no way an act ofus going after someone else’s product. In fact, weare wishing them success, because their successis our success. After all, we make accessories fortheir kits, and we don't make them to not sell!NEW RELEASES FOR OCTOBEROctober's new releases will be here lickity split,and I don’t much believe you don’t now about themby now. One of these are raising some eyebrows.Yes, I mean the old 1:72nd scale Turbolet, originallyreleased by Gavia and in October in the new-ishEduard Heavy Retro line. The kit is very original andan unadulterated retro, and the era from which ithails is clearly visible on it. It has its flaws, andthey are not few in number. But even with themit's good old-fashioned, honest work. That modeldidn't come about because some geek bought akit, cut it up to look different, bathed it in epoxyand released it as a super 3D new tool kit of theyear. Its creators honestly worked on the creationof this model with determination, from the drawingto the wooden masters, through the design ofdecals, instructions and the box, all the way toreleasing it. That kit contains a large portion ofthe work and a piece of life of its designers, MichalVláčilík and Petr Podvala, and the same portionof honest work, artistic finesse and care of thecreator of the molds, Pavel Vandělík, who keptthem in good functioning condition throughouttheir existence. Now, after almost a quarter ofa century since the creation of the original kit, weare offering it once again with the addition of a fewmodern details, mainly a printed landing gear, newtransparencies, some photoetched, quality decalsand contemporary box art. Among other things, wedid this to make everyone who bought a copy of theGavia kit from the people at AZ/KP Models realizethat buying rip-offs is not cool nor necessarilythe only way to get a specific kit. We actually ownthose molds and have for some twenty years now.Patience is a virtue and it is always good to supportgood, honest work. Ultimately, when you purchasepirated kits from the people who shamelessly andblissfully rip off other peoples’ efforts, you supportand reward that behavior. It’s a lot better to lay inthe tall green grass than drown in scum….This L-410 is specifically the UVP version.If these do well in terms of sales, we’ll do othersas well. At the moment, we are ready for the L-410UVP-E.You may have noticed the distinctly Czech flavorof the new releases coming up. That can’t bea surprise to anyone, with E-day just around thecorner. In addition to the Turbolet, we also have anL-39ZA Albatros in 1:72, and a 48th scale SpitfireMk.Vb in a Limited Edition format dedicated tothe legacy built by members of the CzechoslovakAir Force who served in the RAF during WorldWar II. The kit, named THEY FOUGHT TO REBUILD,conceptually belongs to The Spitfire Story series,even if it is not strictly portrayed as such. We arereleasing it in a Dual Combo format and I believethat it will interest not only Czechs and Slovaks.So that the lineup of October new releases isnot exclusively Czech or Czechoslovak, we haveanother classic, the P-51B/C Mustang in a 48thscale Profipack rendition. It differs from theprevious P-51B, released in August, by the fin fillet.This is not such a small change, and precipitateda new sprue frame with a fuselage on it. It'sa classic Profipack with six marking options, andyou can see what these are below.EDITORIALINFO Eduard4September 2024Page 5
E-DAY 2024E-day is taking place again this year and forthe third time at the Milovice Tankodrom museum.The main exhibition day is on September 28th,2024. As usual, the hall will be open on Friday,September 27th for competing modelers andfor everyone who wants to chat and watch thepresentation of Eduard’s new releases for the nextyear in peace. But you won't miss them even if youdon't arrive until Saturday, since on that day, thispart of the program will be repeated. Otherwise,the program schedule is standard; there arediscussions with interesting guests planned, two‘the Pot’ Q & A sessions, one with me about Eduardand the other with Fredy Riedel about SpecialHobby. The space allocated for these discussionsand announcements will again be different thisyear than last, and will be on the ground floor.We have been looking for a suitable location andhope that it will finally work out this year. A bettersound system has been ordered; I think that is alsoimportant information. Catering will be largely inthe gallery, where the Pot Q & As were last year.The cafe, which was under construction last year,is finished and functional, and the elevator fromthe ground floor to the gallery is also working.There will also be a flight demonstration, with theL-410 Turbolet in the works, but I will admit franklythat at the moment we do not have any of theexpected aircraft 100% confirmed, with everyonehaving something to sort out one way or another.There is a significant change in the structureof the competition categories. We implemented areform, the essence of which is the reduction ofthe number of the competition categories. Thismeans that we have incorporated some categoriesinto other, related ones. Incorporated categoriesare those in which there were few entries last year,in the order of single digit or very low double digitcompetitors. This typically happened with shipswhere there were, for example, six sailboats thathad their own separate category. Similar is thecase with helicopters, where last year there wasonly one competitor in 32nd scale. But you don'thave to worry about contestants in these canceledcategories losing their awards. We have introducedseveral award levels. One level will be the classicfirst, second and third. The next level will numberaround forty this year, intended for models thatdeserve an award for their quality, even if they donot reach the podium by gaining the necessarypoints due to one handicap or another. Anotherimportant part of the award structure will be thespecial theme awards, for twelve models withprecisely defined characteristics, such as the BestBust or the Best Submarine. The next level of awardwill be those of companies, clubs and individuals.For example, the Aero Vodochody award for thebest aircraft model of a Czechoslovak producedaircraft or the Iron Bunny award. In addition tothe championship cup, the overall winner willalso receive an interesting and valuable award.It will be an ultrasonic knife, donated by Annetra.The awards presentation system will also change.Only first place category awards, theme awards,some corporate and club awards, and the overallwinner award will be presented on stage duringthe medal ceremony. The rest of the hardwarewill be handed over at the counter where themodels will be accepted at the beginning of theexhibition. You don't have to worry that this methodof delivery being somehow impersonal, informal orundignified. Trust me, it will have its own qualityand level! We will describe the awards presentationsystem in more detail on our Facebook page, ourE-day page and other places as well. I will beexplaining all the changes and new elements inboth the judging system and presentation at theNational Championship in Prague this Saturday,September 7th. And lest I forget, each contestantwill receive a model for the exhibiting modelersthis year. Not a standard ticket item, but a modelspecially prepared for exhibiting modelers only.You can also find a list of the competitioncategories and special prizes in today's newsletterissue. The author is Luboš Kuna. This is the manwithout whom and his ingenious managementand evaluation system there would be no modelcompetition in the Czech Republic today.A small flame has already broken out onModel Forum around the upcoming changes.I understand that the modeling community is quiteconservative and doesn't like change. We, on theother hand, like changes and often implementthem. While it is important to recognize how andwhen to evolve for the better, this also createsfriction, tension and unrest. I would therefore liketo ask you for patience and foresight, and aboveall for the decency to not jump the gun and startcriticizing what has yet to be, until it becomesa past event that can be discussed rationallybacked up by actual real information.ARTICLES AND OTHER PUBLISHED ITEMSAs usual, and it must be stated again that,unfortunately, we have the next installment ofthe Air War over Ukraine series by Mira Baric.Something tells me that a twist is coming, but wewon't see it in Mira's articles until at least a monthafter the fact.From me, we have ‘Unordnung’ an article on thedevelopment of the late versions of the Bf 109 Gwith DB 605AS and DB 605D engines...the Bf 109G-6/AS, G-14/AS and G-10, as well as a feature onthe qualities of the Bf 109 G-10 Royal Class kit. Next,we have the second part of the article about BernieLay by Jan Zdiarsky. I also recommend the reportfrom this year's aviation day in Oshkosh by JakubNademlejnsky. You won't be bored here, I've beenthere and I know what it’s about!We have two Boxart stories, both by Jan Bobek.The first, dedicated to the Bf 109 G-2, is about theopening battles of I./JG77 in Africa in the autumnof 1942. The second deals with the escort aircraftcarrier USS Petrof Bay and the combat deploymentof its onboard fighters against the JapaneseKamikaze pilots on April 6, 1945.While I was writing this editorial, Most and itssurroundings, specifically the chemical factorylocated between Most and Litvínov, once againmade it to the front pages of the news. That doesn'thappen often here, and in our circumstances, suchmedia interest signals some kind of trouble. Weare a bit of a strange, somewhat wild region here.Although in July, during the Paris Olympics, we werealso on TV every day, and it was entirely positivethanks to the Olympic Park at the Most lake. This isa lake that was formed by the flooding of a formermine that displaced the beautiful historic town atits original spot. That was a big mess and a crime,really. That's common here. And now, compared tothe destruction of the old Most, we currently havea rather small but interesting problem. A bombhas been discovered unexploded, a 100 kilogramBritish aerial bomb from the Second World War. It'snot just any bomb. It's unique because it's timed.This type has not been found in Bohemia since thewar, and only explosives experts in Germany haveexperience with this type. The timer should havedetonated the bomb after 144 hours at the latest,but it didn’t, and it is eighty years late. The bombhad been in the ground a short distance fromthe wall of the old power station since February,1944, when the largest raid took place on thesynthetic gasoline plant in Záluží near Most, thenknown as STW Brüx. The raid was carried out bythe RAF, about 600 Lancasters destroyed not onlythe factory, but also several villages in the vicinityof the factory and seriously damaged the townsof Most and Litvínov. It was the air raid with thegreatest loss of civilian life out of all eighteen airraids against Most, the chemical facility in Záluží.Of these, sixteen were American and two wereBritish. The first British attempt failed due tobad weather, the second succeeded by stoppingthe production of fuel at STW Brüx until the endof the war. It was only restored in 1947, when thefactory was already named after Stalin, popularlyknown as Stalinák. That was another chapter inthe dramatic history of our region. We will writemore about that sometime in the future.Happy ModellingVladimir Sulc.PS. The bomb was successfully detonated withoutloss of life on August 30th 2024, at 1213h.God save the King!EDITORIALINFO Eduard5September 2024Bf 109 G-10 1/72 - What the new kit offers
When I submitted an article about the 72nd scale Mustang kit and its benefits to modelers, I was not reprimanded for it, and on the back of it I promised that if the opportunity arose and I was asked, I would write something else similar. Little did I know that the opportunity would arise the very next month and that I would be asked almost immediately. I understood right from the get go that it would not be so easy and that it would be better to stick to the spirit of a famous quote from an equally famous play. How can I write something that will differ from the previous article in more than just the name of the kit? I thought about it for three weeks, put together two Bf 109 G-10s in the meantime and one other Messerschmitt from a competitor to have some comparison and benchmark of quality, value and the like. The third in the party was the Japanese Bf 109 G-6, but that's okay. While building two G-10 kits, I found two minor errors, one on the molding and one in the instructions. The result of my efforts and thinking is the following writeup.
