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Bf 109G-2/trop, WNr. 10533, Uffz. Horst Schlick, 1./JG 77, Bir-el-Abd, Egypt, November 1942
Bf 109G-2/R-6/trop, WNr. 13916, Fw. Hans Döbrich, 6./JG 5, Alakurtti,
Finland, February 1943
Bf 109G-2/R6, Lt. Walter Krupinski, 6./JG 52, Maykop, the Soviet Union, October 1942
As a fighter pilot in the JG 77 ranks, Horst Schlick
served with the unit from 1942 to 1945. He achieved
two aerial victories on the Eastern Front and
added some thirty more on the Western Front.
For most of his time with JG 77, Schlick was
a member of the 1. Staffel, but he was transferred to
the 4. Staffel in the autumn of 1944, where he shot
down his last victim. In the spring of 1945, Schlick
received orders to move to the EJG 2 training unit
and later to JG 7 equipped with Me 262 jet fighters.
However, he did not achieve any more victories
there. He conducted 480 operational flights and
shot down 32 enemy aircraft (some sources
state 34). Horst Schlick’s aircraft arrived on the
African battlefield in the colors of RLM 70/71/76.
It was complemented on the upper surfaces with
irregular lines of RLM 79 paint. The undersides
were painted with RLM 78. An essential part of the
marking of the aircraft of the southern region, i.e.,
wingtips, a band on the fuselage, and a propeller
spinner in white color, were also applied.
Hans Döbrich scored 65 kills over his combat
career and was awarded the Knight’s Cross of
the Iron Cross for his achievements. On the other
hand, he was shot down himself three times,
with the final one resulting in serious injuries,
preventing him to return to operational flying.
Döbrich began using this aircraft on February
9, 1943. At that time he was already ace with 43
kills and also one of the most successful pilots of
II./JG 5. Flying this aircraft Döbrich involuntarily
took to his parachute due to engine failure on
March 14, 1943, shortly after a scramble take-
off from Salmijärvi. The original camouflage
scheme composed of RLM 74/75/76 colors and
was overpainted with white squiggles to make
the aircraft less visible in winter conditions.
The yellow identifying markings were typical for
aircraft of the Eastern Front. Döbrich’s personal
marking was painted under the cockpit. It was
a rendition of Mickey Mouse standing over the
II./JG 5’s emblem and ripping apart a Soviet
I-16. The green four-leaf clover on the nose
was carried by aircraft of II. Gruppe of
Jagdgeschwader 5.
Walter Krupinski entered the Luftwaffe shortly
after the beginning of the war in 1939 and
underwent fighter pilot training. After completing
his training, he was assigned to JG 52 and at the
time took part in combat against the RAF. He did
not achieve first kill until he moved to the Eastern
Front. The number of his kills rose quickly, and
by April 18, 1944, when he left the Eastern Front,
there were 177 aerial victories on his account.
Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves was a result of
his success, and he continued operational flying
on the Western Front. Firstly as the CO of 1./
JG 5, but he was appointed the CO of II./JG 11 in
May 1944. Later he moved on to command III./JG
26 on September 27, 1944, where he stayed until
unit’s disbandment on March 26, 1945. Krupinski’s
last stand was JV 44 where he was flying Me 262
and gained twenty more victories, so his final
tally stopped at 197. In the fifties, he joined the
new Luftwaffe, led JaBoG 33, and later the entire
3 Division of the Luftwaffe. Krupinski was
forced into early retirement in 1976 and died in
Neunkirchen-Seelsheid in 2000. The illustrated
aircraft was used by “Graf Punski”, as he was
nicknamed, in combats over the Kuban area during
second half of 1942. It was camouflaged with RLM
74/75/76 colors and carried the usual yellow
Eastern Front identifiers. Below the windscreen is
the JG 52 unit marking.
KITS 09/2024
INFO Eduard
59
September 2024