BUILT

Bf 109E-4/B, W. Nr. 3605, Ofw. Reinhold Schmetzer, 8./JG 77, Balti, Soviet Union (nowadays Republic of Moldova), July 1941

After the battle for Crete in the beginning of June 1941 III. /JG 77 was transferred to Vienna for a short rest and here its equipment

was supplemented by Messerschmitts Bf 109F. Regardless the majority of the equipment was represented by series E aircraft. In the

middle of the month the unit was relocated to the Romanian territory from where, on June 22nd, 1941, it commenced its participation

in the operation Barbarossa. Reinhold Schmetzer flying “black 5” achieved his first kill (5th in his fighter pilot career) during the USSR

campaign the very first day when he shot down a Soviet I-16. Having been hit in the engine of his “black 5” on July 20th, 1941,

he force-landed at Balti airport. On May 7th, 1944, already in the JG 4 ranks, Lt. Schmetzer was killed in the air combat over

the central Italy. His final score in World War II was 31 victories. The upper and side surfaces of this aircraft were over-sprayed in

almost solid coat of RLM 71, aircraft marking in the form of black number 5 outlined in white is complementing the III. Gruppe JG 77

marking on the airplane’s nose, the lower surfaces and the tail sport the yellow marking of the aircraft deployed to the Eastern front.

The rudder carries the white bars indicating the aerial kills.

#48780 Bf 109E-4/E-7 (PE-Set)

#648058 Bf 109E wheels (Brassin)

#648161 SC 250 German bombs (Brassin)

INFO Eduard - November 2019

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