Bf 109 G-10 1/72When I submitted an article about the 72ndscale Mustang kit and its benefits to modelers,I was not reprimanded for it, and on the back ofit I promised that if the opportunity arose andI was asked, I would write something else similar.Little did I know that the opportunity would arisethe very next month and that I would be askedalmost immediately. I understood right from theget go that it would not be so easy and that itwould be better to stick to the spirit of a famousquote from an equally famous play. How canI write something that will differ from theprevious article in more than just the name ofthe kit? I thought about it for three weeks, puttogether two Bf 109 G-10s in the meantime andone other Messerschmitt from a competitor tohave some comparison and benchmark of quality,value and the like. The third in the party wasthe Japanese Bf 109 G-6, but that's okay. Whilebuilding two G-10 kits, I found two minor errors,one on the molding and one in the instructions.The result of my efforts and thinking is thefollowing writeup.There really isn't much to add to the kit andits construction either compared to the Mustangor compared to the previous ‘109s. In terms ofevery aspect, it is very much an Eduard kit. Theplastic sprues are cleanly molded and the partsfit together perfectly. The first kits from theseries of Bf 109 F/G/K in 1:72nd, the Bf 109 F andG-2/G-4 had one questionable part from thispoint of view in the gun troughs for the fuselagemachine guns, which were glued separately intoopenings in the engine cowl on each fuselagehalf. The designers stuck to this solution, alreadyused on the 1:48th scale kits. They had a prettygood reason for that, keeping the engine covercompact. But the problem is that this createda complex parting line on the mold along thecontour line of the openings for the troughs in theengine cover, which is also the contact plane forgluing the parts together. Any imperfection in themolding here causes a problem with the partsfitting together. And, unfortunately, that’s whathappened, even though we played with the finetuning of the mold for a really long time, we evenredid the inserts for the Bf 109 F and adjustedthe technological process of mold production forthe G-2 and G-4. This helped, but many modelersand reviewers continue to report a problem withthis aspect of the kit. For the Bf 109 G-6 and G-10,the approach has been altered, with the upperpart of the nose with the gun troughs is glued asa separate part into the hole in the upper part ofthe fuselage.The problem with the alignment of the guntroughs is solved by using this method, but on theother hand, it results in a visible joint betweenthe fuselage halves and panel that contains thetroughs. It was not a feature on the real plane, soon the model the line needs to be lightly puttiedand sanded. It's no Grand Canyon, it's a line inthe order of a fraction of a millimeter that looksjust like an engraved line on the assembly. If youdon't cut into the plastic somewhere or damagethe part, you won't be able to putty much, unlessyou really want to be absolutely historically andtechnically accurate. In that case, on the Erla andMesserschmitt models, you can putty the accesscover to the compressed air cylinder for theMK 108 fuselage gun in front of the fifth fuselagebulkhead on the right side of the fuselage, whichwas only present on the Bf 109 G-10/U4, theWNF machines. There is no need to putty thejoint between the fuselage and the vertical fin,which is glued in the same way as the Bf 109 Fand G, as well as the Mustang...just inserting itinbetween the fuselage halves before they areglued together. In fact, this part does not evenneed to be glued in place at all, just insertedbetween the fuselage halves just before theyare cemented together. The fin pulls itself intothe correct position and locks in place. Similarly,the undercarriage legs settle into their correctposition. These are again glued into a tunnel inthe wheel wells that creates a housing for thepins located on the landing gear leg that seatsthem in the correct position.There is even no need to putty the jointbetween the wing assembly and the fuselage.At its trailing edge, the joint connects to theengraving of the fuselage bulkhead and, afterinstalling the wing in the fuselage, creates a lineof width identical to the width of the panel line.This is actually one of the innovations employedsince the 48th scale kit, where the joint betweenthe wing and fuselage was a constant targetof criticism. The same can be said of the oldersolid position lights. In the 72nd scale kit, theseare transparent and separate items. By the way,this is an element that we included in the kits atthe request of modelers and reviewers. We didn'treally want to get into the separate position lights.I myself was against it for a long time, becauseI considered it, and still do, a difficult elementthat complicates the construction of the model,and offers no major advantage when consideringthe additional construction complexity. Evenseparating the part from the frame and cleaningthe sprue gate is a demanding operation for me,requiring strong nerves and a steady hand. I'mnervous doing that, and at least one of thoseslippery little buggers are guaranteed to escapethe grip of my tweezers and disappear into theoblivion of the cosmos. Irreversible. I've neverfound one of these after the fact. However, I'm notlamenting and you shouldn't be lamenting either,you got what you wanted. Most of you, anyway.To make things a little easier for you, you havespare lights on the clear sprue. Who else will dothat for you?I consider the wing solution to be the highlightof this kit, especially when it comes to its design.It is completely separate, and allows the controlWhat the new kit offersINFO Eduard6September 2024Page 7
surfaces to be positioned. For the Bf 109 G, thismeans separate slats on the leading edge, and onthe trailing edge, the ailerons, flaps and radiatorflaps. I understand that this element may appearto some as controversial and a complication ofassembly, but I can assure you that this is notthe case. All these parts fit absolutely perfectly,they have few sprue gates, and gluing this wholeassembly in place is easy even for beginners.I understand that due to our release schedulesurrounding the Royal Class and Limited Editionkits, the former in a Dual Combo boxing, with twosets of molds and covering a number of subtypeswith different combinations of details, these kitsseem complex. The instructions are complex andrequire a thorough familiarization. But if you alsotake into consideration the later editions, namelythe Profipack and especially Weekend releases,then there is nothing dramatically complicatedabout these kits, which can be considered prettytypical for 72nd scale. Yes, unlike the competition,the kit has a unique wing dynamic, which meanssome six extra parts. However, I do not considerit unreasonable, and certainly not impossible,to make a kit today, even in this scale, withnot offering the option of lowered flaps. I amquite sure that we would then record the samefrequency of complaints about the outdatedconcept of the kit, as we now record about itsperceived and constantly justified complexity.One of the essential attributes of our kits is thelarge number of alternative parts. It is in thembecause we create complete lines of subtypesof selected aircraft, and that simply cannot bedone without alternative part options. This isthe essence of the technical development ofevery type of machine used over a longer spanof service career, not only aircraft. It is no longerwell possible to complete this development withone or two versions out of many. After all, wehave worked for many years to ensure that ourkits map the development of individual types ofaircraft in this way. In theory, we could divide thealternative parts into several smaller framesand put only the one correct frame in the kitof a specific subtype and thus save on plasticthat would otherwise be thrown away later.But if you take the time to study the technicaldevelopment of a historically significant aircraft,which you have a great opportunity to do in thisissue of our newsletter, you will find that thanksto the interweaving of the characteristics ofmany development and production versions, itwould actually be one helluva road map. So, inthe interest of preserving the sanity of all kitdesigners, to say nothing of those who packagethe kits, we just do it the way we do it. I believeit's called logistics. In the case of the Bf 109 G-10,this means that I used 68 parts from the kit tobuild one Bf 109 G-10 WNF and had 104 left over.This includes small parts that are duplicated ortripled in the kit to account for parts that goingflying off in some direction from tweezers thathad just that much more pressure applied tothem than they should have. Now that I've writtenit like that, I'm wondering if I counted the unusedparts correctly. But that’ll be a right ballparkfigure. In short, don't worry about it. Just keepthe rest of the parts in your spares box, whichis a lot better than being an environmentalterrorist and throwing them in a river for the fishto wonder what the hell’s going on. They can beused, ultimately, to spruce up older kits that arenot quite up to the same standard, such as theaforementioned Bf 109 G-6. So, despite all theecologists, I still believe that no carp or whalehas yet died as a result of eating the rest of theplastic from a kit, and I simply believe that modelmakers will never voluntarily throw any plasticpart out. The fact that something falls under thetable and is instantly pounced upon by the carpetbastard is another story, as we all know.In recent years, the assessment ofconstruction kits in the media has visibly shiftedto a focus on the plastic. As if there was nothingelse interesting about the kit, as if its value andquality were determined solely by the quality ofthe plastic parts. But when I watch the behaviorof modelers working their way through theracks of kits at shows and take note of whatthey are interested in first when looking atthe box, it is almost never the plastic. The firstthing most modelers are interested in is colorschemes. They look at them, study them, andthen only briefly examine the plastic. That's howit's always been, and that's how it always willbe. Camouflage, markings, pilots, preferablysome aces and the action depicted on the boxart, are the things that interest, entertain andattract modelers. That's what always comesfirst! Not every manufacturer understands this;that's why most kits have an average of threemarking options, and often only two and not veryimaginative ones at that. They are often manytimes repeated markings and very often simpleschemes. One is sometimes more colorful, withsome kind of emblem or nose art, and the restis something simpler. It’s sort of like danglingthat proverbial carrot before the donkey withoutgetting him too excited. This style stagnated thenineties with heavy boredom, exactly what we donot intend to do. As I wrote last time in the articleabout the Mustang, the world is evolving, andeven the modeler is looking for some enjoyment.Anyone who regularly follows Eduard knowswhere to find it.There are ten marking options in the initialRoyal Class Bf 109 G-10 kit. These cover not justGerman versions….four of them are for foreignusers. They are aircraft of the Hungarian, Italianand Croatian air forces, and the fourth non-German machine is a post-war Czechoslovak AviaS-99. Probably the most striking is the Croatianbird, which also has an interesting history behindit. Not that the other options are worse off, butthe Croatian one is a bit of a breath of fresh air.Decals are ours, the so-called ‘peelable’ ones.I will remind you for the one hundred and sixtiethtime that peeling is optional, strictly voluntary,decals provide the same quality performancewithout peeling off the carrier film. If there isanyone reading this who still has an aversionto our decals, please give them a chance. Forexample, here in the Royal Class kit, there issuch a large sheet of decals that it would be ashame not to learn how to work with them usingspares. It just takes training, practice and want.After all, you can't even peel an egg without it, sowhat are you waiting for??In this series of late Bf 109s, we have a setof molds for five subtypes: the Bf 109 G-6/AS,the Bf 109 G-14/AS, the Bf 109 G-10/R6 (Erla),Bf 109 G-10 (Messerschmitt), and the Bf 109G-10/U4 (WNF). We will release them graduallyin different editions over the next two years orso. The entire series of 72nd Bf 109 F/G/Ks will becompleted next year with the Bf 109 K-4. I believethat you will not be intimidated by their perceivedcomplexity and that you will have royal funbuilding them, because, if I say so myself, RoyalClass equals Royal Fun!Happy Modelling!Vladimír ŠulcINFO Eduard7September 2024Unordnung – Late Versions of the Bf 109 G
The development of these late versions of the Bf 109G, manufactured in a series of related and therefore similar versions, was the German aviation industry’s response to a requirement to quickly supply Luftwaffe units with high performance fighters to combat the Allied bombing offensive of the spring of 1944. The appearance of the P-51B and D Mustang with the 8th and 15th American Air Forces showed that the need to offset the increasing obsolescence of German fighters was becoming critical. The anticipated replacement of the then standard Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6/G-14 with the Bf 109K, powered by the DB 605D, was not yet possible in the spring of 1944 due to the protracted development of the airframe and engine alike. The design element of Messerschmitt in Regensburg found an interim solution by installing the DB 605AS into the Bf 109G-6, and this modification made use of items that were already designed and were construction ready, intended to be used in the engine installation in the Bf 109K.
HISTORYThe development of these late versions of the Bf 109G, manufactured in aseries of related and therefore similar versions, was the German aviationindustry’s response to a requirement to quickly supply Luftwaffe units with highperformance fighters to combat the Allied bombing offensive of the spring of 1944.The appearance of the P-51B and D Mustang with the 8th and 15th American AirForces showed that the need to offset the increasing obsolescence of Germanfighters was becoming critical. The anticipated replacement of the then standardMesserschmitt Bf 109G-6/G-14 with the Bf 109K, powered by the DB 605D, wasnot yet possible in the spring of 1944 due to the protracted development of theairframe and engine alike. The design element of Messerschmitt in Regensburgfound an interim solution by installing the DB 605AS into the Bf 109G-6, and thismodification made use of items that were already designed and were constructionready, intended to be used in the engine installation in the Bf 109K.Unordnung – Late Versionsof the Bf 109 GBf 109 G-6/AS, Bf 109 G-14/AS, Bf 109 G-10Original color photograph of a Bf 109 G-14/AS from the Messerschmitt Regensburg factory at the Salzburg-Maxglan base in June, 1945. (Photo: National Archives)Vladimír ŠulcINFO Eduard8September 2024Page 9
