11/2023

Good Day, Dear Friends We find ourselves in the same situation with November’s new releases as we did with the October ones, in that they also have been available for purchase a couple of weeks ahead of the newsletter announcement, meaning that they will already be known to a large percentage of readers and perhaps even in their possession.

• Page 1

  INFO Eduard

  # 165

  e-magazine FREE Vol 22 November 2023

• Page 2

  INFO Eduard

  # 165

  e-magazine FREE Vol 22 November 2023

  © Eduard - Model Accessories, 2023

  FREE FOR DOWNLOAD, FREE FOR DISTRIBUTION!

  This material may only be used for personal use. No part of the text

  or graphic presentations can be used in another publication in any other media

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• Page 3

  eduardeduard

  NOVEMBER 2023

  CONTENTS

  EDITORIAL

  KITS

  BRASSIN

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED SETS

  HOW TO WORK WITH PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  BIG ED

  BUILT

  ON APPROACH

  –

  December 2023

  TAIL END CHARLIE

  HISTORY

  BOXART STORY

  Fw 190A-7 ProfiPACK 1/48

  WUNDERSCHÖNE NEUE MASCHINEN pt.2 Limited 1/72

  F6F-3 Hellcat Weekend 1/48

  Tempest Mk.V Series 1 Weekend 1/48

  Fokker Dr.I ProfiPACK 1/72 Re-release

  Bf 109G-6/AS ProfiPACK 1/48 Re-release

  Wellington Mk.Ic 1/72

  Tales of Iwojima 1/48

  WUNDERSCHÖNE NEUE MASCHINEN

  -

  Bf 109G-2/G4

  “The Story” -

  Somewhere in England, August 10, 1944

  221st Tactical Flight.

  Fighting With the Albatros...

  Air War over Ukraine

  -

  Defeat of the Black

  Sea Fleet

  The 201st victory

  Greenies from Green island

  Cormeilles-En-Vexin

  The firespitter

  Moskitojagd

  4

  6

  36

  42

  80

  96

  104

  116

  122

  126

  148

  Published by Eduard-Model Accessories, spol. s.r.o.

  Mírová 170, Obrnice 435 21

  support@eduard.com www.eduard.com

• Page 4

  Good Day, Dear Friends

  We find ourselves in the same situation

  with November’s new releases as we did with

  the October ones, in that they also have been

  available for purchase a couple of weeks ahead

  of the newsletter announcement, meaning that

  they will already be known to a large percentage

  of readers and perhaps even in their possession.

  Some modellers may be putting them together,

  and some of the items may even be built already.

  With the Bf 109 G-2 or G-4 in 72nd scale, this is

  not a difficult concept to grasp. From my own

  experience, I can confirm that this little thing

  comes together on its own, presents no pitfalls,

  nor does it hide any nasty surprises. Not that I'm

  one of those who can say they built this kit. I did

  slap it together, but didn't paint it, and I wouldn't

  even bother with weathering for what I needed to

  do with it. But the gluing of the kit, kind of halfway

  to building the model, is something I practice quite

  regularly, because it doesn't hurt when the head

  of the company knows what he's actually selling.

  And I'll also openly admit that I do the same with

  competitor’s kits, because knowing what the

  competition actually creates and puts out there is

  also good to know.

  Kits

  Wunderschöne neue Maschinen Pt.2 is the

  name of the 72nd scale Limited Edition kit,

  covering an important developmental period of

  the Messerschmitt Bf 109, namely the first Bf 109

  Gs. The Bf 109 designation changed from F to G

  after a new Bf 109 F-4 airframe had a DB 605A

  engine installed. You can read about it, if you

  should so wish, in my article on the subject in this

  issue of the newsletter, and if, after reading it , you

  are left with the impression that although the kit

  presents none of the aforementioned nastiness in

  construction, the original builders and designers

  seem to have laid plenty of traps for future

  researchers, then good, because that is what

  a part of the intent of the text was. The fact is that

  the two basic types, the G-2 and G-4, do not have

  clearly defined technical characteristics. Apart

  from a few minor details, the problem is that the

  G-4 got new, larger wheels, and with them, fairings

  on the upper wing over the wheel wells, and

  a non-retractable, larger, tailwheel. This sounds

  obvious, but in reality some of the older G-4s, and

  there were not just a few of them, still had the old

  smaller wheels and had no fairings on the wing.

  To make matters worse, older G-2s received bulged

  wings and new larger wheels during overhauls.

  This created a nice mess in the genome of the G-2

  and G-4 types, including the G-1 and G-3, which

  were machines with

  a pressurized cockpit,

  from which there is

  practically no way out

  without knowing the serial

  number of the aircraft

  of interest. Fortunately,

  the serial number can be

  found for a large number

  of Bf 109 Gs, God bless

  German precision. That carried with it its own

  price too, but we'll get to that in a few months.

  In January to be exact, when we start looking at

  the Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6. It will be a blast,

  literally on all fronts, and you can certainly look

  forward to it!

  In the kit, we simplified the problem of

  differentiating between these complex issues

  between the Bf 109 G-2 and G-4 by strictly

  following the rule, when deciding on markings

  options, that for the G-2 we only chose aircraft

  without the upper wing wheel well fairings, and

  for G-4 only those with them. But as nobody’s

  perfect, we made one small mistake in depicting

  the Finnish Bf 109 G-2 coded MT-213 with the

  fairings in the color scheme, but there is no

  need to think too much about it. In fact, she flew

  without them, apparently even after general

  overhaul. This also eliminates a lot of thinking

  about the combination of different parts, there is

  enough in this kit to build one G-2 and one G-4.

  There are 14 marking options available, seven

  for each version. If you would like to build more

  than two models, Overtrees are available, even in

  a discounted Bundle offer.

  The following information has a lot in common

  with what I wrote above, and it's not just that it's

  also a German subject. In the ProfiPACK 1:48th

  scale line, we present the Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-7.

  Perhaps unbelievably, this is a type that we

  have never released before in the new tooled

  Fw 190 A line. At the same time, it is not such

  a peripheral type, with some 700 units having been

  produced, which is comparable to, for example,

  the A4, of which 970 were built. The truth is that

  the A-7 was, like the A-6 and also like the Bf 109

  G-2 and G-4, a transitional type, a precursor to

  the mass-produced Fw 190A-8. And what it also

  has in common with the small Bf 109 G-2/G-4 is

  the design of the kit. They both look the way we

  imagine a plastic kit should look, they are exactly

  the kind of products we want to produce and sell.

  Other kits released in November also fit into

  the concept described above. Both 48th scale

  Weekend kits have a balanced composition of

  colour options. The F6F-3 Hellcat has the usual

  four markings, three American, two of which are

  iconic, by which I mean Alexander Vraciu's White

  32 and the sharkmouthed Hellcat of VF-27 from

  the aircraft carrier USS Princeton from October

  1944. Also included is the British Hellcat Mk.I,

  and that is included because, for one, it further

  diversifies the markings offered in the kit, and

  two, we will almost certainly not release British

  Hellcats as a separate item.

  Similarly, we have the Tempest Mk.V Series

  1, which is somewhat out of line with the six

  marking option formula set out for the Weekend

  edition kits. This is because the famous Tempest

  of No.150 Wing RAF Commander Roland Beamont

  is depicted in three stages of development in its

  markings, from the period before the Invasion,

  through the markings from the beginning of it,

  specifically from June 8th, 1944, to the period

  between June and July, 1944. Overall, all markings

  cover a longer period of time from April, 1944 to

  January, 1945.

  With respect to reissues, we present two

  vintage releases, the 72nd scale Fokker Dr.I,

  which as a type still holds the top spot as our

  best-selling 72nd scale model, and the 1:48th

  Bf 109 G-6/AS. This one is also selling well, and to

  be honest, it's one of my (forgiven) mistakes and

  miscalculations. I once considered these versions

  of the Messerschmitt 109s with DB 605AS engines

  to be marginal and commercially uninteresting

  types. Fortunately, reality later proved me wrong.

  For Fokker Dr.I we have modified the cover box

  art according to the latest research, details and

  reasons for this can be found in the Box Art Story

  by Richard Plos.

  And we're not done with kits yet. With the

  second edition, the recently sold out Wilder Cat is

  back on sale, the 48th scale licensed FM-2 Wildcat

  version, and from the beginning of November, the

  48th scale Profi;PACK MiG-21PFM will be on sale

  as well. There are only 310 of these left in stock.

  And while I'm on the subject of licensed Wildcats,

  I'd like to remind you that we're releasing the FM-1

  in December. We already have the box art, which

  in my opinion is one of our most beautiful box arts

  to date.

  EDITORIAL

  INFO Eduard4

  November 2023

• Page 5

  MASKS, PHOTOETCHED, SPACE and LOOKs

  From the masks, I would like to draw your

  attention to two sets covering F-35A RAM panel

  masking for Tamiya's 1:72nd scale F-35A kit.

  We have both classic single and double-sided

  canopy masks for the Sea King in 1:48th scale

  from Airfix. For the F-14B in the same scale from

  GWH, there is only a double-sided mask (TF) being

  made available and only for the windscreen,

  which is dictated by the design of this feature

  for this model, where the canopy frame and the

  glass are molded separately. In 1:32nd scale,

  canopy masks for the MC-202 from Italeri and the

  TBD-1 Devastador from Trumpeter are available.

  We also offer photoetch sets for these kits, with

  the Sea King sets total three for three different

  versions of this famous helicopter. The Space

  and Look sets have a similar setup, and in the

  Space line we have added three sets for the three

  versions of Airfix’s 48th scale Hunters.

  EDDIE THE RIVETER

  I also have to mention three sets of generic 3D

  decals with triple rows of rivets, in 1:32, 1:48 and

  1:72 scale, for November. We've already launched

  decal sets with single and double rows of rivets,

  which are followed up by November's positive

  rivet sets.

  BRASSIN

  We are adding to the Brassin line with cockpit

  and bronze landing gear sets for the 48th scale

  Bf 109K-4 of our making. Also on offer are some

  72nd scale Bf 109 G-2/G-4 mini kits for the

  Wunderschöne neue Maschinen Pt.2 kit, as well

  as four new 72nd F-35A sets for the Tamiya kit.

  Between them are two larger sets, the exhaust

  and cockpit, and two smaller ones, the seat

  and wheels. The fact that we issue the seat as

  a separate set does not mean that the cockpit

  does not have a seat, of course, as it is also part

  of the cockpit. The 48th scale seat for the A-1J

  Skyraider (Tamiya) with integrated seatbelts

  is interesting. This is a kind of test, we are

  investigating what interest there would be in

  seats with integrated printed belts. For the

  Su-25K in 1:48 scale, we have the UB-32 rocket

  pod set, suitable for both the original Zvezda kit

  and our limited edition ‘Hrabe’ (Rake), and for

  the same kit is the BIGSIN Su-25K Armament

  set, containing four sets of missiles, bombs and

  launchers (OFAB-250 bombs, B-8M1 and UB-32

  rocket pods, R-60 air-to-air dogfighting missiles

  and S-24 air-to-ground rockets). In this case, they

  are mostly cast items. In November's range you'll

  find a number of other smaller sets, as well as

  sets from the BIGED, BIGSIN and LööKplus ranges.

  Further information on these is presented below.

  Articles

  Mira Barič's series on the air war over Ukraine

  continues in today's newsletter. It is slowly but

  surely moving over Russia, and I believe that

  the time is approaching when the war will end

  with the expulsion of the Russian army from

  all of Ukraine. However, Ukraine is currently

  overshadowed by the events in the Middle East,

  which began on October 7th with an attack on

  Israel by Palestinian terrorists from their Hamas

  leadership. It is perhaps not so surprising that

  the scale of these crimes committed against

  civilians, women and children, comparable to

  the atrocities committed by the SS during the

  Second World War, shows the inability of many

  Western politicians, organizations and even

  state institutions to call a murder a murder, call

  terror terror and a criminal, a criminal. How

  long throughout history have we known that

  dismissing and shrugging off evil only brings

  more evil? We have seen so many times that evil

  comes out of its hiding places at similar moments

  to do its incredibly repulsive deeds to fulfill its

  warped agendas. I would still understand that

  members of the Arab communities in Western

  Europe are demonstrating for Palestine, but

  that the BBC would not dare to call a terrorist

  a terrorist, I would never have thought that in

  my wildest dreams. Winston Churchill must be

  rolling in his grave!

  The development of the Messerschmitt Bf 109

  is covered in the article ‘Wunderschöne neue

  Maschinen – Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2 & G-4‘.

  It has already been mentioned here and it is

  quite clear what it is about. Also today we have

  an article by Ed Mautner, a story of his father's

  wartime fortunes. The history of the Aero L-39

  is covered in an article by Tomas Dedera, and

  we have a modelling article about working with

  photoetched brass by Jakub Nademlejnský. We

  have four box art stories, dedicated to the cover

  images of the Fw 190A-7, Tempest Mk.V Series 1,

  F6F-3 Hellcat and Fokker Dr. I kits.

  And with that, I wish you a good read with our

  newsletter, and we hope to see you at Telford!

  Happy Modelling!

  Vladimír Šulc

  INFO Eduard

  5

  November 2023

• WUNDERSCHÖNE NEUE MASCHINEN

  After the successful operational use of the Bf 109 F-2 and F-4, powered by the updated DB 601N and DB 601E engines in 1941 and 1942, further development of the Bf 109 was based around the new DB 605A engine, a fuel injected inverted V-12 developed from the DB 601E. The designers most significantly increased its displacement from 33.9 l to 35.7 l by raising the cylinder bore by 4 mm

  Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2 & G-4

  Vladimír Šulc

  After the successful operational use of the

  Bf 109 F-2 and F-4, powered by the updated DB

  601N and DB 601E engines in 1941 and 1942, further

  development of the Bf 109 was based around the

  new DB 605A engine, a fuel injected inverted V-12

  developed from the DB 601E. The designers most

  significantly increased its displacement from

  33.9 l to 35.7 l by raising the cylinder bore by

  4 mm. The compression ratio of the DB 605A

  was 7.3:1 for the left cylinder bank and 7.5:1 for

  the right, compared to 7:1/7.2:1 on the DB 601E.

  The highest boost pressure for both engines

  was the same, 1.42 atm for takeoff and emer-

  gency modes, but thanks to the modernization

  of the compressor, the speed of which was now

  automatically controlled by a hydro-mechan-

  ical clutch governed by barometric pressure

  at different altitudes, it was possible to maintain

  a constant boost pressure at different heights.

  This meant that the boost pressure did not drop

  with increasing altitude. All this, along with

  a change in the valve timing and other modi-

  fications, helped increase the maximum rpm

  from 2,700 to 2,800 at takeoff. Maximum power

  at takeoff rose to 1,454 hp compared to 1,331 hp

  for the DB 601E. Combat power at 18,700ft was

  Photo above: Bf 109 G-2 W.No. 14246. The machine has the

  smaller landing gear wheels (650x150), with retractable

  smaller tail wheel (290x110) and no bulges above the under-

  carriage wheel well on the upper surface of the wing. [SDASM]

  Bf 109 G-2

  Bf 109 G-4

  1,232hp, with emergency boost at the same al-

  titude rated at 1,336hp, compared to 1,183hp

  in combat and 1,300hp emergency at 15,750ft for

  the DB 601E.

  These changes led not only to an increase

  in performance, but also to a slight increase

  in weight from 700 to 756kg. The engine used 87

  octane B4 aviation fuel and drove a Type 9-12087

  propeller with wider blades. Due to the need for

  more efficient cooling of the more powerful en-

  gine, a larger Type 9-6150 (Fö 870) oil cooler, the

  same as that installed in the Bf 109 F-4/Z, was

  used. Interestingly, neither the Bf 109 G-2 nor

  the G-4 are documented as using the GM-1 and

  MW-50 booster systems, which were used on

  both the Bf 109F and the later Bf 109 G-6.

  The first production version of the Bf 109 G-2,

  manufactured from May, 1942 initially at WNF and

  then also at Messerschmitt in Regensburg and

  at ERLA in Leipzig from June, was visually very

  similar to the Bf 109 F-4, but in fact introduced

  a number of changes. First of all, the fuselage

  structure was strengthened, especially in the

  area of the engine bulkhead and in the rear part

  of the aircraft between the 8th and 9th fuselage

  bulkheads, where the need for strengthening

  was evident already in the Bf 109 F-4. There were

  changes in the cockpit, the bulkhead between the

  cockpit and the space for the MG 17 machine guns

  was redesigned and strengthened. While the

  Bf 109F had a zippered canvas separator between

  the instrument panel and the fuselage machine

  gun compartment, the Bf 109 G-2 and subse-

  quent versions of the 109G had this partition

  made from an aluminum casting, which better

  sealed the cockpit from exhaust gases from the

  engine compartment and fumes from when the

  guns were fired, which was one of the persistent

  problems throughout the development of the

  Bf 109. On the sides of this partition were air-

  tight openings that could open and closed giving

  access to the MG 17 machine gun breeches and,

  if necessary, manually cock them. In the middle

  of the bulkhead were two sealed passages for

  the shaft of the propeller adjustment mechanism

  and for the mechanical tachometer. The main

  fuselage tank was modified to hold 400 liters of

  fuel and had armor plating composed of several

  layers of aluminum sheet and was covered with

  a three-layer rubber coating, which could seal

  punctures from rounds of up to 12.7mm caliber.

  The tank filler neck moved from under the left side

  of the canopy to between the second and third

  fuselage bulkhead. Optically and structurally, the

  canopy underwent significant changes, which re-

  sulted in the characteristic robust framing with

  an integrated armored glass panel at the front.

  The front plate of the windscreen was equipped

  with fuel spray. Spraying was started by a cock

  on the instrument panel which could only be

  opened in flight. The wing structure including the

  landing gear was strengthened, the tail wheel re-

  mained retractable with a tire size of 290 x110mm.

  The main landing gear of the G-2 retained the

  wheels with tire dimensions of 650 x150mm, the

  same as those of the Bf 109 F-4.

  A significant change was the standardiza-

  tion of fasteners for the mounting of weapons

  and equipment on the airframe, which facili-

  tated the later modernization of the aircraft to

  higher versions with the help of modernization

  kits (Rüstsatzen). This design strategy was re-

  tained for all G-version sub types from the G-2

  to the G-10, and allowed the airframes of older

  machines to be suitable candidates for conver-

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard6

  November 2023

• Page 7

  Bf 109 G-2

  Bf 109 G-4

  1,232hp, with emergency boost at the same al-

  titude rated at 1,336hp, compared to 1,183hp

  in combat and 1,300hp emergency at 15,750ft for

  the DB 601E.

  These changes led not only to an increase

  in performance, but also to a slight increase

  in weight from 700 to 756kg. The engine used 87

  octane B4 aviation fuel and drove a Type 9-12087

  propeller with wider blades. Due to the need for

  more efficient cooling of the more powerful en-

  gine, a larger Type 9-6150 (Fö 870) oil cooler, the

  same as that installed in the Bf 109 F-4/Z, was

  used. Interestingly, neither the Bf 109 G-2 nor

  the G-4 are documented as using the GM-1 and

  MW-50 booster systems, which were used on

  both the Bf 109F and the later Bf 109 G-6.

  The first production version of the Bf 109 G-2,

  manufactured from May, 1942 initially at WNF and

  then also at Messerschmitt in Regensburg and

  at ERLA in Leipzig from June, was visually very

  similar to the Bf 109 F-4, but in fact introduced

  a number of changes. First of all, the fuselage

  structure was strengthened, especially in the

  area of the engine bulkhead and in the rear part

  of the aircraft between the 8th and 9th fuselage

  bulkheads, where the need for strengthening

  was evident already in the Bf 109 F-4. There were

  changes in the cockpit, the bulkhead between the

  cockpit and the space for the MG 17 machine guns

  was redesigned and strengthened. While the

  Bf 109F had a zippered canvas separator between

  the instrument panel and the fuselage machine

  gun compartment, the Bf 109 G-2 and subse-

  quent versions of the 109G had this partition

  made from an aluminum casting, which better

  sealed the cockpit from exhaust gases from the

  engine compartment and fumes from when the

  guns were fired, which was one of the persistent

  problems throughout the development of the

  Bf 109. On the sides of this partition were air-

  tight openings that could open and closed giving

  access to the MG 17 machine gun breeches and,

  if necessary, manually cock them. In the middle

  of the bulkhead were two sealed passages for

  the shaft of the propeller adjustment mechanism

  and for the mechanical tachometer. The main

  fuselage tank was modified to hold 400 liters of

  fuel and had armor plating composed of several

  layers of aluminum sheet and was covered with

  a three-layer rubber coating, which could seal

  punctures from rounds of up to 12.7mm caliber.

  The tank filler neck moved from under the left side

  of the canopy to between the second and third

  fuselage bulkhead. Optically and structurally, the

  canopy underwent significant changes, which re-

  sulted in the characteristic robust framing with

  an integrated armored glass panel at the front.

  The front plate of the windscreen was equipped

  with fuel spray. Spraying was started by a cock

  on the instrument panel which could only be

  opened in flight. The wing structure including the

  landing gear was strengthened, the tail wheel re-

  mained retractable with a tire size of 290 x110mm.

  The main landing gear of the G-2 retained the

  wheels with tire dimensions of 650 x150mm, the

  same as those of the Bf 109 F-4.

  A significant change was the standardiza-

  tion of fasteners for the mounting of weapons

  and equipment on the airframe, which facili-

  tated the later modernization of the aircraft to

  higher versions with the help of modernization

  kits (Rüstsatzen). This design strategy was re-

  tained for all G-version sub types from the G-2

  to the G-10, and allowed the airframes of older

  machines to be suitable candidates for conver-

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  7

  November 2023

• Page 8

  sion to higher standard versions. It also made

  it easier to train and maintain staff on later

  variants. All versions of the Bf 109G were also

  produced with tropical modifications, although

  interestingly, the G-2/G-4 versions were still

  listed in documentation as two versions,

  the standard G-2/G-4 and the tropicalized

  G-2/ Trop and G-4/Trop. It should be stated, how-

  ever, that this universality was put into practice

  only in part of the production of the Bf 109 G-6.

  Later G-6 models, and the following G-14 and

  later versions of the G-10 to include the G-6/AS

  and G-14/AS, dispensed with the tropical mod-

  ifications, because developments at the fronts

  and related changes in the deployment of fighter

  aircraft brought the air force to the conclusion

  that they were no longer necessary.

  Production of the subsequent Bf 109 G-4 be-

  gan at Messerschmitt in September, 1942, at

  WNF in December of the same year, and at ERLA

  the following January. The G-4 version did not

  differ in appearance from the G-2 at the start of

  production, and it is not entirely clear why the

  new type number was applied. At first, the only

  significant change was in the radio equipment,

  where the G-4’s older FuG VIIa shortwave radi-

  os gave way to the new FuG 16 Z or FuG 16 ZY

  VHF units. In addition to the radios, the FuG 16 ZY

  equipment also had a built-in transponder

  for the Pegasus Y goniometric gunsight with

  a Moranmast rod antenna. Some machines wer

  e equipped with a ZVG 16 direction finding device

  with a PR 16 loop antenna on the back of the fu-

  selage. This device was supplied as a Rüstsatz

  R7 Peilrufanlage set. In any case, despite this

  equipment being documented as standard for

  the Bf 109 G-4, in reality, very few actually were

  so equipped.

  During the production of the Bf 109 G-4, prob-

  ably in December 1942, there was a change in

  the size of the wheels of the main landing gear.

  The installation of larger tires was a response

  not only to the increasing weight of the aircraft,

  but also to persistent problems with tire life

  and stability of the aircraft during take-off and

  landing. With the introduction of the Bf 109 G-2

  into service, these problems were exacerbated.

  The Bf 109 G-2 had the same tires as the Bf 109F,

  650 x 150mm, tires that deflated quickly. This was

  thought to be due to the greater weight of the

  aircraft, but tests with the larger 660 x 160mm

  tires at Rechlin showed no improvement. On the

  contrary, the situation worsened when in some

  cases the tires were destroyed after only two

  take-offs and landings. During further tests,

  it turned out that the problem was caused by heat

  generated by the brakes, transferring onto the

  tires, the higher temperature of which caused

  the rapid degradation of the rubber. The solution

  was the introduction of larger steel brake discs,

  which did not heat up as much. However, due to

  the angle of the wheel’s transverse axis to the

  axis of the landing gear strut (9°33”), the wheel

  with a larger brake drum and a larger tire could

  no longer fit in the wheel well. This was solved

  by adding a bulge into the upper wing over the

  wheel well. The tail wheel was enlarged to

  350 x 135mm, compared to 290 x 110mm for the

  Bf 109 G-2. It continued to be fixed, on later se-

  ries machines with a leather sleeve on the strut

  proper. Unfortunately, these characteristics are

  not definitive in differentiating between the G-2

  and G-4 versions, as a segment of early produc-

  tion G-4s still had the original smaller wheels

  with a smooth wing without the fairing above

  FuG 16 Z / ZY Radio Equipment

  The FuG-16Z/ZY working in the very short wave band

  (UKW/VHF) widths was a very modern and compact

  unit, almost timeless. The entire device, designated

  Geräteblock LA6NCA, consisted of three modules:

  the Emfänger E 16 Z/ZY receiver, the Sender S 16 Z/ZY

  transmitter, and the Bedlengerät BG 16 Z/ZY modula-

  tor. The assembly was located in the fuselage behind

  the cockpit. Tuning was remote from a control panel

  in the cockpit, located at the edge of the lower left

  corner of the instrument panel. The control panel had

  a rotary switch with four positions, below which were

  preset frequencies, indicated by pictograms. Under

  Pictogram I was the guidance frequency Y

  -

  Führung-

  frequenz, and under the Roman numeral II was the fre-

  quency for communication with the flight commander

  with his unit or fighter formation Gruppenbefehlfre-

  quenz. Under the triangle was the airfield traffic con-

  trol frequency Nahflugsicherungfrequenz and under

  the square was the frequency for all fighter planes

  Reichsjägerfrequenz. To tune to one of these, it was

  enough just to switch the selector to the correct posi-

  tion. Alternatively, the switch could have frequencies

  marked with standard numerals of 1 to 4, and an older

  version of the control panel had two rocker switches.

  the wheel well and a retractable tail wheel of

  smaller diameter. Additionally, older G-2s were

  retrofitted, usually during general repairs, to G-4

  standard by installing larger wheels with the ap-

  propriate equipment.

