Markings for Bf 109F-4 1/48
COL 1
Bf 109F-4, W.Nr. 7183, Hptm. Hans Hahn, CO of III./JG 2, St. Pol, France, October 1941
Hans “Assi” Hahn, a fighter ace and recipient of the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves was in command of 4./JG 2 from December 1939, then starting from October 1940, he overtook the lead of III./JG 2. The fifty kill marks on the rudder of this aircraft are related to his service on the Western Front. Hahn added the fiftieth kill to his tally on October 13, 1941, shooting down a Spitfire near Boulogne-sur-Mer. Altogether he destroyed 66 enemy aircraft in the West. In late 1942 “Assi” Hahn moved to the East and commanded II./JG 54 from November 1, 1942. On February 21, 1943, he was downed and captured. He spent seven years in captivity, returning back to Germany in 1950. He wrote a book about his life in prison Prisoner of War in Russia (Ich spreche die Wahrheit – I Speak the Truth). Hahn´s total score stands at 108 kills. The rooster head was the crest of III./JG 2, based on Hahn´s family name (der Hahn means the rooster in English).
COL 2
Bf 109F-4, W.Nr. 7243, Oblt. Otto Kath, Stab/JG 54, Staraya Russa, Soviet Union, early December 1941
Otto Kath served as Geschwaderadjutant for Hannes Trautloft, the famous fighter ace and CO of JG 54 from March 1941 till September 1943. Trautloft retained Kath when moving from I./JG 20 to JG 54. Kath is credited with 6 kills. The standard camouflage of RLM 74/75/76 was oversprayed with washable white paint on the upper sides as the temporary winter camouflage. The only exception was the framing of the canopy. The non-standard Geschwader Stab marking is green, which was the color reserved for aircraft of the HQ members. The green heart was the symbol of the JG 54 Grünherz. Note the yellow Eastern Front markings on the wings, rudder, and fuselage.
COL 3
Bf 109F-4, Uffz. Hans Döbrich, 6./JG 5, Petsamo, Finland, September 1942
This aircraft was flown by Hans Döbrich, a fighter ace credited with 65 victories. He was downed three times and seriously wounded during the last incident. He never flew a combat sortie again. During the second half of 1942, II./JG 5 was equipped with Friedrichs manufactured for service in a tropical environment. The desert camouflage colors consisting of RLM 79 and RLM 78 were applied at the factory. Feldflugpark (Repair Field Unit) in Pori added segments of RLM 74/70 (some sources state RLM 75/71) which helped the camouflage effect over the northern territory. The green shamrock on the cowling was a crest of 6./JG 5.
COL 4
Bf 109F-4/trop, W.Nr. 8693, Lt. Hans-Joachim Marseille, 3./JG 27, North Africa, February 1942
This aircraft was flown by Lt. Hans-Joachim Marseille, a fighter ace with 158 kills to his credit. Marseille was awarded the Knight´s Cross with Swords, Oak Leaves and Diamonds as the recognition of his remarkable success. He was shooting down enemy aircraft at rapid rate with many multiple one-day victories. The German propaganda made use of it to make Marseille a star. The tale ended with Marseille´s death. He died in an accident while bailing out on September 30, 1942.
The camouflage of his aircraft consisted of RLM 79 Sandgelb on the upper surfaces and RLM 78 Himmelblau on the lower ones. The rudder was adorned with fifty kill marks (Abschussmarken) and appears to be oversprayed with a red-brown primer. Marseille achieved his 49th and 50th kills on February 21, 1942. His victims were two Kittyhawks.
The white-painted wingtips and fuselage band were Luftwaffe markings used on the aircraft flown in the Mediterranean theatre.
COL 5
Bf 109F-4, W.Nr. 13325, Oblt. Viktor Bauer, 9./JG 3, Shchigry, Soviet Union, June 1942
This aircraft was flown by Viktor Bauer, a recipient of the Knight’s Cross with an Oak Leaves and ace with 106 kills. He achieved most of them in combats with Soviet pilots. Bauer flew this particular aircraft in the summer of 1942, when German Group of Armies A advanced on Stalingrad. The unit received Messerschmitts originally intended for service in North Africa, thus camouflaged in RLM 78/79 colors. The segments of RLM 74/70 (some sources state RLM 75/71) were added to the desert camouflage scheme to better the camouflage effect in the Eastern Front environment. The yellow wingtips, fuselage band and lower cowling were typical for airplanes flown in the east. Note the III./JG 3 badge on the nose. The name Ellen referred to Bauer´s wife. Bauer achieved his 106th and last kill on August 9, 1942, northwest of Stalingrad. The very next day he was hit by enemy fire, wounded, and had to belly land his crippled plane. After rescue, Bauer served in various posts of Ergänzungs (replacement) units.
COL 6
Bf 109F-4/B, W.Nr. 7629, Oblt. Frank Liesendahl, CO of 10. (Jabo)/JG 2, France, June 1942
During late 1941, the Luftwaffe considered renewing bombing of Great Britain and coastal shipping. Each fighter unit fighting against the Great Britain was ordered to single out one Staffel for this purpose. The 10. (Jabo) Staffel played this role within JG 2. Under command of Oblt. Frank Liesendahl this Staffel sank 20 vessels (total tonnage 630.000 BRT) over a four-month period. Liesendahl was killed when attacking cargo vessels near Brixham on July 17, 1942. Posthumously he was promoted to Hauptmann rank and was awarded the Knight’s Cross as well. Liesendahl´s personal mount wore a standard day fighter camouflage consisting of RLM 74/75/76. The ship-munching fox was the 10. (Jabo) Staffel badge. Note the symbols of vessels damaged or sunk by Liesendahl on the rudder.