Simply put, the DB 605AS and DB 605Dwere created by installing the largersupercharger from the DB 603 in the DB 605A.The performance of these superchargers wasaround 25% greater than the ones installedin the DB 605A. The first developmentalversion of the DB 605 outfitted with thelarger supercharger was the DB 605AS,originally designated as the DB 605A (Sonder).The intended fuel for these engines was theB4 with an octane rating of 87. The first DB605AS engines were available at the beginningof 1944. As spring became summer that year,the DB 605ASM appeared, which burned C3fuel with a 96 octane rating. Other versions ofthe AS engine were developed (ASCM, ASMO,ASB, ASC) utilizing various combinations of B4and C3 fuels, and different GM-1 nitrous oxideboost systems and variations of the MW50injection system for short term power output ofthe engine. These included the GM-1 (injectionof nitrous oxide into the engine cylinders),MW-50 (injection of a 50:50 mixture ofmethanol + water into the compressor intake),MW-30 (methanol + water at 70:30), EW-50(ethanol + water 50:50) and EW-30 (ethanol +water 70:30). The GM-1 and MW-50 systemscould in some cases be installed together inthe same airframe, but their simultaneoususe was prohibited and practically impossible.Depending on the different sub versions of theengines used, the aircraft were equipped withdifferent versions of radiator, oil tank and airintake to the supercharger compressor, too.DB 605AS engines powered the Bf 109G-6/AS and Bf 109 G-14/AS produced atMesserschmitt's Regensburg and Erla plantsin Leipzig.The first version of the Bf 109 G powered bythe DB 605AS engine was the Bf 109 G-6/AS.Its production began in April, 1944 at theMesserschmitt factory in Regensburg, where349 units were produced as new builds in thefollowing production blocks:• Block 163,000 - 163,994, 226 units wereproduced from April to June 1944.• Block 164,380 – 164,999, 37 were producedfrom August to December 1944• Block 165001 - 165999, 47 units wereproduced from August to December 1944.• Block 166001 - 166644, 39 units wereproduced from August to December 1944.Added to these numbers were 104 Bf 109G-5 and 472 Bf 109G-6 airframes rebuilt to ASstandard between February and August, 1944atErla, Mimetall and Blohm & VossBesides a modified engine cowling withlarge oval fairings over the superchargercompressor and fuselage guns, knowninformally to Luftwaffe personnel as the‘Horse’s Ass’, an updated and lightened canopy(Erlahaube), a larger diameter VDM 9-12159propeller (same as the later G-10 and K-4) anda tall fin and rudder, the original design of theBf 109G-6 was left intact. They were equippedwith a standard Fo 870 radiator used in the G-6,HISTORYBf 109 G-10/U4 WNr. 611943, equipped with a DB 605 D engine, is currently part of the Planes of Fame Air Museum collection in Arizona. This aircraft displays the distinctivefeatures of the WNF production series. It was captured in May 1945 following the group flyover and surrender of II/JG 52 from Austria to Neubiberg, Bavaria. This Bf 109probably bore the designation "Yellow 13" and, based on its serial number, is documented to have belonged to the Hungarian 101. Vadászezred unit. Photo: Vladimír ŠulcINFO Eduard9September 2024Page 10
HISTORYthe bottom section of the cowling was smoothwithout the two small fairings covering the oilpump, and the oil tank was also the same ason the G-6. The difference from the later G-10came in the oil filler cap on the left side of thenose immediately above the small air intakewhich was in the same location as on theBf 109G-6. In the G-10, the cover over the capwas placed higher due to the increase in sizeof the oil tank. The supercharger intake alsoremained the same as compared to the G-6,which was smaller than the later G-10. So thatthings weren’t all that simple, some airframesof later production, or during refurbishment,received the larger diameter superchargerintakes and larger Fo 987 oil cooler thatappeared on the Bf 109G-10. The oil coolers ofthese aircraft, produced by Erla, had the Erlaspecific Fo 987 cover developed for the laterBf 109G-10. It wasn’t as deep as the same oilcooler mounted in the G-10 at Mtt. Regensburgand WNF. The cockpit canopy with a simplifiedErlahaube frame was of the older type withsharp rear corners of the opening portion,new-build versions being equipped witha short antenna mast behind the cockpit. Someof the G-6 conversions had the mast mountedon the canopy frame. There were also versionswithout a mast altogether. The tailwheel strutwas short and was with or without a dust cover,and the fairings above the wheel wells wereas they were on the G-6. All aircraft wereequipped with a FuG 25 IFF system with a smallblade antenna on the bottom of the secondfuselage section.The part of these aircraft that weredesignated Bf 109G-6/AS/y were equippedwith a FuG 16ZY DF homing system, the whipantenna for which was located under the wingbelow the fuselage.Most aircraft had fuselage mounted MG151/20 cannon, but a number of convertedBf 109 G-6/U4s were armed with a MK 10830mm weapon firing through the propeller hub.These were designated Bf 109 G-6/U4/AS andaccording to H.H. Vogt, 153 were produced.In the Bf 109G-6/AS, the MW50 methanolwater injection system installation was not yeta standardized feature, and would have beenrecognizable by a box shaped opening locatedin the rear cockpit wall. Of course, that doesn’tmean that the MW50 system was not installedin the Bf 109G-6/AS. Some aircraft were soequipped. Bf 109G-6/AS aircraft equipped withMW50 were designated Bf 109G-6/MW50/ASor Bf 109G-6/U3/AS, and later redesignated asBf 109G-14/AS.Aircraft designated Bf 109 G-6/U2/AS, onthe other hand, were equipped with theGM-1 injecting nitrous oxide into the enginecylinders, which increased engine powerabove 10,000m (32,800 feet), in contrast to theMW-50 system, which increased engine powerat lower altitudes of up to 6,000m (19,700 feet).The Bf 109 G-6/U2/AS was to be built to thetune of 273 units. In addition to them, 23 photoreconnaissance Bf 109 G-6/U2/R2/AS wereproduced, and probably some Bf 109 G-8/ASairframes as well, but their production numberis unknown.As already mentioned in the introduction,high-altitude Bf 109 G-5s were also convertedto the Bf 109 G-5/AS standard. They wereessentially the same as the G-6/U2/AS, butthere was a larger air intake on the left sideof the fuselage below the cockpit windcsreenfor cockpit ventilation. H.H.Vogt states thatthe rear of the engine cowling bulges wereshallower than on the Messerschmitt-builtG-6/AS and G-14/AS. The Bf 109 G-5/ASequipped with the Erlahaube cockpit canopywas no longer pressurized, however, it cannotbe ruled out that the functionality of the cockpitpressurization system was also maintainedwith this type of canopy. In any case, silicagel capsules were still installed in the glassof the canopy to help prevent fogging of theglass. Also documented on the Bf 109 G-5/AS isa special cylindrical tank located on a hangerbeneath the fuselage, which was probably partof the GM-1 system.One Bf 109 G-6/AS was converted into a two-seat Bf 109 G-12/AS trainer. The fuselage codewas DF+CC.The first aircraft were delivered to unitsin April and May, 1944 (III./JG1, I./JG3, I./JG5,II./JG11), and these were followed by I./NJGr.10,II./JG27, I./JG1 and III./JG300 in June and July,1944.INFO Eduard10September 2024Page 11
The following is a breakdown of thegeneral features of the Bf 109G-6/AS:1. Wide engine cowl side panels with rivetedsemielliptical aerodynamic fairings to fuselage.2. Radiator under the engine as on standardG-6, Type Fo 870.3. The use of the larger Fo 987 radiator is alsorecorded, with an Erla cover as on the G-10Erla built in the 15xxxx and 49xxxx blocks.4. Lower engine cowling minus bulge below theoil tank.5. Older aircraft with VDM 9-12087 propeller(as on standard G-6), later versions with largerVDM 9-12159 propeller with wider paddleblades (as on the G-10).6. Smaller supercharger intake on the left sideof the cowling, as on standard G-6, althoughsome aircraft (later production or overhauled/repaired aircraft) were given the larger intake(as on the G-10).7. Access cover to supercharger clutch oilpump on the right side of the engine cowl wasin a lower position.8. Oil filler cap cover on the left side of thenose in lower position.9. Tall tail, Type 1.10. Short tailwheel (usually).11. Cockpit canopy with sharp inside cornersat the rear and with a small antenna maston the fuselage behind the cockpit. Aircraftconverted from standard G-6s had the mast onthe canopy frame and a number of these werewithout a mast altogether.12. The G-6/AS/y had a whip antennaassociated with the FuG 16zy system below thefuselage(below the wing)13. Small blade antenna for the FuG 25a IFFsystem below the fuselage behind the wingtrailing edge.14. Wing fairings over the wheel wellswere of the small type, as on the G-6, withcorresponding wheels.15. Some Bf 109G-5s were converted to the G-5/AS, serial numbers 110xxx. They were the sameas the G-6/AS, but carried a special tank belowthe fuselage (associated with the GM-1?)16. Most aircraft carried fuselage MG 151/20cannons.17. The cover on the 5th fuselage segment werea feature of the Bf 109 G-6/AS/U4 with a MK 10830 mm fuselage cannon. A total of 151 of themwere converted from the Bf 109 G-6/U4 built atWNF, of which one was built by Erla, 130 weremade by Mimetall and twenty by Blohm & Voss18. The GM-1 system pressure cylinder fillingneck cover, present on the Bf 109 G-6/U2/AS.A total of 265 Bf 109 G-6/U2 conversions wereproduced, of which 104 were performed byErla, 98 by Mimetall and 63 by Blohm & Voss.In addition, 45 photo-reconnaissance Bf 109G-6/U2/R2/AS were also produced at Erlathrough conversion of Bf 109 G-6/U2s.HISTORYINFO Eduard11September 2024Page 12
Bf 109 G-14/AS ERLA, ProductionBlock 460 300 – 460 670 (50 Units)1. Wide engine cowl side panels with rivetedsemielliptical aerodynamic fairings tofuselage.2. Radiator under the engine as on standardG-6, Type Fo 870, though some aircraftreceived the larger Fo 987 unit with thesame covering, as on the Erla G-10.3. Lower engine cowling minus bulge belowthe oil tank.4. VDM 9-12159 propeller with wider paddleblades.5. Supercharger air intake on the left sideof the cowling as on standard G-6, althoughsome aircraft were given the larger intakeas on the G-10.6. Access cover to supercharger clutch oilpump on the right side of the engine cowlwas in a lower position.7. Oil filler cap cover on the left side of thenose in lower position.8. Tall tail, Type 1.9. Short tailwheel (usually).10. Cockpit canopy with rounded insidecorners at the rear and with an antennamast on the canopy frame.Bf 109 G-14/ASThe production of the Bf 109 G-6/AS wasfollowed by the production of the Bf 109 G-14/ASversion, powered by the DB 605ASM engine andequipped, as standard, with a system for injectinga mixture of methanol and water into the intakeof the MW 50 compressor. The installation of thissystem can be recognized by the box-shapedbulge on the rear wall cockpit, covering thebattery, moved forward from its original positionbetween the 1st and 2nd fuselage bulkheads forthe installation of the MW 50 system tank. TheDB 605 ASM engine used 96 octane C3 gasolineas fuel. Another distinctive feature of the Bf 109G-14/AS was the standard installation of the FuG16ZY direction finding system and its associatedMorane-type whip antenna (Moranmast), stillinstalled under the leading edge of the leftwing. The FuG 25a IFF system was also standard.The Bf 109 G-14/AS were produced as new atMesserschmitt and Erla. There is no evidencethat they were purposely created by conversionfrom older Bf 109 G-6 and G-14, but it is likely thatparts of the airframes of older machines wereused in their production.Airframes produced in production block 460300 to 460 670 (50 units) by Erla had the smallersupercharger air intake and a smaller Fo 870 oilcooler as on the Bf 109G-6, and had an identiclelower engine cowl, meaning they did not havefairings around the oil pumps on the bottomof the nose. Most machines from productionblock 461 100 to 461 999 (73 pieces) then had thelarger Fo 987 radiator, but with a specific fairingexclusive to Erla, which optically does not appearas deep as the fairing of the same Bf 109 G-10radiator produced by Messerschmitt and WNF.The lower engine cowl of these aircraft thuscorresponds to that of the later G-10 airframescoming out of Erla.The aircraft from Messerschmitt inRegensburg had, in addition to a few airframesfrom August 1944 production blocks 165 xxx and166 xxx, a larger intake to the supercharger anda larger Fo 987 radiator (as the later G-10). Underthe nose, two characteristic bulged fairingscovering the oil pumps appeared for the firsttime. However, the nose oil tank remained ofthe small variety with the filler neck in a lowerposition just above the port suction pocket. Thefin and rudder was of the tall variety. LaterMesserschmitt production machines receivedrudders with a straight lower edge and threetrims. The canopy was of the newer Erlahaubetype with a rounded rear corner of the canopyframe and low antenna mast on the. The propellerwas a VDM 9-12159 with wide blades. Some lateraircraft received larger 660 x 190mm wheels,and with them large, elongated fairings on theupper surface of the wing. The tailwheel on theErla aircraft (46xxxx) was short, and long on theMtt. Regensburg version. The fill access coverto the supercharger clutch oil pump on the rightside of the engine cowl was in a lower position,above the cowl fastener. Most, if not all, aircrafthad fuselage mounted MG 151/20 cannons.. Fromthe summer (July Erla, August Mtt) 1944 to theend of the year, around 1400 Bf 109G-14/AS wereproduced, 123 of them at Erla and the rest atMesserschmitt. The date of the end of productionof the Bf 109 G-14/AS at Messerschmitt is unclear.H.H. Vogt states that production ran until March,1945. However, as early as October, 1944, Bf 109G-10s from production block 130 xxx were onthe assembly line, with which G-10 production atRegensburg ended, again according to H.H. Vogt,in December 1944, and which produced only 123units. At the same time, from the end of August1944, serial production of the Bf 109 K-4 began.Of course, the completion of some Bf 109 G-14/AS still early in 1945 cannot be completely ruledout. It should also be taken into account that theairframes of the Bf 109 G-14/AS and the Bf 109G-10 from Regensburg were practically identical,the production of G- 14/AS and G-10 followedeach other immediately. Some of the few G-10sproduced are said to have been fitted with DB605 ASM engines and designated Bf 109 G-10/AS.There is some logic to be found in these largelyconflicting timings, but it is probably wisest toclose the matter with the understanding that it isvery complicated at best.HISTORYINFO Eduard12September 2024Page 13
11. A whip antenna associated with theFuG 16zy system was located under theleft wing (protruding from a glass panel),as with the G-10.12. Small blade antenna for the FuG 25a IFFsystem below the fuselage behind the wingtrailing edge.13. MW50 water-methanol injection systemand its associated equipment – a box fairingon the rear wall of the cockpit behind theheadrest, and an access panel on the rightside of the spine behind the cockpit.14. Wing fairings over the wheel wellswere of the small type, as on the G-6, withcorresponding wheels.15. Most aircraft were armed with fuselagemounted MG 151/20 cannons. The coverlocated in the fifth fuselage segment onlyappeared on aircraft with MK 108 30mmcannons mounted in the fuselage.Bf 109 G-14/AS Mtt. Regensburg(Production Block 780 xxxto 787 xxx)1. Wide engine cowl side panels with rivetedsemielliptical aerodynamic fairings tofuselage.2. Radiator under the engine was the largerFo 987 as on the G-10.3. Lower cowling with bulges below oiltank.4. VDM 9-12159 propeller with wider paddleblades as on the G-10.5. Supercharger air intake on the leftside of the cowling was of the larger type,as on the G-10.6. Access cover to supercharger clutch oilpump on the right side of the engine cowlwas in a lower position.7. Oil filler cap cover on the left side of thenose in lower position.8. Small wheel well fairing on the upperwing as on the G-6, with correspondingwheels, with corresponding 660 x0 160wheels.9. Taller tail Type 6 or Type 9 (later aircraft).10. Usually, a long tailwheel. Shorttailwheel has been documented in laterproduction blocks.11. Cockpit canopy with rounded insidecorners at the rear and with an antennamast on the fuselage behind the cockpit(usually).HISTORYINFO Eduard13September 2024Page 14