  A total of 1,586 Bf 109 G-2s were produced

  from May to December 1942 and 1,242 Bf 109

  G-4s from September 1942 to June 1943, plus

  one license built Bf 109Ga-2 and 24 Bf 109Ga-

  4s were produced in Györ, Hungary. In addition

  to them, 167 Bf 109 G-1s and 50 Bf 109 G-3s with

  pressurized cockpits were produced. All versions

  could be equipped with an additional fuel tank

  with 300 liters of fuel or cannon pods with 20mm

  MG 151/20 cannons, or a belly bomb rack. But the

  aircraft usually carried either an additional tank

  or cannon pods. The simultaneous use of the tank

  and cannon pods was rare. You can find photos

  of such combinations, but this may have been

  a ferry configuration. Cannon pods were never

  combined with the fuselage bomb racks.

  Combat Use of the Bf 109 G-2

  and G-4

  Both types gradually replaced the Bf 109 F-2

  and F-4 in Luftwaffe fighter units over the second

  half of 1942. The Bf 109 G-2 ensured the perfor-

  mance superiority of German fighters over Allied

  opponents both on the Eastern Front during the

  successful German summer offensive and the

  advance of the German armies to the Cauca-

  sus and to Stalingrad, as well as in North Africa

  during the advance of the German Afrikacorps

  and its Italian ally along the North African coast

  towards Egypt. After the defeat of the German

  armies at El Alamein in North Africa in Novem-

  ber, 1942 and the encirclement of the German 6th

  Army at Stalingrad in the same month, the tide

  had begun to turn. Luftwaffe fighters were unable

  to maintain their air supremacy over the battle-

  field at Stalingrad and keep the air supply lines

  open to the encircled German forces, nor in North

  Africa, where a strengthening Allied air force was

  successfully disrupting supplies to the remaining

  Bf 109 G-2 from III./JG 54 “Grünherz” on the Eastern Front in this picture taken in August 1942. This unit took delivery of the first

  G-2s in July 1942 and had them in service until January the following year. The G-4 version was delivered to III./JG 54 in February

  1943. [Bundesarchiv]

  Bf 109 G-4 MT 213 still has the original smaller main landing gear wheels, but now has a larger fixed tail

  wheel (350x135). This machine is part of the color profiles in this kit, in a new camouflage applied after

  the overhaul. [SA Kuva]

  Bf 109 G-4 and personnel of the Slovak 13th/JG 52 at Anapa airfield in Crimea in the summer of 1943. [Bundesarchiv]

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard8

  November 2023

• Page 9

  the wheel well and a retractable tail wheel of

  smaller diameter. Additionally, older G-2s were

  retrofitted, usually during general repairs, to G-4

  standard by installing larger wheels with the ap-

  propriate equipment.

  A total of 1,586 Bf 109 G-2s were produced

  from May to December 1942 and 1,242 Bf 109

  G-4s from September 1942 to June 1943, plus

  one license built Bf 109Ga-2 and 24 Bf 109Ga-

  4s were produced in Györ, Hungary. In addition

  to them, 167 Bf 109 G-1s and 50 Bf 109 G-3s with

  pressurized cockpits were produced. All versions

  could be equipped with an additional fuel tank

  with 300 liters of fuel or cannon pods with 20mm

  MG 151/20 cannons, or a belly bomb rack. But the

  aircraft usually carried either an additional tank

  or cannon pods. The simultaneous use of the tank

  and cannon pods was rare. You can find photos

  of such combinations, but this may have been

  a ferry configuration. Cannon pods were never

  combined with the fuselage bomb racks.

  Combat Use of the Bf 109 G-2

  and G-4

  Both types gradually replaced the Bf 109 F-2

  and F-4 in Luftwaffe fighter units over the second

  half of 1942. The Bf 109 G-2 ensured the perfor-

  mance superiority of German fighters over Allied

  opponents both on the Eastern Front during the

  successful German summer offensive and the

  advance of the German armies to the Cauca-

  sus and to Stalingrad, as well as in North Africa

  during the advance of the German Afrikacorps

  and its Italian ally along the North African coast

  towards Egypt. After the defeat of the German

  armies at El Alamein in North Africa in Novem-

  ber, 1942 and the encirclement of the German 6th

  Army at Stalingrad in the same month, the tide

  had begun to turn. Luftwaffe fighters were unable

  to maintain their air supremacy over the battle-

  field at Stalingrad and keep the air supply lines

  open to the encircled German forces, nor in North

  Africa, where a strengthening Allied air force was

  successfully disrupting supplies to the remaining

  Bf 109 G-2 from III./JG 54 “Grünherz” on the Eastern Front in this picture taken in August 1942. This unit took delivery of the first

  G-2s in July 1942 and had them in service until January the following year. The G-4 version was delivered to III./JG 54 in February

  1943. [Bundesarchiv]

  Bf 109 G-4 MT 213 still has the original smaller main landing gear wheels, but now has a larger fixed tail

  wheel (350x135). This machine is part of the color profiles in this kit, in a new camouflage applied after

  the overhaul. [SA Kuva]

  Bf 109 G-4 and personnel of the Slovak 13th/JG 52 at Anapa airfield in Crimea in the summer of 1943. [Bundesarchiv]

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  9

  November 2023

• Page 10

  Axis armies in Tunisia. After the capitulation of

  the Germans and Italians in Africa, the Luftwaffe

  faced the Allied landings in Sicily and Italy, on the

  Eastern Front it waged intense air battles with

  a strengthening Soviet Air Force, supplement-

  ed in the spring of 1943 by new types of Soviet

  aircraft. Deliveries of British and American

  equipment were significant, especially the P-39

  Airacobra and the P-40 Warhawk, supplied under

  the Lend Lease Act. In all these battles, the Bf 109

  G-2 and G-4 were the most important equipment

  of the Luftwaffe fighter units. Both the Bf 109 G-2

  and G-4’s ability to carry MG 151/20 cannon pods

  under the wings was greatly appreciated in com-

  bat against the increasingly dangerous, heavily

  armored Soviet Il-2.

  The importance of the Bf 109 G-4 with under-

  wing gun pods, called Kannonenboot, increased

  in North Africa and the Mediterranean, where the

  number and intensity of Allied heavy four-en-

  gine bomber operations increased. In this area

  A photo reconnaissance Bf 109 G-2/R4 “Black 14” WNr. 10605 of the 2.(H)/Aufkl.Gr.14, shot down in Allied territory in Tunisia on

  February 20, 1943 with Oblt. Gerhard Wernicke at the controls. He managed to evade capture and after three days and a journey of

  120 km got back to his own unit. [SDASM]

  Wernicke’s “Black 14” became a favourite hack of the 86th Fighter Squadron (79th Fighter Group). Unit´s personnel took great care

  in improving its camouflage and markings. The name Irmgard belonged to the girlfriend of Wernicke’s mechanic, who was Uffz.

  Bopp. [J. Ethell Collection]

  of operations in the spring and summer of 1943,

  the Luftwaffe’s Bf 109 G-4 was the main fight-

  er type, whose lighter armament of one 20 mm

  cannon and two machine guns was less effec-

  tive against heavy bombers. The reinforcement

  with two additional cannons was therefore

  most welcome. The number of the better-armed

  Fw 190A, whose armament of four 20 mm cannon

  and two 13 mm machine guns was much more

  effective against heavy bombers, was relatively

  low in the Mediterranean. In addition, they mostly

  served with combat units and were not deployed

  in battles against bombers. A significant part

  of the operational activity of the Bf 109G in the

  Mediterranean was in the employment of tac-

  tics against the Allied bomber formations, the

  organization of air traffic and the guidance of

  fighter elements to their targets. The Luftwaffe

  had well-developed operational tactics against

  smaller units of twin-engined bombers and

  their fighter escorts from fighting in Africa and

  on other fronts. The deployment of large groups

  of heavy four-engined bombers accompanied

  by strong fighter escorts, however, moved the

  air war to a higher level, and the command of

  German fighters in the Mediterranean, Jagdflieg-

  erführer Sizilien, under the command of Lieu-

  tenant General Adolf Galland from June 1943, had

  great problems coping with the new situation in

  the air. However, the other side also had prob-

  lems with the tactics and coordination of its forc-

  es, for which the deployment of large formations

  also presented a completely new challenge. The

  fierce battles over the Mediterranean and Italy in

  the summer of 1943 were thus accompanied by

  mistakes on both sides, from which both grad-

  ually learned, and they later benefited from the

  bloody experience when organizing air opera-

  tions in all areas, especially on the Western Front.

  On the Western Front, the ratio of the two main

  Luftwaffe single-engine fighters was reversed,

  units flying the heavier Fw 190A being more

  prevalent. However, it was here that the Luft-

  waffe faced the greatest disaster. In the autumn

  of 1942, the first units of the newly formed 8th

  Air Force of the USAAF arrived in Great Britain,

  and increasingly took part in the bombing offen-

  sive against targets in occupied Western Europe.

  The first daylight raid on Germany was carried

  out by the 8th Air Army on February 27th, 1943,

  and from the spring of 1943 it increased its at-

  tacks in direct proportion to its increasing

  strength. Escalating British and American air

  raids on Germany were causing painful losses

  with an increasing impact on the German war

  effort. Not only was the increasing intensity of

  bombing attacks lethal for Luftwaffe fighter

  units, but the growing strength of the Allied fight-

  er elements had to be contended with as well.

  The arrival of new types of American fighter air-

  craft and the associated change in Allied fighter

  tactics was deadly to German fighters.

  In August 1943, the Messeschmitt plants in Re-

  gensburg and WNF in Vienna’s New Town were

  hit, and although in 1943 the Luftwaffe was still

  able to counter the American daytime raids rel-

  atively successfully, and even halting them for

  a time at the end of that year, the situation gradu-

  ally became critical and by the following year the

  Luftwaffe had lost the air battle over Germany.

  The Bf 109 G-2 and G-4 were direct partici-

  pants in these historical events. The Bf 109 G-2

  and G-4 were also used by the Finnish, Romanian,

  Italian, Croatian, Slovak and Hungarian air forces.

  In Hungary, the Bf 109 G-2 and G-4 were li-

  cense-produced as the Bf 109Ga-2 and Ga-4.

  Romanian sources state that additional Bf 109

  G-4s were built in Romania, but they were prob-

  ably assembled from aircraft delivered by Ger-

  many.

  In February 1943, production began of the

  Bf 109 G-6, which was produced in many blocks

  until the end of 1944. The exact number of G-6s

  produced is unknown, but it is believed to have

  reached 13,000 aircraft. However, the production

  of the Bf 109 G-4 ran parallel to the production

  of the Bf 109 G-6 until June 1943, and also in

  Luftwaffe fighter units, both types served con-

  currently from the spring and into the summer

  of that year. As late as July, during the Battle of

  Kursk, which marked the definitive turning point

  in the course of World War II, Bf 109 G-4s still

  equipped half of the Luftwaffe fighter units flying

  G version aircraft.

  Bf 109 G-12

  Not even later did the Bf 109 G-2 and G-4 completely lose their signif-

  icance, as they served until the end of the war in training units. Some of

  them were converted into two-seat Bf 109 G-12s by Blohm und Voss in Ham-

  burg. These were also later converted from the Bf 109 G-6 and Bf 109 G-10.

  A total of 280 Bf 109 G-12s were likely built, but how many were converted

  from G-2s and G-4s is unknown. Some of the surviving airframes of the Bf

  109 G-2 and G-4 were also used to convert to the higher derivatives of the

  Bf 109G, and after being withdrawn from service with front-line Luftwaffe

  units, Bf 109 G-4s continued to be supplied to Germany’s allies in 1944.

  Bf 109 G-12

  (conversion from Bf 109 G-4)

  Bf 109 G-12

  (conversion from Bf 109 G-4)

  Bf 109 G-12

  (conversion from Bf 109 G-4)

  Bf 109 G-12

  (conversion from Bf 109 G-4)

  Bf 109 G-12

  (conversion

  from Bf 109 G-4)

  Bf 109 G-12 (conversion

  from Bf 109 G-4)

  During their service with Luftwaffe training units, the majority of

  Bf 109 G-12s, which had been converted from Bf 109 G-4, received

  upgraded, higher-quality wheels standardized for Bf 109 G-6.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard10

  November 2023

• Page 11

  Bf 109 G-12

  Not even later did the Bf 109 G-2 and G-4 completely lose their signif-

  icance, as they served until the end of the war in training units. Some of

  them were converted into two-seat Bf 109 G-12s by Blohm und Voss in Ham-

  burg. These were also later converted from the Bf 109 G-6 and Bf 109 G-10.

  A total of 280 Bf 109 G-12s were likely built, but how many were converted

  from G-2s and G-4s is unknown. Some of the surviving airframes of the Bf

  109 G-2 and G-4 were also used to convert to the higher derivatives of the

  Bf 109G, and after being withdrawn from service with front-line Luftwaffe

  units, Bf 109 G-4s continued to be supplied to Germany’s allies in 1944.

  Bf 109 G-12

  (conversion from Bf 109 G-4)

  Bf 109 G-12

  (conversion from Bf 109 G-4)

  Bf 109 G-12

  (conversion from Bf 109 G-4)

  Bf 109 G-12

  (conversion from Bf 109 G-4)

  Bf 109 G-12

  (conversion

  from Bf 109 G-4)

  Bf 109 G-12 (conversion

  from Bf 109 G-4)

  During their service with Luftwaffe training units, the majority of

  Bf 109 G-12s, which had been converted from Bf 109 G-4, received

  upgraded, higher-quality wheels standardized for Bf 109 G-6.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  11

  November 2023

• Page 12

  Conclusion

  The Bf 109 G-2 and G-4 were transitional types

  in terms of production and development of the

  Messerschmitt Bf 109. Their importance lay in

  the successful adaptation of the airframe, ini-

  tially modernized for the Bf 109F, to accept the

  new, more powerful DB 605A engine. The Bf 109

  G-4 essentially represented the production pat-

  tern and, really, the mass production pattern, of

  the Bf 109 G-6 and other variants, such as the

  Bf 109 G- 14 and later, the Bf 109 G-10. The qual-

  ity of the airframe construction is evidenced

  by the fact that the basic airframe remained

  a platform for mounting more powerful engines

  and weapons, while it changed only in peripheral

  areas. The engine fairing changed depending on

  the increase in the size of the compressor, the

  rudder was enlarged to improve control of the

  airplane, the wheel wells were widened as gov-

  erned by subsequent enlargement of the tires,

  which was a response to the increasing weight

  of the aircraft due to the installation of heavier

  weapons and various auxiliary systems, such

  as the MW 50 and GM-1 booster systems. There

  was a change to the canopy and cockpit armor,

  where the aim was to improve ergonomics, the

  view from the cockpit and better protection

  for the pilot, and in the last months of the war

  there were attempts to replace some structur-

  al units, typically the tail surfaces, with wooden

  structures, which was a response to the overall

  deteriorating supply chain situation and lack of

  raw materials offered by the shrinking territory

  controlled by the Third Reich. But the basis of

  the airframe would remain the same, even in

  the case of the last development version, the

  Bf 109 K, where the most extensive design modi-

  fications took place in the aforementioned areas.

  But it was still, in modern terms, just a face lift.

  The basis of the airframe remained the same as it

  was fine tuned on the Bf 109 G-4.

  The internal design changes and the over-

  all fine-tuning of the airframe are probably the

  reasons why the designation was changed from

  Bf 109 G-2 to G-4. Other changes in the equipment

  of the aircraft were not the reason for changing

  the designation in the later period for the Bf 109

  G-6. For the Bf 109 G-6, the differences in equip-

  ment and armament between individual produc-

  tion blocks were greater than that between the

  G-2 and G-4, and yet, the Bf 109 G-6 still retained

  its designation, even after the installation of the

  DB 605AS engine. The change occurred only after

  the installation of the DB 605D engine, when the

  designation changed to Bf 109 G-10.

  However, it is uncertain whether this is actual-

  ly the case. In fact, the reason why the designa-

  tion was changed from G-2 to G-4 is still some-

  what shrouded in mystery.

  Lt. Hermann Weber of 3./JG 4 in his Bf 109 G-2 “Yellow 5”, Mizil, Romania, summer 1943. Note the open acces door for the aircraft centroplane area.

  [JG 4 Archive / Museum of Air Battle over the Ore Mountains]

  The tail surfaces of Bf 109 G-2 W.Nr. 14638, flown by the com-

  mander of 2./JG 4 Oblt. Hans Wilhelm Schopper during winter of

  1942/43. Most of the on rudder depicted 34 victories were won

  before he joined JG 4, during combat in the ranks of II./Tr. 186

  and III./JG 77. In addition to this aircraft, Schopper also flew the

  Bf 109 G-2 “Black 1” in the background. [JG 4 Archive / Museum

  of Air Battle over the Ore Mountains]

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard12

  November 2023

• “The Story” - Somewhere in England, August 10, 1944

  I was probably five or six years old when I first heard “The Story” and looked at those three tiny 2 1/2” X 4” photos of the B-17. This story and those small images were probably responsible for my life long love affair with aviation history.

  I was probably five or six years old when I first heard “The Story” and looked at those

  three tiny 2 1/2” X 4” photos of the B-17. This story and those small images were probably

  responsible for my life long love affair with aviation history.

  My Dad, then Captain Edward Mautner, had ar-

  rived in England on July 9, 1944, attached to the

  127th Station Hospital based in Salisbury in the

  south of England. Salisbury was one of the four

  whole blood distribution centers for the Europe-

  an Theatre of Operations (ETO) and in particular

  for the troops breaking out from the Normandy

  beachhead. My dad was charged with developing

  a transportation unit to deliver whole blood to

  field hospitals supporting the troops advancing

  into France.

  Captain Mautner’s first challenge was to find

  vehicles – two and half ton trucks (“deuce and

  halfs”), Jeeps, motorcycles, trailers, and refriger-

  ation units to extend the short shelf life of whole

  blood. He also had to create a cadre of drivers.

  The 127th arrived with only 11 licensed drivers and

  two men qualified to ride motorcycles- Corporal

  T/5 Lyle Holcomb and my dad. All the vehicles

  were requisitioned without paperwork, including

  20 Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Training began

  on the Salisbury Plain. Teaching young men to

  drive trucks and Jeeps was pretty easy. The mo-

  torcycles were not quite so easy to master. Men

  were taught to start, accelerate, brake and shift

  gears. They were then sent out on the grassy

  plain and told to practice and return in one half

  hour. Several did not return having dumped their

  motorcycles and found them too heavy to right.

  A search party led by Captain Mautner and a few

  semi-competent novices then rode out in search

  of the lost sheep. Once found, they were sent out

  again.

  The point in mentioning this is to emphasize

  the acute shortage of vehicles and drivers. “Mid-

  night requisitions,” a kind term for thievery, by

  other needy units depleted others of their hard-

  won caches of vehicles and made securing vehi-

  cles of paramount importance. And so it was on

  the afternoon of August 10, 1944 when Lt Y.Z. Gar-

  ner of Birmingham, Ala., entered Capt. Mautner’s

  office seeking a favor. Garner wanted to borrow

  Mautner’s Jeep. One of his best buddies from

  Birmingham, an Eighth Air Force B-17 pilot, was

  flying into a nearby U.S. Army Air base and Garner

  wanted to drive to meet him. Mautner, concerned

  for the security of “his” Jeep, offered to accompa-

  ny Garner to that base which was approximately

  15 miles southeast of Salisbury.

  Stoney Cross was a Ninth Air Force base in the

  New Forest about 10 miles west of Southampton.

  This former RAF base was home to P-38s of the

  376th Fighter Group that had recently flown off

  to newly bulldozed fields near the Normandy

  beaches. Remaining at Stoney Cross were the

  Martin B-26 Marauder Medium Bombers of the

  387th Bombardment Group. The seemingly short

  ride to Stoney Cross over narrow, hedge cropped

  roads took over an hour. Arriving in mid to late

  afternoon, Mautner and Garner quickly identified

  a lone B-17 Flying Fortress that dwarfed a field of

  B-26 medium bombers.

  Finding the crew of the B-17 proved a little

  more challenging. Questioning base Army Air

  Force personnel led Mautner and Garner to the

  base Officers’ Club or “O Club.” Garner’s friend

  was at the bar with a co-pilot. Both had been

  drinking. After salutations and introductions,

  Garner’s friend, introduced as “Mac,” asked his

  guests if they would like a ride in “his” airplane.

  He didn’t have to wait long for a pair of affirma-

  tives. The only hold up was how to get the co-pilot

  back into the aircraft as he was quite inebriated

  and needed assistance. Once hoisted into the air-

  craft, he was unceremoniously laid on the ply-

  wood floor of the radio operator’s compartment,

  unable to sit upright in his right front seat. This

  is where he remained as “Mac” took the controls,

  Garner sat in the co-pilot’s seat and Mautner

  stood between the two with no more than a good

  grip on their seat backs. Mautner recalled that

  they seemed to use all of the 5000 foot runway

  to get airborne. “Mac” asked his guests what

  they would like to see on their “joy ride.” Like

  so many American servicemen in England, the

  White Cliffs of Dover on the Channel Coast was

  Title photo: My Baby, B-17G-35-DL while her original assignment with the 324th BS, prior the 91st Bomb Group red-tail marking

  was applied. [NARA]

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  13

  November 2023

• Page 14

  a familiar landmark made famous by English

  wartime singer Vera Lynn’s song of the same

  name. Told that they had no clearance to fly any-

  where near the coast for fear of being shot at by

  shore batteries, Mautner suggested a flight over

  their base in Salisbury. The flyover turned out to

  be an epic “buzz job” that reportedly left the base

  volleyball nets in turmoil for several minutes af-

  ter the event.

  The return to Stoney Cross was so late that

  a caption on the back of one photo noted “...it was

  almost dark when we came in”. Mautner took

  three photos to commemorate the event - one

  of “Mac” barely visible under the nose of his

  B-17, one of “Mac” and Garner and a third, tak-

  en presumably by Garner, of “Mac” and Mautner.

  These images are closer in shots that show the

  aircraft’s nose art and her name – “My Baby.”

  Wartime censorship only permitted my father

  to caption the images “Somewhere in England,

  10 Aug. 44,” and finally that these “…’Forts’ are the

  greatest bombers in the world.” They watched

  “Mac” take off for his home base and returned to

  their base in Salisbury. Upon their return, base

  personnel excitedly describing the whipping vol-

  leyball nets.

  Mautner recounted that about a month later

  Lt Garner came to him in tears. He had just been

  notified that his good friend “Mac” had been shot

  down and killed on a mission over Germany. And

  so ended Dad’s war story - or so I thought.

  In the summer of 1994 I was living in Southern

  California and close to completing a Master’s De-

  gree in Historic Preservation/Public History. The

  subject of my thesis was Aircraft Preservation

  at the National Air and Space Museum. For my

  final research I had arranged an internship at the

  National Air and Space Museum’s (NASM) Paul E.

  Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage

  Facility at Silver Hill, Md. for August and Septem-

  ber of that year. I spent those days in Building

  10, the preservation/restoration shop, and my

  late afternoons and evenings researching in the

  Archives.

  My parents were living at the New Jersey

  Shore. On Labor Day weekend, 1994, I drove up

  to visit them. With my tales of interning at the

  NASM, my Dad once again related “The Story”

  and brought out those three tiny photos, which he

  then bequeathed to my care. Having spent much

  of my adulthood reading WW

  -

  II aviation history

  and building model aircraft, these tiny photos

  now showed so much more to me than they did as

  a young boy. Exactly 50 years after my Dad’s joy

  ride, I had in my hands all of the incentive to find,

  in Paul Harvey’s words, “The Rest of the Story.”

  “Airbase somewhere in England, 10 Aug. 44.

  “Mac” standing beneath the nose of his plane.

  I am under the inboard port motor but it was

  rather dark and the picture isn’t too clear”.

  [Mautner]

  91st BG

  emblem

  “Somewhere

  in England, 10 Aug 44. “Mac” and I just after we landed.

  It was almost dark when we came in. Had a grand flight.

  These “Forts” are the greatest bombers in the world”. War

  time censorship prevented CAPT Mautner from noting

  that he was at Station 452, Stoney Cross, in the New

  Forest. [Mautner]

  “10 August 1944. LT (Y.Z.) Garner on right, “Mac” on left

  – “Mac’s” plane, “My Baby” in rear. Note all the bombs

  painted on the plane. 1 for each mission. Taken just

  after we landed.”

  Note B-26 Medium Bombers of the 387th Bomb Group

  in the background. [Mautner]

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard14

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• Page 15

  An Unplanned Research Project

  First, it was clear even in these small, low-defi-

  nition images that the B-17 was not camouflaged,

  but silver or in Natural Metal Finish (NMF). In the

  long shot the top of the vertical stabilizer ap-

  peared to be a dark color with what appeared to

  be the top of the letter A in a triangle that was

  darker than the stabilizer. In this image much of

  the aft fuselage was masked by the left wing. But,

  aft of the national insignia were the letters LG D.

  The close in image of the left nose showed a long

  line of bomb mission markings and three mission

  markings on a second line below that. And the

  very seductive young lady painted on the nose

  next to the name “My Baby” painted on a decora-

  tive background. Now I had two research projects

  to work on at the NASM.

  I had already become a bother to the very pa-

  tient, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic NASM Ar-

  chives staff in researching my thesis. They none-

  theless guided me to every source in my search

  for information on “My Baby.” Roger A. Free-

  man’s The Mighty Eighth was my first reference.

  The large letter A in a black triangle painted on a

  red vertical stabilizer was the Group identifier for

  the 91st Bomb Group (BG) stationed at Bassing-

  bourn in Cambridgeshire in the English Midlands.

  The letters on the side of the fuselage identified

  the aircraft as belonging to the 322nd Bomb

  Squadron (BS). So, one might ask, what was

  a B-17 from the 91st BG stationed in the English

  Midlands doing flying in and out of a 9th Air Force

  base in the very south of England on August 10,

  1944? Wasn’t there a war on and didn’t “Mac” and

  his B-17 have bigger fish to fry?

  With the information I now had, NASM Ar-

  chives staff advised me that they had in their

  records, and very conveniently in their Reading

  Room, files of all of the Eighth Air Force Nose

  Art and names sorted by BG (this collection is

  now in the files of the National Archives in Col-

  lege Park, Md.). It took me five minutes to find

  a small proof image of “My Baby” in the 91st BG

  file. The image is an official 91st BG photo of the

  aircraft and its crew. Two things jumped out at

  me. One of the nine crewmen pictured was the

  same “Mac” in my father’s small photos. And the

  official photo showed the same number of bomb

  mission markings as those shown in my dad’s

  photos. Could this photo have been taken on the

  same day that “My Baby” flew down to southern

  England to offer two Army officers a “joy ride”

  around the English countryside? I ordered an

  8” X 10” copy of this photo.

  Roger A. Freeman, an Englishman famous for

  his documenting of all things Eighth Air Force

  in WW

  -

  II, also wrote The Mighty Eighth War Di-

  ary. It has more photos and anecdotal stories

  of the men, aircraft, and missions of the Eighth.

  It is also an operational diary, a day by day re-

  cord, of the missions and activities of the Eighth

  Air Force. It is an education in the organization

  of the Eighth. The primary unit of any BG is the

  squadron consisting of 12 aircraft. Normally,

  a BG has four squadrons. Above the Eighth’s BGs

  were three Air Divisions, each consisting of 16 to

  18 BGs. The 91st BG was a part of the First Air

  Division. Turning to Freeman’s War Diary and

  searching for August 10, 1944, one discovers that

  the First Air Division stood down on this date – no

  mission was assigned to the 91st. So “Mac” and

  Two Natural Metal Finish (NMF) B-17Gs of the 324th BS. On the left is “Lorraine”, Serial No. 44-8651. In the back-

  ground is “Mah Ideel”, Serial No. 43-37993, DF

  -

  N for Nan. Note the Olive Drab replacement rudder. “Mah Ideel”

  flew the mission to Ludwigshafen on September 8, 1944. Both aircraft survived the war. [Evers via Kelley]

  “Yankee Belle,” a B-17G, Ser. No. 42-32085, DF

  -

  K from the 324th BS that was also on the same mission

  to Ludwigshafen, September 8, 1944, the day David McCarty was lost in “Roxy’s Special.” “Yankee Belle”

  displays the same Natural Metal Finish (NMF) and Group markings as both “My Baby” and “Roxy’s Special.”

  [Evers via Kelley]

  Another image of “Mah Ideel,” DF

  -

  N for Nan. [Evers via Kelley]

  HISTORY

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  15

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  “My Baby” had a day off. How “Mac” got to fly a B-17

  from Bassingbourn to Stoney Cross can only be

  guessed. This may have been an opportunity to

  break in or “zero time” a new engine, but clearly

  “Mac” had another mission on his mind – to visit

  his buddy, Lt Y. Z. Garner, based in Salisbury.

  Finding “Mac”:

  An Amateur Sleuth Goes to Work.

  In September, 1994 I found a new resource that

  proved key to unlocking the mystery of who “Mac”

  was and how he was lost over Germany. Again,

  following the suggestions of the NASM Archive’s

  staff, I found another English author who focused

  on the 91st BG. Ray Bowden’s book Plane Names

  and Fancy Dames is a treasure trove of 91st BG

  aircraft names, nose art, and history of each of

  the aircraft that Bowden has been able to get

  images of and information on. The artwork and

  name on “My Baby” was painted by T/Sgt. Antho-

  ny L. “Tony” Starcer, “…destined to be one of the

  most prolific and skilled nose art painters in the

  entire USAAF.” Starcer painted most of the best

  known aircraft in the 91st BG including the “Mem-

  phis Belle,” “Chow Hound,” “Man O War,” and “Shoo,

  Shoo, Shoo Baby.” The figure on the left nose of

  “My Baby” was modeled on a photo of Brazilian

  dancer and Hollywood movie star, Carmen Miran-

  da. A single color image shows lettering for “My

  Baby” was red with a black shadow on a white

  field with a yellow decorative frame.

  Bowden’s write-up on “My Baby” contains a great

  deal of information and dispelled several pre-

  conceptions I had. She was a B-17G, distinguished

  from earlier models by a chin turret. Her serial

  number was 42-107033. She was shot down by

  fighters on September 5, 1944, on a mission to

  the I.G. Farben Chemical Works in Ludwigshafen,

  Germany. It was her 58th mission, but only the

  second mission for her young pilot, Lt Ernest

  Robert “Bob” Kelley, who survived the shoot down.

  Seventeen different pilots and crews had flown

  her. My first preconception, that a pilot and crew

  were assigned an aircraft and stayed with that

  aircraft until they had met the required mission

  total and returned to the States, proved incor-

  rect.. Of the pilots mentioned in Bowden’s history,

  none had Irish or Scottish last names that began

  with Mc or Mac. But the September Fail To Return

  (FTR) date matches my Dad’s “one month” later

  time frame, I thought that perhaps Lt. Kelley’s

  nickname might be “Mac” and he had not been

  killed after all. But how to find out was my next

  challenge. Ray Bowden quoted Kelley several

  times in his notes, so I wrote to Bowden to find

  out if Kelley was alive and if so, how to contact

  him.

  Bowden was happy to get the information on

  my dad’s “joy ride’ in “My Baby” and graciously

  gave me his contact information for Ernest “Bob”

  Kelley which indicated that he lived in northern

  California. My call that was picked up by “Bob”

  Kelley who was surprised, but very pleased that

  someone was calling him about his mission in

  “My Baby.” He gave me much information while

  trying to recall names fifty years in his past. Soon

  he recalled that “Mac” was Lt David McCarty Jr.,

  who was in the same 322nd BS that Kelley was

  in. Kelley also recalled that McCarty was lost on

  another mission over Germany, but had no further

  details. But he provided a wealth of information

  “My Baby” photographed in early or mid-summer, 1944. Photo shows 43 mission markings. She would be shot down by fighters on September 5, 1944

  on her 58th mission. [Kelley]

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard16

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• Page 17

  An official USAAF photo of “My Baby” with McCarty and crew. Mission markings, a day off for the 1st Bomb Division, and transfer to “Texas Chubby, the J-ville Jolter” on August 11, indicate that this

  photo was taken at Bassingbourn on the morning of August 10, 1944. Back row, L

  -

  R: 1LT David McCarty Jr., Pilot; 2LT James McElroy, Co-Pilot; 2LT Ernest Austin, Navigator; 2LT Frank Bolen, Bombar-

  dier; and SGT George Hawes, Radio Operator. Front row L

  -

  R: Cecil Seeking, Ball Turret; Harold Beeman, Waist Gunner; Floyd “Tex” Dillon, Tail Gunner; T/Sgt. David Wolnowitz, Top Turret. Of those shown

  only McCarty, Dillon, and Bolen were on “Roxy’s Special” when she was shot down on September 8, 1944. Of these only Bolen survived to become a POW. [NARA]

  Image of Tony Starcer’s

  artwork on “My Baby”.

  The original color photo

  faded, but the colors indi-

  cated conform to Bob

  Kelley’s recollection.

  [Kelley]

  Small piece of “My Baby “ recovered from her crash-site

  years after her dismiss.

  about his second and last and “My Baby’s” 58th

  and last mission.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  17

  November 2023

• Page 18

  “Roxy’s Special”, B-17G , Serial No. 43-38348, LG

  -

  O, 322nd BS,

  lost with 1LT David McCarty Jr. and his crew over Ludwigshafen

  on September 8, 1944. This was the only loss in the 322nd BS

  that day. Arriving at Bassingbourn on August 18, 1944, she was

  lost only three weeks later on her 5th mission. Officers pictured

  are the crew of CAPT Suther. [NARA]

  With over 40 mission markings, “Texas Chubby” looks a bit

  second hand in this image. McCarty and crew flew her on August

  11, 13, 14, and 15, 1944. She was lost to fighters over Halle the very

  next day. Four survived the shoot down with five KIA including

  her pilot. Crew members shown in this image are unknown to the

  author. [NARA]

  “Texas Chubby, The J-ville Jolter”, B-17G, Serial No. 42-31634,

  LG

  -

  O, 322nd BS. First flown by Texan, LT Ray R. Ward who named

  this Olive Drab over Neutral Gray aircraft. Photo shows the

  Ward crew in front of a freshly arrived and mission free aircraft.

  [NARA]

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard18

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• Page 19

  “Roxy’s Special’s” center fuselage lies on Luther Strasse in the city of Ludwigshafen on September 8, 1944. Martin Luther Church

  is on the left. Richard Braun, a teenager, recalled coming out of the church upon hearing the crash. He noted seeing bodies still

  strapped to seats and hanging in nearby trees. [Stadtarchiv, Ludwigshafen]

  A close-up of the Wreckage of “Roxy’s Special’s” center fuselage. [Stadtarchiv, Ludwigshafen]

  The wreckage of “Roxy’s Special” lies on Luther Strasse while the remaining pieces fell over an area of several square miles.

  [Stadtarchiv, Ludwigshafen]

  “My Baby”: Failure to Return from

  Mission to Ludwigshafen, Germa-

  ny, Sept. 5, 1944.

  Ernest Robert Kelley joined the U.S. Army

  Air Corps in April, 1943 and was commissioned

  a 2Lt. in January of 1944 at Stockton Field, Calif.

  He did final training at Hobbs, N.M., where he was

  assigned to be first pilot in B-17s. Sent next to

  Rapid City, N.D., he was given a crew of eight with

  whom he flew to England in July, 1944, the same

  month my Dad arrived in England. Many crews

  at this point in the war were sent to England in

  factory fresh aircraft, which they delivered to

  depots from which they were assigned to Bomb

  Groups in need of replacements. Kelley and crew

  felt very lucky to be assigned to the 91st BG at

  Bassingbourn. Close to Cambridge and known

  as the “Country Club”, this former RAF base had

  amenities that attracted politicians, entertainers,

  and journalists.

  Kelley and crew were assigned to the

  322nd BS. After he flew familiarization flights

  around England, Kelley flew his first mission as

  a co-pilot on September 3, 1944. The target was

  the submarine pens at Kiel, Germany. Thirty six

  aircraft went on the mission and all 36 returned.

  Two days later Kelley and his crew were as-

  signed a mission to bomb the I.G. Farben Chemi-

  cal Works (today’s BASF at the same location) at

  Ludwigshafen in western Germany. The aircraft

  they were assigned to fly was B-17G, serial Num-

  ber 42-107033. This aircraft, initially attached to

  the 324th BS, had survived 57 missions.

  The 322nd was the second from last and there-

  fore the High Squadron on this mission. Their lo-

  cation in the BG was called “Coffin Corner” and

  “My Baby” was the 37th and last aircraft, “Tail

  End Charlie.” If that wasn’t inauspicious enough,

  foul weather and a V-1 attack on the airfield

  that morning heightened anxiety amongst the

  crew. “My Baby” carried 4400 pounds of incendi-

  ary bomb sticks that morning. But Murphy wasn’t

  through with Kelley and crew. As the last aircraft

  to take off, “My Baby” was rocked by prop wash

  and, barely airborne, she veered slightly to the

  right and hit an airfield landing light, blowing

  out a main gear tire. Assembling at 8000’, they

  climbed to 21,000’ over France where they en-

  countered worsening weather and the loss of

  the number three engine. Heavy flak over Metz,

  France took out the number four engine. With

  loss of all power on the right side “My Baby” was

  unable to climb and, lagging behind the Group,

  was advised by the Group Leader to turn back

  and seek a landing place in France. A return to

  England was out of the question.

  Shortly after turning back, “My Baby” was

  beset by Luftwaffe Me 109 fighters. One made

  a stern run that instantly killed Tail Gunner,

  S/Sgt. Richard Doyle, and destroyed part of the

  rudder and elevator. Further rounds damaged the

  right wing near the dead number three engine.

  Losing control and altitude rapidly and unable to

  see through thick overcast, Kelly rang the klaxon

  advising all to bail out. Last to leave the doomed

  B-17, Kelley put on the last parachute hanging

  in the cockpit and jumped. Below 5000 feet,

  he pulled the rip chord and was immediate-

  ly alarmed by its refusal to spill the chute,

  forcing him to pull the pilot chute out of its

  bag. As “My Baby” flew on, he saw the severe

  damage to the tail section and noted that an

  Me 109 continued to pursue the B-17. A sec-

  ond Me 109 turned toward Kelley and began to

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  19

  November 2023

• Page 20

  fire in his direction putting several holes in his

  chute. Clouds and low altitude ended this attack

  and Kelley soon found himself on the ground

  in a dense wooded area. In the meantime, “My

  Baby” had made a 180 degree, descending turn

  and, missing the taller buildings of a small town,

  crashed onto a farmer’s field. The crash ignited

  fuel, oil, and the incendiary bomb load creating

  a huge fire that would continue to burn throughout

  the night and into the next morning. Kelley could

  hear a dog barking nearby and the voices of an

  elderly man and woman. Understanding French,

  Kelley realized they were looking for survivors

  of the bailout. Making himself known to them he

  was quickly taken to the local chief of the French

  Underground and hidden in a deep hole obvious-

  ly prepared as a fortress/hide out along with his

  co-pilot, 2Lt Andy Anderson, Navigator, 2Lt Alton

  Karoli and Bombardier, 2Lt George Lancaster.

  This hide out was 20 feet deep and contained

  two rooms partitioned by a large curtain. One

  room was the sleeping

  area and the second

  room contained rifles,

  uniforms, and other

  supplies used to get

  allied personnel back

  to their lines. Kelley

  and Lancaster suffered

  minor injuries from their bail-outs. Engineer,

  T/Sgt. Ira Krammes suffered ligament dam-

  age and, unable to walk or run, was captured.

  Waist Gunner Sgt. Zalma Michell and Ball Turret

  Gunner, S/Sgt. Edward Duemmer landed and

  were assisted by local residents, eventually

  evading back to the Allied lines. Radio Operator,

  T/Sgt. Grover Nordman was found by locals, given

  a bicycle with which he rode over 50 miles

  through German-held territory and across Allied

  lines. The body of Tail gunner S/Sgt. Doyle was

  found near the wreckage of the aircraft and bur-

  ied in the local cemetery by the town mayor and

  two young brothers.

  Kelley, Anderson, Lancaster, and Karoli, after

  nine days hiding with the French Underground,

  were picked up by two GI’s who had wandered

  near their area in a Jeep. They still had to me-

  ander through the French countryside to avoid

  pockets of German soldiers in retreat. Arriving in

  Paris 12 days after its liberation, Kelley and crew,

  aware that surviving crews were to report to the

  USAAF headquarters as soon as they arrived, en-

  joyed the city’s sights and entertainment for two

  days before reporting in. Upon the crew’s return

  to Bassingbourn on September 17, a large, base-

  wide party was thrown in the 324th BS hangar.

  Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower issued orders early

  in the war that evaders were not to be returned

  to flying status in the ETO. This was to protect the

  French Underground from being compromised in

  the event a previous evader was captured and

  tortured. While there were exceptions to this

  mandate, Lt Kelly and his crew were flown back

  to the United States to be trained for action in

  the Pacific Theatre of Operations. While Bob Kel-

  ley did train in Douglas A-26 Medium Bombers to

  be flown against Japan, the war ended before he

  was ordered back into combat.

  1Lt David McCarty: Killed in Action

  on a Mission to Ludwigshafen,

  Germany, Sept. 8, 1944

  Thanks to Bob Kelley, I now knew who “Mac”

  was. I wrote again to Bowden who responded with

  a great deal of information about David McCarty

  and his loss over Germany. Bowden also provided

  a partial list of McCarty’s mission history in the

  322nd BS. This provided further evidence that the

  crew photo and flight to Stoney Cross both took

  place on August 10, 1944. McCarty and crew first

  flew “My Baby” on August 8 and then again on the

  9th and then flew “Texas Chubby, The J

  -

  Ville Jolt-

  er,” an olive drab over gray camouflaged B-17G,

  on August 11,13, 14, and 15. “Texas Chubby” was

  shot down the following day with another crew

  on board. Further evidence was provided by 2Lt

  Frank Bolen, bombardier assigned to the crew of

  “Chow Hound,” another well known, Starcer dec-

  orated B-17, in the 322nd BS. On August 7, 1944,

  Bolen was relieved of his duties as bombardier

  by the squadron’s

  lead bombardier because “Chow Hound was to

  lead the entire squadron on a mission in support

  of the Normandy breakout. „Chow Hound“ and all

  of her crew were lost on that mission. With no

  time to reflect on the loss of his crew, Bolen was

  immediately assigned to the McCarty crew and

  is shown in the official 91st BG photo that now

  appears to have been taken on the morning of

  August 10, the same day McCarty flew “My Baby”

  to Stoney Cross.

  McCarty and crew’s next mission was on Sep-

  tember 8 in an NMF B-17G, serial no. 43-38348

  named “Roxy’s Special.” On that day, this aircraft

  was listed “Missing in Action” (MIA) on only its

  fifth mission and McCarty listed as “Killed in Ac-

  tion” (KIA) over the same target that saw the loss

  The four evaders return

  to Bassingbourn 12 days

  after being shot down in “My

  Baby.” L

  -

  R: LT Andrew “Andy”

  Anderson, Co-Pilot; Lt George

  Lancaster Jr., Bombardier;

  Lt Alton Karoli, Navigator; and

  Lt Ernest Robert “Bob” Kelley,

  Pilot. Anderson, who was

  the pilot of “Madame Shoo

  Shoo,” was loaned to the

  inexperienced Kelley crew for

  the mission on September 5,

  1944. [Kelley]

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard20

  November 2023

• Page 21

  of “My Baby” three days earlier – the I.G. Farben

  Chemical Plant in Ludwigshafen. And this fit al-

  most perfectly my dad’s recollection of Lt Gar-

  ner’s announcement of Mac’s loss.

  On Friday morning, September 8, 1944, McCarty

  and crew sat in the “Roxy’s Special” which held

  twelve 500lb. Demolition Bombs. Shortly after

  7:22, as the sun began to rise, McCarty guided the

  aircraft off the Bassingbourn runway and head-

  ed east flying in the “right box” of the Low Group

  just to the right of the lead squadron. Climbing

  above the English Channel to a height of 9000

  feet, McCarty headed toward Paris where the en-

  tire Group would climb to 26,000 feet. Time over

  the target, was to be 11:48 a.m. Minutes before

  bomb release, the aircraft was hit by an anti-air-

  craft round probably from an 88mm. flak cannon.

  It hit near the number three engine (the right

  engine, closest to the cockpit) with devastating

  results. The wing was severed at that point and

  the aircraft was seen to fall burning in a flat

  spin. Witnesses saw the B-17 explode in mid-air.

  The nose was severed from the rest of the fuse-

  lage with both the Bombardier, 2Lt Frank S. Bolen,

  and Navigator, 1Lt Donald Brazedons trapped by

  centrifugal force. Eventually both were spilled

  out of the nose and parachuted to safety – sort of.

  They were the only survivors as the others were

  either killed instantly or trapped in the aircraft

  as it spun on fire into the city of Ludwigshafen.

  “Roxy’s Special” was the only 91st BG loss on that

  mission.

  The I. G. Farben Chemical plant is near the

  confluence of the Rhine and Neckar Rivers.

  Brazedons came down just north of the conflu-

  ence and on the west side of the river, almost

  on the burning chemical plant property and was

  captured immediately. Frank Bolen landed north

  of Brazedon on a tiny island where the Altrhe-

  in Canal enters the Rhine at Sandhofen. Bolen

  was knocked unconscious from the impact and

  once awake discovered that his right ankle was

  badly sprained. Waiting until dark, he found

  a rowboat that eventually got him to the east

  bank of the Rhine where, moving north, he

  eventually reached the west bank at the city of

  Worms. Traveling only at night and hobbled by the

  sprained ankle, he worked his way west for sev-

  en days. Forced to begin moving during daylight

  to protect his ankle, he was captured on Septem-

  ber 14th and transferred to Stalag Luft I. for the

  duration of the war. Stalag Luft I. was at Barth,

  on the Baltic Sea and was a temporary home to

  many Allied airmen.

  “Roxy”s Special” fell in many pieces onto down-

  town Ludwigshafen. The center fuselage/cockpit

  fell on Luther Strasse directly in front of Luther

  Church and was actually viewed by a young boy

  who was at the church that day. Richard Braun,

  hearing a crash, came out of the church and saw

  bodies in the aircraft and dangling from nearby

  trees.

  The bodies of 1Lt David McCarty Jr., 2Lt Neil M.

  Mylin (Co-Pilot), Sgt. Frank F. Trim Jr. (Ball Turret

  Gunner), S/Sgt. Charles E. Beebe (Waist Gunner),

  and S/Sgt. Floyd Z. Dillon (Tail Gunner) were in-

  terred in the Ludwigshafen Central Cemetery

  on September 14, 1944. Top Turret Gunner and

  Flight Engineer T/Sgt. John Cangemi was initially

  listed as (MIA). There is no record of his initial

  interment, but at some point his body was locat-

  ed after the war and reinterred at a U.S. Military

  cemetery in Minnesota. T/Sgt. Henry R. Schulz is

  buried at the New Saint Marcus Cemetery, Affton,

  Missouri. Frank Trim was originally a Waist Gun-

  ner on Bob Kelley’s crew. During the summer of

  1944 the 8th Air Force began to reduce B-17 and

  B-24 crews from ten to nine. This was done by

  removing one of the waist gunners in each air-

  craft and assigning them to other positions with

  other crews. Trim was lost doing Ball Turret duty

  on McCarty’s crew on “Roxy’s Special”.

  David McCarty was born on his family’s farm

  in Gardendale, Ala. on February 6, 1922. David’s

  parents, David Sr. and Dorothy Ethel Clark, moved

  to North Birmingham in 1925. David Sr. became

  the owner of Northside Lumber Company, Inc.

  It was shortly after this move that David’s sis-

  ter, Ethel Jean was born. David attended grade

  school in North Birmingham and Philips High

  School near downtown Birmingham. Graduating

  Philips in 1939, David entered the University of Al-

  abama and began studying Pre-Law. He also took

  courses at University Center, Birmingham.

  David’s sister, Jean, said David had inherited

  his dad’s entrepreneurial skills at an early age,

  managing a newspaper route for the Birming-

  ham News Age Herald, delivering newspapers

  on his bicycle and growing his route success-

  fully. Once old enough to drive at 16, he drove

  a garbage truck for the City of Birmingham in the

  early hours before school opened. When this be-

  The 322nd BS hangar at Bassingbourn taken during the “Big

  Snow” of December, 1944. This structure is a twin to the 322nd

  BS hangar used to celebrate the return of “My Baby’s” officers on

  September 17, 1944.

  A photo of the 322nd BS hangar during the preparation of squad-

  ron personnel for a group photo. A zoomed-in detail shows the

  42-31634 ‘Texas Chubby’ standing in the background [NARA]

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  21

  November 2023

• Page 22

  came an interference to school attendance and

  work he switched to working after school and on

  weekends at the family lumber yard, eventually

  becoming Vice President of Northside Lumber

  Company prior to volunteering for military duty.

  David is remembered by his sister as a young

  man interested in mechanics and carpentry and

  an excellent partner to his dad in the manage-

  ment of the family’s lumber business. He also

  was very interested in real estate and land de-

  velopment. She also remembers rides on his mo-

  torcycle and, no surprise here, for a “buzz job” of

  the family home in North Birmingham just prior

  to his transfer to England.

  A desire to fly aircraft and fearing being draft-

  ed into the Infantry or Navy, David volunteered for

  the U.S. Army Air Corps and was sent to Flight

  School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgom-

  ery, Ala. On March 10, 1943 he began Primary

  Training at Avon Park, FL and, later, Advanced

  Training at Gunter Field in Montgomery. When he

  graduated from Flight Training at Freeman Field

  Ind., he received the single gold bar of a 2Lt on

  December 5, 1943, one month before Bob Kelley

  was commissioned. Assigned to bombers, David

  did further training at Salt Lake City and Dahlbert,

  Texas, before flying to England where he served

  with the 91st BG, 322nd BS until his loss on Sep-

  tember 8, 1944.

  He was very respected by those who flew

  with him. Frank Bolen, survivor of David’s last

  mission said he was “

  … nice and easy going, but

  not reserved.

  ” And that he was “

  … an excellent

  and confident …

  ” pilot. Dave Wolnowitz who was

  a member of David’s crew prior to that final mis-

  sion remembers David as “…

  quiet and the nicest

  guy in the world

  …” and “…

  a great pilot

  ”.

  David McCarty Jr. was survived

  by his parents, sister, Ethel Jean

  McCarty, and grandmother, Mrs.

  Rose Clark McCarty. The family

  asked the U.S. Military to return

  David’s body to Birmingham where

  his funeral service and final burial

  took place in July 1947. He is buried in Forest Hill

  Cemetery in Birmingham.

  Who Would Have Thought Such

  Tiny Photos Could Lead To So

  Much Information.

  I could never have imagined that those three

  tiny images would lead me to so many sources

  of information. Not only was I able to find what

  happened to “My Baby” and her pilot, David Mc-

  Carty Jr., but I was able, with the help of so many,

  to locate people who had had flown “My Baby”

  and survived McCarty’s last mission. Archivists

  and Bob Kelley helped discover photos of McCa-

  rty and the B-17’s that he flew. Bob Kelley sent

  me a piece of “My Baby” that he recovered from

  a farmer’s field many years after her crash.

  My late father was astounded by all of this infor-

  mation and amazed that he was able to hold an

  actual piece of the B-17 that he had a “joy ride” in

  on August 10, 1944.

  David McCarty was 22 years old when he was

  shot down over Germany on September 8, 1944.

  Dad was 26. Young men united for a carefree af-

  ternoon flying over the south of England. For my

  dad it was a lifetime memory. For me, it has been

  an opportunity to honor my Dad’s role in WW II.

  But it has also been an opportunity to remember

  a pilot who did not return to tell his kids amazing

  tales of his missions with the Mighty Eighth over

  Nazi Germany. They were all a part of “The Great-

  est Generation” and their service should never be

  forgotten.

  Acknowledgements

  This has been quite a tour and I could not have

  tied all the loose ends together without those

  who have generously contributed information,

  photos, contacts, and editorial assistance. Bob

  Kelley very early on got me moving toward solv-

  ing the puzzle of who was “Mac” and the story of

  the demise of “My Baby.” He referred me to many

  contacts that filled voids in “The Story.” He also

  offered me many photos of “My Baby” and finally,

  a relic removed from her burned out carcass that

  lies below a French farmer’s bean field. Bob be-

  came not only an advisor, but a good friend who

  did live to see this story completed. Jean McCarty

  Kittrell, David McCarty’s sister sent not only the

  recollections of a teenaged younger sister, but

  a careful list of editorial corrections. Her career

  as an English Professor made her eminently

  qualified to do so. Old friend and writer, Ken Dal-

  ecki, also offered assistance in the editorial pro-

  cess. The Archives staff at the National Air and

  Space Museum lent their knowledge and enthusi-

  asm. Brian Nicklas, Melissa Keiser, and Larry Wil-

  son could not have been more helpful in pointing

  me in the right direction. My early contact with

  them in 1994 and my subsequent employment

  at the NASM have created enduring friendships

  with them. Frank Bolen and David Wolnowitz

  were also very generous with information about

  David McCarty and his last mission. Ray Bowden

  and The USAAF Nose Art Research Project were

  a critical source of information on McCarty and

  the B-17s that he flew. I am also grateful to the

  91st Bomb Group Memorial Association for their

  assistance and Jan Zdiarsky for his interest

  in this story that led him to provide additional

  research, photos, editorial assistance and en-

  couragement.