12. A whip antenna associated with theFuG 16zy system was located under theleft wing (protruding from a glass panel),as with the G-10.13. Small blade antenna for the FuG 25a IFFsystem below the fuselage behind the wingtrailing edge.14. MW50 water-methanol injection systemand its associated equipment – a box fairingon the rear wall of the cockpit behind theheadrest, and an access panel on the rightside of the spine behind the cockpit.15. A number of later aircraft, manufacturedat the end of 1944 received a DB 605Dengine.16. Most aircraft were armed with fuselagemounted MG 151/20 cannons. The coverlocated in the fifth fuselage segment onlyappeared on aircraft with MK 108 30mmcannons mounted in the fuselageBf 109 G-14/AS from the Messerschmitt Regensburg factory, with which Croatian pilot Vladimir Sandtnerfrom the 2nd Fighter Squadron "Zrakoplovno lovačko jato" defected to Italy on April 16, 1945, landing atthe Falconara base. (Photo: Fold 3)HISTORYINFO Eduard14September 2024Page 15
Bf 109 G-10In the summer of 1944, deliveries began ofthe DB 605D, in development since 1942, withan automatic barometric supercharger rpmcontrol system, dictated by altitude. Afterthe initial DB 605DM and DMO were produced,these engines were delivered in two mainversions. The DB 605DB was used with B4 fuelin conjunction with the MW50 methanol waterinjection system, and the DB 605DC, burning96 octane C3 fuel, without the MW50 systeminstalled. Nevertheless, the DB 605DC had theMW50 vents installed, enabling the conversionof the DB 605DC to the DB 605DB and vice versa.The DB 605D were installed exclusively withthe larger Fo 987 oil cooler, a larger, 54 litre oiltank, and larger supercharger air intake.Production of the Bf 109G-10 powered byvarious models of the DB 605D, replaced theBf 109G-6/AS and G-14/AS in the fall of 1944.A common feature of all Bf 109G-10s, besidesthe aforementioned installation of someversion of the DB 605D and the associatedwider engine cowl (‘Horse’s Ass’), was theinstallation of the larger Fo 987 oil coolerinstead of the original Fo 870 in the G-6/G-14,larger ALF 907C wing radiators instead ofthe original ALF 750Bs, larger superchargerair intakes and VDM 9-12159 propeller. Alsocommon features were the simplifiedErlahaube canopy and tall fin. The Bf 109G-10was manufactured at three facilities: ErlaLeipzig, Messerschmitt Regensburg and Wienerneustadter Flugzeugwerke. The G-10 was to bean interim aircraft, pending the production ofthe modernized Bf 109K, also powered by theDB 605D. In reality, the first G-10s did not beginto arrive from Erla Leipzig at their intendedunits until October, 1944, essentially at thesame time as the first Bf 109K-4s. But it shouldbe noted that Bf 109K-4 production remainedlimited up to the end of the war, and essentiallywas not initiated at Erla or WNF.The genesis of the G-10 can be said to bedifferent for each of its three manufacturers,and each of these three manufacturers tackledproduction of the Bf 109 G-10 in a way thatcorresponded to their abilities and prevailingconditions. In this context, the shape of theengine cowl is typical for each of the threemanufacturers. Both Messerschmitt andWNF had similar units, yet the two factoriesdiffered slightly in the shape of the largeside fairings above the supercharger and thefuselage machine gun lugs. In contrast, theErla solution was significantly different, andit can be said that it was aerodynamicallymore refined and sophisticated, but with theexception of the fairing on the right side of theengine cowl. Typical of the Erla machines wasthe left part of the upper engine cowl withouta visible, retrofitted riveted bulge, the absenceof fairings on the front bottom of the cowling,and the traditionally longer gun troughs of thefuselage machine guns.The first to go into production was the ErlaG-10, which was entrusted the responsibility ofproducing the Bf 109G-10 as a quick, temporaryreplacement for the delayed Bf 109K-4 project.Production at Erla began in September, 1944,and 1709 aircraft were delivered in twoproduction blocks.Messerscmitt produced 129 DB 605Dinstallations for the Bf 109G-14/AS reportedlysome in November and possibly even inDecember. This was to catch up to theproduction of Bf 109G-14/AS aircraft withthe DB 605D, and were basically the sameairframes with the 605D. Messerschmitt thenturned its attention to Bf 109 K-4 aircraft solely.In December, 1944, production began of theBf 109G-10/U4 at WNF Diana. Production ofthese aircraft came out of the mating of theDB 605D with the Bf 109G-14/U4 airframethen mounting the DB 605A, and becamesomewhat of a peculiarity, differing from theapproach taken by Erla. The likely reason forinitiating production of their own version ofthe Bf 1009G-10 instead of the RegensburgK-4s, at the time already in production, wasthe anticipated problems with startup of Bf109K-4 manufacture under conditions broughtabout by Allied bombings of the WNF facility.There were issues with implementing all thenecessary changes required for the startupof the new version, and with the co-ordinationof the supply chain from the various suppliersthat would be involved. To understand thisdecision, it needs to be taken into account that,of all the firms involved in Bf 109 manufacture,the WNF plant was under the greatest pressurefrom Allied bombings and was the closest tothe front. Production of the Bf 109 G-10 at WNFwas probably just shy of a thousand units, andof that total, 650 Bf 109 G-10/U4 and 300 photoreconnaissance Bf 109 G-10/R2s were built.In all, 2600 Bf 109 G-10s were manufactured.Bf 109 G-10/R6 Erla Production Blocks 150 xxx,151 xxx, 490 xxx and 491 xxxErla Leipzig was entrusted with makingpreparations for the change of manufacturefrom the Bf 109G-6 to the G-10 as an interimsolution to the delay in Bf 109K-4 productionat Mtt. Regensburg. This was likely influencedby the fact that Messerschmitt was fullyimmersed in not only the design of the Bf 109K, but especially on the completion of thedevelopment of the Me 262 fighter and gettinginto production. The new Bf 109G-10 from Erladiffered from the G-6/AS and G-14/AS visuallyin the aerodynamic bulging of the enginecowl on the left side, where the standard (forthe other versions of the G-10, G-14/As andG-6/AS) characteristic large riveted bulgewas absent. The bulge on the right side of thecowl also differed in form from the other twomanufacturers. It wasn’t as large, ended closerto the longitudinal axis od the aircraft, and wasas smooth. In fact, the skin looked a bit ruffled,lacked a certain elegance, and was in directcontradiction of the aerodynamic finesse ofthe rest of the cowl. Perhaps, it was one ofthe items labeled as Bastardflugzeug, whichappeared in connection to the Bf 109 G-10in the document Flugzeug-Baureihen BlattBf 109, issued in August, 1944 by the officesof TLT (Chef der Technischen Luftrustung).The oil cooler was of the Fo 987 larger type,with the specific Erla cover which was not asdeep as the other variations with this radiator.Visually, the size of this unit lay between thestandard G-6 with an Fo 870 cooler and theG-10 with the Fo 987 produced at WNF/Diana.Aerodynamically, the entire bottom of theengine cowl was clean, with no bulges underthe oil pumps in the nose, characteristic for theG-10s produced at Mtt. Regensburg and WNF.Typical for Erla was also the upper engine cowlwith longer gun troughs. Production beganwith Production Block 490 130 to 490 399 (270units of the Bf 109 G-10) in September, 1944, andwas followed by Block 490 400 to 490 799 inMesserschmitt Bf 109 G-10 WNr. 491407, produced at the Erla factory, photographed in early 1945. This aircraftbelonged to 3a Squadriglia, 1o Gruppo Caccia. On March 17th, 1945, Capt. Cesare Marchesi crashed the planeat the Ghedi base. (Photo: JaPo)HISTORYINFO Eduard15September 2024Page 16
October. All remaining airframes built up to theend of the war in blocks 491 xxx, 150 xxx and151 xxx were to Bf 109 G-10/R6 standard. TheR6 suffix indicated the presence of an PKS 12autopilot. The first planes reached Luftwaffeunits in the second half of October. In all, Erlabuiilt 1,520 Bf 109 G-10s.The identifying features of thisversion are:1. Engine cowl – left side wide cowl withoutthe elliptical bulged structure; right sidewith elliptical aerodynamic feathering to thefuselage.2. Bottom of engine cowl without bulges belowthe oil tank, but with a wider front sectionthan seen on the standard G-6 and G-10 fromMtt. Regensburg and WNF.3. Radiator under the engine was the largerFo 987 with a specific covering.4. Large supercharger intake on the left side ofthe cowl.5. Oil tank filler cap access placed higher up onthe left side of the nose.6. Access cover to supercharger clutch oilpump on the right side of the engine cowl wasin a higher position (extending to the gun troughpanel).7. VDM 9-12159 propeller with wide blades.8. Small wheel well fairing on the upper wingas on the G-6, with corresponding wheels. Couldalso have larger wheels with larger fairings.At least a part of the 150 xxx and 151 xxxProduction Blocks had the larger wheels (660x 190) and the corresponding larger upper wingfairings, as were seen on G-10s produced byWNF.9. Cockpit canopy with rounded inside cornersat the rear.10. Antenna mast on the canopy frame on 49xxxxaircraft, without a mast on 15xxxx aircraft.11. Longer gun troughs for the fuselage guns andtypical form of skinning around them.12. Long tailwheel.13. Type 1 tail (could have had an additional trimtab on the upper trailing edge) or Type 6 (latermachines) in the 490 xxx and 491 xxx range.14. Type 6 or 9 tail in the 150 xxx and 151 xxxrange.15. A whip antenna associated with the FuG 16zysystem was located under the left wing (glasscover).16. Small blade antenna for the FuG 25a IFFsystem below the fuselage behind the wingtrailing edge.17. MW50 water-methanol injection system andits associated equipment – a box fairing on therear wall of the cockpit behind the headrest(with, in this case, the PKS 12 Autopilot unitbelow it), and an access panel on the right sideof the spine behind the cockpit.18. The cover located in the fifth fuselagesegment only appeared on aircraft with MK 10830mm cannons mounted in the fuselage. Erlaproduced Bf 109 G-10s had a fuselage mountedMG 151/20 cannon, and typically lacked theaccess cover. There could be cases where theproduction of the fighter used the fuselage ofan older airframe that had the access cover inplace, though.HISTORYINFO Eduard16September 2024Page 17
Bf 109 G-10 Messerschmitt Regensburg,Production Block 130 100 to 130 700The Messerschmitt mother plant inRegensburg produced 123 Bf 109G-10s throughNovember and December, 1944, switchingover from the Bf 109G-14/AS by replacing theDB 605AS with the DB 605D. the last threepieces were evidently delivered in January, 1945.This aircraft were externally virtually identicalto later G-14/AS aircraft coming out ofMtt. Regensburg (780 xxx to 787 xxx ProductionBlock), and differed only in small details.General identifying features of thisversion were:1. Wide engine cowl side panels with rivetedsemielliptical aerodynamic fairings tofuselage.2. Bottom cowl panel with small bumps underthe oil tank.3. Radiator under the engine was the largerFo 987.4. Larger supercharger intake on the left sideof the cowling.5. Oil filler cap cover on the left side of thenose in higher position.6. Access cover to supercharger clutch oilpump on the right side of the engine cowlwas in a higher position. The original lowerposition was patched over.7. Wide blade propeller as on the G-10(VDM 9-12159)8.Tall tail Type 6.9. Cockpit canopy with rounded inside cornersat the rear and without an antenna mast onthe fuselage behind the cockpit, with theantenna lead going directly into the fuselage(or could also be attached to a mast on thecanopy frame on some aircraft).10. Long tailwheel.11. A whip antenna associated with theFuG 16zy system was located under the leftwing (glass panel).12. Small blade antenna for the FuG 25a IFFsystem below the fuselage behind the wingtrailing edge.13. MW50 water-methanol injection systemand its associated equipment – a box fairingon the rear wall of the cockpit behind theheadrest, and an access panel on the rightside of the spine behind the cockpit.14. Small fairing covering the wheel wells onthe upper surface of the wings, as on the G-6,with corresponding wheels.15. Fuselage mounted MG 151/20 cannons. Thecover located in the fifth fuselage segmentonly appeared on aircraft with MK 108 30mmcannons mounted in the fuselage, andMesserschmitt did not install that weaponon their G-10s, only the MG 151/20. There mayhave been instances where the cover waspresent as a result of using older airframes,such those of the Bf 109G-4.HISTORYINFO Eduard17September 2024Page 18
Bf 109 G-10/U4 WNF/DianaProduction Blocks 610 xxx to 612 xxx andBf 109 G-10/R2 Production Block 770 xxxBf 109G-10/U4 coming out of the productionfacility at Wiener Neustadter Flugzeugwerkecame about as a modification to theBf 109G-14/U4 made by WNF, powered bya DB 605A and armed with fuselage mountedMK 108 30mm cannon. For this modification,experience gained by Messerschmitt in theproduction of the Bf 109G-14/AS was used,from which the G-10/U4 differed only insome minor details: standard installationof the MK 108s and their associated accessto the compressed air bottles in the fifthfuselage segment on the right side and theshorter tailwheel. The installation of thefuselage mounted cannon allowed for thealternate mounting of MG 151/20 weapons.The Bf 109G-10/U4 received, likely due tothe higher weight of the aircraft, largerwheels measuring 660 x 190mm and the long,elongated (rectangular) upper wing fairingsover the wheel wells. The shorter tailwheelwas probably due to an effort to simplify thesupply chain from sub-contractors. Becausethe production plant in Vienna was essentiallydestroyed along with the city proper byAllied bombings begun in the summer of 1943,Bf 109G-10/U4 production was limited todispersed sub-contractor facilities andisolated plants. One of the isolated plants wasDiana, constructed in three railroad tunnelsthat were a part of the line between Brno andHavlickub Brod in Moravia. Final assemblyand verification flights were made at Prague-Letnany and in Olomouc. Production continuedfrom December, 1944 to March, 1945. Thisvariant also formed the basis of the postwarCzechoslovak Avia S-99/C-10. In total, up tothe termination of production in March, 1945,650 Bf 109 G-10/U4s were made. Besidesthese, WNF also produced some three hundredreconnaissance Bf 109 G-10/R2s equippedwith Rb 75/30 or Rb 50/30 cameras, locatedbehind the cockpit between bulheads 1 and2. That was the space occupied by the tank forthe Mw 50 system in the standard Bf 109 G-10,which in this version was moved to betweenthe 2nd and 3rd fuselage bulkheads. Thefuselage armament remained the same as inthe standard fighter, but it is not clear if thiswas the MK 108 or the MG 151/20.The general identification featuresof this version are:1. Wide engine cowl side panels with rivetedsemielliptical aerodynamic fairings tofuselage.2. Lower cowling with bulges below oil tank.3. Radiator below the nose was the largerFo 987 type.4. Larger supercharger intake on the left sideof the cowling.5. Oil filler cap cover on the left side of thenose in higher position.6. Access cover to supercharger clutch oilpump on the right side of the engine cowlwas in a higher position. The original lowerposition was patched over (on some aircraft).A photo taken at the Neubiberg base in Bavaria after the end of the war in Europe, May 1945, shows a Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-10 WNr. 610783,"Black 21" from 7./JG 52, produced by WNF. (Photo: JaPo)HISTORYINFO Eduard18September 2024Page 19