  Bob Kelley at a July Fourth parade in 2009. He still fits into his 1944 uniform. Bob was 96 years old and healthy

  as a horse until a stroke took him down. We corresponded until the end. Yes, we had become friends and met

  out in California and spent a day together sometime around 2014-2015. [Kelley]

  The body of David McCarty Jr. was returned to Alabama by his family in 1947. He is buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Birmingham.

  He is survived by his sister Ethel Jean Kittrell. [Forest Hill Cemetery]

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard22

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• Page 23

• 221st Tactical Flight. Fighting With the Albatros...

  Time flies like water in a raging river. In 2016, we commemorated the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the aviation units later operating at Náměšť nad Oslavou Air Base, and this year, in October 2023, it will be exactly 10 years since fixed-wing aircraft permanently left the local facility. From the MiG-15s, through the Su-7BM, BKL, U, the Su-22M4 and the UM-3K series of supersonic aircraft, and on to the Su-25K, UBK attack aircraft and L-29 Delfín trainers, plus transport and liaison Mi-1, Mi-2 and Mi -17 helicopters, the unit's main equipment for a decade was also the globally known and proven L-39ZA Albatros, produced by the domestic manufacturer Aero Vodochody.

  221st Tactical Flight.

  Fighting With the Albatros...

  ….2003 – 2013 timeframe from the point of view

  of an aircraft armorer

  Time flies like water in a raging river. In 2016,

  we commemorated the 60th anniversary of the

  establishment of the aviation units later operating

  at Náměšť nad Oslavou Air Base, and this year, in

  October 2023, it will be exactly 10 years since

  fixed-wing aircraft permanently left the local

  facility. From the MiG-15s, through the Su-7BM,

  BKL, U, the Su-22M4 and the UM-3K series of

  supersonic aircraft, and on to the Su-25K, UBK

  attack aircraft and L-29 Delfín trainers, plus

  transport and liaison Mi-1, Mi-2 and Mi-17

  helicopters, the unit's main equipment for

  a decade was also the globally known and proven

  L-39ZA Albatros, produced by the domestic

  manufacturer Aero Vodochody. Aircraft of this

  series began to operate from Náměšt in 1994 with

  the disbanding of the former 30th bilp at

  Pardubice Airport. In the fall of that year, Su-25K

  and UBK aircraft, together with four Albatroses

  (coded 3903, 5015, 5017 and 5019) moved to their

  new location at Náměšť as part of the 1st TL

  (Technical Flight), then the 32 .zTL (Tactical Air

  Force Base), at Náměšť nad Oslavou.

  As the Su-25K was gradually phased out of

  service by the end of 2000 (the last flight was

  made by aircraft coded 5039 in a flyover from

  Náměšt to Přerov on December 11th) and replaced

  by the new L-159A ALCA light attack fighter, more

  L-39ZA Albatroses were assigned to Náměšt’s

  2nd TL (Technical Flight). By the fall of 2003, all

  L-159s were handed over to Čáslav.

  On December 1st, 2003, the 221st TL (Tactical

  Flight), 22nd zL (Air Force Base) was officially

  founded in Náměšť nad Oslavou. The squadron

  operated ten L-39ZA Albatros trainers, coded

  2341 (crew chief handle ‘Jára’), 2344 (‘Synek’),

  2415 (‘Kája’), 2421 (‘Golem’), 2433 (‘ Sun’), 2436

  (‘Fanda’), 3903 (‘Miša’), 5015 (‘Zip’), 5017 (‘Worm’)

  and 5019 (‘Goat’) plus five reserve aircraft (coded

  2347, 2418, 2424, 2427 and 2430). The squadron's

  Tomáš Dedera

  Aircraft 2436 ready for flight awaiting

  the arrival of its pilot. It carries a non-

  traditional, relatively large payload of

  two 350l (92 gal) droptanks and a pair

  of CP-100-70AM practice bombs. The air

  intake bears a remnant marking from

  the airplane’s service with the 11th slp in

  Zatec. The pilot’s helmet is hanging on the

  left pitot tube.

  Aero L-39ZA Albatros, coded 5017 on the apron of the 1st Technical Flight during the winter months. Worth

  noting is the symbol of the 1st Technical Flight above the nose landing gear (at that time the squadron operated

  the Su-25K as its bread and butter and this marking was carried by some birds on their engine nacelles

  or noses) and the 32nd zTL emblem of Náměšť nad Oslavou on the rudder. (photo archive of the author)

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard24

  November 2023

• Page 25

  technical staff was made up of experienced

  mechanics and specialists who previously

  worked on the Russian Su-22 and 25 series of

  aircraft and later, the Czech L-159A ALCA

  advanced light combat aircraft. The task of the

  squadron was to ensure the continued training of

  young pilots who came from the CLV (Aviation

  Training Center) in Pardubice, especially in ÚBP

  (training in the use of weapon systems - combat

  use tasks) and cooperated with advanced

  FAC/JTAC aviation instructors. Its first

  commander was pilot Lt.Col. Ing. Antonín K. and

  ZV

  -

  ILS (Commander of the Technical Staff) Capt.,

  later Maj., Marián M. The Flight did not spend

  much time warming up on its assigned field, as

  by 2004, it flew to the airport at Pardubice.

  It operated from there for seventeen long months,

  while a major modernization, renovation and

  construction of new buildings took place in

  Náměšt. By that time the first experiments with

  ÚBP began with the use of CP-100-70M practice

  bombs, popularly called ‘cements’. It should be

  noted here that this type of training almost

  stopped for a certain period of time, because the

  L-159s (operating from Náměšt from the spring of

  2001 to the autumn of 2003) did not yet have their

  weapons systems fully integrated, or were still in

  development (such as the 20 mm PLAMEN

  cannon). A greater focus on the use of live aerial

  ammunition occurred only after the return to

  Náměšt in July, 2005.

  The standard gradually became the use of four

  aircraft at the ÚBP, if technical conditions and,

  above all, weather conditions allowed, at least

  once a month. Monday usually started with

  preliminary preparation - technicians and

  specialists performed more extensive

  maintenance, removed defects that manifested

  themselves during previous flying, replenished

  fluid levels and gases, checked important aircraft

  systems and nodes, or they changed worn tires if

  signs pointed to that need. Armorers carried out

  loading of UB-16-57 UMP rocket pods and tested

  all weapon systems (cannon, bomb and rocket

  armament) in all modes - not only testing in the

  standard mode of use, but also, for example,

  control of the jettisoning of payload under

  emergency situations, with the help of special

  preparations and measuring or signaling

  technology.

  From Tuesday to Thursday there were special

  flying events. They started with a weather survey,

  when one plane took off with an experienced

  crew, who evaluated the weather conditions on

  the flight path to the firing range. If conditions

  suited, then it was down to business. Aircraft

  ground crews, R+RTV (radio and radio equipment)

  and E+ESV (electrical and special electrical

  equipment) specialists carried out pre-flight

  preparation, and at the very end, when everyone

  was finished, the weapons specialists came into

  the picture. They first checked the rotation of the

  airplanes in the safe directions, turned off all

  weapon control elements, the on-board network,

  the external power source and closed the

  canopies. They then placed red pylons 5m in front

  of the aircraft (and in the case of charging

  unguided rockets, 5m behind the aircraft as well),

  cordoning off the area as a dangerous zone into

  which all unauthorized persons and vehicles

  were strictly prohibited from entering. They then

  performed their own loading of the machines

  according to the planned flight schedule. Then it

  was just a matter of waiting for the crews to

  arrive at the planes. After the arrival of the pilot,

  the aircraft crewchief gave a report on readiness

  for flight and information on the amount of fuel

  added. The armorer informed the crew of the type

  and amount of armament the aircraft was

  equipped with for the flight, or provided additional

  information, such as fuse timings on any bombs

  carried. This was followed by strapping the pilot

  into the VS-1 BRI ejection seat by the crewchief,

  fitting him into the parachute harness, removing

  the safety pins from the ejection seat, allowing

  it’s potential launch. First the SAFÍR APU was set

  in motion, followed by the AI-25 TL engine itself.

  After a short engine test and a check of the

  operation of the flaps and speedbrakes, the

  aircraft approached the so-called ČPS -

  Preliminary Start Line, popularly known as ‘the

  line’. Here, specialists performed the last visual

  inspection of the aircraft before entering the VPD

  (takeoff and landing runway). They mainly

  focused on the perfect closure of all covers and

  openings, or checked for signs of non-standard

  leakage of operating fluids - aviation fuel, oil or

  hydraulics, which could indicate a leak or

  malfunction of these systems, which could have

  fatal consequences in the later phase of the

  flight. After this inspection, if everything was in

  order, only a raised thumbs up from the

  inspectors followed – indicating all was good to

  go, and with the permission of the control tower,

  the roll-up to the VPD and finally take-off

  followed. Flights to the firing range usually lasted

  about 1.5 hours.

  After landing, the aircraft taxied to a special

  stand - the so-called ‘holding stand’. There, after

  guiding the aircraft in a safe manner, the gunners

  performed a post-flight armament check.

  If everything was in order, meaning that the

  cannon operated properly, rocket pods were

  empty and bombs dropped, the aircraft continued

  to its own stand. When the occasional problem

  did crop up, the crew shut down the engine, the

  armorers disabled the cannon against an

  unwanted firing, the crewchief secured the seat,

  the pilot got out, and then the gunners completed

  Armorers load S-5 K unguided rockets into UB-16-57 UMP rocket pods. Red flags are placed in front

  and behind the aircraft, external power is disconnected from the aircraft and cockpits are closed

  for safety reasons.

  L-159A Alca on the apron of the 1st Technical Flight at Náměšt in the summer of 2003. The airplane is

  interesting with its inscription on the right air intake, symbolizing the 50th delivered ALCA for the Air Force

  of the Czech Republic Army (photo archive of the author).

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  25

  November 2023

• Page 26

  HISTORY

  the safe discharge of the weapons. Then the

  whole merry-go-round was repeated, usually at

  least two or three more times. After the last

  flight, the airplanes were ‘post flight’ inspected

  and, with the help of tow trucks and tractors,

  towed to their hardened aircraft shelters in the

  squadron's dispersion areas. The entire cycle of

  flights from the beginning to the end of the

  working day usually lasted 12-13 hours, in any

  weather, in freezing cold or sweltering summer

  heat, in wind and rain. Friday, a non-flying day,

  was intended for the elimination of possible

  defects in the airplanes, and above all, for the

  cleaning of all weapons after having been fired.

  As standard, the armament triad was flown -

  B, R, C (for bombs, rockets, cannon) - four aircraft

  with a GŠ-23 cannon with, typically, fifty rounds,

  one hundred as the exception, two additional fuel

  tanks 150 l on the inboard pylons and either two

  UB-16-57UMP rocket pods, each with a maximum

  supply of sixteen S-5 unguided rockets of various

  types or two CP-100-70M cement practice bombs

  on the outboard hardpoints. Later, we increased

  the range of armament carried by including the

  use of OFAB-100-110TU frafmentation bombs of

  100kg (220lb) weight. These were of Czechoslovak

  manufacture, produced in Vlárské Strojírny

  Slavičín from the 80s to the 90s. It was a special

  bomb that could be used at high speed at low

  level as a brake, thanks to the integrated BZ-5

  braking system. An electric head igniter, also of

  domestic provenance, of the LZEH-3 type, made it

  possible to set up to five different delays,

  depending on the nature of the target, from

  immediate action at impact, two short-term

  modes in the order of milliseconds (against

  bunkers and other fortified targets) and two

  long-term delays (for practice and security

  reasons). The odd time, it was also possible to

  see Albatroses carrying a quartet of training

  cement bombs or even live OFABs. Unlike the

  Slovak Air Force, we practically did not use

  L-39M559 dual ejector racks (only for

  demonstrations). At times, when it was absolutely

  An aircraft technician removes the arming pins from the VS-1 BRI ejection seat just prior to engine start.

  In a few minutes, the aircraft will take off, its task will be to fire at ground targets with the GŠ-23 cannon

  and S-5 unguided rockets.

  Specialists having performed a final inspection of the aircraft at the ČPS, give the thumbs up indicaing that everything is in order and there’s nothing preventing further

  taxiing for takeoff.

  For display purposes, loaded armament could include a UB-16-57UMP rocket launcher and an L-39 M559 twin

  ejector rack with a pair of CP-100-70 M practice bombs.

  INFO Eduard26

  November 2023

• Page 27

  HISTORY

  necessary, from the point of view of range,

  especially during cooperation with other

  formations and larger exercises, the 150l (40 gal)

  outboard tanks were replaced by their bigger

  350l (92 gal) brothers.

  In the case of flying from what used to be

  Přerov Air Base, the aircraft were loaded up with

  underwing minitions, without the need to mount

  drop tanks. This was made possible by the close

  proximity to VVP (Military Training Area) Libavá

  with its extensive firing ranges. It was also

  possible to make six flights per day. At that time

  you could see Albatroses fully loaded with

  UB-16-57 UMP rocket pods on the inner pylons

  and OFAB-100-110TU bombs codenamed JUPITER

  on the outer units, as they would be in times of

  actual conflict. At this time, the EKSR-46 signal

  cartridge ejectors, located in the right rear part

  of the aircraft, with yellow, red, white and green

  colors, which were to act as decoys, began to be

  used again. For the first 5 years of the squadron's

  existence, scheduled higher level work and

  aircraft overhauls were carried out in cooperation

  with the 217th LOLNT (Supersonic Aircraft Repair

  Squadron) in Čáslav. Part of the work involved

  armament and associated systems, and

  occasionally, it was possible to see our L-39s

  with four UB-16-57UMP rocket pods, but only

  ones that were empty. A separate chapter is the

  use of guided munitions - in our case, this

  Aircraft 2415 just before taking off from the stand at the point of no return

  Underslung are a pair of 150l (40 gallon) drop tanks and two live OFAB-100-110TU

  fragmentation bombs.

  Here, the pilot is taking over aircraft 5019 from the crewchief. It carries two 40

  gallon drop tanks and two full UB-16-57UMP rocket pods with 32 S-5KP unguided

  rockets. A special Praga V-3S SUEZ (Universal Electric Starter Source) vehicle is

  parked between the planes, serving as a source of electrical power during ground

  preparation and actual engine start-up.

  Frontal view of an aircraft armed with four CP-100-70M practice bombs.

  A pair of CP-100-70M practice bombs under the left wing of an L-39. The aircraft is

  pictured shortly after it was forced to return and land at its home field after suffering

  a bird strike. The damage, visible on the leading edge of the wing between the pylons,

  was repaired by the unit's personnel. The bird was not as lucky.

  Aircraft 3903 ready for flight in front of a weathered shelter at the then Přerov

  aAir Base. Interestingly, it carries two full UB-16-57UMP rocket pods with 32

  S-5KP missiles and two OFAB-100-110TU fragmentation bombs. Under the cockpit

  windscreen is a red log book.

  Aircraft 5019, fully armed with four live OFAB-100-110TU fragmentation bombs,

  waits for the arrival of the crew on a baking apron in the summer heat.

  INFO Eduard

  27

  November 2023

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  HISTORY

  involved exclusively the R-60 AA-8 Aphid air to

  air dogfighting missile, carried on UZR-60 rails.

  These were infrared (thermally) guided missiles,

  which, however, were not equipped with a rocket

  engine, nor did they carry fins on the rear or

  rudders on the nose of the missile. Only the IR

  warhead was retained, as were the four finlets on

  the front, whose purpose was to help increase

  the effect of the rudders by swirling the air over

  them at high angles of attack. This training

  version of the missile was equipped with

  a recording device, which recorded some

  important parameters when the missile was fired

  - for example, the overload on the aircraft. These

  parameters were evaluated by the instructor

  after the flight, and they could realistically

  indicate whether the launch strategies were

  chosen correctly. The missile was white and had

  3 black bands around its body as a distinctive

  marking, consistent with the training versions of

  Soviet/Russian guided missiles. The bodies were

  suspended on P-62-1M

  -

  ZA rail adapters which

  were mounted under the pylons. By default, the

  unit was suspended under the left wing, but the

  adapter had to be suspended under the right side

  as well to maintain the plane's symmetry.

  Detail of the above noted loadout. Note the weathering on the UB-16-57UMP

  rocket pod and the fuse delay of 0.03 seconds written down on the bomb

  in plain chalk.

  L-39ZA coded 3903 ready for flight under winter conditions at Caslav AB.

  The plane carries four empty UB-16-57UMP rocket pods.

  Beautifully mirrired on the cocrete apron after a spring shower is L-39 2421, loaded with large 350l (92 gallon)

  drop tanks and a UZR-60 training round under the left outboard pylon.

  Same bird from the front.

  Loaded EKSR-46 flare dispenser on the right side of the rear fuselage.

  INFO Eduard28

  November 2023

• Page 29

  HISTORY

  Originally, the ZA version of the Albatros did not

  possess the ability to carry these missiles, and

  could only carry the older type infra-red guided

  R-3S. The work required to adapt the L-39 to the

  R-60 was carried out sometime in the mid-1980s

  by workers of the LOZ (Aircraft Repair Base) in

  České Budějovice.

  A specialty, seen on the ZA version at Náměšt,

  is the use of special containers, carried under the

  putboard pylons. These containers, operated by

  the crews of the Military Technical Institute of

  Aviation and PVO (VTÚL and PVO Prague), served

  as carriers for the newly developed types of pilot

  parachute. These were tested together with

  a special weight imitating the human body. The

  photograph shows a cartridge case carrying

  a maximum of 150 rounds of 23 mm ammunition

  with fifty rounds of OFZ (fragile - explosive -

  incendiary) and BZT (piercing - incendiary -

  luminous) ammunition, in a ratio of 4:2. In the

  winter, when it was not possible to rehabilitate

  the impact area of the firing range, instead of OFZ

  cartridges, BZA (armor piercing - incendiary)

  were used. Visually, the projectiles are

  distinguished by the following colours: BZA -

  black projectile body, with a red and white stripe

  on the tip, under which the incendiary component

  is hidden, BZT - again black, sometimes gray

  (depending on the manufacturer and production

  block) projectile body with a yellow tip, OFZ -

  black (grey) body of the projectile (grenade) in

  which the effective explosive Hexogen is

  incorporated, the lighter is silver in color with

  a purple tip. It is unlocked only after a certain

  distance from the muzzle of the weapon (the so-

  called ‘mask safety’), so that the aircraft itself is

  not endangered by the action of axial and radial

  forces (rotation of the projectile, initiated by the

  grooved bore of the barrel), created during firing.

  A specific type of round that are placed at the end

  of the cartridge belt are copper OFZ rounds,

  additionally marked with a yellow stripe on the

  body of the projectile. These have a lead wire

  attached to the bottom of the round, which

  creates a mixture with copper residues from the

  guide rings when fired, and the resulting mixture

  is literally blown out of the barrel by the following

  round. These cleaning effects on the barrel have

  a significant effect on reducing wear, improving

  accuracy and extending overall service life.

  The GŠ-23 cannon is a development of a Soviet

  weapon with dual barrels and breechblocks. This

  is how the designers of the weapon, Grjazev and

  Shipunov, managed to achieve a relatively high

  muzzle velocity of the weapon - 3200 to 3400

  rounds/min. The weapon, which is widespread

  even to the present day, equipped a whole series

  of airplanes and helicopters of Soviet origin,

  either as an integral part of the design or in

  suspended weapons containers. It is a very

  effective weapon, whether against air or ground

  targets, accurate and easy to operate and

  maintain, with a minimal number of defects.

  There were several types of S-5 unguided air

  to surface rockets used. First off, there were the

  older S-5 K and S-5 Ms. Both had the same type

  of ignition of the rocket motor, using electrical

  wires terminated with a plug. These differed from

  each other in their purpose. The K version was

  L-39 5017 carrying a special purpose container carrying a newly developed parachute readied for a test flight.

  Detail shot of the pod with the parachute and weight, designed to imitate that of the human body. GŠ-23 cannon with a full load of 150 rounds.

  Detail view of L-39 2436 with a 150l (40 gal) drop tank

  and UZR-60 training round on a P-62-1M

  -

  ZA launch rail.

  Ammunition case with an average of fifty rounds.

  Photo Petr Soukop

  Left to right: GŠ-23 cannon pod 23mm rounds of OFZ,

  BZA and BZT types.

  INFO Eduard

  29

  November 2023

• Page 30

  HISTORY

  intended for use against ground and armored

  targets (tanks, armored personnel carriers, etc.),

  while the M variant was a more general purpose

  round used against soft targets and destroyed its

  target with a pressure wave created during the

  explosion. The second, more modern branch of

  these rockets was represented by three types:

  S-5 KO, S-5 MO and S-5 KP. All of them had an

  innovative way of initiating launch, using contact

  rings (faster and safer operation). The warheads

  of the rockets were also improved: KO –

  fragmentation - contained a larger amount of

  explosive and, in addition, to increase the

  effective radius, ten extra rings on the warhead

  were added. These were ‘pre-fragmented’ and

  formed projectiles of about 2g in mass after the

  explosion. The MO version had twenty of these

  additional rings. The last used was KP and was

  the same as KO, with the difference that the use

  of a piezoelectric igniter, which was supposed to

  safely initiate the rocket motor even at very

  shallow angles to the target.

  The first big change came about in 2008. On

  October 1st, Mi-24V/35 combat helicopters, which

  were operated by the newly formed 221.Vrl, were

  moved to 22nd Base in Náměšt. As a result, the

  squadron operating the L-39 was redisignated

  222nd Training Squadron. However, the nature of

  the tasks remained the same. The squadron

  continued to successfully fulfill its required

  tasks, until the fateful day of December 16, 2010,

  when during take-off of 2341, after an engine

  replacement, a titanium fire occurred in the high-

  pressure compressor of the engine near the end

  of the flight, causing its subsequent shutdown.

  The experienced two-man crew (Capt. Ing. M.K.

  and Capt. Ing. S.S.) tried several times in vain to

  restart the engine, until finally both of them were

  forced to eject from the silent Albatros close to

  their home field. This accident had a major impact

  on the further functioning of the squadron. Of

  course, a ban on flying followed, as it usually

  happens in such cases, and the problem with the

  engines were resolved only after more than

  a year! Then, on November 1st, 2013, operation of

  Přerov Air Base was definitively terminated and

  the Mi-171Š transport helicopters were

  reassigned. At the same time, the remaining

  L-39s were transferred to the air base at Čáslav,

  as part of the newly formed 213.VL (Training

  Squadron), which jointly operates L-39ZAs and

  L-159Ts, but that's another chapter. Looking back,

  I believe that the squadron performed its tasks

  with honor over the ten years and trained many

  young pilots who then successfully continued on

  to fly the L-159A ALCA and JAS-39 Gripen out of

  Čáslav. Thanks also go to the members of the ILS

  ground staff, not only the 221.TL (222.VL), but also

  the 217.LOLNT in Čáslav and later the 223.LOLT in

  Náměšt, who honestly took care of these

  machines and maintained them throughout their

  operation on the airfield at Náměšt nad Oslavou.

  Container with eight S-5 KP rocket projectiles, one

  with deployed stabilization fins, which would be in

  flight mode. The others have their fins folded and

  contained in plastic caps.

  S-5 M rockets built under a Polish licence and delivered in boxes of sixteen.

  Top is the S-5 KP, below the S-5 K. The difference

  in the length of the rocket motor and the warhead are

  evident in the newer KP version. There was also

  a difference in the ignition systém.

  A comparison of the S-5 K and S-5 KO (top). There was an increase in the rocket motor size and the warhead

  of the KO, though the V-5 igniters remained the same

  Detail view of the GŠ-23 cannon pod under the forward fuselage of the aircraft. Photo: Petr Soukup

  (photo, unless otherwise stated, author's archive)

  INFO Eduard30

  November 2023

• Page 31

• Air War over Ukraine - Defeat of the Black Sea Fleet

  During the period from September 1 to September 30, there were several successful Ukrainian attacks on the occupied Crimea. This led to the withdrawal of most of the Russian Black Sea Fleet's ships from Sevastopol to more distant ports. As a result, Ukraine was able to resume grain exports independently. This can only be described as a strategic defeat for the Black Sea Fleet.

  HISTORY

  Text: Miro Barič

  Photos: Ukrainian armed forces,

  social media and other public sources

  Air war over Ukraine

  Defeat of the Black Sea Fleet

  Mi-8 helicopters are ubiquitous and highly needed. This series of images was recently published by the Ukrainian armed forces.

  During the period from September 1 to September 30, there were

  several successful Ukrainian attacks on the occupied Crimea.

  This led to the withdrawal of most of the Russian Black Sea

  Fleet's ships from Sevastopol to more distant ports. As a result,

  Ukraine was able to resume grain exports independently. This can

  only be described as a strategic defeat for the Black Sea Fleet.

  To understand these events, we need to look

  at preceding periods, as the following events

  are closely related. In July, the grain agreement,

  allowing food exports from Ukrainian ports,

  expired. Russia, following the agreement's

  expiration, immediately began attacking the

  infrastructure of ports and grain warehouses,

  not only in the Black Sea but also along the

  Danube.

  These attacks continued in August and

  September, the period we are focusing on in

  this article. The Danube serves as the border

  with Romania, and Ukrainian ports Izmail and

  Reni on this river are only a few meters from

  a NATO member state. In early September,

  the remnants of three Russian drones used

  in attacks on Ukrainian ports were found on

  Romanian territory within one week. Initially,

  Ukraine reported crash of a Russian drone on

  Romanian territory, but Bucharest denied it for

  a while. When Romanian civilians reported the

  impacts of Russian drones, the government in

  Bucharest informed NATO allies about these

  incidents and summoned the Russian chargé

  d'affaires to express a "sharp protest." NATO

  spokesperson Dylan White commented that

  there was no indication that Russia deliberately

  attacked alliance territory. It's clear that NATO

  does not want a conflict with Russia.

  From July to October, Russia launched 17

  major attacks on ports, hitting 150 buildings,

  six civilian cargo ships, and destroying 300,000

  tons of grain. Ukraine didn't stand by idly.

  Their response was gradual, methodical, and,

  ultimately, very effective, despite lacking a navy.

  In August, a series of attacks occurred on the

  Crimean Peninsula, including the destruction

  of an S-400 air defense system in Olenivka in

  northern Crimea. Bases in Saky, Hvardijske, and

  Belbek, where a significant portion of the Black

  Sea Fleet's aircraft was stationed, were also

  targeted.

  During August, Ukrainian special forces

  occupied four oil platforms in the Black Sea,

  which had Russian radar and helicopter landing

  pads. A skirmish between Ukrainian boats and

  a Russian Su-35 fighter occurred during one

  of these raids. The Su-35 became a target for

  a missile launched from one of the boats. It's

  uncertain whether it was actually damaged, but

  the aircraft withdrew. During one of the raids,

  INFO Eduard32

  November 2023

• Page 33

  HISTORY

  Ukrainian naval drone attacking the Russian ship

  Olenegorskyi Gornyak.

  Olenegorskyi Gornyak in a dry dock showing

  a hole in its hull.

  Landing ship Minsk on fire on September 13th

  in a dock in the port of Sevastopol.

  This peculiar photograph was created by assembling

  images from a video capturing the damage to the ship

  Minsk.

  Landing ship Olenegorskyi Gornyak listing to the left

  after a Ukrainian naval drone attack.

  Ukrainian helicopter Sea King HU.5 with a cartoon

  character's head and the name "Aviator" painted on the

  fuselage side.

  a Ukrainian boat had to maneuver wildly to avoid

  being fired upon. One soldier fell into the water

  but was later rescued by a Ukrainian drone.

  It reported the soldier's location until rescue

  arrived.

  It's possible that three Sea King HU.5

  helicopters provided by Britain to Ukraine were

  involved in these actions. Ukraine uses these

  helicopters for transport, search and rescue

  missions, and transporting special forces

  behind enemy lines. Therefore, it's very likely

  that they played a role in the occupation of oil

  platforms in the Black Sea and in supporting

  the special forces' landing on the Crimean

  coast. Coincidentally, during the period we are

  examining, a new photo of a Sea King helicopter

  in Ukrainian service was published. The right

  side of the fuselage features the image of

  a drawn character's head and the inscription

  "Aviator."

  Russian ships also became targets of

  Ukrainian attacks. On the night of August 4, near

  Novorossiysk port, the Ropukha-class landing

  ship Olenegorsky Gornyak was hit by a naval

  drone as it entered the port. According to initial

  Russian reports, the attack was successfully

  repelled, and the ship suffered no damage.

  However, in the morning, it was revealed

  that the ship was unable to move and had

  a significant list to the left. It had to be towed to

  dry dock. The ship had a hole in the right side of

  the hull, four meters high and two meters wide.

  The next day, south of the Kerch Strait Bridge,

  the Russian tanker Sig was also hit by a naval

  drone. The explosion caused a hole in the right

  side and flooded the engine room.

  Attack on docks and Headquarters

  All the actions mentioned so far were just

  a prelude to the main attack that occurred in

  September. After losing radar installations on

  the platforms, air defense systems, and aircraft,

  Russia was unable to effectively protect the

  western part of Crimea. This had disastrous

  consequences for the Black Sea Fleet.

  On Wednesday, September 13, early in the

  morning, Storm Shadow cruise missiles

  launched from Ukrainian Su-24M aircraft struck

  the dry dock of the Sevmorzavod shipyard in

  Sevastopol. At the time, the dock housed the

  Minsk-class Ropukha landing ship and the

  B-237 Rostov-on-Don submarine.

  A major fire broke out on the Minsk,

  destroying virtually all superstructures

  from the main deck upwards. Parts of these

  superstructures collapsed. The command

  bridge and the ship's mast completely collapsed.

  In this case, it's an older vessel from 1983, and

  the cost-effectiveness of repairing it is highly

  questionable. According to the Ukrainian side,

  the Minsk was supposed to leave the dock

  on September 14, which is why it had a crew

  preparing for that. More than 60 sailors were

  reported to have perished.

  The Rostov-on-Don submarine fared just as

  poorly. It belongs to the upgraded Kilo class

  (Russian Project 636.3) and entered service

  in 2014. Besides torpedoes, it can carry Kalibr

  missiles, which it previously launched at

  Ukrainian cities. However, it's the end for the

  submarine. After being hit by Storm Shadow

  missiles, it has two large holes in its hull—one

  on the right side behind the conning tower and

  another in the front in the torpedo compartment.

  The possibility of repairing it is also highly

  doubtful.

  Less than a week later, Ukrainians carried

  out another successful mission with Storm

  Shadow missiles targeting Sevastopol. Exactly

  at noon, on September 22, the headquarters of

  the Black Sea Fleet were struck by at least two

  missiles. Only the outer walls remained of the

  building; the interior was completely destroyed.

  What was worse for the Russians was that

  there was a meeting of high-ranking officers

  in the headquarters, which the Ukrainians were

  informed about by the partisan movement. Two

  days after the attack, the Ukrainian Special

  Forces command reported that in this operation,

  codenamed "Crab Trap," 34 Russian officers

  lost their lives, and 105 soldiers were injured.

  Admiral Viktor Sokolov, the commander of the

  Black Sea Fleet, was said to be among the dead.

  Russian authorities later released several

  videos that were meant to prove Sokolov's well-

  being, but there are uncertainties about when

  these videos were made. According to Russian

  occupying authorities, only six were injured, and

  the "situation is under control." However, they

  also had to admit that the building cannot be

  repaired, and its remnants will be demolished.

  Most of the remaining large vessels of the

  INFO Eduard

  33

  November 2023

• Page 34

  HISTORY

  Black Sea Fleet retreated further to the east,

  especially to Novorossiysk. Landing ships were

  moved to the Sea of Azov, where they serve for

  transporting supplies to the ports of Berdiansk

  and Mariupol. Russia lost control of the western

  part of the Black Sea, which Ukraine used to

  resume grain exports at the same intensity as

  during the grain agreement's validity.

  Russian Air Offensive

  However, this doesn't mean that the Russians

  are sitting idly. While they received a significant

  blow on the Crimean front in September,

  they had the initiative when it came to other

  areas along the long front line. A particularly

  unpleasant surprise for the Ukrainian side was

  the increase in the range of kamikaze drones

  like the ZALA Lancet. These drones previously

  had a range of around 40 km. On Tuesday,

  September 19, however, one Lancet drone

  attacked Dolgintsevo Airport near the city of

  Kryvyi Rih, which is located up to 70 km from

  the front line. The Lancet's extended range

  wasn't the only shocking revelation that day.

  The entire attack was observed by a Russian

  reconnaissance drone, which freely moved

  above the airport. Despite the relatively close

  proximity to the front, Ukrainian air defense

  was shockingly underestimated. The Lancet

  drone approached from behind slightly to the

  right of a parked MiG-29 fighter jet. It appears

  to have grazed the end of the right wing and hit

  the ground just beside the front right part of the

  fighter. The explosion didn't completely destroy

  the aircraft but certainly caused significant

  damage, roughly in the cockpit area.

  What's even more bewildering is the

  Ukrainian inaction following this attack. Thus,

  the Russians were able to repeat the attack

  on Saturday, September 23. The location and

  participants remained the same. A Lancet drone

  once again attacked the Dolgintsevo Airbase,

  and once again, it was recorded by a Russian

  reconnaissance drone. This time, the footage is

  at night and of lower quality, so it's challenging

  to accurately determine the type of aircraft

  struck. It could have been another MiG-29 or

  even a Su-25. After the Lancet's strike, this

  time it exploded and caught fire. The video only

  captures one Lancet attack and one explosion,

  but on low-quality satellite imagery, the burned

  area is visible in another parking area on

  the airfield, indicating that two aircraft were

  destroyed.

  For the third time, the attack occurred on

  Monday, September 25, at Kulbakino Airfield

  near Mykolaiv. During this attack, an explosion

  completely destroyed a MiG-29. Lieutenant

  Oleksandr Bobyk, a 26-year-old aircraft

  technician from the 204th Tactical Aviation

  Brigade, lost his life in the incident. The

  Ukrainian side confirmed his death, stating that

  he fell victim to a missile strike in this case, with

  no mention of the Lancet drone.

  This was a costly lesson in not underestimating

  the enemy and the need to better protect

  valuable aircraft or move them further from the

  front line. On the other hand, these were the only

  losses suffered by the Ukrainian air force during

  the observed period. While August saw several

  air-to-air clashes with tragic consequences, in

  September, Ukraine did not lose a single aircraft

  or helicopter in the air.

  Russian Losses

  Meanwhile, the situation on the ground front

  was more-less stabilized. Ukrainian troops

  made advances in the Bachmut and Robotyne-

  Verbove areas in the Zaporizhia region. Still,

  their progress was slow. To counter the

  penetration near the village of Robotyne, the

  Russians deployed airborne units, which halted

  the Ukrainian advance with counterattacks but

  at the cost of heavy casualties. It was clear

  that the Russian command was buying time at

  the expense of the lives of its soldiers. What

  Footage of strikes on the submarine Rostov-on-Don.

  Mi-8 helicopters are ubiquitous and highly needed. This series of images was recently published by the Ukrainian

  armed forces.

  INFO Eduard34

  November 2023

• Page 35

  HISTORY

  it was buying time for would become apparent

  in October. During the observed period, the

  Russian air force began to launch more attacks

  on Ukrainian positions on the front line and

  beyond. They used glide bombs, released from

  S-34 aircraft and guided from a relatively safe

  distance. Attacks occurred along the entire front

  from Kherson to Kharkiv. On Friday, September

  29, a Russian Su-35S fighter was shot down

  near Tokmak. The pilot perished. The fighter was

  probably escorting Su-34 on a bombing mission.

  The exact cause of its crash remains unknown,

  but it is suggested that it was hit by its own air

  defense. It is also possible that it fell into a trap

  set by the Ukrainian side. During the observed

  period, one Patriot air defense system was

  relocated near Odessa, and in previous months,

  Ukrainians had already used it to shoot down

  Russian aircraft on Russian territory.

  Thus, the month of September began

  and ended with the fall of Russian aircraft.

  Already on Friday, September 1, a Ka-52

  helicopter crashed into the waves of the Sea

  of Azov near the Zaporizhia region. It occurred

  approximately 1.5 km from the coast. The crew

  survived, and Russian rescuers retrieved them

  from the water. Furthermore, the Russian air

  force lost two aircraft in accidents during the

  observed period. On Tuesday, September 12, an

  Su-24M crashed near the village of Lozhki in the

  Volgograd region. Both crew members perished.

  On Wednesday, September 20, near the village

  of Kolodezny in the Voronezh region, an Su-34

  with the registration RF-95806 and bort number

  "red 05" crashed. In this case, both pilots from

  the 47th mixed aviation regiment successfully

  ejected and survived.

  Mi-8 helicopters are ubiquitous and highly needed. This series of images was recently published

  by the Ukrainian armed forces.

  Su-27 from the Ukrainian 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade.

  The Ukrainian Su-25 has its entire underside and

  auxiliary tanks painted in blue and yellow for quick

  identification.

  A shot from the Russian drone Lancet during an attack

  on the Ukrainian MiG-29 at Dolgintsevo Airport on

  September 19th.

  Destroyed Russian Su-35S near Tokmak on September

  29th.

  INFO Eduard

  35

  November 2023

• Page 36

  BOXART STORY

  Heinz Bär became one of the Luftwaffe's

  most famous fighter pilots and was one of

  the rare German airmen the Allied press

  wrote about during the war. His journey to the

  cockpit of a fighter plane took him through

  a job as a Luftwaffe aircraft mechanic,

  a series of rejections from superiors,

  violations of regulations and the cockpit of

  Ju 52. He gradually worked his way up to become

  a successful fighter pilot, a Staffelkapitän

  and then a Gruppenkommandeur. His health

  problems and exhaustion led to a conflict with

  Hermann Göring in the summer of 1943, which

  resulted in his removal as commander of

  I./JG 77. A subsequent conflict with an NSDAP

  functionary led to Bär's transfer to II./JG 1,

  with which he served as a simple pilot as

  punishment in early 1944, with 179 kills to his

  credit!

  However, in March 1944, Bär became acting

  commander of II./JG 1. From February to April

  he achieved 23 victories without being shot

  down himself. Among the highlights in this

  period are the downing of the bombers “Miss

  Ouachita” and “Flak Magnet”. In both cases,

  Bär's ground personnel witnessed the victories.

  With B-17 “Miss Ouachita”, Bär appeared in

  a newsreel. The destruction of the Liberator

  “Flak Magnet” was an even more significant

  event, as it was Bär's 200th victory, and a short

  OKW communiqué (Bär's third) was issued two

  days later about this achievement. Albeit II./JG 1

  lost almost a hundred machines during the same

  period. Major Heinz Bär scored his 201st victory

  on April 29, 1944 at 10:56 near Braunschweig

  while fighting bombers and their escorts

  heading for Berlin. Bär managed to lead the

  II./JG 1 formation into a frontal attack against

  the bomber formation, damaging one Liberator

  in the process.

  Then a fighter escort of Thunderbolts

  from the 359th FG and apparently Mustangs

  from the 352nd FG appeared on the scene.

  In his report, Bär said that after the frontal

  attack in which he hit one Liberator, his unit

  was dispersed by a strong fighter escort

  and there were separate engagements

  by Rotte and Schwarms. He pulled up and

  saw below an Fw 190 with its starboard

  undercarriage extended being chased by

  a Thunderbolt. He got behind the Thunderbolt

  and fired from above and behind at a distance

  of about 150m. The Thunderbolt immediately

  exploded in mid-air and the individual parts

  crashed down to the ground. The impact

  occurred south of Braunschweig. In the

  minutes that followed, Bär's airmen claimed

  three more Thunderbolts and several four-

  engined bombers (including a B-24 as 202nd

  victory of Heinz Bär). One Mustang may have

  been claimed in this area by an airman from

  I./JG 302.

  The problem is that no Thunderbolts were

  lost on this day, and even the Mustangs of the

  352nd FG did not experience losses in this area.

  However, in studying German reports of Allied

  aircraft crashes, I found that one Mustang

  was shot down in this area and time. At 11:00

  a Mustang crashed 700 meters northeast of

  Brasdorf and was so badly damaged that only

  the white letter J and the numbers 3, 6, and

  7 could be discerned from its markings.

  From these indications, it can be clearly

  determined that it was a P-51B-5-NA

  43-6577 “WR

  -

  J” of the 354th FS, 355th FG.

  Its pilot was Capt. Thomas F. Neal Jr. Until

  now, it was believed he disappeared about

  30 miles southwest of Berlin. In this area, he

  led his Falcon Red Flight in a dive to attack

  four Fw 190s, yet his wingman lost contact

  with him while passing through cloud cover

  and Neal then failed to respond to radio

  communications. The place where Neal

  actually ended up is quite far west of where

  he was last seen. He probably made his way

  back, perhaps joining the 359th or 352nd FG

  formation and eventually dying in combat with

  German fighters near Braunschweig. Of the

  information known so far from the German

  side, Heinz Bär's claim fits the best. Neal's

  Mustang had a razor back and olive camouflage

  of upper surfaces. It was therefore possibly

  mistaken for a Thunderbolt. Neal was at the

  top of the 354th FS at the time with 4.5 kills

  and was one of its leading personalities.

  Bär scored a total of 221 victories, of which

  125 were over Western powers' pilots (including

  16 in the Me 262), placing him second only

  to Hptm. Hans-Joachim Marseille, who

  achieved all of his 158 kills against RAF and

  Commonwealth airmen. Further details on

  this airman can be found in my three-part

  article in REVI Nos. 81 to 83 and in the French

  magazine ACES No. 8.

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  The 201st victory

  Text: Jan Bobek

  #82138

  INFO Eduard36

  November 2023

• Page 37

  #84194

  BOXART STORY

  In January 1944, American forces were

  entering the third year of the war in the Pacific.

  They had a number of combat operations under

  their belts, and experience to the credit of units,

  commanders, and their men was growing.

  However, none of these experienced men were

  present at the formation of VF-34, a Naval

  fighter squadron that was to operate from

  land bases during the final phase of Operation

  Cartweel. The newly and hastily formed unit

  consisted of 45 pilots, only one of whom had

  seen any combat action and only two of whom

  were classified as fully trained Class A pilots.

  None of the eighteen Lieutenant or Lieutenat

  Junior Grade pilots had completed combat

  training, and of the twenty five Ensign rank

  pilots, twenty had indeed been trained, but only

  ten of them in the F6F Hellcat. The rest had only

  experience in Wildcats or Dauntlesses. This was

  simply not an A-team, or even a B-team. More

  like a C-team ... Still, the unit was thrown into

  combat without hesitation.

  The personnel of the new VF-34 departed San

  Diego on February 13 bound for Pearl Harbor,

  from where they were airlifted to Espiritu Santo

  on February 23 to pick up their equipment.

  Within a week everything was ready, and on

  March 3 the entire unit moved to Guadalcanal

  and from there to Piva Yoke airfield on

  Bougainville, where the rookies of VF-34 first

  encountered the harsh realities of war. Their

  airfield experienced shelling the very next day

  and three aircraft were damaged. Therefore,

  VF-34 left the hot ground and moved to the

  island of Vella Lavella, where the pilots made

  their first combat sorties, but their location

  proved logistically disadvantageous. So, their

  third and final move followed. Green Island

  became the squadron’s home for nearly two

  months.

  Pilots of VF-34 provided escort to bomber

  formations of Mitchells, Dauntlesses or

  Avengers and attacked ground targets, though

  they had no opportunity to get a single kill

  because the enemy aircraft were neither

  seen nor heard.. Thus, the greatest danger to

  the VF-34 pilots was Japanese anti-aircraft

  fire, which soon claimed its first victim when

  Ens. Driscoll was hit by defensive fire during

  an attack on a Japanese boat. Although he

  managed to land on the sea and was even seen

  swimming away from the sinking aircraft, he

  disappeared shortly thereafter and was never

  found. Ten days later the unit suffered a second

  loss when Ens. Miller failed to return from an

  attack on Japanese vessels off New Ireland,

  and five days later the squadron endured

  its third casualty. In bad weather conditions,

  Lt. Rose’s landing Hellcat collided with an

  Avenger that was landing on the runway in the

  opposite direction. The unfortunate pilot was

  pulled out of the burning wreckage by Lt. Kukuk,

  but Rose died shortly afterwards in hospital.

  It took less than a month of fighting for the

  rookies to become seasoned warriors, because

  the combat sorties were conducted one after

  the other virtually on an everyday basis.

  The squadron’s account included destroyed

  ammunition or fuel depots, vessels including

  gun boats, trucks, engineering machines or

  port facilities. There was hardly a mission from

  which the pilots did not bring back some wounds,

  caused by the “salutes” of Japanese anti-

  aircraft guns. Pilots attacked from ever lower

  altitudes. Sometimes they literally “combed”

  the tops of the vegetation with their propellers,

  which proved fatal to the Ens. Richardson, who

  hit a tree on April 24. His Hellcat flew by inertia

  over the shoreline to the water surface and

  soon disappeared under it.

  The fifth and most unfortunate loss was

  suffered by VF-34 three days before the end

  of its operational tour. Two divisions led by

  Lt. Knight and Lt. Shaw escorted Avengers and

  Dauntlesses that were to attack two Japanese

  gun boats. During the attack, Lt. Knight was

  hit by AA fire and crashed into the ocean. Both

  boats were destroyed, unfortunately it turned

  out they were not Japanese but American...

  The Navy was quite strict when it came to the

  efforts of personnel to improve the appearance

  of their aircraft with various nosearts.

  Occasional exceptions happened though,

  especially when the unit was out of reach of

  high command officers’ supervision, which was

  the case with the VF-34. Thus, several of their

  Hellcats were decorated with some pin-ups,

  including the boxart aircraft of kit cat. no. 84194.

  The port side was decorated with a painting

  based on Vargas’ masterpiece from the Esquire

  magazine calendar and the inscription Mary

  Jane, while the starboard side was most likely

  adorned with the cut-out of the same calendar

  glued to the fuselage.

  Text: Richard Plos

  Illustration: Adam Tooby

  Greenies from Green island

  INFO Eduard

  37

  November 2023

• Page 38

  BOXART STORY #84195

  Part of the preparations for the opening up

  of the Western Front in 1944 were systematic

  attacks against Luftwaffe transport

  infrastructure and airfields in northern France

  and the Netherlands. Supporting the nearing

  invasion by massive amounts of ground troops

  was dependent on securing air supremacy,

  along with crippling enemy supply routes, two

  factors that would be of decisive importance

  to the success of the entire operation. The

  weight of this task rested mainly on fighters

  and medium bombers of the RAF and USAAF.

  The most accurate tools of the trade were

  to be single engined fighters. Particularly

  suited for the task in the RAF were the

  Hurricane Mk.IIb or Mk.IV, which, however,

  had their heyday behind them, and the more

  modern Typhoons and Tempests from the same

  manufacturer.

  An invasion of the European mainland coast

  was almost imminent when, on the morning

  of May 28th, 1944, a combat reconnaissance

  conducted by RAF Spitfires discovered a large

  number of Luftwaffe single and twin-engined

  aircraft at airfields near Paris. On the same

  day, nine Tempests from No.3 Squadron RAF,

  subordinate to No.150 Wing and under the

  command of W/Cdr Roland P. Beamont himself,

  D.S.O, DFC & Bar headed for France. Before

  the group crossed the Channel, the pilots of

  four Tempests had to turn around for an early

  return due to various issues. The remaining

  five crossed the coast at 8,000 feet at Ault

  and headed straight for Cormeilles-En-Vexin

  airfield northwest of Paris. The tight formation

  of Tempests arrived at the base around 5:30

  p.m., and from an area of unlimited visibility,

  they dove into smoke, which reduced visibility

  to 5-6 miles from the ground up to 5,000 feet.

  Nevertheless, the Tempest pilots spotted

  five twin-engine bombers on the southern

  perimeter of the airfield, which they identified

  as Ju 88s or Ju 188s. W/Cdr Beamont led his

  group in a descending turn so that they got

  the thin fog breaking through the sun behind

  them and attacked at low altitude and high

  speed. Roland Beamont chose a single, darkly

  camouflaged twin engined target, positioned

  between blast shelter walls. The bomber was

  almost head-on from the approaching Tempest,

  and at 470 miles per hour, destruction was only

  a matter of seconds. Beamont opened fire from

  less than 2,500 feet: ‘„…a short ranging burst

  and then hard down on the trigger, ruddering

  correction as necessary, as the blast pen

  erupted in strikes, with bursts all over the

  bomber and a large piece of it flying in the air

  as I snatched at the stick at the last moment to

  avoid flying headlong into the target.’.

  The five made only one pass over the strip. To

  turn around would be to attract the attention of

  defensive flak. Thanks to the tactical advantage

  of smoke reducing visibility, launching the

  attack from the sun, high speed and, above

  all, the nerves of steel of W/Cdr Beamont

  and his boys, they escaped unscathed. Add to

  that the fact that they practically nailed their

  Tempests almost into the ground. Inaccurate

  light flak was only noted as the group crossed

  the runway. The British airmen stuck to the

  ground for another two or three miles beyond

  the airfield before beginning to climb. Behind

  them they saw two prominent columns

  of smoke. Each of them came to their own.

  W/Cdr Beamont was credited with one Ju 88

  destroyed, the remaining three airmen shared

  another Junkers destroyed and two damaged.

  After another thirty-five minutes, the members

  of this informal multinational squadron (three

  British, one Australian and one Polish) landed

  at their home field.

  Because aircraft lost in ground attacks

  usually did not make into Luftwaffe reports

  accessible today, it is difficult to determine

  the identity of the destroyed aircraft. There

  was most likely a Ju 88 S, and possibly

  a Ju 88 D from 6.(F)/123 (reconnaissance

  unit Aufklärungsgruppe 123). A Ju 188 F from

  13.(F)/122 cannot be ruled out either.

  W/ Cdr. Roland Beamont scored six aerial

  victories, and another shared, one probable

  and two enemy aircraft damaged. In addition,

  a number of targets were destroyed on

  the ground and, above all, an incredible 32

  destroyed V-1s. On October 12th, 1944, during

  an attack on the Rheine airfield, he was shot

  down himself and taken prisoner. After the war,

  he worked, among other things, as Chief Test

  Pilot for English Electric and in the position of

  Director of Flying Operations at BAC.

  (I would like to thank Jan Bobek, Matti Salonen

  and Michal Krechowski for help with sources for this

  story)

  Illustration: Adam Tooby

  Cormeilles-En-Vexin

  Text: Jan Zdiarský

  INFO Eduard38

  November 2023

• Page 39

  #7039

  BOXART STORY

  The Fokker triplane was a very rare sight

  in combat units in the autumn of 1918. German

  fighter units had rearmed to Fokker D.VIIs and

  the vast majority of them had discarded the

  nimble but slow triplane. Not so the fourth most

  successful German fighter ace, Josef Carl Peter

  Jacobs. The commander of Jasta 7 retained his

  black Dr. I.

  Jacobs became one of Germany's fighter

  legends. He could already fly before the

  outbreak of the war, so it is not surprising

  that he immediately joined the newly formed

  Fliegertruppen. After a few months of training as

  a military pilot, he joined Feldflieger-Abteilung

  11 in June 1915, where he flew reconnaissance

  aircraft. For his actions, which included one

  unconfirmed shoot-down of a French Caudron,

  he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class and

  promoted to the rank of Leutnant (Lieutenant)

  on February 6, 1916. Shortly afterwards he

  retrained as a single-seater fighter pilot and

  by May that year he became a member of

  Fokkerstaffel West. He achieved his first victory

  with an Eindecker there and subsequently

  transferred to Jasta 22 on October 25 and

  increased his score until he achieved his fifth

  kill on April 16, 1917, and became a fighter ace.

  Two months later he was appointed commander

  of Jasta 7 and remained in that position until

  the end of the war. During the year, he raised

  his number of victories to twelve. And the

  twelfth one might as well have been his last.

  Shortly after he shot down a Sopwith Camel on

  December 18, 1917, he collided in midair with an

  Albatros D.V of Jasta 28, while he had his work

  cut out for him, he successfully managed to

  make an emergency landing with his damaged

  aircraft in a crater-strewn no-man’s land.

  In March 1918, his unit received several

  Fokker Dr. Is and Jacobs literally fell in love

  with this aircraft. He was impressed by its

  agility and rate of climb, so he decided to

  keep it even after Jasta 7 rearmed during

  June and July with Fokkers D.VIIs. He flew the

  Dr. I virtually until the end of the war, so it is not

  surprising that he became the most successful

  fighter pilot on this type.

  Jacobs was a very popular commander,

  according to eyewitness accounts, partly

  because he was always taking a care of his

  men’s well-being. But he was also able to “blow

  up”, especially when someone failed to follow

  instructions during a combat flight. A guilty

  man could count on a red-headed commander

  to be waiting for him on the ground, ready to

  “explain” everything properly. One of the pilots,

  according to the recollection of Jacobs himself

  was Vzfw. Josef Bohne, remarked during

  one such “spat” that “Köbes is spitting fire”

  (Jasta Colours vol. I; Bruno Schmäling, Jörn

  Leckscheid). Köbes was Jacobs's nickname, an

  ancient term for innkeepers from the Rhineland

  who not only served guests but also entertained

  them with jokes and stories. Jacobs came from

  this area and the nickname said a lot about his

  character. In fact, Bruno Schmäling stated in

  his book that Jacobs was one of the nicest and

  most charismatic WWI pilots he met.