7. Wide blade propeller as on the G-10(VDM 9-12159)8. Tall tail Type 9.9. Cockpit canopy with rounded insidecorners at the rear and without an antennamast on the fuselage behind the cockpit,with the antenna lead going directly intothe fuselage (or could also be attached toa small mast on the canopy frame as wasthe case with the postwar CzechoslovakC-10/S-99).10. Short tailwheel.11. A whip antenna associated with theFuG 16zy system was located under theleft wing (glass panel).12. Small blade antenna for the FuG 25a IFFsystem below the fuselage behind the wingtrailing edge.13. MW50 water-methanol injection systemand its associated equipment – a box fairingon the rear wall of the cockpit behind theheadrest, and an access panel on the rightside of the spine behind the cockpit.14. Fairings covering the wheel wellswere of the large variety and had thecorresponding 660 x 190mm wheels.15. All aircraft were built as U4 mods, with30mm MK 108 cannons and associatedequipment: a large cannon cover belowthe instrument panel in the cockpit andan access hatch to compressed air bottlesin the fifth fuselage segment on theright side. The installation of the enginemounted weapon allowed for the use of theMG 121/20. This was because there wereissues with the MK 108 cannon that aroseduring production.CONCLUSIONS:It’s all pretty complex, isn’t it? It appearsto all be a mixed bag of almost ‘non-German’chaos. It’s one thing to get a handle on thefeatures differentiating individual versions,but it’s another thing altogether graspingwhere they came from and why there weresimultaneously so many versions of essentiallyone type. Where was that German attempt attype unification? Add to that that the Bf 109K-4was only mentioned in a peripheral way and thefact that other simultaneously produced fightersfor the Luftwaffe was ignored altogether. Eventhe grasping of the specifications of individualversions is no simple matter. The entire situationonly begins to gain some clarity only when all ofthis chaos is considered with an understanding ofthe historical context that defined the conditionsunder which development of the aircraft tookplace.The aforementioned Allied bombing campaignhad a dramatic impact on the overall situationthat Germany found itself in. The German wareffort was increasingly crippled as the bombingsintensified. Despite a marked decrease in theintensity of the attacks in June and July, whenthe Allied air forces operating from the BritishIsles focused their efforts on supporting theNormandy landings and the push into southernFrance, German industry was succumbing toincreasing pressure. As mentioned earlier, theVienna and WNF firms were virtually wiped offthe face of the earth by the American 15th AirForce in mid 1944. As time went on, Luftwaffefighter units were pulling on an ever decreasinglength of rope. The Allied air superioritymanifested itself in every aspect of life overGerman occupied Europe through 1944. Added tothe overall devastation, there were supply andlogistical problems, thanks to which the situationworsened from month to month, even week toweek, and in some cases, literally day to day.In the second half of the year, there wasa dramatic decline in the situation on all fronts,leading to rapid Allied advances on the WesternFront and in Italy, and even more so in terms ofboth military and civilian losses following RedArmy offenses on the Eastern Front. Germanylost vast areas with significant industrial andeconomic potential. After the Red Army attackon Eastern Prussia, and the subsequent pushinto Poland, there was a massive exodus ofmigrants into Silesia in the winter of 1945. Thiswas the quite literally apocalyptic scenario thataccompanied the development and production ofthe above mentioned aircraft.The progress, weather under conditions ofperceived or actual chaos, of the designatingof the later versions of the Bf 1090G, is, in myopinion, as follows: It began with the delays inthe development of the Bf 109K, and, by extension,the DB 605D powerplant. When it became clearthat there would be serious delays in thesupply of the Bf 109K, interim solutions weresought. These were entrusted to Erla , whichwas responsible for the mating of the DB 605DHISTORYINFO Eduard19September 2024Page 20
with the Bf 109G-14 airframe, and was makingpreparations for production. But, because theDB 605D was not yet in production by the springof 1944, Messerschmitt in Regensburg preparedan interim solution involving the installationof the available DB 605/AS into the Bf 109G-6,which was put into practice at Messerschmittin the production of new aircraft, while at Erlaand other manufacturing and repair facilities,the installation of the DB 605/AS was installed inBf 109G-6 and G-14 airframes during overhaulsand repairs. This is why the majority of G-6/ASaircraft built by Erla in Antverp, which wasnot a manufacturing plant, but rather one thatperformed overhauls and major repairs ofBf 109s. After the supply of Db 605Ds beganto flow, production of the Bf 109G-10 at Erlawas started up on the basis of the plannedmodifications. During the production of thesemachines, modifications were continuouslymade as dictated by the experience of theiruse. That's why there were on some G-14/ASaircraft larger radiators or larger superchargerintakes, which then makes these planes difficultto distinguish from the Bf 109 G-10. The demandfor mass production was the law, and the paceof introducing changes was unimaginable bytoday's standards. To the contrary, the threat ofsevere punishment for non-compliance of thedelivery of set quantities of new aircraft wasvery imaginable. Whether the subject of thesedeliveries was one type or another was moreor less irrelevant. After all, the differencesbetween the individual versions were not bigeven in terms of performance. Therefore, thesimultaneous production of different versionsdid not matter. At the same time that Mtt.Regensburg was already producing the Bf 109K-4, G-10 production continued at Erla, whereK-4 production had not yet been established.It was not ready until the spring of 1945, and onlya few Bf 109 K-4s of production block 57 wereeventually produced at Erla.A similar situation existed at WNF. This heavilybombing affected plant made do by maintainingproduction in a number of dispersed areas andfacilities, one of which was Diana, constructed inrailway tunnels, as mentioned earlier. Other localfacilities were also utilized. Given the situation thatthe plant found itself in in the winter of 1944/1945,it was logical that it would not complicate thingsfurther by implementing production of theBf 109K-4, and took the path of least resistanceby installing the new engines into existing butlightly modified airframes. Production of theBf 109G-10/U4 then smoothly transitionedout of the established manufacture of theBf 109G-14/U4, which ran virtually to the end of thewar in March, 1945. In April, the Red Army occupiedVienna and pushed into southern Moravia, andapproached Olomouc from the north. The shiftingfront eliminated the bases that were neededto complete and perform verification flightson delivered aircraft. The last of these baseswas Prague-Letnany, as yet untouched by theshifting front, but was eliminated by a blockadeof Prague airfields by fighters of the 8thAF.Implementing the situation-dictated solutionswas not, without any doubt, a simple affair, andit wasn’t perfect, as the case generally is whenit comes down to improvisation. But the solutionswere functional, and they provided combat unitsof the Luftwaffe with high performance aircraftthat were capable of competing. It also providedthe Luftwaffe with dependable, almost immediateattrition replacements. Despite the fact thatBf 109G-10 performance had fallen behind thatof the Mustang, they represented an availabilityof equipment that ensured the functionality ofDefense of the Reich and frontal units alike,such as JG 52. Against Soviet aircraft, theBf 109G-10 was still quite good. This comparisoncould be made in the immediate postwar yearsby Czechoslovak pilots, who had at their disposal21 Bf 109G-10/U4s under the designation AviaS-99/C-10 for several years.I am hopeful that this article will servemodelers well while deciding on which Eduard kitis best for the Bf 109G versions described herein.And should they already have said kit, theycan confirm the various design and productionfeatures of each version and compare it to whatthey actually have in their possession.And with that, I wish you, dear Modellers, aninteresting build with some understanding of thesubject matter!Vladimír ŠulcAPPENDIX: THE RUDDERSIn the descriptions of the individual versions,there is often mention made of the varioustypes of tails. These numbers are Eduardinterim designations, and in the article, theydescribe the following types of rudders:Type 1: the first type of production rudder.It was made of a metal framework, coveredwith fabric. There was also a wooden version,often with an additional trim tab in the uppersection (Type 2)Type 6: A deeper rudder of wooden construction,covered in fabric, with three trim tabs anda straight bottom edge.Type 9: Similar to Type 6, with a deeper middletrim tab and a more pronounced position lightfairing.HISTORYINFO Eduard20September 2024Page 21
APPENDIX : THE BOOST SYSTEMSThe above texts widely mention the GM-1 andMW50 systems. Of course, I assume that allof you will know what these items were, whateach system was used for and how they worked.Despite that, I would like to return to thesefeatures and give a brief description of theirfunction and use. Without this mention, I feelthat this article would lack a little something.The GM-1 (for which Goering Mischung 1 andHa-ha Geraet were slang terms) system wasone that injected nitrous oxide into the enginepistons. With the DB 605AS engine, its usewas permitted at an altitude of 10,000m andclimbing, and from 10,500m in level flight.In the DB 605A, use was permitted in a climbfrom 8,000m. The GM-1 system could be usedfor between 11 and 22 minutes, depending onthe time of year, outside temperature and timesince filling the system.For increasing engine performance at low andmedium altitudes up to 6,000m, a methanol-water supercharger intake injection systemwas used in the form of MW50 (methanol/water50:50, as the designation suggests mixingequal parts of methanol and water, plus 0.5%Schutzol 39, an anti-corrosion additive). Therevariations on the MW50 theme, designatedby the mixture: MW30 (methanol/water at70:30), EW50 (ethanol/water 50:50) and EW30(ethanol/water 70:30). The MW50 systemwas able to increase engine performance by20 to 25%, depending on altitude and otherrelevant conditions. It’s use was permitted toa maximum of twice for ten minutes duringa single flight (other sources differ on thesevalues, such as a maximum length of time ofuse of 5 minutes).At altitudes over 6,000m,the effectiveness of the system fell offdramatically, and is said that it only provideda 4% increase in performance above 6,000m.The differences in the GM-1 and MW50 systemsdid not include, as is sometimes claimed,a lower usefulness or obsolescence of theGM-1 compared to the MW50. In practicalterms, there was no replacement of one by theother. Each was technically different and wasintended for use under different conditions,although both worked on the principle ofinternal cooling of the engine combustionchambers.The MW50 worked by lowering the temperatureby injecting water into the supercharger, and soalso the volume of compressed air on enteringit, which allowed an increase in air (oxygen)content of the fuel/air mix that was injectedinto the cylinders. The system was, of course,dependant on the local air pressure to beginwith, and at higher altitudes, the effectivenessdropped off simply because in thin air, therewas less oxygen.With the GM-1 system, nitrous oxide wasinjected into the cylinders, which, under hightemperatures, broke down into nitrogen andoxygen. The nitrogen lowered the temperatureof the mix and its volume in the cylinder,which, in turn, allowed a higher amount of thegas, and the oxygen supported combustion.As a result, the GM-1 system was not dependanton the outside air pressure, and that’s why itwas intended for use at higher altitudes (theminimum permitted altitude for its use in theDB 605D was 10,000m). The more widespreaduse of the MW50 system and its basicallystandard installation in the Bf 109G-14, G-14/ASand G-10 was dictated by the tactical conditionsthat prevailed over the European battlegrounds,where most air combat took place at lowand middle altitudes, below or up to 6,000m.The GM-1 system was utilized for specifictasks at high altitudes, during reconnaissanceflights and fighters.Installation of the GM-1 in the Bf 109 wasindicated by the suffix U2, and with the MW50,by U3. That means that the, for example,Bf 109G-6/AS/U2 or Bf 109 G-6/U2/AS wasa Bf 109G-6 airframe powered by the DB 605ASand carried the GM-1 system. Both systemswere used not only in connection with theDB 605, but with other types of German enginesas well, such as the BMW 801.Sources:MESSERSCHMITT Bf 109 F, G, & K Series,An Illustrated Study. Jochen Prien & PeterRodeike, Schiffer Military History, 1995Bf 109 Late versions Camouflage & markings.Krzysztof W.Wolowski. Mushroom modelpublications, 2010Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10/U4 Production& operational service. Aleš Janda, TomášPoruba. JaPo.Die Jagdfliegerverbande der DeutschenLuftwaffe 1934 bis 1945, Teil 13/IV, Einsatz inder Reichsverteidigung und im Westen 1.1. bis31.12.1944. Jochen Prien, Gerhard Stemmer,Winfried Bock. Buchverlag Rogge GmbH, 2018ME SS ERS CH MI T T B F 109 J A SA KS A N SO TATA LOU S.Keski-Suomen Ilmailumuseonjulkaisuja8. Hannu Valtonen. Gummerus Kirjapaino Oy,1999.ERLAWERK VII ANTWERPEN-MORTSEL 1940-44.Jean Dillen. Uitgeverij De Krijger.Messerschmitt Bf 109 – EINSATZMASCHINEN –DAS NACHTSCHLAGWERK. Harald Helmut vogt.VDM-Heinz Nickel, 2012.Das Jagdflugzeug Messerschmitt Bf 109.Michael Baumgartl. 2022HISTORYINFO Eduard21September 2024Page 22
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www.eduard.com/bfcBUNNY BUNNY FIGHTERFIGHTERCLUBEduard's special membership club for all modeling enthusiasts!15% Permanent Club discount at Eduard Store – you will receive permanent 15% discount on all Eduardproducts and also discount on various other non-Eduard products. Fixed, permanent, forever!Unique valuable Club kits and accessories – you will gain access to unique and nowhere else to be soldproducts, specially made for BFC members.Even better prices at Eduard events stand – do you know that Eduard usually has huge discounts ontheir products at fairs and events all over the world? BFC members will have even higher discount atthese events.Club T-shirt – you will receive fancy BFC T-shirt with unique design and special barcode(used for event discounts). This exclusive T-shirt will be only availableto the members of BFC.Free entry fee on E-day – you will not have to pay a penny to visit Eduard's E-day.That means lot of fun at E-day for two days and entry kit, absolutely free!* E-day - INTERNATIONAL SCALE KIT EXHIBITION - IPMS Czech Republic ChampionshipBOX CONTENT:Plastic parts, Marking options 6, Decal Set, PE parts, Maska, Brassinparts (two different types of wheels, landing flaps, dust filter witheyelid, intake ring and RP-3 60lb rockets), 3D decals for main and si-dewalk instrument and control panels with photo-etched details andseat belts.BOX CONTENT:Plastic parts, Marking options 4, Decal Set, PE parts, Maska, Brassinparts (undercarriage wheels, cockpit, exhaust nozzle, FOD).How to become a member of BFC?How to become a member of BFC?Simply by purchasing the Activation product. You will be given 15% discount on (almost) every Eduardproduct in your shopping cart. To apply this discount, the Activation product has to be in your shoppingcart. Activation product is excluded from this calculation.Activation products:Activation products:Tempest Mk. V + T-shirt 1/48MiG-21MF + T-shirt 1/72Bernie Lay and Piccadilly Lily
We ended the first part of Bernie Lay's story with his return from the ill-fated Regensburg mission on August 17th, 1943. Despite the title of this article and its reference to Piccadilly Lily, Lily does not appear again in this continuation. Indeed, Bernie Lay finished his internship with the 100th BG and returned to VIII. Bomber Command HQ. Piccadilly Lily was then shot down less than two months later, killing Bernie's partner on the mission to Regensburg, Frank Murphy, and part of his crew. For journalist, pilot and writer Bernie Lay, his involvement in the battles over Europe was far from over. In fact, more dramatic moments were yet to come.