  Bohne’s remark subsequently gave rise to

  a painting on both side of Jacobs’ aircraft.

  Jacobs proved his sense of humor when he

  first saw the aircraft decorated in this way.

  Not only he did not dress anyone down, but he

  appreciated the decoration and also had his

  black Fokker D.VII similarly painted.

  The artwork by Kateřina Borecká for kit

  cat. no. 7039 depicts a successful attack on

  an observation balloon, of which Jacobs shot

  down eight during the war. It could be, for

  example, a shoot-down on September 16, 1918.

  The devil spitting fire is depicted on the boxart

  in a different form compared to the first edition

  of this kit, because we have considered new

  information and changed its form. As far as

  his shape is concerned, it can be read from the

  only surviving photograph clearly showing the

  right side of Jacobs’ Dr. I. According to Jacobs

  himself (who died on July 29, 1978), the devil’s

  appearance on the left side was faithfully

  captured by a color painting of which he kept

  a photograph in his office after the Second

  World War. In it, the devil had light yellow

  hair and a stylized wing with a yellow hem.

  So, unlike the decal in the first edition of the kit,

  with the devil’s brown hair and the red hem, we

  have used yellow on both sides. Although the

  painting in the photograph from Jacobs’ office

  does not match in shape with what is seen in

  the period photograph, this is not surprising.

  These were hand paintings, without any

  templates, and so the difference in appearance

  on the left and right sides of the fuselage

  is more than likely.

  Text: Richard Plos

  Illustration: Kateřina Borecká

  The firespitter

  INFO Eduard

  39

  November 2023

• Page 40

  BOXART STORY #82163

  During World War II, both Germany and

  Great Britain came to use night bombing as

  a significant part of their war effort to damage

  or destroy the enemy's production and logistic

  targets, as well as to break the morale of the

  enemy population. In doing so, the two air forces

  addressed similar technical problems. One of

  these was finding a target in night conditions

  and marking it for other bombers.

  A pioneer in this respect was the German

  bomber unit KGr. 100 (later I./KG 100), which

  from the autumn of 1940, during raids on Great

  Britain, searched for targets using electronic

  equipment and marked them with flares. This

  tactic so intrigued the British that, despite

  opposition from Arthur Harris, Commander

  of Bomber Command, it was adopted by the

  RAF. The crews tasked with marking targets

  in Germany were placed under the command

  of the Path Finder Force (PFF), which began

  operations in August 1942 with five squadrons.

  Their armament included Wellingtons,

  Mosquitos, Lancasters, Halifaxes and Stirlings.

  In January 1943, these specialized units

  were concentrated in No. 8 (Pathfinder Force)

  Group, which gradually grew to 16 squadrons.

  These units were always the first to receive

  the new bomb aiming systems (Gee, Oboe and

  H2S). If the Germans managed to shoot down

  a Pathfinder crew, it greatly hindered the

  accuracy of the bombing raid. The Pathfinder

  planes and especially the fast Mosquito were

  among the most prized trophies among German

  night fighters. These fast twin-engined aircraft

  also performed night bombing duties and

  were successfully deployed as long-range

  night fighters. Their target were German night

  fighters and thus the hunter becomes the

  hunted. Interception of Mosquitos (German:

  Moskitojagd) were often fruitless and frustrated

  German pilots, whose machines were not up to

  the performance of these British twin-engined

  fighters, saw only condensation lines or no

  enemy at all.

  On the German side, the number of night

  bombing attacks on Great Britain gradually

  declined and efforts to defend their own

  territory with anti-aircraft artillery and night

  fighters using radar stations increased.

  From the summer of 1943, the Luftwaffe also

  deployed to night combat single-engine day

  fighters without radar equipment, whose

  pilots searched for targets following radio

  instructions from ground controllers. This

  tactic was given the designation Wilde Sau

  (Wild Boar), but by early 1944 these units

  were increasingly being assigned to daytime

  combat against American bombers. A new

  unit tasked with continuing Wilde Sau tactics

  and experimenting with the use of radar on

  single-engine fighters was 1./NJGr. 10 under

  the command of Hptm. Friedrich-Karl “Nasen”

  Müller. He was the most successful fighter of

  the Wilde Sau units, achieving 30 victories in

  52 combat sorties. For details on Müller and

  his aircraft, which is pictured in combat with

  Mosquito on Adam Tooby's boxart, see Neil

  Page's article in INFO magazine 11/2019.

  Müller's aircraft was equipped with the

  DB 605 AS engine, which increased power gave

  a better chance of intercepting and destroying

  the fast Mosquito at high altitudes than the

  conventional Bf 109 G-6 and G-14. Müller´s

  machine also had the armoured headrest

  removed for weight reduction and a better view

  from the cockpit. During July 1944, Müller's

  pilots managed to shoot down three Mosquitos,

  but their commander had to wait until the

  night of 23-24 August to also shoot down the

  Wooden Wonder. His target was the crew of the

  Mosquito B Mk.XX (KB242) from No. 608 Sqn

  RAF, with Canadian F/Lt Stuart Douglas Webb

  at the controls. Their machine was hit by flak

  during a raid on Cologne. Müller attacked the

  damaged Mosquito near Eindhoven and after

  the fourth attack the British machine went into

  a spin at 25,000ft, which Webb recovered at

  9,000ft.

  The aircraft had a destroyed elevator trim,

  damaged hydraulic lines and a non functioning

  airspeed indicator. Webb, however, managed

  to get the aircraft to Woodbridge Base. Before

  approach, his hydraulics failed completely and

  during the hard landing with the landing gear

  retracted, the tail section of the aircraft broke

  off after being severely damaged by Müller's

  fire. A few months later Stuart D. Webb was

  sadly killed in a plane crash on 10 November.

  He became one of more than 3,700 PFF

  airmen who lost their lives. During World War

  II, Pathfinder Force crews flew 5,490 sorties

  against 3,440 targets. They fulfilled the motto

  of their No. 8 (PFF) Group, “We guide to strike”.

  Illustration: Adam Tooby

  Moskitojagd

  Text: Jan Bobek

  INFO Eduard40

  November 2023

• Page 41

• Page 42

  #82138

  Fw 190A-7

  1/48

  The ProfiPACK edition kit of German WWII fighter aircraft Fw 190A-7

  in 1/48 scale. Kit presents Focke-Wulfs from the JG 1, JG 11, JG 54, JG 300,

  Führerjägerstaffel and Sturmstaffel 1.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 6

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard42

  November 2023

• Page 43

  WNr. 431007, Maj. Heinz Bär, CO of II./JG 1, Störmede, Germany, April 1944

  Hptm. Rolf Hermichen, CO of I./JG 11, Rotenburg, Germany, March 1944

  Heinz Bär is credited with 221 aerial victories,

  including 16 achieved flying the Me 262 jet

  fighter, ranking him in eighth place among

  German WWII fighter aces. In July 1943, as CO of

  I./JG 77 in the Mediterranean got into conflict

  with Göring and as punishment was transferred

  to the position of commander of the operational

  training Jagdgruppe Süd. In early 1944, however,

  he was assigned to II./JG 1 in Germany as a simple

  pilot, due to a physical assault on an NSDAP

  official. However, he soon took command of the

  combat formations of this unit, was appointed

  its provisional commander in March 1944, and

  was officially appointed at the end of April.

  Bär achieved 23 victories during his five months

  with II./JG 1 without being shot down himself.

  Among his most famous victories were the B-17

  “Miss Ouachita” and B-24 “Flak Magnet”, the latter

  became his 200th victory. Bär’s machine sported

  the JG 1 emblem, his lucky number 13, and the 200

  victory symbol painted on the white rudder that

  was the designation of formation leaders during

  this period.

  Rolf Hermichen achieved 66 kills during the WWII,

  the first 11 of them as a Bf 110 pilot during the

  battles of France and Britain. He was transferred

  to III./JG 26 in November 1941 and first served as

  an adjutant to Josef Priller, the CO of III. Gruppe.

  As early as May 1, 1942, Hermichen became

  Staffelkapitän (CO) of the 3. Staffel. When I./JG 26

  moved to the Eastern Front in January 1943, he

  added eight more kills to his existing 21. Already

  as Hauptmann, on his return to the Western Front

  he temporarily led III. Gruppe from June 15 to July

  4, 1943 and became CO of I./JG 11 on October 16.

  There, as a part of the Defense of the Reich, he

  was very successful in combat against Allied

  bombers. In total, he had 25 (or 26) of them to

  his credit. His last success came on April 24,

  1944, when he shot down a P-51D. He was shot

  down himself on May 12 and after withdrawal

  from operational duty, he served at Headquarters

  of 2. Jagd-Division. From October 1944 to January

  1945, Hermichen served as CO of II./JG 104.

  His Fw 190A-7 of spring 1944 had the original

  camouflage colors of RLM 74/75 repainted

  in varying intensities with the light grey-blue of

  RLM 76.

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard

  43

  November 2023

• Page 44

  Oblt. Otto Kittel, CO of 3./JG 54, Riga-Skulte, Latvia, August 1944

  6./JG 300, Holzkirchen, Germany, July 1944

  Otto Kittel was born on February 21, 1917, to

  German parents in Korunov (German: Kronsdorf,

  since 1945 Krasov) near Jägerndorf (Krnov) in

  Austria-Hungary. Kittel was apprenticed as a car

  mechanic in Mladá Boleslav, partly learned Czech

  and joined the Luftwaffe in 1939. He completed

  his first combat deployment during the fighting

  in Yugoslavia in the ranks of 2./JG 54, which was

  deployed in the advance on Leningrad during

  the attack on the USSR. On June 24, 1941, Otto

  Kittel scored his first two aerial victories, and

  on September 14, 1943, he achieved his 100th

  kill. In March 1944 he became CO of 3./JG 54 and

  in May he received his personal Fw 190 A-7,

  the only machine of this version that was in

  the armament of I./JG 54. Kittel achieved over

  100 victories with his A-7 and the aircraft was lost

  in combat in December 1944 during Kittel's leave.

  He was killed on February 16, 1945, in combat

  with a formation of four Il-2s from 502 ShAP near

  Džūkste, Latvia. He shot down 267 enemy aircraft

  during World War II, all on the Eastern Front.

  This result places him 4th in the Luftwaffe’s

  fighter ace rankings.

  JG 300 was initially tasked with nighttime

  interception of Allied bombers headed to targets

  in occupied Europe as was the case with her sister

  unit JG 301 as well. However, at the beginning

  of 1944, attention shifted to daylight operations.

  A red band around the rear of the fuselage was the

  marking of the JG 300s in the rapid identification

  system of fighter units. The II. Gruppe of the

  unit was formed in July 1943 and equipped with

  heavily armed and armored Fw 190A-8/R2s or

  R8s in the summer of 1944. But the unit also

  received 30 A-7s between January and July. The

  Yellow 18 has the JG 300 emblem painted on the

  engine cowling. The commander of the 6./JG 300

  from March 1944 was Oblt. Ernst-Erich Hirschfeld,

  who originally served in the Flak, after pilot and

  fighter training briefly flew with II./JG 54 on the

  Eastern Front and in August 1943 signed up for

  night deployment with JG 300. Until his death on

  July 28, 1944, he achieved 24 victories, 14 of which

  were four-engine bombers shot down by day and

  eight by night. He was posthumously awarded the

  Knight’s Cross in October 1944.

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard44

  November 2023

• Page 45

  Fw. Klaus Dietrich, Führerjägerstaffel, Rastenburg, Germany, August 1944

  WNr. 642962, Maj. Hans-Günther von Kornatzki, CO of Sturmstaffel 1,

  Dortmund/Salzwedel, Germany, early 1944

  This unusual aircraft was the personal machine

  of Klaus Dietrich, who was a member of the

  fighter unit that was used to escort Adolf Hitler’s

  flights, state visits and to provide fighter cover

  for the Wolf’s lair in Rastenburg, Germany (now

  Kętrzyn, Poland). The fighter unit (Jagdstaffel)

  was formed as part of the Führer-Kurierstaffel

  in the summer of 1944 and its commander was

  Oblt. Klenk. In June 1944, Klaus Dietrich was

  assigned to it, having achieved 17 victories during

  his previous service with 2./JG 51 Mölders. His

  career with the JG 51 was ended by a dogfight

  with a La-5 pilot on August 19, 1943. Severely

  wounded, Dietrich landed at his own airfield

  with 121 bullet holes in his Fw 190 and had to be

  airlifted to the rear for surgery. While serving

  with the Führerjägerstaffel, Dietrich witnessed

  the arrival and departure of von Stauffenberg

  during the fateful July 20, 1944. While covering

  the Wolf’s lair, Dietrich managed to shoot down

  a Soviet Pe-2 reconnaissance aircraft around

  noon of August 26, 1944. In January 1945 the

  unit was disbanded, and Dietrich then tested the

  freshly produced Me 262.

  Hans-Günther von Kornatzki was born in Liegnitz

  in Lower Silesia (today Legnica, Poland) on June

  22, 1906. In 1928, he first joined the army, and

  transferred to the Luftwaffe on its formation in

  1933. In May 1941, he married Goering's secretary

  Ursula Grundtmann. After she became a victim

  of an Allied bomber raid on Berlin, he became

  a supporter, and later a leader, of units tasked

  with intercepting the heavy bombers with heavily

  armed fighters from as close a range as possible.

  The first such unit was Sturmstaffel 1, which was

  deemed combat ready on January 1, 1944. With

  his personal mount White 20 fell on March 6,

  1944, in a dogfight with two Mustangs Lt. Gerhard

  Dost. Sturmstaffel 1 was disbanded in May 1944

  and Kornatzki took command of II.(Sturm)/JG 4.

  The black-white-black bands as a quick

  identification element of Sturmstaffel 1 were

  taken over by JG 4. On September 12, 1944, he

  led an attack against a B-17 formation near

  Magdeburg. After destroying one of the bombers,

  he was engaged by escort fighters and was shot

  down. In his attempt to belly in, he hit high-power

  lines and died in the crash.

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard

  45

  November 2023

• Page 46

  Recommended:

  for Fw 190A-7 1/48

  648150 Fw 190 wheels late (Brassin)

  648356 Fw 190A wingroot gun bays (Brassin)

  648366 Fw 190A propeller (Brassin)

  648381 Fw 190A exhaust stacks (Brassin)

  648736 Fw 190A landing flaps PRINT (Brassin)

  OVERTREES

  #82138X

  Fw 190A-7

  1/48

  Product page

  OVERLEPT

  #82138-LEPT

  Fw 190A-7 PE

  -

  Set

  1/48

  Product page

  #648736

  #648150

  #648366

  #648356

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard46

  November 2023

• Page 47

  1/72

  WUNDERSCHÖNE NEUE

  MASCHINEN pt.2

  NEW TOOL

  FIRST RELEASE

  The Limited edition of the kit of the famous German WWII fighter aircraft Bf 109G

  in 1/72 scale. The kit offers aircraft of G-2 and G-4 versions. Marking selection covers

  all fronts of WWII where these “Gustavs” were fighting including airplanes from the

  Ilmavoimat (Finish Air Force), Italian Regia Aeronautica and 13. (slowakische)/JG 52.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 14

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  #2143

  Product page

  DUAL COMBO

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard

  47

  November 2023

• Page 48

  Bf 109G-2 & G-4 - Sprues detail

  Sprue JSprue M

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard48

  November 2023

• Page 49

  Sprue MSprue U

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard

  49

  November 2023

• Page 50

  TEST BUILT

  #2143

  built by Luboš Henkl

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard50

  November 2023

• Page 51

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard

  51

  November 2023

• Page 52

  Bf 109G-2/R6, Oblt. Heinrich Ehrler, CO of 6./JG 5, Petsamo, Finland, March 1943

  Bf 109G-2/Trop, Oblt. Werner Schroer, CO of 8./JG 27, Rhodos, Greece, November 1942

  Heinrich Ehrler served with the artillery in

  the pre-war period. He joined the Luftwaffe

  in January 1940, underwent training and was

  assigned to 4./JG 77 (re-designated 4./JG 5 later

  on). In May 1942 he was transferred to 6./JG 5 and

  in August he took over its command. In June 1943

  he became commander of II./JG 5 and in August

  1944 he was appointed Kommodore of JG 5. After

  the sinking of the battleship Tirpitz he stood trial

  by court martial on unsubstantiated charges

  of inadequate air cover for that ship. From

  February 27, 1945, he flew Me 262 fighters with JG 7.

  He died in combat with B-24 Liberator bombers

  on April 4, 1945. He managed to shoot down two

  of the bombers, ramming a third one. Ehrler is

  credited with 208 victories and was awarded the

  Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves.

  Werner Schroer achieved 61 kills in the skies over

  Africa, the first of which was a Hurricane downed

  on April 19, 1941, over Tobruk, Libya. Later, Schroer

  served as a Gruppenadjutant of I./JG 27. He

  assumed command of 8. Staffel JG 27 and in April

  1943 assumed command of the entire II./JG 27.

  He ended the war as Geschwaderkommodore

  of JG 3 with 114 kills to his credit (including

  26 four-engine bombers). He was awarded the

  Knight’s Cross on October 21, 1942 and on April 19,

  1945, he became the recipient of the Swords as

  well. In March 1944 he took command of III./JG 54

  in Western Europe and in February 1945 became

  the last Kommodore of JG 3. His aircraft sported

  typical desert camouflage scheme of RLM 79 and

  RLM 78, which was complemented with irregular

  spots of green, probably of RLM 80 shade.

  It is depicted here in the state of early November

  1942 with sixty kill marks on the rudder.

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard52

  November 2023

• Page 53

  Bf 109G-2, WNr. 13670, Hptm. Hermann Graf, CO of 9./JG 52, Tusow,

  the Soviet Union, September 1942

  Bf 109G-2, Maj. Heinz Bär, CO of I./JG 77, Comiso, Italy, September 1942

  Bf 109G-2, WNr. 10423, Obfw. Kurt Stöber, 7./JG 54, Izocha, the Soviet Union, January 1943

  Hermann Anton Graf was born on October 24, 1912.

  He trained as a locksmith and was a keen football

  player in his youth. Later he took up sailing and

  entered the army in 1939. In the spring of 1940,

  he served in JG 51 and participated in the Battle

  of France. In April 1941, he fought over Greece and

  Crete, but did not achieve any victories during this

  period. His first kill came on August 4, 1941, near

  Kyiv and things changed. At the end of January

  1942, he received the Knight’s Cross for 45 kills,

  in May 1942, he achieved his 100th aerial victory

  and received Oak Leaves and Swords in addition

  to the Cross. He was the fifth in line of pilots to

  be awarded the Diamonds to the Knight’s Cross

  with Oak Leaves and Swords on September 29,

  1942. Graf became part of propaganda campaigns,

  even a member of the Luftwaffe football team.

  At the end of the war, he was leading JG 52 and

  retreated with the unit from East Prussia, through

  Silesia and into Bohemia. He surrendered on May

  8, 1945, in Písek (South Bohemia) to Americans.

  They promptly handed him over to Russians and

  Graf spent more than four years in captivity.

  Heinz Bär is credited with 221 aerial victories,

  including 16 he achieved when flying the Me 262

  jet fighter, ranking him eighth among German

  WWII fighter aces. As a fighter pilot, he entered

  combat in September 1939 and downed his

  first victim over the French – German border.

  Progressively Bär fought in the Battle of Britain,

  over the Eastern Front, in the Mediterranean

  and took part in the defence of the Third Reich.

  He commanded I./JG 77 from May 1942 to the end of

  July 1943 when he left JG 77 after disagreements

  with Hermann Göring. From October 1942 to

  May 1943 in Africa the I./JG 77 with 192 kills was

  most successful Jagdgruppe on this battlefield.

  On both sides of the fuselage a caricature of the

  Leipzig coat of arms was painted, which was used

  by Sachsenfunk company as its advertising. Bär,

  native of Sommerfeld near Leipzig, was allegedly

  given a lion cub as a gift from Leipzig Zoo.

  The animal was apparently the inspiration for

  the choice of the caricature.

  Kurt Stöber was born on April 24, 1918, in

  Dermbach. He joined the Luftwaffe and took part

  in the fighting in Spain in the ranks of the Legion

  Condor. He achieved his first kill on the Eastern

  Front on March 22, 1942. In January 1943, bad

  weather conditions prevailed in the vicinity of

  Velikiye Luki, yet III./JG 54 operated there to help

  Wehrmacht troops escape from encirclement.

  The operation failed and the ground troops

  surrendered on January 16, 1943. Obfw. Kurt

  Stöber achieved 8 confirmed kills during these

  flights. During a dogfight on January 15, 1943,

  plane of Obfw. Kurt Stöber was hit in the engine by

  a LaGG-3 pilot, was forced to make an emergency

  landing in Red Army controlled territory and fell

  into captivity. He achieved a total of 36 victories

  and in February 1943, in absentia, received the

  German Cross in gold. He was lucky and survived

  all the hardships of captivity, returning home

  in 1948. He died on May 2, 2000.

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard

  53

  November 2023

• Page 54

  Bf 109G-2/R6, WNr. 13633, Hptm. Wolf-Dieter Huy, CO of 7./JG 77,

  Tanyet Harun, Egypt, October 1942

  Bf 109G-2, lntm. Eino Ilmari Juutilainen, 1/HLeLv 34, Suulajärvi,

  Finland, April 1944

  Wolf-Dieter Huy joined the Kriegsmarine in

  1935, and was transferred over to the Luftwaffe

  on October 1, 1937, where he underwent fighter

  training. His assignment was to 4.(J)/TrGr. 186, the

  fighter unit of the Graf Zeppelin aircraft carrier.

  This ship was never completed, and the unit was

  redesignated 7./JG 77. Huy took part in combat

  over France, as well as over Britain, and over

  the Balkans. The unit gained notable success in

  the battle for Crete and Huy, who accumulated

  22 victories, was awarded the Knight’s Cross

  on June 5, 1941. The Oak Leaves were added in

  March 1942. After early combats on the Eastern

  Front the unit moved to Egypt. There, on October

  29, 1942, was Wolf-Dieter Huy captured after he

  had been shot down by future ace J. H. Nichols

  of No. 601 Squadron, flying a Spitfire Mk.Vc. Huy’s

  Bf 109G-2 from the time the unit moved to North

  Africa bore the non-typical camouflage made

  up of RLM 70 and 71 (some sources suggest

  a Soviet AMT-4 Green). The yellow band behind

  the fuselage cross, common on aircraft serving

  on the Eastern Front, was hastily overpainted

  with a fresh colour RLM 71 (or Russian AMT-4

  Green), and partially replaced by white paint used

  on aircraft that fought on the Southern Front. The

  wingtips were also painted white. The rudder was

  decorated with the pilot’s score and awards.

  Aircraft WNr. 14754 with factory code RJ+SX was

  taken over by 3/LeLv 34 in March 1943. In May

  1943, kers. A. Nuorala, vääp. U. Lehtovaara and

  kers. A. Alakoski scored victories with this plane.

  The most successful Finnish fighter lntm. Eino

  Ilmari Juutilainen flew the MT-213 as well. Luutn.

  R. Valli crashed with MT-213 on May 20 and the

  aircraft was sent for overhaul. In January 1944,

  1/LeLv 34 received the plane with a new paint

  job, but vääp. N. Katajainen landed it on its belly

  on February 27 due to an engine failure. In May,

  MT-213 was taken over by 2/HLeLv 24 and three

  kills were scored by luutn. Riihikallio. After

  overhaul, the aircraft was repainted with olive

  green and black paint on the upper surfaces,

  while RLM 65 was applied on the lower surfaces.

  The aircraft sported a yellow band on the nose

  and aft fuselage and yellow lower wing tips

  (165 cm wide). The original German markings have

  been repainted. In their place the Finnish insignia

  was applied – at first a white circle with a blue

  swastika, later the white circle was overpainted

  with light grey during repair following the belly

  landing of vääp. Katajainen. The decal sheet

  offers both variants.

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard54

  November 2023

• Page 55

  Bf 109G-4/R6, Obfw. Rainer Pöttgen, 3./JG 27, Fels am Wagram, Austria, October 1943

  Bf 109G-4/R6, WNr. 14997, Lt. Erich Hartmann, 7./JG 52, Taman,

  the Soviet Union, May 1943

  Rainer Pöttgen was the most famous wingman

  of the legendary fighter pilot Hans-Joachim

  Marseille. He served in Africa with I./JG 27 from

  December 1941 and perfectly fulfilled the role of

  a reliable wingman who covered his leader’s

  back, allowing him to concentrate on the target.

  Pöttgen gained his first victory on June 1, 1942,

  after 100 combat missions flown with Marseille.

  Because of his leader’s high number of victories,

  Pöttgen was nicknamed the “Flying Counter”

  (fliegendes Zählwerk). He also flew with Marseille

  during the fateful day in which the famous pilot

  died. Pöttgen served with I./JG 27 in 1943, first in

  France, where he achieved four victories during

  the spring and summer. At the end of July 1943,

  his unit moved to Austria and was integrated

  into the Defence of strengthen the Reich. The

  armament of the unit’s aircraft was strengthened

  by MG 151/20 underwing cannons to be more

  effective in the combats with Allied four-engine

  bombers. Pöttgen survived the war during which

  he achieved seven victories. He was a valued

  member of the JG 27 veterans organization.

  Lt. Erich Hartmann, the most successful fighter

  ace in history, began to ply his trade with

  7./JG 52, to which he was assigned on October

  10, 1942. He first flew the Bf 109G-2, but by the

  first half of March 1943, the unit began accepting

  the Bf 109G-4. From the beginning of May 1943,

  after gaining his 11th and 12th kills, he was made

  Rottenführer (leader of a two-aircraft flight)

  and his score began to quickly rise to reach 352

  by the end of the war. For his success, he was

  awarded the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves,

  Swords and Diamonds. Hartmann’s “White 2” was

  camouflaged in the standard Luftwaffe scheme

  consisting of RLM 74/75/76. The factory codes on

  the fuselage sides and the bottom of the wings

  were not completely obliterated, but only partially

  oversprayed with a white wave (III. Gruppe

  marking), the white number 2 and a yellow band,

  which together with the yellow bottom wing tips

  was common to Luftwaffe aircraft operating on

  the Eastern Front. The front of the aircraft carried

  the marking of its previous user, I./JG 52. Flying

  this aircraft, Uffz. H. Meissler was forced to land

  behind enemy lines by Soviet fighters due to an

  engine failure on May 28, 1943 and was taken

  prisoner.