Before leaving the 100th BG, Bernie Lay wrotea detailed report to the Group’s Commander,Col. Neil B. ‘Chick’ Harding and at the same timeforwarded them to the VIII Bomber Command.He also used part of it for his article ‘I Saw Re-gensburg Destroyed’ which appeared in TheSaturday Evening Post on November 6th, 1943.However, the main part of his appendixis devoted to recommendations for honors.In it, he expressed admiration for the aircrews ofthe 100th BG and their commanders. He recom-mended that all men participating in the missionWe ended the first part of Bernie Lay’s story with his return from the ill-fated Regensburg mission on August 17th, 1943. Despite thetitle of this article and its reference to Piccadilly Lily, Lily does not appear again in this continuation. Indeed, Bernie Lay finished hisinternship with the 100th BG and returned to VIII. Bomber Command HQ. Piccadilly Lily was then shot down less than two months later,killing Bernie’s partner on the mission to Regensburg, Frank Murphy, and part of his crew. For journalist, pilot and writer Bernie Lay,his involvement in the battles over Europe was far from over. In fact, more dramatic moments were yet to come.It takes a rugged constitution to stand up tomissions like Regensburg and even the tough-est crew members were badly shaken by nearly twohours under persistent attack. The less phlegmaticwere already potential candidates for the rest homewhen we landed in Africa. My four previous mis-sions, in one of with our bombardier was killed,were pieces of cake in comparison to the 11 hour Re-gensburg show, and I doubt if 20 such normal mis-sions would take the same amount out of a man asone stint to Regensburg.We quoted from the original report and article inthe previous volume. However, the report itselfcontains an appendix of recommendations andobservations of a completely military and, onemight say, authoritarian nature. The addendumto the report includes recommendations for for-mation patterns and spacing within the bomberbe awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC),and the commanding pilot of the Group, Maj. JohnKidd and the leading pilot of the top squadron,Major William Veal, the Distinguished ServiceCross (DSO). He even suggested that Major Galestream, the role of escort fighters, equipmentfor possible future landings in North Africa, anda recommendation that airmen flying such de-manding missions as the one to Regensburgbe given a reduced quota of mandatory combatflights. In his report, he wrote:W. ‘Buck’ Cleven, the leader of the bottom squad-ron, be awarded the Congressional Medal Of Hon-or for his extraordinary attitude during the mis-sion. Among other things, he stated about Cleven:Title picture - detail of Piotr Forkasiewicz’s artwork for Eduard kit No.11183 B-17F “The Bloody Hundredth 1943”.On the co-pilot’s seat of Piccadilly Lily sits Lt.Col. Bernie Lay.HISTORYINFO Eduard24September 2024Page 25
HISTORY… completion of the mission was solely dueto the extraordinary heroism and inspired de-termination of Major Cleven. … under the circum-stances which obtained, Major Cleven’s actions werefar above and beyond the call of duty and the skill,courage and strength or will displayed by him as air-plane and squadron commander in the face of hope-less odds have seldom, if ever, been surpassed in theannals of the Army Air Forces.It won’t come as much of a surprise that thehonors-frugal Air Force High Command ended upbeing far more stingy with the honors than therecommendations had suggested. However, theentire unit received a Distinguished (Presidential)Unit Citation for this mission, an award that wasnot given to units just like that. It was the first oftwo for the Hundred during its history, and fromthat moment on, all its members who were partof the unit on August 17th, 1943, were allowed towear the dark blue, gold-framed ribbon of thisaward on their uniforms.After gaining combat experience, Lt.Col. Layreturned to the United States where he wentthrough a training program with the 490th BGwith B-24s and then took command of the form-ing of the 487th BG at Alamogordo, NM on Febru-ary 28th 1944. It also flew B-24s. In April of thatyear, he moved to England with his unit. Theirhome base was Lavenham in Suffolk.Lt.Col. Bernie Lay as the new commander of the 487thBG, Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico.(photo: Sidney L. Hardaway).A B-24 from the 487th Bomb Group during takeoff fromLavenham Air Force Base. (Freeman collection)INFO Eduard25September 2024Page 26
Lt. Vratny’s plane, ying leadin the lead squadron, began to fal-ter and stagger. It nally left theformation under control but soonbegan to stagger even more andgive indications that the pilot waslosing control. Finally the crewbegan to bail out. It is understoodthat a Lt. Fishel of the 486th BG,I gave Capt. Wilson specic instructions to go intothe waist to notify the other members in that part of theplane to bail out as quickly as possible. All membersexcept Lt.Col. Lay and myself did bail out. The onlywho was ying in a tail of one ofthe planes of that group, followedthe parachutes to the ground withbinoculars. He counted eleven‘chutes, saw them land, removethe ‘chutes and run for nearbywoods. Lt. Mellen states that he isalmost certain that he recognizedthe last to jump as Lt Col. Lay.man injured on board our aircraft was the Bombardier,Capt. Francis Hodge. … Lt. Col. Bernie Lay and myselfalso bailed out. Lay taking over controls while I bailedout and then in turn followed me out of the plane.Here, too, he continued to personally partici-pate in his unit’s missions. However, he was notallowed to complete many of them. On Thursday,May 11th, 1944, he led his unit over Troyes, France.It was supposed to be a Milk Run, but thanks toa navigational error, the Liberator formationfound itself in the area of a German airfield nearChâteaudun, where it was surprised by veryheavy flak. Two aircraft from the front of the for-The aircraft crashed near Bretoncelles andwas completely destroyed by fire. The crew camedown by parachute mainly in the area of Le Mage,Verneuil, Longny-au-Perche in southern Nor-mandy. Wounded bombardier, Capt. Hodge wascaptured the same day. After landing, he man-aged to stow his parachute and with a woundedleg, two wounds from flak shrapnel and a lacer-ation above his right eye, managed to crawl toa French farm. The farmer, who was not connect-ed to the underground movement, refused to helpthe American airman escape due to Hodge’s inju-ries and out of concern for his wife and daughter.So he brought him bread and wine and rode hisbicycle to a nearby village to fetch the Germanauthorities….The rest of the crew managed to escape cap-tivity for a long time, but some of them were latertracked down and taken during their stay in Paris.Four of the eleven men of the crew still managedto escape capture. Among them was the unitcommander, Lt.Col. Bernie Lay.In his Escape and Evasion report of August 15th,1944, he stated:An interesting statement about the last mo-ments of Lay’s or more precisely Vratny’s Lib-erator, was noted by an intelligence officer froma debriefing with 1st Lt. Riggs Mellen, flying nearthe stricken plane:mation were shot down. One of these was B-24Hs/n 41-29468 ‘Peg-O-My-Heart’, which washit by flak shrapnel three times in succession.The pilot was 1st Lt. Frank Vratny, and the Com-manding Pilot, Bernie Lay, sat in the co-pilot’s seat.The plane took many hits to the wing, and threeengines were disabled, as were the hydraulic andelectrical systems.The entire crew managed to bail out of the fa-tally stricken aircraft and take to their chutes.The pilot, Capt. Frank Vratny wrote of the lastmoments on board:German crash report of B-24H 41-29468 on May 11th, 1944.(NARA, KU)HISTORYINFO Eduard26September 2024Page 27
I was leading 72 B-24s of 92 Combat Wing ona mission to bomb marshalling yards at Chaumont.I had a crew of 11 including Lt. Duer who was rid-ing as observer in the tail turret. I ran into moderateto intense ak, and received considerable damageto my ship. I gave the order to bail out about 5 miN of Chateaudun and everyone succeeded in jump-ing except Lt. Duer who had not received the alarm.I took over the controls and a few seconds later theship went into a spiral dive from 12,000 ft. I bailedout at 10 000 ft, and as I left the cockpit I rang the bellagain. I jumped and pulled the rip-cord as I went outthe hatch and tore a complete panel out of the chute.In landing I got a crack on the back of my head andwrenched my right knee.Many Frenchmen appeared as soon as we landedand asked us what we wanted to do.We hid out in a patch of trees. We later crawledthrough the eld and hid in a hayloft where westayed for two days. The French brought us foodand civilian clothes. They advised us to go towardSpain and gave us detailed instructions on the loca-tion of German troops.On the 13th May 1944, we left and startedcross-country in a westerly direction. After walkingall night our feet started going bad. I advise any-one to take shoes and socks off in crossing a stream.We contacted a Cure in a small town but he wouldnot assist us. We were stopped by a German soldierbut after brief questioning we were released. Short-ly thereafter a French farmer approached us andtook us to his house and fed us. A few minutes laterGermans approached the house and while we hidunder a bed, the farmer was questioned by the Ger-mans. The Germans left and the next day we left thisplace. We again entered a church and kneeled downto pray. The Cure appeared and we told him wewere Americans. He took us in, fed us and gave usa bed. We stayed here two days and the Cure broughta farmer to us who went to the village to contact theResistance Groups, but with no results. The next daywe left and travelled for ten days. We were aidedand fed by various French farmers.We then contacted another Cure in a village wherewe were helped by a French woman, formerly anemployee of Lord Fitzireland in England. She tookus to another house and put us in contact with thelocal Resistance Group, where we stayed 12 days.We were taken in a car to a farmhouse 15 mi NWof Vendome. For two months we were part of thefarmer’s family. He advised us toward the lines.On 13 August, the Germans started leaving Ven-dome. On this day we were picked up in two cars byseven members of the Resistance Group. They werearmed with weapons which had been hidden at thehouse of the farmer where we stayed. We were tak-en to a town near the American line, and then con-tacted the advance platoon of the 5th Inf.”The aforementioned Lt. Duer parachuted near Lay. They decided to try toescape. Col. Lay continued:Record of the inter-rogation of BernieLay on August 14th,1944 after he got backbehind Allied lines.(NARA, E&E)HISTORYINFO Eduard27September 2024Page 28
Bernie Lay wrote about his escape ex-periences in the book ‘I’ve Had It’, whichhe published in 1945. A second editionin 1980 was titled ‘Presumed Dead: TheSurvival of A Bomb Group Commander’.After returning to England and thenecessary recoup time, Lt.Col. Lay wasno longer authorized to take part incombat missions. It was a security rulethat excluded from flying over enemyterritory those who had come into con-tact with the underground resistancemovement after having been previouslyshot down over the continent.He again held staff positions andretired from the Army with the rankof Colonel in 1946. He moved with hisfamily to Hollywood, where he becameinvolved in the film industry, but mainlydevoted himself to writing.Although Bernie Lay flew fewer thanten combat missions during the war,the horrors of those missions neverleft him. For writers, the way out was,among other things, writing. It provid-ed the inspiration for the book ‘TwelveO’Clock High’, published in 1948. Shortlyafter that, the offer of a lifetime came- to create a screenplay from the bookin cooperation with Sy Bartlett andHenry King for a film about the fateof the crews of American four-enginebombers during the Second World War.Bernie Lay thus not only applied hisown experiences in the book and thesubsequent film, but above all he im-mortalized the memory of the people hemet and respected during his fightingcareer. Among them was Thomas Mur-phy and even his B-17F ‘Piccadilly Lily’.It became the central plane of the story.The film premiered in 1949 and starredGregory Peck.Other films followed, for which Ber-nie Lay wrote screenplays. The mostBack cover of ‘I’ve Had It: The Survival of a Bomb Group Commander’(Harper and Brothers, 1945)Bernie Lay shortly after the war (photo: Allan T. Duffin)Twelve O’Clock High movie poster from 1949HISTORYINFO Eduard28September 2024Page 29
famous of these are Strategic Air Command andAbove and Beyond. Although his books and filmscripts were mainly about the Air Force, Ber-nie Lay hated war from the bottom of his heart.He loved flying.When his 487th BG held its first reunion in1967, Lay refused to attend. When pressed for anexplanation, he stated:‘If I had a choice, wouldI want to relive my wartime experience? Definite-ly not. I couldn’t stand the excitement.’He said that as he went through his earliermaterials and notes:‘The trauma of resurrectingthese events … released such a freshet of buriedmemories, an explosion of downright disbelief,that I had to stop writing. My eyes were blindedby tears.’He retired permanently from the Air Force Re-serves in 1963 and devoted himself primarily tocreative work.He passed away on May 26th, 1982 in Los Ange-les, but his grave will not be found there. In linewith his character, Bernie Lay donated his bodyto medical research at the School of Medicine ofthe University of California in Los Angeles.His longtime friend Brinckerhoff W. Kendallwrote after Lay’s death:‘Beirne Lay was my old-est and my lifelong friend. He did not find it easyto relate to many of the St. Paul’s boys, but helived his dreams and he made it to the stars….’When you look at the box of the B-17F ‘TheBloody Hundredth 1943’ kit from Eduard, look in-side the cockpit of Piccadilly Lily for the figurebehind the controls on the right. There sits thedreamer and romantic Bernie Lay, in whose eyesthe horrors of the battle of Regensburg are re-flected. The horrors of the story, which was notforgotten in large part thanks to him.Gregory Peck as General Savage in Twelve O’Clock HighSources:- US Air Force Research Agency, Maxwell, Alabama- National Archives and Record Administration, College Park, MDMACR 4750Escape and Evasion Reports No. EE-939, EE-1511 (NARA)German Report KU1815- 100th Bomb Group Foundation Archives- Lt Col Beirne Lay Jr. and the 100th Bomb Group Connection,Michael Faley - 100th Bomb Group Historian- Findagrave, Wikipedia- Century Bombers, Richard LeStrange, 1997- The Story of the Century, John R. Nilsson, 1946- Aircrew Remembered Project (aircrewremembered.com)Photographs without a specified source are from the 100th BGFarchive or the author’s collection.Details of the kit contents can be found on our e-shop.https://www.eduard.com/eduard/the-bloody-hundredth-1943-1-48.htmlAsk your dealers! The kit is already sold out on Eduard e-shop!Officially licensed by 100th Bomb Group Foundation, Inc.HISTORYINFO Eduard29September 2024Air War in Ukraine - F-16s with Yellow-Blue Roundels
In our series on the aerial war in Ukraine, we usually map the events of each month chronologically. However, we will make an exception for this period (from July 1 to July 31). A significant event took place at the very end of July, and it deserves attention at the beginning of this article. Ukraine has taken an important step to strengthen its air force by starting to use F-16 fighter jets over its territory.
Miro BaričF-16s with Yellow-Blue RoundelsInitially, videos surfaced showing F-16s inthe Ukrainian sky. However, the footage wasn'tentirely clear. A few days later, it was officiallyconfirmed, and the fighters were welcomedby Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyin the acceptance ceremony. According to hisstatements, Ukraine currently has 10 of thesejets (out of the 79 promised), and by the end ofthis year, they will have 20.During the ceremony with Zelensky, twoF-16s were seen on the ground behind him.Later, a few of these jets appeared in the air.The Ukrainian Armed Forces released morefootage. In most of these, only the insigniawere visible, while other markings wereeither retouched or not painted on the aircraftat all. This is especially true for the pair ofaircraft on the ground behind the Ukrainianpresident. They show some external featuresof the F-16ADF version of the U.S. Air Force,particularly the APX-13 IFF system antennas.However, they lack other typical features.It is also known that the U.S. has decided not toprovide Ukraine with any fighter jets. Austrianmilitary expert Tom Cooper believes that theseare decommissioned aircraft serving only asa source of spare parts or as decoys in theevent of a Russian attack on the airfield. Thisis supported by the incomplete camouflage, asthese aircraft are missing the darker shade ofgray on the upper surfaces.The two aircraft that appeared in the air area completely different case. In one shot, thetail numbers were not retouched. This allowedus to identify them as aircraft 80-3596 and80-3599, which were ordered by Denmark in1980. Another distinguishing feature of Danishaircraft is the position of the spotlight on thefront left side of the fuselage and the absenceof a brake parachute housing under the rudder.The Danish Royal Air Force upgraded theseaircraft to the F-16AM MLU version in the1990s. The last three letters stand for Mid-LifeUpdate, which refers to a mid-life upgrade.This upgrade included improvements to theradar, IFF system, and software, bringing theseaircraft closer to the F-16C/D Block 50/52standard.Further Interesting Informationabout Ukrainian F-16sAdditional interesting details about theUkrainian F-16s were revealed through footagefrom an official video. It shows that the aircraftare equipped with the Terma PIDS+ system,integrated into the middle pylons under thewings. This means that the pylon can carrya weapon while also housing three sensorsof the Hensoldt AAR-60(V)2 missile warningsystem. Each F-16 is thus equipped withsix sensors that scan the surroundings ina 360-degree radius, detecting threats such asincoming missiles. If the system identifies sucha threat, it visually and acoustically alerts thepilot, who can then execute evasive maneuvers.If the missile is too close, the second part ofthe PIDS+ system automatically activates,deploying countermeasures. Depending onthe type of threat, the system selects theappropriate countermeasures and determinesthe optimal time, angle, and sequence torelease them for maximum effectiveness.The PIDS+ system integrated into the pylonsof the Ukrainian F-16s offers their pilotsgreater capabilities than the older Soviet-made aircraft they previously flew. However,the armament seen on these pylons is lesspromising. The primary armament consists ofAIM-120B AMRAAM missiles with active radarguidance. These are quality missiles that can bevery effective with the latest software updates.In our series on the aerial war in Ukraine, we usually map the events of each monthchronologically. However, we will make an exception for this period (from July 1to July 31). A significant event took place at the very end of July, and it deservesattention at the beginning of this article. Ukraine has taken an important step tostrengthen its air force by starting to use F-16 fighter jets over its territory.Ukrainian F-16AM MLU withnumbers 3599 and 3596.Air War in UkraineUKRAINEINFO Eduard30September 2024Page 31
Footage from a video showing preparations and the takeoff of a Ukrainian F-16AM MLU.Footage from a video showing preparations and the takeoff of a Ukrainian F-16AM MLU.Footage from a video showing preparations and the takeoff of a Ukrainian F-16AM MLU.Armament of the Ukrainian F-16 – on the innermost pylon under the wing there is a fuel drop tank, followed by a pylon with the integrated PIDS+ system, and finallyan AIM-9M missile. There is an AIM-120B missile at the wingtip.This F-16, shown on the ground, is likely non-operational.Footage from a video showing preparations and the takeoff of a Ukrainian F-16AM MLU.However, they have a maximum range of 50 km,significantly less than the newer AIM-120C andD versions. This gives the Russian fightersarmed with R-37M missiles the advantage ofgreater range. Also seen under the wing wereAIM-9M Sidewinder missiles, dating back to the1980s. These infrared-guided missiles havea maximum range of 18 km. Air combat at sucha distance does not occur in Ukraine, and theeffectiveness of the AIM-9M against modernaircraft is questionable. On the other hand, theyare fully sufficient for combat against IranianShahed drones, which Russia uses extensively.Perhaps even more important is whatUkraine has not disclosed. Kyiv is well awarethat the Russians meticulously study everypiece of information. Thus, there remainsthe possibility that Ukraine has receivednewer weaponry for its F-16s that they simplyhaven’t revealed. Ukrainian F-16s are capableof carrying AGM-88 HARM missiles or guidedbombs, which the Ukrainian air force has usedfor quite some time. Yet these were not shown inthe footage. The two ex-American F-16s behindPresident Zelensky likely caused considerableconfusion among Russian analysts. If the U.S.provided any F-16s to Ukraine despite claimsUKRAINEINFO Eduard31September 2024Page 32
to the contrary (even if only for spare parts),Kremlin analysts might be asking themselveswhat else the United States has suppliedwithout public disclosure.Attack on a Children's HospitalThe true capabilities of Ukrainian F-16s, thearmament they carry, and how the UkrainianAir Force uses them will become clearer inthe coming months. For now, let's focus onwhat occurred during the observed period.Russia has been persistently advancing in theDonetsk region, employing waves of assaultinginfantry despite suffering significant losses.They attempt to clear their path using glidebombs, against which Ukrainian defenses stilllack an effective countermeasure. Ukrainianattacks on airfields and ammunition depots,which we described in the previous section,managed only to reduce the intensity of theseattacks. Instead of dropping an average of 150glide bombs per day, Russian aviation recentlyreduced that number to less than 100 daily.However, this is still far too many.In addition to military targets, Russianforces regularly hit civilian targets, and thismonth was no exception. In this part of thearticle, we first look at the worst attack duringthe recent period. It occurred on Monday, July8, just before the NATO summit in Washington,where Ukraine was also present. On that day,Russia launched more than 40 missiles at thecities of Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro, Pokrovsk,and Kropyvnytskyi. The attacks resulted in47 deaths and 189 injuries.Among the targets was the OchmatdytChildren's Hospital in Kyiv. At the time of theattack, the hospital housed 600 pediatricpatients and approximately the same numberof medical staff. Two adults lost their lives,including a young doctor. Another 16 peoplewere injured, seven of whom were children.The dialysis department, where childrenreceived treatment, was completely destroyed,and several other departments were damaged,including specialized oncology laboratories,the only ones of their kind in Ukraine.Moscow responded by claiming it onlytargets military objects, releasing severalversions of what might have happened. This isa typical style of Russian propaganda—floodingthe information space to dilute and weaken thetruth. According to the Kremlin, Ukrainianseither intentionally or accidentally struckthe hospital themselves, mentioning severaltypes of Western-made missiles. However,considering that missiles like those from theIRIS-T system cannot cause such extensivedamage, one fact has worked against Russiafrom the start. The attack was captured onvideo, clearly showing the distinctive shape ofa Russian Kh-101 cruise missile, complete withthe TRDD-50A jet engine mounted under therear section. The missile showed no signs ofdamage and was heading toward the hospitalon a typical trajectory. All these indicatorsrule out an accidental strike; the hospital wasa deliberate target. The attack was carriedout by members of the 22nd Heavy BomberAviation Division from the Engels-2 base nearSaratov.Struck children's hospital Ochmatdyt in Kyiv.The impact of the Russian Kh-101 missile on the hospital was captured on video.Note the jet engine under its rear part.Ukrainian Su-27 in an illustrative image.UKRAINEINFO Eduard32September 2024Page 33
Airfields Under FireFrom the beginning of the observed period,Russia targeted Ukrainian airfields near thefront line. On Monday, July 1, multiple missilesstruck the Myrhorod base in the Poltavaregion. Two Ukrainian Su-27 fighters weredestroyed, and four others were damaged. It isunclear whether these were decommissionedand grounded aircraft or operational ones.However, at least some of them were likely inoperational condition.The following day, Tuesday, July 2, a Russianattack targeted a Mi-24 helicopter at a basein Poltava. The helicopter was likely seriouslydamaged by the explosion of cluster munitions.On Wednesday, July 3, an Iskander-M ballisticmissile destroyed a MiG-29 at the Kryvyi Rihbase in the Dnipropetrovsk region. On thesame day, at the same airfield, Russians alsorecorded a decoy in the form of a Su-25 mock-up using a drone.The next similar attack occurred on Monday,July 29, when a Su-25 at the Kryvyi Rih basewas hit by a Lancet drone. This time, it likelywasn’t a decoy.In the air, Ukraine suffered three lossesduring the observed period. On Tuesday, July 9,a Mi-8 helicopter from the 12th Army AviationBrigade crashed between the villages ofDyachkove and Mizhhirya in the Poltava region.Russia claims to have shot down the aircraft.All four crew members were killed: CaptainYaroslav Lyubychenko, Captain Vitaliy Nekrasov,First Lieutenant Oleksandr Shemchuk, andStaff Sergeant Serhiy Potashenkov.On Friday, July 19, another UkrainianMi-8MSB-V helicopter with the tail number"Black 160" was seriously damaged. Thehelicopter overturned during an emergencylanding attempt in the Novoukrainka district ofthe Kirovohrad region.The third tragedy was unrelated to combatoperations. During a training flight on Saturday,July 27, a Skyeton K-10 Swift with the registrationUR-KAI crashed. Yuriy Kapustenskyi, a first-year cadet at the National Air Force Universityin Kharkiv, died in the crash.Russian LossesDuring the observed period, the RussianAir Force experienced another disastrousweek. However, before that, on Friday, July5, a Russian Mi-28 helicopter was forced tomake an emergency landing in a field in theAzov district of Russia's Rostov region. Thisoccurred during a massive Ukrainian droneattack. According to various Russian sources,the crew either wanted to avoid the drones(and possibly avoid being hit by their own airdefenses) or the helicopter was directly hit bya drone. The helicopter was likely damaged,as the field caught fire after the emergencylanding, although the extent of the damageremains unknown.On Friday, July 19, a Su-34 fighter-bomberhad to make an emergency landing after beinghit by a surface-to-air missile. Despite severedamage, the crew managed to bring the aircraftto the nearest airfield. The incident occurredduring a night combat mission at an altitude of9 km, and fuel began leaking from the aircraftafter it was hit.Then came the aforementioned disastrousweek. On Sunday, July 21, Ukrainian saboteursstruck the Tomilino base near Moscow.According to Ukrainian military intelligenceSu-27 destroyed at the Myrhorod base on July 1st.Ex-Czech Mi-24 helicopter in Ukrainian service.Captain Yaroslav Lyubichenko and Lieutenant Oleksandr Shemchuk, who died in a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopteron July 9th.On July 3rd, this decoy Su-25 was found at the KryvyiRih base.MiG-29 fighter struck by an Iskander-M missileat the Kryvyi Rih base on July 3rd.UKRAINEINFO Eduard33September 2024Page 34
(GUR), they burned two helicopters, a Kamovand a Mi-28. Satellite imagery later revealeda burn site where Ka-27 helicopters usuallystood.On Tuesday, July 23, a Russian Su-25 attackaircraft was shot down by a surface-to-airmissile from the 110th Mechanized Brigadeof the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The incidentoccurred near the village of Troitske in thePokrovsk district of the Donetsk region. Theevent was also recorded on video, and theRussian pilot successfully ejected.On Wednesday, July 24, Ukrainian saboteursstruck again, this time destroying a Mi-8helicopter at the Kryazh base in Samara,Russia.On Thursday, July 25, a Russian Mi-28helicopter from the 332nd IndependentHelicopter Regiment crashed. Althoughthe crash occurred near the village ofKlenki in the Kaluga region, deep insideRussia, it was related to the war in Ukraine.The helicopter was returning from a missionto hunt down attacking Ukrainian drones inthe Bryansk region near the Ukrainian border.It is speculated that the aircraft fell victim tofriendly fire from its own air defense. Bothcrew members died in the crash.On Friday, July 26, early in the morning,Ukrainian forces launched a missile attack onthe Saki base in Crimea. One Su-30SM fighterjet from the 43rd Independent Naval AssaultAviation Regiment was destroyed, and twoothers were damaged.On Saturday, July 27, a Su-34 fighter-bomber crashed in the Volgograd region ofRussia. Both crew members ejected safely.The aircraft likely took off from the Marinovkabase and was heavily used in attacks againstUkraine. Such intensive operations have led tosignificant wear and tear of the equipment andhigh stress on the pilots.The last, and the most significant lossoccurred on the final day of the observed period.On Wednesday, July 31, a Mi-8MTV-2 helicopterwith the registration RF-34255 and tail number"Yellow 59" was hit on the ground in the Donetskregion by a Ukrainian missile (ATACMS orHIMARS). The helicopter belonged to the 6thIndependent Special-Purpose Squadron of theRussian National Guard (Rosgvardiya). It wasloaded with wounded soldiers, and 20 people,including at least one crew member, died in theattack.Skyeton K-10 Swift with registration UR-KAI, which crashed on July 27.Another Ukrainian sabotage attack took place on July 24at the Kryazh base. A Mi-8 was set on fire.On July 21, two Russian helicopters burntat the Tomilino base near Moscow.The crash of a Su-34, which occurred on July 27. On July 31, 20 soldiers died in the RussianMi-8 helicopter that was destroyed on the ground.Yuriy Kapustenskyi in front of the UR-KAI,in which he died.UKRAINEINFO Eduard34September 2024Page 35
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Overseas readers pay postage at air mail printed paper rate.Warpaint on the webFor more information and secure ordering please visit:www.guidelinepublications.co.uk1 Bristol Beaufighter £13.002 Blackburn Buccaneer £13.003 Junkers Ju 87 Stuka £13.004 North American F-100 Super Sabre £13.005 Hawker Typhoon £13.006 Avro Shackleton £14.007 Junkers Ju 88 £13.008 Hawker Hunter £17.009 Grumman F4F Wildcat/Martlet £13.0010 Vickers Wellington £13.0011 de Havilland Sea Vixen £13.0012 Fairey Swordfish £15.0013 Focke Wolfe Fw 200 Condor £14.0014 BAC Lightning £18.0015 Short Stirling £14.0016 Hawker Sea Fury £13.0017 Gloster Javelin £14.0018 Douglas Skyraider £14.0019 de Havilland Hornet and Sea Hornet £14.0020 Supermarine Seafire (Griffon engine) £15.0021 Armstrong Whitworth Whitley £14.0022 Gloster Meteor £20.0023 Fairey Gannet £15.0024 Dornier Do 217 £14.0025 Short Sunderland £14.0026 Bristol Blenheim £15.0027 de Havilland Vampire £20.0028 Fairey Firefly £17.0029 Hawker Sea Hawk £15.0030 Avro Vulcan £16.0031 RAF/RN Phantoms £17.0032 Douglas A-20 Boston/Havoc £17.0033 Heinkel He 177 £14.0034 Avro Lincoln £16.0035 Fairey Barracuda £15.0036 Handley Page Victor £16.0037 Gloster Gladiator £17.0038 Republic F-105 Thunderchief £15.0039 Supermarine Walrus £13.0040 Canadair/Commonwealth Sabre £16.0041 Fairey Fulmar £15.0042 Boulton Paul Defiant £13.0043 Lockheed F-104 Starfighter £18.0044 de Havilland Venom £15.0045 Martin B-57 Canberra £16.0046 Handley Page Halifax £17.0047 McDonnell F-101 Voodoo £15.0048 Westland Lysander £15.0049 Fiat G.91 £15.0050 Bristol Beaufort £15.0051 Lockheed Neptune £16.0052 Fairey Albacore £15.0053 Avro Anson £16.0054 Westland Whirlwind F.Mk I £13.0055 Hawker Tempest £14.0056 Blackburn Firebrand £14.0057 Handley Page Hampden £14.0058 Supermarine Swift £14.0059 Lockheed Hudson £14.0060 English Electric Canberra £20.0061 Savoia Marchetti S.79 Sparviero £14.0062 Handley Page Hastings £14.0063 Vickers Valiant £14.0064 Convair F-102 £15.0065 Westland Wessex £17.0066 Bristol Bulldog £13.0067 Folland Gnat and Ajeet £13.0068 Bristol Brigand £13.0069 Martin B-26 Marauder £14.0070 Vought Corsair £18.0071 Armstrong Whitworth 650/660 Argosy £14.0072 Vickers Supermarine Merlin Seafire £14.0073 North American B-25 Mitchell £15.0074 Hawker Siddeley Harrier £17.0075 BAe Sea Harrier £15.0076 Grumman Tracker/Trader/Tracer £17.0077 Curtiss P-40 £15.0078 Aer Macchi C.202-205 Folgore-Veltro £15.0079 Consolidated PBY Catalina £17.0080 Saab Draken £17.0081 Junkers Ju 52 £14.0082 BAC Jet Provost £17.0083 Fairey Battle £17.0084 Grumman F6F Hellcat £18.0085 Supermarine Scimitar £15.0086 Vickers Wellesley £15.0087 Grumman Avenger £18.0088 Lockheed T-33A £15.0089 Avro Lancaster £18.0090 Boeing B-17 £18.0091 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 'Fishbed' £27.0092 Grumman HU-16 Albatross £17.0093 Messerschmitt Me 262 £15.0094 Supermarine Attacker £15.0095 Westland Sea King £18.0096 Consolidated B-24 Liberator £27.0097 North American RA-5C Vigilante £18.0098 Avro York £17.0099 McDonnell Demon £17.00100 Republic F-84F and RF-84F £20.00101 de Havilland D.H.82 Tiger Moth £16.00102 Convair B-36 £16.00103 Avro Manchester £14.00104 General Dynamics F-111 & EF-111A £20.00105 Sopwith Pup £14.00106 Sikorsky S-55/H-19 & Westland Whirlwind £18.00107 Ilyushin Il-2 ‘Sturmovik’ £15.00108 Martin Mariner and Marlin £17.00109 Douglas C-54/R5D Skymaster & DC-4 £21.00110 Westland Scout & Wasp £16.00111 Vought OS2U Kingfisher £16.00112 Douglas A3D Skywarrior £20.00113 Panavia Tornado ADV £17.00114 McDonnell F-4 Phantom II £25.00115 Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle £14.00116 Hawker Fury and Nimrod £17.00117 Douglas F4D/F-6 Skyray & F5D Skylancer £15.00118 NAA B-45 Tornado £16.00119 Grumman F9F Panther £15.00120 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 £17.00121 Douglas A-4 Skyhawk £26.00122 Albatros D.I - D.III £16.00123 de Havilland (Canada) Chipmunk £15.00124 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 £17.00125 Bristol Britannia, Argus and Yukon £17.00126 Grumman F-14 Tomcat £26.00127 Cessna T-37 A/B/C and A-37 A/B £21.00128 Bristol Scout £15.00129 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 £18.00130 Ilyushin Il-28 £18.00131 Auster in British Military & foreign air arm service £18.00132 Boeing B-52 Stratofortress £25.00133 Douglas C-47 Skytrain/Dakota £25.00134 Aero L-29 Delfin £21.00135 DH.89 Dragon Rapide & Dominie £17.00136 Airspeed Oxford & Consul £18.00137 Douglas SBD Dauntless £28.00138 Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk £18.00139 de Havilland (Canada) DHC-2 Beaver £18.00140 North American OV-10 Bronco £28.00141 Vickers Viking, Valetta & Varsity £19.00Warpaint SpecialsNo.1 Republic P-47 Thunderbolt £19.00No.2 Messerschmitt Bf 109 £25.00No.3 de Havilland Mosquito £25.00No.4 Cessna Bird Dog £12.00No.5 NAA P-51 Mustang and Derivatives £22.00No.6 Dambusters and the Lancaster £20.00Having launched the signature bomber for use in the European Theatre, Boeing embarked on a voyage intothe unknown. Bringing together numerous untried technologies the Boeing Aircraft Company launched itsmost significant bomber, the B-29 Superfortress. Although beset by development problems and havingsuffered the loss of the prototype and its Chief Test Pilot Eddie Allan, the company pushed on to create thefirst long-range strategic bombers. Once the Pacific Islands had been captured the B-29 Bomb Groupsbegan bombing raids on the Japanese Home Islands. On the other side of the Himalayas further bombgroups launched attacks against targets in Japan. As combat experience grew the focus turned todestroying as much as possible of its production facilities, mainly by firebombing areas known to havethese targets. And then the world changed forever. The use of two atom bombs against Hiroshima andNagasaki had shown the power of the atom. When the Japanese finally surrendered the Cold Wararrived to take its place. War in Korea followed, being the swan song for the B-29 while its youngersibling, the B-50, assumed the mantle of Strategic Defence, a position it held until the B-47 Stratojetarrived. One of the largest aircraft of World War II, the B-29 remained in service in various roles throughout the1950s, being retired in the early 1960s after 3,970 had been built. The Royal Air Force flew the B-29 with the service name‘Washington from 1950 to 1954’ while the re-engined B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II became the first aircraft to fly around the worldnon-stop, during a 94-hour flight in 1949. The Soviet Union produced 847 Tupolev Tu-4s, an unlicensedreverse-engineered copy of the B-29. This latest in the essential Warpaint series offers a comprehensive look atthe famous bomber in all its guises, with history, development, service details, and colour artwork and scale plansby Sam Pearson.BoeingBB--2299andBB--5500SuperfortressBy Kev DarlingB-29 Superfortress 44-70072 X-55 named Limber Richard of the 5thBombardment Squadron, 9th Bombardment Group, flying toward Japanwith other squadron bombers in 1945. The bombing missions againstJapan a 3,500 mile round trip, could last as long as sixteen hours. Alsoshown is at least one B-29 of the 1st BS of the same group, completewith black and yellow rear fuselage and fin bands. (USAF via DRJ)WARPAINT SERIES No.143paint Master 21/06/2024 14:48 Page 118During the 1960s, Dassault commenced development of what would become the Mirage F1 as a privateventure, alongside the larger Mirage F2. Work on the F1 eventually took precedence over the more costlyF2, which was cancelled during the late 1960s. The Armée de l'Air took great interest in the fledgling F1 tomeet its requirement for an all-weather interceptor aircraft. The Mirage F1 was of similar size to the MirageIII and Mirage 5 and was powered by the same SNECMA Atar engine that had been used on thelarger Dassault Mirage IV, however, unlike its predecessors, it had the layout of a swept wing, but mountedhigh on the fuselage, and a conventional tail surface as used by the F2. Although it had a smaller wingspanthan the Mirage III, the Mirage F1 nevertheless proved to be superior to its predecessor, carrying morefuel while possessing a shorter take-off run and greater manoeuvrability. This latest addition to theWarpaint series includes all the usual reference and historical material that has made the series the go-to source for modellers and aviation enthusiasts alike. This book is written by Andy Evans and issuperbly illustrated by Sam Pearson.All these titles are available in printed format via our on demand printing service. Please contact our office for further information.£25.00Warpaint series No.143Orders from the world’s bookand hobby trade are invitedNewreleasePrevious Warpaint titles£19.00Warpaint series No.142Boeing BB--2299 and BB--5500SuperfortressGGUUIIDDEELLIINNEE PPUUBBLLIICCAATTIIOONNSS LLIIMMIITTEEDDDassaultMMIIRRAAGGEE FF11By Andy EvansA French Air Force Mirage F1 returns to its missionafter receiving fuel from a US Air Force KC-10Extender while flying over Afghanistan in support ofOperation ‘Enduring Freedom’, on 25 November2010. (US Air Force Photo/Staff Sgt. Eric Harris)WARPAINT SERIES No.14242 Warpaint Mirage F1.qxp_Warpaint Master 19/03/2024 20:24 Page 58Dassault MMiirraaggee FF11Warpaint 143 B-29 & B-50 + Mirage F1.qxp_Warpaint Advert 22/06/2024 09:42 Page 1Page 36
BOXART STORY #82205In mid-1944, the escort carrier USS PetrofBay (CVE-80) embarked its combat unit, VC-76.A typical Composite Squadron (VC) could deployup to thirty FM-2 Wildcat and Avenger aircraft.The USS Petrof Bay's combat history exemplifiesthe crucial role of escort carriers in the finalyear of the war. In September 1944, the carriersupported the landings on Peleliu Island, andduring the Battle of Leyte in October 1944, it wasamong the first vessels to encounter JapaneseKamikaze tactics. During this historic battle,aviators from the USS Petrof Bay attackeda fleet that included the battleship Yamato,contributing to the sinking of several enemywarships in later phase of the battle.By the spring of 1945, VC-76 had achieveda total of four confirmed victories. In March 1945,VC-93 replaced VC-76 as the combat unit aboardthe USS Petrof Bay. Later that month, its airmenbegan participating in operations covering thelandings on various islands around Okinawa. Bymid-April, they played a key role in neutralizingairfields in the Sakishima Islands, from whichKamikaze attacks were also launched.On April 1, 1945, as part of Operation Iceberg,American forces landed on Okinawa. In response,the Japanese command ordered large Kamikazeattacks on American vessels from April 6 toJune 22, as part of IJN Operation Kikusui.On the first day of Operation Kikusui I, whichtook place from April 6 to 11, the Japanesedeployed approximately 300 Kamikaze aircraftin the target area. The U.S. Navy lost threedestroyers and three other vessels, withten additional ships sustaining damage. U.S.Navy airmen claimed 257 victories, whiletheir U.S. Marine Corps counterparts claimed18 more. However, quite a few Japanese aircraftmanaged to penetrate the fighter defenses andwere subsequently shot down by anti-aircraftgunners.For the four Wildcat pilots of VC-93, whotook off at 1330 from the deck of the USS PetrofBay, this was their first opportunity to engagethe enemy. They were ordered to patrol overIe Shima Island, west of Okinawa. The firstvictory was achieved by Lt. (jg) Foster, who shotdown a D3A Val bomber attempting to attack anescort destroyer. Both the gunner and the pilotbailed out of the burning aircraft but did notsurvive. Lt. Myers then shot down a Zeke whosepilot was attempting to crash into a transportvessel. The following Zeke was credited toLt. (jg) Tuttle. Another Val came under fire fromLt. (jg) Sherlock and crashed on Ie Shima Island.A few minutes later, Lt. Myers engaged anotherZeke, flying head-on. Myers struck the enemy'sengine and, utilizing the FM-2's characteristics,quickly positioned himself at the enemy's sixo'clock, shooting it down. The last victory by thisVC-93 division was highly dramatic and becamethe model for Piotr Forkasiewicz's box art.The unit diary describes it as follows:“The division reformed and at 2500 feetaltitude Lieut. Myers saw a Val leave the cloudsat 5500 feet altitude, 12 o'clock, 500 feet distant,180 knots, in a 45 degree glide onto a DD (Note:US Navy destroyer). At 2000 feet he was 500feet to the rear of the Val, following in the glide,regardless of the intense anti-aircraft fire fromthe DD, and fired a three second burst whichstarted smoke from the Val's engine. At 1000feet and again at 500 feet altitude he fired from100 feet behind the Val, at the port wing root.The wing exploded from the plane and the Valsplashed about 50 feet from the DD”.There were only three formations of Valbombers deployed on 6 April. The first belongedto Hachiman Gokō-tai No. 1, which was formedfrom part of the Usa Kōkūtai, the next formationwas from Seitō-tai No. 1 (Hyakurihara Kōkūtai),and the last was called Kusanagi-tai No. 1(Nagoya Kōkūtai). All three formations took offin succession from Kokubu Base No. 2 on KyūshūIsland. In the target area, where their missionwas to attack supply convoys, 65 airmen fromthese units sacrificed their lives.The most senior commander among thethree above formations was Lieutenant SatoshiKuwabara (NA 71, 1942) of Seitō-tai No. 1. He hadserved aboard the warships Nagato and Maya,and had been a member of the HyakuriharaKōkūtai aviation cadre since mid-1943. He wasposthumously promoted two steps to LieutenantCommander.A number of farewell letters from theairmen of these three units are available onthe Kamikaze Images website. Hundreds ofletters that have been published as part ofthis project show, in a careful analysis, thattheir main themes include impending death,farewell to family, filial devotion to parents oraccomplishment of a mission. Hatred of theenemy, perhaps surprisingly to many readers, isfound only in 25th place.Text: Jan BobekIllustration: Piotr ForkasiewiczConvoy off OkinawaINFO Eduard36September 2024Page 37
#82165BOXART STORYAt the end of October 1942, I. and III./JG 77"Herz As," equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2s, relocated from Sicily to the North Africanbattlefield. The I. Gruppe was commanded bythe well-known Maj. Heinz Bär, while Maj. KurtUbben led the III. Gruppe. Their mission was toengage in the ongoing battles at El Alamein assoon as possible. Bär's unit commenced combatflights on October 28 from the Bir-el-Abd base.Aircraft maintenance for I./JG 77 was initiallymanaged by personnel from the legendaryI./JG 27, the unit where the renowned Hans-Joachim Marseille had tragically died twomonths earlier. Meanwhile, I./JG 77’s own groundcrew was still en route from Sicily. However, thefirst I./JG 77 planes to be damaged or destroyedwere not due to enemy action but rather thetreacherous desert surface of the airfield.The two Jagdgruppen initially operated together,and in the following days, engagements withenemy fighter groups, often consisting of severaldozen aircraft, became common.One of I./JG 77's first victories in Africa wasachieved on November 1, 1942, by Uffz. HorstSchlick, who had seven kills at the time. Thatmorning, thirty Stuka dive-bombers from StG3 were heading toward the front, escorted byten MC.202s from 23° Gruppo Caccia, nineteenBf 109s from I./JG 27 and II./JG 27, and seven Bf109s from I./JG 77. Among the latter group wereHorst Schlick and Maj. Bär's adjutant, Lt. "Mac"Berres.Over the front, at 8:15 German time and at analtitude of 3,500 meters, a dogfight ensued withtwenty Curtiss P-40s from No. 112 Sq RAF andthe 66th FS, 57th FG. The Allied pilots reportedsuccessfully forcing the Stukas to drop theirbombs prematurely, claiming 7-6-2 bombervictories. The Germans lost five Stukas, and thebombs appear to have landed in the Axis trooparea.The Italian pilots did not claim any victories,but their German colleagues reported shootingdown one Spitfire and three P-40s. Berresclaimed one Curtiss, marking his 19th victory,while Schlick scored his eighth kill. Accordingto Schlick, both P-40s force-landed in Axis-heldterritory, trailing thick smoke for quite sometime.It was likely two aircraft from No. 112 SqRAF that did not return from combat. Sgt. R.De Bourke, injured during the battle, madean emergency landing with a Kittyhawk III(FR 264), designated "W." He had managed toshoot down two Stukas during the engagement.His plane was later salvaged and repaired.The other aircraft lost was a Kittyhawk III(FR 289), designated "Z." Its pilot, WO J. B. Agnew,landed on the battlefield but successfully madehis way back to Allied lines. Before being shotdown, Agnew had confirmed one Stuka kill,claimed another as probable, and damagedtwo others. The conclusion of these battles isdepicted in Adam Tooby's box art, which featuresDe Bourke's aircraft alongside Schlick's, thoughAgnew also could have been his victim.For Schlick, however, the following days tookan unexpected turn. On November 2, near hisown base, he collided with an enemy aircraftduring a dogfight. Although he managed to bailout, upon his return to the unit the next day,he was severely reprimanded by Heinz Bär.Schlick's Gruppenkommandeur had observedthe aerial encounter through binoculars and wasdispleased with the twenty-one-year-old NCO'sreckless attack maneuver. Since the enemyaircraft crashed over German territory, this P-40was confirmed as Schlick's ninth victory.Schlick's plane, "White 3," which he used onNovember 1 to achieve his first aerial victoryin Africa, remained at the Bir-el-Abd baseuntil it was captured by the Allies three dayslater. Allied airmen took souvenir photographswith the brightly colored Messerschmitt, whichdisplayed eight victory markings on its rudder.Gruppenkommandeur Heinz Bär was amongthe last members of I./JG 77 to leave Africansoil, evacuating with his unit to Sicily on May8, 1943. Between October 25, 1942, and May13, 1943, JG 77 suffered significant losses, with55% of its flying personnel lost. III. Gruppe washit hardest, losing 30 pilots. During the sameperiod, 218 JG 77 aircraft were either completelydestroyed or sustained over 60% damage.Despite these losses, the Geschwader shot down497 enemy aircraft, achieving a kill ratio betterthan 2:1. Bär's I. Gruppe led in kills, scoring 192victories under extremely challenging battlefieldconditions, a testament not only to Bär's personalskill but also to his charismatic leadership andthe experienced airmen he had assembled andtrained in his Gruppe.Illustration: Adam ToobyBeginning in AfricaText: Jan BobekINFO Eduard37September 2024Page 38
#R0022Bf 109G-101/72The Royal Class edition kit of the German fighter aircraft Bf 109G-10in 1/72 scale. The kit offers markings for 10 aircraft. The box containsplastic sprues for two complete kits, Bf 109G-10 version producedin Erla facory in Leipzig or Bf 109G-10 from Wiener Neustädter Fabrikor Bf 109G-10 or Bf 109G-14/AS from Messerschmitt factoryin Regensburg.plastic parts: Eduardmarking options: 10decals: EduardPE parts: yes, pre-paintedpainting mask: yesresin parts: yes (exhausts; undercarriagewheels – two types)EXTRA: wheel wells plugs (Omask)BONUS: magnetProduct pageKITS 09/2024Dual ComboMagnetINFO Eduard38September 2024Page 39