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard

  55

  November 2023

• Page 56

  Bf 109G-4, WNr. 19347, Rtk. Ján Režňák, 13.(slowakische)/JG 52,

  Anapa, the Soviet Union, April–May 1943

  Bf 109G-4/Trop, WNr. 10795, Oblt. Wolfgang Tonne, CO of 3./JG 53,

  Bizerta, Tunisia, February 1943

  Jan Režňák launched his military career as

  a member of Czechoslovak Air Force. He became

  a member of Slovak Armed Forces in 1939 when the

  independent Slovak State was formed. As a Third

  Reich ally, Slovakia participated in the war against

  the Soviet Union. Slovak Letka (flight) 13 fought

  under the command of JG 52. Režňák achieved

  a total of 32 aerial victories over the Eastern Front,

  making him the most successful Slovak and also

  Czechoslovak fighter ace. Seven opponents out

  of his total score were downed with WNr. 19347

  in late April and early May of 1943. The tricolor on

  the spinner is typical for Messerschmitts flown by

  Slovak pilots. Note the unusual color of the cowling

  that doesn’t match the rest of the camouflage.

  Originally painted in yellow, it was probably

  oversprayed with a camouflage color by ground

  personnel. Režňák did not take part in the Slovak

  National Uprising and rejoined Czechoslovak Air

  Force in the summer of 1945. He was discharged

  from the service after 1948 Communist coup.

  Wolfgang Tonne was born on February 28, 1918,

  in Moosbach and joined the Luftwaffe in 1937.

  In May 1940 he took part in the Battle of France

  in the ranks of JG 53, then fought in the Battle of

  Britain and consecutively took part in in Operation

  Barbarossa with the same unit. At the end of 1941,

  JG 53 moved to Sicily to support Luftwaffe attacks

  on Malta. There, in January 1942, Wolfgang Tonne

  was given command of the 3. Staffel. In May 1942,

  3./JG 53 was again sent to the Eastern Front,

  here Wolfgang Tonne achieved his 101st kill and

  was awarded the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves.

  In October 1942, 3./JG 53 was sent to North Africa.

  Tonne’s “Yellow 7” with the numeral 6 painted

  underneath after the previous user had awards

  and kills painted on the left side of the rudder.

  In April 1943, Tonne’s unit was based at Protville

  airfield in Tunisia. He scored his 122nd kill on April

  20, 1943. On returning to the home airfield in his

  Bf 109G-6/R1 WNr. 16523 he performed a victory

  roll, apparently misjudging the altitude and losing

  control of his aircraft. The risky maneuver cost

  him life.

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard56

  November 2023

• Page 57

  Bf 109G-4/R6/Trop, Lt. Franz Schiehs, CO of 8./JG 53, Tindja, Tunis, April 1943

  Bf 109G-4/R6, WNr. 19566, Lt. Giuseppe Gianelli, CO of 365

  a

  Squadriglia,

  150

  o

  Gruppo Autonomo, Sciacca,

  Sicily, May–July 1943

  Austrian Franz Schiehs saw combat over Britain

  with JG 53, followed by action against the Soviet

  Union, where he shot down fourteen enemy

  aircraft over a two month period. At the beginning

  of August 1941, JG 53 returned to Germany,

  re-equipped and transferred first to Sicily and

  later to Africa. The number of claims made by

  Schiehs grew and he achieved his 36th victory

  on January 29, 1943, being given command of

  8./JG 53 on February 16 of the same year. Holding

  the rank of Oberleutnant and score of 55 downed

  enemy aircraft, he was awarded the Knight’s

  Cross on June 21, 1943. On September 2, 1943,

  he led an intercept of American bombers over

  Mount Vesuvius and remained missing after

  the combat. It is assumed that he fell victim

  to escorting P-38s. The camouflage scheme

  applied to Schiehs’s aircraft consisted of RLM

  78/79 and was complemented by the relevant

  theatre of operations recognition marks – the

  spinner, fuselage band and lower wing tips all

  in white. The engine cowl had the JG 53 unit

  insignia placed on it. The yellow rudder recorded

  the number of kills up to the end of March 1943.

  The original (likely Staff) markings on the

  fuselage sides were sprayed over with fresh RLM

  79 and replaced with a “Black 1”. Aircraft of the

  unit had fields of the upper surfaces of the wings

  sprayed RLM 80 Olivgrün.

  Italian Macchi C.202 fighters flown by the Regia

  Aeronautica from the beginning of the war

  were due to be replaced by their more capable

  descendants, the C.205, Fiat G.55 and Reggiane

  Re.2005s. Due to slow production initiation of the

  later types and the need for fighters to combat

  Allied air power, Germany was asked to supply

  its southern ally with the Messerschmitt Bf 109G,

  mostly in form of the G-6 version. The Italians

  received ten Bf 109G-4s, and these were, along

  with G-2 and G-6 aircraft, assigned to the 150

  o

  Gruppo Autonomo. This unit was made up of

  the 363

  a

  , 364

  a

  a 365

  a

  Squadriglia and to counter

  the Allied air threat, they were based at Sicily.

  The Bf 109G-4 used by Italian units came from

  Luftwaffe stocks and so were camouflaged in

  RLM 74/75/76. The German national insignia were

  oversprayed with the Italian color Grigio Azzurro

  Chiaro 1, and, as in the case of aircraft 365-1, with

  the addition of small squiggles of Verde Oliva

  Scuro 2. The usual white identifiers used on the

  southern front were added to be consistent with

  Luftwaffe aircraft.

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard

  57

  November 2023

• Page 58

  OVERTREES

  #70156X

  Bf 109G-2/4

  1/72

  Product page

  OVERLEPT

  #2143-LEPT

  WNM pt.2

  1/72

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  Bf 109G-4, Lt. Av. Petre Protopopescu, Escadrila 57, Grupul 7,

  Vânătoare, Kirovograd, the Soviet Union, June 1943

  Alongside the German armed forces, combat

  against the Soviet Union was also carried out by

  Axis allies, i.e., Finland, Italy, Hungary, Romania,

  Slovakia and Spain. Romanian ground units

  operated alongside Germans on the southern

  front and were supported by their own air units.

  In March 1943, the Romanian unit Grupul 7 began

  to accept Messerschmitts Bf 109G but was

  subsequently moved to combat areas in Ukraine.

  The aircraft flown by Lt. Av. Petre Protopopescu

  carried a camouflage scheme composed of

  German RLM 74/75/76. The German national

  insignia was oversprayed with the same colors,

  and the markings were replaced by Romanian,

  i.e., the St. Michael Cross, while the rudder

  carried the Romanian national colors. Both sides

  of the front of the fuselage carried the inscription

  “Don Pedro”, the pilot’s nickname.

  Recommended:

  for Bf 109G-2 and G-4 1/72

  672321 Bf 109F/G external fuel tanks (Brassin)

  672323 Bf 109F/G wheels bays angular PRINT (Brassin)

  672325 Bf 109F/G exhaust stacks PRINT (Brassin)

  672326 Bf 109F/G/K gun pods PRINT (Brassin)

  672329 Bf 109 balance weights PRINT (Brassin)

  672338 Bf 109G undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)

  672339 Bf 109G-2/G-4 gun barrels PRINT (Brassin)

  672340 Bf 109G-2/G-4 wheels for plain wings PRINT (Brassin)

  #672326

  #672321

  #672329

  #672338

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard58

  November 2023

• Page 59

• Page 60

  built by Robert Szwarc

  #2143

  MARKING A

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard60

  November 2023

• Page 61

  Bf 109G-2/R6, Oblt. Heinrich Ehrler, CO of 6./JG 5, Petsamo, Finland, March 1943

  Heinrich Ehrler served with the artillery in

  the pre-war period. He joined the Luftwaffe

  in January 1940, underwent training and was

  assigned to 4./JG 77 (re-designated 4./JG 5 later

  on). In May 1942 he was transferred to 6./JG 5 and

  in August he took over its command. In June 1943

  he became commander of II./JG 5 and in August

  1944 he was appointed Kommodore of JG 5. After

  the sinking of the battleship Tirpitz he stood trial

  by court martial on unsubstantiated charges

  of inadequate air cover for that ship. From

  February 27, 1945, he flew Me 262 fighters with

  JG 7. He died in combat with B-24 Liberator

  bombers on April 4, 1945. He managed to shoot

  down two of the bombers, ramming a third one.

  Ehrler is credited with 208 victories and was

  awarded the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves.

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard

  61

  November 2023

• Page 62

  buitl by Robert Szwarc

  #2143

  MARKING I

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard62

  November 2023

• Page 63

  Bf 109G-4/R6, WNr. 14997, Lt. Erich Hartmann, 7./JG 52, Taman, the Soviet Union, May 1943

  Lt. Erich Hartmann, the most successful fighter

  ace in history, began to ply his trade with 7./JG

  52, to which he was assigned on October 10, 1942.

  He first flew the Bf 109G-2, but by the first half of

  March 1943, the unit began accepting the Bf 109G-4.

  From the beginning of May 1943, after gaining

  his 11th and 12th kills, he was made Rottenführer

  (leader of a two-aircraft flight) and his score

  began to quickly rise to reach 352 by the end

  of the war. For his success, he was awarded

  the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords

  and Diamonds. Hartmann’s “White 2” was

  camouflaged in the standard Luftwaffe scheme

  consisting of RLM 74/75/76. The factory codes

  on the fuselage sides and the bottom of the

  wings were not completely obliterated, but

  only partially oversprayed with a white wave

  (III. Gruppe marking), the white number 2 and

  a yellow band, which together with the yellow

  bottom wing tips was common to Luftwaffe

  aircraft operating on the Eastern Front.

  The front of the aircraft carried the marking of

  its previous user, I./JG 52. Flying this aircraft,

  Uffz. H. Meissler was forced to land behind

  enemy lines by Soviet fighters due to an engine

  failure on May 28, 1943 and was taken prisoner.

  Product page

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard

  63

  November 2023

• Page 64

  F6F-3 Hellcat

  The Weekend edition kit of US naval fighter aircraft F6F-3

  in 1/48 scale. The kit offers machines used by units from

  land bases and aircraft carriers of the US Navy

  and the British Royal Navy.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 4

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: no

  painting mask: no

  resin parts: no

  #84194

  1/48

  Product page

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard64

  November 2023

• Page 65

  VF-34, Green Island (Nissan Island), Papua New Guinea, March–April 1944

  VF-27, USS Princeton (CVL-23), October 1944

  The history of VF-34 is rather uncommon as it

  was assembled in just four weeks and thrown

  immediately into an action in the final phase of

  the Operation Cartwheel (neutralization of the

  Japanese base on Rabaul). Of 45 pilots just one

  had seen any combat. The unexperienced unit

  was not attached to any Air Group and leaved

  San Diego on February 13. After they equipped

  themselves with all needed on Espiritu Santo,

  they moved to Guadalcanal on March 3, starting

  their tour on March 7 from Piva Yoke airfield on

  Bougainville. Enemy attacks forced the Squadron

  to move to Vella Lavella Island and, finally, to

  Green Island (now Nissan Island), which became

  their permanent base. They flew bomber escort

  or ground attack missions but did not engage

  any enemy aircraft during 55 days of the tour.

  The pilots flew a total of 1,165 sorties from Green

  Island and 177 from Bougainville. The Squadron

  was disbanded immediately after return and the

  designation VF-34 was used again as VF-53 was

  renamed so. Hellcats of “first” VF-34 had upper

  side of horizontal tail surfaces and rear fuselage

  ridge painted white for recognition reasons.

  Some pilots took advantage of distant “big brass”

  eyes and decorated their aircraft. This one got the

  painting made after the Antonio Vargas’ Esquire

  calendar girl (May 1944) on the port side of the

  nose, while the starboard sported the girl from

  August 1944. This one was most probably simple

  cutout glued to the aircraft. It is not known to

  which of the pilots was this aircraft assigned.

  Among the most recognizable markings carried

  by US Navy aircraft were those of the Hellcats of

  VF-27 operating from the board of USS Princeton.

  Their shark mouths and bloodshot, menacing eyes

  seared themselves into the memories of many

  Japanese pilots. The uncommon and unofficial

  markings were painted on to the front of all of

  VF-27’s aircraft by one of its pilots, Robert Burnell.

  These birds, adorned in this way, wreaked havoc

  everywhere they engaged in combat over the

  Pacific from May to October 1944. During this

  span, some 200 enemy aircraft were destroyed.

  The string of success was snapped on October 24,

  1944, when the Princeton was hit by a Japanese

  bomb from alone Japanese Judy. The dive bomber

  dropped a single bomb, which punched through

  the wooden flight deck and hangar before

  exploding. Structural damage was only minor,

  but a fire broke out and quickly spread because

  of burning gasoline. Cruisers and destroyers

  came to help and USS Birmingham as a largest

  ship there took the lead role in firefighting.

  In the frantic activity Princeton collided with

  some of the assisting ships and damaged them.

  Worse to it, the fire caused multiple explosions

  and the biggest of them damaged Birmingham

  extensively with considerable casualties. USS

  Irwin rescued 646 men from Princeton before

  she was sunk by torpedoes. CO of the VF-27,

  LtCdr. Frederick A. Bardshar reformed his unit

  in time to return to the Western Pacific aboard

  USS Independence (CVL-22). But during the tour

  from June 10 to October 31, only one more victory

  was scored by entire Squadron, which was

  disbanded on November 26, 1945.

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard

  65

  November 2023

• Page 66

  Bu.No. 40994, Lt. Alexander Vraciu, VF-16, USS Lexington (CV-16), June 1944

  JV 111, Sgt. (AROV) Charles A. M. Poublon, No. 800 Squadron FAA, HMS Emperor, August 1944

  Vraciu had enrolled in the Civilian Pilot Training

  program and earned his private rating in the

  summer of 1940. Immediately after graduation in

  June 1941 he enlisted in the Navy as an aviation

  cadet, beginning instruction in October. Ensign

  Vraciu received his Wings in August 1942 and

  joined VF-3 in March 1943. It was the unit led by

  LtCmdr. Edward H. O’Hare, one of the significant

  heroes in the first year of the war. Due to

  a realignment of Navy squadrons, VF-3 was

  redesignated VF-6 in July 1943 and Vraciu shot

  down his first victim on October 5, 1943. He added

  eight more with VF-6 and having finished his tour

  of duty with VF-6, he declined to return to the USA

  and on his own request, he was assigned to VF-16

  aboard USS Lexington (CV-16) from February 27.

  During his service with this unit, he was credited

  with further 10 victories. His best day came

  on June 19, 1944, when during the Battle of the

  Philippine Sea (thanks to the enormous number

  of victories over the Japanese airplanes also

  known as The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot) he

  claimed six Japanese D4Y Judy dive bombers shot

  down in the mere eight minutes. Vraciu’s plane

  with number 32 sported standard camouflage

  of the Navy aircraft of that time, but there was

  a noticeable overpainting of the previous marking,

  including the stencils, right under the fuselage

  number.

  August 15, 1944, was the start of the Operation

  Dragoon, the landing operation of the Allied

  invasion of Southern France. One of the units

  taking part was No. 800 Sqn FAA, operating

  Hellcats together with No. 804 Sqn. from the

  board of HMS Emperor. As the ship was involved

  in aerial cover over western approaches to the

  Channel during the Overlord operation, her

  Hellcats sported invasion stripes. Concurrently

  they were given the red paint on front cowling,

  identifying marking for Operation Dragoon.

  The JV111 was lost on third day of operations.

  With Dutch pilot Charles Alphonse Marie Poublon

  in cockpit, it received Flak hits and damaged was

  ditched off the Spanish coast. Pilot was rescued

  and continued his service with unit and later also

  with No. 60 Sqn. RAF in Burma. After the war he

  served with the Royal Netherlands Navy until

  transferring to the Royal Netherlands Air Force

  in 1954. As a member of the 314 Squadron, he

  set up the demo team called “Red Noses” in 1956,

  the same year he was named CO of 2e Tactische

  Jachtgroep (2nd Tactical Fighter Group).

  He retired as Lieutnant Colonel and passed away

  on December 4, 1992, in Laren at the age of 71.

  Poublon was not the only Dutch in the ranks of

  No. 800 Sqn. as five more joined the unit before

  the operation Dragoon (transferred from No. 1840

  Sqn.). The wreck of JV111 was recovered in 1984

  and revealed missing black stripes on the bottom

  of the fuselage. Whether the these were never

  painted, or partially removed is not known.

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard66

  November 2023

• Page 67

  FE447 F6F-3 Weekend (PE

  -

  Set)

  491346 F6F-3 (PE

  -

  Set)

  644011 F6F-3 LööK (Brassin)

  648102 F6F wheels (Brassin)

  648683 F6F exhaust stacks (Brassin)

  648747 F6F undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)

  648798 F6F wheel bays PRINT (Brassin)

  3DL48068 F6F-3 SPACE (3D Decal)

  D48055 F6F-3 part 1 (Decal)

  D48058 F6F-3 stencils (Decal)

  EX682 F6F-3 Weekend (Mask)

  EX865 F6F-3 TFace (Mask)

  Recommended:

  for F6F-3 Hellcat 1/48

  #644011

  #648102

  #648747

  #648683

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard

  67

  November 2023

• Page 68

  Tempest Mk.V Series 1

  The Weekend edition kit of British WWII fighter aircraft

  Tempest Mk.V in 1/48 scale. The kit offers the aircraft manufactured

  within Series 1 and feautures all three variants of the legendary

  W/Cdr R.P. Beamont's JN 751.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 6

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: no

  painting mask: no

  resin parts: no

  3D decal: yes, reinforcing

  fish plates

  #84195

  1/48

  Product page

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard68

  November 2023

• Page 69

  JN751, W/Cdr Roland P. Beamont, CO of No. 150 Wing, Bradwell Bay,

  Great Britain, April 1944

  JN751, W/Cdr Roland P. Beamont, CO of No. 150 Wing, Newchurch, Great Britain, June 1944

  Roland Prosper Beamont was born on August 10,

  1920, in Enfield, Middlesex County, and had been

  fascinated by airplanes since childhood. In 1939,

  he underwent pilot training and was assigned to

  No. 87 Squadron, flying Hurricanes. From May 1942,

  he served with No. 79 Squadron, and in December

  of the same year, after completing his tour of

  duty, he joined the Hawker factory as a test pilot.

  In June 1942, he joined the 56th Squadron, flying

  Typhoons, and later he was transferred to No. 609

  Squadron, which flew the same type of aircraft.

  In January 1943, he assumed command of the unit.

  In mid-May 1943, he returned to Hawker, where

  he participated in testing Typhoon and Tempest

  aircraft. In February 1944, he was appointed

  as the commander of the newly established

  No. 150 Wing, consisting of No. 3, No. 56, and

  No. 486 Squadrons, which exclusively operated

  the new Hawker Tempest aircraft. One of the

  privileges of being the wing commander was

  the ability to mark the aircraft with one's initials.

  W/Cdr Beamont took advantage of this opportunity,

  and his personal Tempest was painted with the

  letters R B. Beneath the front emblem, on the

  right side of the fuselage, Beamont's aircraft

  carried the designation of Wing Commander.

  In May 1944, No. 150 Wing was declared

  operational, although only No. 3 and No. 486

  Squadrons were equipped with Tempests, while

  No. 56 Squadron had to wait until June 1944 and

  temporarily used Spitfire Mk. IX aircraft. During

  the invasion, the Tempests of No. 150 Wing were

  tasked with ground attacks against enemy

  forces, and from mid-June, they also provided

  protection for southern England against V-1 flying

  bombs. Beamont’s aircraft had its camouflage

  enhanced on the eve of the European invasion

  with distinctive markings in the form of white

  and black stripes on the rear fuselage, applied by

  ground personnel by hand. In this newly marked

  Tempest, Beamont scored a victory over a Bf 109G

  on D+2.

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard

  69

  November 2023

• Page 70

  JN751, W/Cdr Roland P. Beamont, CO of No. 150 Wing, Newchurch,

  Great Britain, June – July 1944

  JN738, No. 486 (RNZAF) Squadron, RAF Station Castle Camp, Great Britain, April 1944

  During June, the field-applied invasion stripes

  on JN751 were replaced with factory-applied

  paint at Hawker. This type of paint application

  had a positive impact on performance, which was

  crucial for achieving maximum speed while in

  combat with V-1 flying bombs. Most of Beamont’s

  31 V-1 victories were achieved in this aircraft.

  JN751 was replaced as his personal aircraft in

  September 1944 with a new Series 2 Tempest

  Mk.V sporting the code RPB (EJ706). At the end of

  September 1944, the entire unit, under Beamont's

  command, moved to liberated European territory.

  On October 12, Beamont's aircraft was hit by flak

  in the radiator, forcing him to make an emergency

  landing in enemy territory, where he spent the

  rest of the war. During World War II, he achieved

  nine enemy aircraft kills and was awarded the

  DFC & Bar and DSO & Bar. After the war, Beamont

  worked as a test pilot and flew aircraft such as

  the Meteor, Vampire, Canberra, Lightning, and the

  impressive TSR-2. He retired in August 1979 and

  passed away on November 19, 2001.

  No. 486 Squadron was established on March 7,

  1942, at Kirton in Lindsey base, and its personnel

  were predominantly New Zealanders. Initially,

  it was equipped with Hawker Hurricane aircraft,

  but from July 1942, it used Hawker Typhoons.

  Due to its excellent performance, it was selected

  as the first unit to transition to Tempests Mk.V.

  The new aircraft were received in January and

  February 1944, and it became part of the newly

  formed No. 150 Wing, also equipped with Tempests.

  It was declared fully operational in April 1944.

  The camouflage of the new Tempests consisted

  of the Day Fighter Scheme colors, with the upper

  and side surfaces painted Dark Green and Ocean

  Grey, and the lower surfaces in Medium Sea Grey.

  During this period, black and white stripes were

  added to the lower wing surfaces of Typhoons

  and Tempests for better identification of friendly

  aircraft.

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard70

  November 2023

• Page 71

  JN735, No. 3 Squadron, Newchurch, Great Britain, June 1944

  JN769, No. 287 Squadron, Gatwick, Great Britain, December 1944 – January 1945

  No. 3 Squadron, founded in 1912, was initially

  equipped with Hawker Hurricanes at the outbreak

  of World War II, and it fought over Belgium and

  France as a part of the British Expeditionary Force.

  After returning to Great Britain, it flew patrols

  over the Royal Navy naval base in Scapa Flow and,

  from April 1941, served as a night fighter squadron

  in southern England. In June 1943, it converted to

  Hawker Typhoon aircraft, and in February 1944,

  it was equipped with Hawker Tempests. With

  these aircraft, it participated in preparations

  for the invasion of Europe, the defense of

  southern England against V-1 flying bombs, and

  the subsequent deployment to Europe, where

  it supported advancing Allied units until the end

  of the war. The Tempests of No. 3 Squadron did not

  carry the standard invasion stripes on the lower

  wing surface after April 20, 1944. They used the

  code letters QO until May 1944 when they changed

  to the letters JF.

  After the Tempest squadrons were fully equipped

  with Series 2 aircraft, surviving Series 1 Tempests

  were refurbished by Hawker and assigned to

  No. 287 Squadron around the turn of 1944 and

  1945. This squadron played a secondary role,

  participating in calibration flights for anti-

  aircraft units along the British coastline. The red

  code letters corresponded to RAF instructions

  at the time.

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard

  71

  November 2023

• Page 72

  Recommended:

  for Tempest Mk.V Series 1 1/48

  48976 Tempest Mk.V upgrade set (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE943 Tempest Mk.V seatbelts STEEL (PE

  -

  Set)

  644006 Tempest Mk.V LööK (Brassin)

  644038 Tempest Mk.V w/ early wheels LööKplus (Brassin)

  648416 Tempest Mk.V cockpit (Brassin)

  648417 Tempest Mk.V engine (Brassin)

  648418 Tempest Mk.V exhaust stacks (Brassin)

  648419 Tempest Mk.V gun bays (Brassin)

  648420 Tempest Mk.V wheels early (Brassin)

  648446 Tempest Mk.V undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)

  648499 Tempest Mk.V intake ring (Brassin)

  3DL48023 Tempest Mk.V SPACE (3D Decal)

  D48030 Tempest Mk.V stencils (Decal)

  EX628 Tempest Mk.V TFace (Mask)

  EX695 Tempest Mk.V (Mask)

  #644006

  #648419

  #648416

  #648417

  #648446

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard72

  November 2023

• Page 73

  1/72

  Fokker Dr.I

  The ProfiPACK edition kit of famous German WWI

  triplane fighter aircraft Fokker Dr.I in 1/72 scale.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 5

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  #7039

  Product page

  Re-release

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard

  73

  November 2023

• Page 74

  450/17, Lt. Josef Jacobs, CO of Jasta 7, Rumbeke, Belgium, March 1918

  545/17, Lt. Hans Weiss, Jasta 11, Cappy, France, April 1918

  Josef Carl Peter Jacobs was born on May 15, 1984

  in Kreuzkapelle, Rhineland. From his school days

  he had been fascinated with flying and started to

  learn how to control aircraft even before the war.

  Immediately after the outbreak of the Great War,

  he joined the ranks of the Luftstreitkräfte (German

  air force) and after training was assigned to the

  observation unit FA 11 on July 3, 1915. In March 1916

  he was transferred to Fokkerstaffel West (from

  October 6, 1916 it transformed to Jasta 12) where

  he remained until the end of January 1917 when

  he was transferred to Jasta 22. From August 2,

  1917, he took command of Jasta 7 and stayed with

  the unit until the Armistice. At that time, his score

  counted 48 victories. After the war, Jacobs found

  himself fighting in the Baltic against the Russian

  Bolsheviks as a part of Kommando Sachsenberg.

  Subsequently he trained Turkish military pilots.

  After Hitler came to power, Jacobs refused to join

  the NSDAP and emigrated to the Netherlands.

  After the end of World War II, he returned to

  Bavaria, where he died in Munich on July 29,

  1978. He had his two personal Dreideckers at

  Jasta 7, both painted black. Jacobs later had

  an engine and propeller from a Sopwith Camel

  fitted to one of them, the No. 450/17. The sides of

  the fuselage sported drawing of a devil spitting

  fire. Existing photography evidence shows the

  shape of the drawing on the starboard side, while

  a contemporary illustration of his aircraft shows

  the left side. Jacobs himself confirmed this one

  as correct after the war. This evidence leads to

  the conclusion the paintings differed.

  Hans Weiss, a native of Hof, began his flying

  career in June 1916 as an observer and gunner

  with FFA 282, FFA 28 and FFA 68 units. After

  training at Jastaschule Valenciennes, he joined

  Jasta 41, where he scored his first ten kills.

  Next he was transferred to Jasta 10 on March 17,

  1918, where he added another victory. Afterwards

  he was assigned to Jasta 11. He scored his first

  victory there on April 2, 1918 and on April 8 was

  named as temporary commander of the unit

  but eventually he led it until his death on May 2,

  1918, when he was shot down by fire from

  No. 209 Squadron RAF Sopwith Camel flown

  by M. S. Taylor. The Dreidecker flown by Hans

  Weiss had the upper surface of the top wing and

  the rear section of the fuselage painted white.

  The wing struts, wheel hubs and engine cowl

  were red, which was the color of Jasta 11.

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard74

  November 2023

• Page 75

  425/17 Rtm. Manfred A. Freiherr von Richthofen, CO of JG 1, Lechelle, France, March 1918

  404/17, Hptm. Adolf Ritter von Tutschek, JG 2, Toulis, France, February 1918

  Manfred Albrecht von Richthofen is rightfully

  considered the greatest fighter pilot of the First

  World War as he knocked eighty enemies down

  prior to his death on April 21, 1918. On contrary to

  the general perception, the Fokker Dr.I was not

  his typical mount, as he shot down only 17 out of

  his 80 victims while flying the Dreidecker for the

  short period of March and April 1918. Manfred von

  Richthofen was assigned to the Luftstreitkräfte

  on his own request in 1915 after his service with

  a cavalry unit. He became an observer but when

  he met Oswald Boelcke, the charisma of this

  fighter ace made him to request pilot training.

  On completion of that, he became pilot of

  observer aircraft, but after another meeting

  with Boelcke he joined the newly formed Jasta 2

  fighter unit. In January 1917, von Richthofen was

  awarded the highly coveted Pour le Mérite and

  was subsequently made CO of Jasta 11. In June

  1917, he received orders to form Jagdgeschwader

  1 from Jasta 4, 6, 10 and 11 units and led this “wing”

  until his death on April 21, 1918. Von Richthofen

  had his aircraft painted red from January 1917

  when he led Jasta 11 and flew the Albatros D.III. He

  carried this practice over to the Fokker Dr.I which

  he flew as JG 1 Commanding Officer. According to

  some sources the aircraft obtained its red color

  in factory and so the finish was therefore of good

  quality.

  Adolf Ritter von Tutschek was born on May 16, 1891,

  in the Bavarian town of Ingolstadt. He joined the

  army even before the war, and its outbreak found

  him serving with the 3rd Infanterie-Regiment “Prinz

  Karl von Bayern” as a lieutenant. He would see

  combat on both the western and eastern fronts.

  For his service against the Russians, he was awarded

  the Rittenkreuz des Militar-Max-Joseph-Ordens

  (the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Max-Joseph)

  which bestowed upon him the title of Ritter. As an

  infantryman, he was seriously wounded several

  times (grenade, gas). Afterwards, he requested

  a transfer to the Luftstreitkräfte and after training,

  he served as artillery spotter from October 1916

  till January 1917 with FA 6b. Subsequently, he was

  transferred to Jasta Boelcke, where he gained

  three kills, and on April 28, 1917, he was named

  CO of Jasta 12. On August 11 he was seriously

  wounded in combat with C. D. Booker of No. 8

  Squadron RNAS. After being released, he was

  named the first CO of Jagdgeschwader 2 and on

  March 10, 1918, he reached his 27th victory. Five days

  later he was shot down and killed by H. B. Redle

  from No. 24 Squadron RFC. The aircraft in which

  Hptm. von Tutschek died carried a standard Fokker

  Dr.I “streaked” camouflage and a turquoise color on

  the lower ones. The rear part of the fuselage was

  overpainted with black and the engine cowl was

  white, which was typical for Jasta 12, one of the

  JG 2 units.

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard

  75

  November 2023

• Page 76

  454/17, Lt. Lothar Freiherr von Richthofen, Jasta 11, Avesnes-le-Sec, France, March 1918

  Lothar von Richthofen was to a certain degree

  the opposite of his older brother Manfred. While

  Manfred carefully calculated risks and attacked

  from a favorable position as much as possible,

  Lothar got into fights at every opportunity. This

  helped him to achieve seventeen aerial victories

  during first two months of his fighter service.

  On the other hand, his combat style was very

  risky and on several occasions interrupted his

  career for a long-term due to various injuries.

  One of these came on March 13, 1918, when in

  combat with Bristols F.2B belonging to the No. 62

  Squadron caused a collapse of the leading edge

  of the top wing of his Fokker Dr.I 454/17. Lothar

  managed to crash-land crippled aircraft, but it

  took him till the middle of July to recover from

  the resulting injuries. His total score of forty kills

  came over the course of a mere 77 days of actual

  combat flying! The aircraft with which Lothar von

  Richthofen crashed on March 13, 1917, carried

  a standard Fokker factory “streaked” finish but

  the rear fuselage and the upper surface of the

  top wing was oversprayed yellow, the color of

  the Dragoner Regiment “von Bredow” Nr. 4, a unit

  with which Lothar von Richthofen served earlier.

  The engine cowl, wheel hubs and wing struts

  were painted red, which was the color of Jasta 11.

  OVERTREES

  #7016X

  Fokker Dr.I

  1/72

  Product page

  OVERLEPT

  #7039-LEPT

  Fokker Dr.I

  PE

  -

  Set 1/72

  Product page

  Recommended:

  for Fokker Dr.I 1/72

  672139 Fokker Dr.I engine (Brassin)

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard76

  November 2023

• Page 77

  1/48

  Bf 109G-6/AS

  The ProfiPACK edition kit of German WWII fighter

  plane Bf 109G-6/AS in 1/48 scale.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 5

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  #82163

  Product page

  Re-release

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard

  77

  November 2023

• Page 78

  WNr. 110087, Hptm. Horst Carganico, CO of I./JG 5, Herzogenaurach,

  Germany, May 1944

  WNr. 412807, Uffz. Heinz Zimmermann, 6./JG 27, Fels am Wagram, Austria, July 1944

  Stab I./JG 3, Gütersloh, Germany, July 1944

  The first unit in which the then twenty-two-year-

  old Lt. Carganico served after completing flight

  training was JG 1 at the beginning of the war. This

  was followed by service with JG 77 with which

  he saw combat in Norway and then the Battle of

  Britain. On January 1, 1941, he returned to Norway

  where he commanded 1./JG 77. On September

  25, 1941, Carganico achieved his 27th kill and

  was awarded the Knight’s Cross. In March 1942,

  Carganico’s unit was redesignated 6./JG 5 and

  he was given command of the entire II. Gruppe

  in April 1942. On March 26, 1944, he took over

  I./JG 5 as CO and the unit saw combat against

  Allied forces within the Defense of the Reich.

  On April 27 of the same year, Carganico took

  off for the last time. In an attack on a group of

  B-17s, his Bf 109G-5 was heavily damaged and

  during his attempt to belly-land, he struck some

  high power lines and died in the resulting crash

  near the French town of Chevry. His final tally

  consisted of sixty kills over the course of 600

  sorties. Bf 109G-6/AS aircraft were assigned to

  the high altitude interception units, therefore

  they were camouflaged in the overall coat of

  RLM 76. Hptm. Carganico had Mickey Mouse

  painted on the fuselage port side, marking

  carried by his previous airplanes. Starboard side

  is not photographically documented, it may have

  carried the Gruppe Commander’s double chevron

  marking.

  In the beginning of April 1944, first Bf 109G-6/AS

  aircraft were delivered to JG 1, JG 5 and JG 11

  units, the following month several aircraft were

  delivered to JG 3 and also to JG 27, at that time

  based at the Fels am Wagram airport in Austria.

  Yellow 2 was camouflaged in RLM 74/75/76 colors

  sporting the Reich Defense marking of the aircraft

  serving with JG 27, i.e., green band around the

  rear fuselage. Irregular stripes of RLM 74 were

  applied on the engine cowling sides at the unit.

  There is a FuG 16 system antenna mounted at the

  bottom of the fuselage.

  The patches of RLM 74/75 were applied to the

  originally overall gray (RLM 76) aircraft at the

  unit level while the fuselage sides, tail surfaces

  and engine cowling sides were sprayed with

  the irregular stripes of RLM 74. The white stripe

  surrounding the rear fuselage was an insignia of

  the JG 3 aircraft flying Reich Defense missions.

  JG 3 insignia was sprayed on both sides of the

  engine cowling.

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard78

  November 2023

• Page 79

  Hptm. Friedrich-Karl Müller, CO of 1./NJGr. 10, Werneuchen, Germany, July 1944

  Oblt. Manfred Dieterle, 2./EJG 2, Hagenow, Germany, December 1944

  Friedrich-Karl Müller, the future Knight’s Cross

  recipient and the ace with thirty night victories

  over the enemy aircraft, was born on December

  4, 1912, in Sulzbach in Saarland. In 1934 he

  completed his pilot training and got the job with

  Lufthansa. After the outbreak of World War II,

  he was transferred to the Luftwaffe. Initially,

  he was flying as a transport pilot, later as an

  instrument flying instructor. In December 1942,

  he was assigned to KG 50 flying with He 177s

  and in the summer of the following year he

  responded to Hajo Hermann call and requested

  the reassignment to JG 300 famous for its Wilde

  Sau (single-engine fighter night interception

  without airborne radar guidance) tactics. While

  serving with this unit, Müller was credited with

  19 victories and in January 1944 he was ordered to

  form 1./NJGr. 10. In August 1944, he was promoted

  to command I./NJG 11 and was leading this unit

  until the end of World War II. He passed away

  on November 2, 1987. The lower and part of side

  surfaces were painted black to better suit night

  conditions. The red band around the rear fuselage

  indicated the original owner of this aircraft within

  Reich Defense system was JG 300. The pilot’s

  score was painted on both sides of the rudder

  in the form of the twenty-three stripes with the

  enemy nationality and date of the victory.

  Ergänzungsnachtjagdstaffel was established on

  March 9, 1944, in Ludwigslust and its task was the

  operational training of the single-engine night

  fighter pilots who were afterwards destined for

  JG 300, JG 301, JG 302 and later for NJG 10 and

  NJG 11. In the end of July, the Staffel was extended

  to the Gruppe size (EJGr. 2) and in the beginning

  of November the name was changed to EJG 2.

  In the meantime, the relocation to the Hagenow

  airport took place. In October the unit received

  Messerschmitts Bf 109G-6/AS and G-14/AS

  with which the instructors were to fly the night

  sorties against British Mosquitoes. Contrary to

  the training aircraft which carried the markings

  of the particular Staffel (1. Staffel white, 2. Staffel

  red, 3. Staffel yellow, 4. Staffel blue) these

  combat ones were marked with the numerals in

  green color. The original camouflage of Green 5

  was oversprayed with black color for better night

  camouflaging and it also carried EJG 2 insignia on

  the port side of the fuselage nose.

  OVERTREES

  #82163X Bf 109G-6/AS 1/48

  Product page

  OVERLEPT

  #82163-LEPT Bf 109G-6/AS

  PE

  -

  Set 1/48

  Product page

  Recommended: for Bf 109G-6/AS 1/48

  48885 Bf 109G-6 (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE910 Bf 109G seatbelts STEEL (PE

  -

  Set)

  644003 Bf 109G-6 LööK (Brassin)

  644060 Bf 109G-6 LööKplus (Brassin)

  648247 Bf 109G exhaust stacks (Brassin)

  648255 Bf 109G-6 propeller (Brassin)

  648261 Bf 109G-6 wheels (Brassin)

  648265 Bf 109G external fuel tanks (Brassin)

  648309 Bf 109G undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)

  648843 Bf 109G-6 cockpit PRINT (Brassin)

  3DL48014 Bf 109G-6 SPACE (3D Decal)

  EX512 Bf 109G spinner spirals (Mask)

  EX581 Bf 109G Erla canopy TFace (Mask)

  KITS 11/2023

  INFO Eduard

  79

  November 2023

• Page 80

  BRASSIN

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard and STEEL

  seatbelts for TBD-1 in 1/32 scale. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Trumpeter

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seatbelts for MC.202 in 1/32 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Italeri

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  634043

  TBD-1 Devastator LööK

  1/32 Trumpeter

  634044

  MC.202 LööK

  1/32 Italeri

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard80

  November 2023

• Page 81

  644229

  F-16D Block 40 LööK

  1/48 Kinetic

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboards

  and STEEL seatbelts for F-16D in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Kinetic

  Set contains:

  - resin: 6 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  BRASSIN

  Collection of 4 sets for A-10C in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Academy

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)

  - TFace painting mask

  - undercarriage wheels

  - rotary gun flash supressor

  644234

  A-10C LööKplus

  1/48 Academy

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  81

  November 2023

• Page 82

  BRASSIN

  Collection of 4 sets for Hurricane Mk.II in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)

  - TFace painting mask

  - undercarriage wheels

  - seat

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for MC.202

  in 1/32 scale. The set consists of the main wheels

  and a tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Italeri

  Set contains:

  - resin: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  644235

  Hurricane Mk.II LööKplus

  1/48 Arma Hobby

  632198

  MC.202 wheels

  1/32 Italeri

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard82

  November 2023

• Page 83

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - cockpit for Bf 109K-4 in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 16 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - the seat for A-1J in 1/48 scale. Seatbelts

  are printed together with the seat. Made by direct

  3D printing. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 5 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  648885

  A-1J ejection seat PRINT

  1/48 Tamiya

  Product page

  Product page

  648904

  Bf 109K-4 cockpit PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  INFO Eduard

  83

  November 2023

• Page 84

  648905

  Bf 109K-4 undercarriage legs BRONZE

  1/48 Eduard

  648927

  Mi-4 wheels

  1/48 Trumpeter

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - the undercarriage legs for

  Bf 109K-4 in 1/48 scale. The legs are made

  of bronze. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - bronze: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Mi-4

  in 1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheels

  and nose wheels. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Trumpeter

  Set contains:

  - resin: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard84

  November 2023

• Page 85

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Sea King

  in 1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheels

  and tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Airfix

  Set contains:

  - resin: 5 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  648930

  Sea King wheels

  1/48 Airfix

  Brassin set - cockppit door for Hurricane Mk.II

  in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  648929

  Hurricane Mk.II cockpit door PRINT

  1/48 Arma Hobby

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  85

  November 2023

• Page 86

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - ejection seat for F/A-18E

  in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Hasegawa

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 3 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for

  F/A-18E/F in 1/48 scale. The set consists of the

  main wheels and nose wheels. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Hasegawa

  Set contains:

  - resin: 6 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  648932

  F/A-18E/F wheels

  1/48 Hasegawa

  648931

  F/A-18E seat

  1/48 Hasegawa

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard86

  November 2023

• Page 87

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - UB-32 rocket launchers

  for 1/48 scale kits. The set consists of 4

  rocket launchers.

  Set contains:

  - resin: 12 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  648937

  UB-32 rocket launchers

  1/48

  Brassin set - cockpit for Bf 109G-4 in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 16 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  648935

  Bf 109G-4 cockpit PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  87

  November 2023

• Page 88

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for F-35A

  in 1/72 scale. The set consists of the main wheels

  and a nose wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  Brassin set - exhaust nozzle for F-35A

  in 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D print.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  672334

  F-35A exhaust nozzle PRINT

  1/72 Tamiya

  672333

  F-35A wheels

  1/72 Tamiya

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard88

  November 2023

• Page 89

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - ejection seat for F-35A

  in 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 3 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  672336

  F-35A ejection seat PRINT

  1/72 Tamiya

  Brassin set - cockpit for F-35A

  in 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D print.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 7 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  672335

  F-35A cockpit PRINT

  1/72 Tamiya

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  89

  November 2023

• Page 90

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - the undercarriage legs for

  Bf 109G in 1/72 scale. The legs are made of bronze.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - bronze: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - gun barrels for Bf 109G-2 & G-4

  in 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  672339

  Bf 109G-2/G-4 gun barrels PRINT

  1/72 Eduard

  672338

  Bf 109G undercarriage legs BRONZE

  1/72 Eduard

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard90

  November 2023

• Page 91

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Bf 109G-2

  & G-4 in 1/72 scale. The set consists of the main wheels

  and a tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  672340

  Bf 109G-2/G-4 wheels for plain wings PRINT

  1/72 Eduard

  Product page

• Page 92

  www.eduard.com/bfc

  BUNNY BUNNY FIGHTERFIGHTER

  CLUB

  Eduard's special membership club for all modeling enthusiasts!

  15% Permanent Club discount at Eduard Store – you will receive permanent 15% discount on all Eduard

  products 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 sold

  products, specially made for BFC members.

  Even better prices at Eduard events stand – do you know that Eduard usually has huge discounts on

  their products at fairs and events all over the world? BFC members will have even higher discount at

  these 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 available

  to 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 Championship

  BOX CONTENT:

  Plastic parts, Marking options 6, Decal Set, PE parts, Maska, Brassin

  parts (two different types of wheels, landing flaps, dust filter with

  eyelid, intake ring and RP-3 60lb rockets), 3D decals for main and si

  -

  dewalk instrument and control panels with photo-etched details and

  seat belts.

  BOX CONTENT:

  Plastic parts, Marking options 4, Decal Set, PE parts, Maska, Brassin

  parts (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 Eduard

  product in your shopping cart. To apply this discount, the Activation product has to be in your shopping

  cart. Activation product is excluded from this calculation.

  Activation products:Activation products:

  Tempest Mk. V + T-shirt 1/48MiG-21MF + T-shirt 1/72

• Page 93

  BRASSIN

  Collection of 4 sets for FM-2 in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - cockpit

  - exhausts

  - undercarriage legs BRONZE

  - undercarriage wheels

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30%.

  SIN48113

  FM-2 ESSENTIAL

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  93

  November 2023

• Page 94

  BRASSIN

  Collection of 4 sets for Bf 109F

  in 1/48 scale. Recommended kit: Eduard

  - cockpit

  - engine & fuselage guns

  - undercarriage wheels

  - undercarriage legs BRONZE

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.

  SIN648114

  Bf 109F

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  INFO Eduard94

  November 2023

• Page 95

  BRASSIN

  Collection of 5 sets for Su-25 in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Zvezda

  - Rocket launcher B-8M1

  - R-60 / AA-8 Aphid

  - OFAB-250 Soviet bombs

  - S-24 rocket

  - UB-32 rocket launchers

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.

  SIN648116

  Su-25 armament

  1/48 Eduard / Zvezda

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  95

  November 2023

• Page 96

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  NOVEMBER 2023

  TBD-1 exterior

  1/32 Trumpeter

  32486

  INFO Eduard96

  November 2023

• Page 97

  TBD-1 landing flaps

  TBD-1

  1/32 Trumpeter

  1/32 Trumpeter

  BRASSIN 02/2022BRASSIN 02/2022

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  324847

  33357

  INFO Eduard

  97

  November 2023

• Page 98

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  WWII British Army 30-CWT 4x2 Truck

  1/35 Airfix

  36510

  INFO Eduard98

  November 2023

• Page 99

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  USS Nimitz CVN-68 part 5

  1/350 Trumpeter

  53299

  INFO Eduard

  99

  November 2023

• Page 100

  AC-130J exterior

  1/72 Zvezda

  72734

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  INFO Eduard100

  November 2023

• Page 101

  AC-130J cargo floor

  1/72 Zvezda

  73813

  AC-130J interior

  1/72 Zvezda

  73814

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  INFO Eduard

  101

  November 2023

• Page 102

  Sea King HAS.5

  1/48 Airfix

  491395

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  INFO Eduard102

  November 2023

• Page 103

  FOTOLEPTY

• How to Work with Photo-Etched Accessories

  In this series, I aim to guide you through the tools, equipment, and techniques I've acquired over my approximately 10 years of experience with photo-etched accessories. Although some modelers may have reservations about using photo-etch, it remains a preferred method for adding precise details to various parts of a model. In this first part, I intend to demonstrate the fundamental techniques, tools, and chemical processes I employ, especially for those new to modeling.

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  How to Work with Photo-Etched

  Accessories

  Part I: Basics

  Overview of Essential Tools and Chemistry for Working

  with Photo-Etch. In this segment, I'll provide an

  overview of the basic tools and chemical substances

  essential for working with photo-etched components.

  For demonstration purposes, I've selected Eduard sets

  designed for the Sd.Kfz.164 Nashorn 1/35 kit by Border

  Model.

  In this series, I aim to guide you through

  the tools, equipment, and techniques I've

  acquired over my approximately

  10 years of experience with photo-etched

  accessories. Although some modelers may

  have reservations about using photo-etch,

  it remains a preferred method for adding

  precise details to various parts of a model.

  In this first part, I intend to demonstrate

  the fundamental techniques, tools, and

  chemical processes I employ, especially

  for those new to modeling.

  Jakub Nademlejnský

  Italeri's etch scissors are an excellent choice for swiftly

  and easily cutting photo-etched parts from the sprue.

  Alternatively, a sharp scalpel can be used to remove

  parts.

  INFO Eduard104

  November 2023

• Page 105

  How to Work with Photo-Etched

  Accessories

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  Various types of tweezers are indispensable, particularly pointed and flat-tipped

  tweezers. Pointed tweezers are ideal for handling and placing small parts, while

  flat tweezers are suitable for bending smaller components.

  Here, you can see a close-up of the needle after modification. I use the remaining

  eye of the needle to scoop instant glue from the Eduard mask's base paper. The

  glossy surface of this paper ensures that the glue remains active for an extended

  period.

  Overview of Both Used Sets (Cat.No. 36506 and 36507).

  Set 36506 includes a 3D decal radio face created with Eduard

  SPACE technology.

  Photo-etched parts benders are available in various sizes and are invaluable for

  working with larger etched parts, such as aircraft landing flaps, and for bending small

  edges that are challenging to grip with tweezers.

  I recommend using superglue to adhere photo-etched parts. The choice of superglue can

  vary, and their characteristics are well-detailed in Info 04/2023. My personal preference

  is for extra-thin glue. To apply the glue precisely, I use a steel wire, which I've drilled into

  an old brush holder, and a half-flake needle, similarly drilled into a brush holder.

  INFO Eduard

  105

  November 2023

• Page 106

  Use etching scissors to make rough

  cuts of the photo-etched parts from

  the sprue.

  After rough cutting, you'll have parts that still contain some

  connecting points.

  Carefully clean the photo-etched parts using the scissors

  If necessary, you can use a coarse file to remove

  any remaining burrs from the etched handles.

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  INFO Eduard106

  November 2023

• Page 107

  Here, you can see the photo-etched part after cleaning,

  free of any burrs or rough edges.

  Use flat-tipped tweezers to carefully bend small areas of the photo-etched part.

  For larger areas, like aircraft flaps, use an photo-etched parts bender.

  Start by attaching the piece to the bender at the bending point.

  In the second step, bend the part in the direction indicated by the instructions.

  The third step involves aligning the shape of the etched

  detail with the bender for precise results.

  In the bender, I recommend bending even short plates,

  which can be tricky to grip with flat tweezers and often slip

  out of them.

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  INFO Eduard

  107

  November 2023

• Page 108

  Drip thin glue onto the glossy paper from the mask. Use a tool created from a modified needle to scoop

  up the glue.

  Apply the glue to the specific spot on the photoetch.

  Apply the glue to the specific spot on the photoetch. Utilize a steel wire tool to scoop up glue, which is

  especially useful for precise applications.

  The wire tool can also reach less accessible places.

  Any glue residue can be easily removed from the tools

  using a lighter.

  I highly recommend using these two solutions - Debonder and activator - when working with photo-etch.

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  INFO Eduard108

  November 2023

• Page 109

  The activator accelerates the drying of superglue. When sprayed with it, the glue

  instantly dries.

  Here's the finished photo-etched

  part after folding and gluing.

  For effective use of Debonder, apply it directly to the glue-affected area using

  a brush or cotton sticker and spread it gently with slight pressure.

  Debonder is essential for removing superglue residues and can also help

  in disassembling previously glued parts.

  (to be continued)

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  INFO Eduard

  109

  November 2023

• Page 110

  3DL32020 TBD-1 SPACE 1/32 Trumpeter

  3DL53013

  US Navy ensign

  & union jack flag SPACE

  1/200

  3DL48140

  Hunter FGA.9 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  Product page

  Product page

  Product page

  easy

  application

  INFO Eduard110

  November 2023

• Page 111

  3DL48141 Hunter FR.10 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL48142

  Hunter GA.11 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  SPACE

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  111

  November 2023

• Page 112

  3DL48143 F-14B SPACE 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  3DL48144

  Sea King HAS.1 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  SPACE

  Product page

  Product page

• Page 113

  Vybrané stavebnice z říjnové nabídky

  je možné zakoupit samostatně nebo ve

  variantách zvýhodněného balíčku BUNDLE.

  Zvýhodněná BUNDLE nabídka je časově

  omezená a platí do 15. října 2023 nebo do

  vyprodání zásob.

  3DL48145 Sea King HAS.5 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL48146

  Sea King HU.5 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  SPACE

  Product page

  Product page

• Page 114

  Product page

  DECAL SETS

  D48113

  Bf 109K-4 stencils

  1/48 Eduard

  INFO Eduard114

  November 2023

• Page 115

  Product page

  Product page

  Product page

  EDDIE THE RIVETER

  ER32003

  Triple riveting rows

  1/32

  ER72003

  Triple riveting rows

  1/72

  ER48008

  Triple riveting rows

  1/48

  INFO Eduard

  115

  November 2023

• Page 116

  BIG ED

  All sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,

  but with every BIG ED set you save up to 30%.

  BIG33156 A-20G 1/32 HKM

  BIG49384

  F-16D Block 30 1/48 Kinetic

  321012 A-20G 1/32

  32484 A-20G bomb bay 1/32

  32485 A-20G main wheel wells 1/32

  33356 A-20G seatbelts STEEL 1/32

  JX315 A-20G 1/32

  481113 Hurricane Mk.I landing flaps

  481114 Hurricane Mk.I gun bays

  491364 Hurricane Mk.I

  FE1365 Hurricane Mk.I seatbelts STEEL

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard116

  November 2023

• Page 117

  All sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,

  but with every BIG ED set you save up to 30%.

  BIG ED

  BIG49385 F-16D Block 40 1/48 Kinetic

  BIG49386

  F-16D Block 50 1/48 Kinetic

  BIG49387

  A-10C 1/48 Academy

  481118 F-16 reinforcement straps STEEL 1/48

  49103 Remove Before Flight STEEL 1/48

  491370 F-16D Block 40 1/48

  FE1372 F-16D Block 30/40/50 seatbelts STEEL 1/48

  EX966 F-16D Block 30/40/50 1/48

  481118 F-16 reinforcement straps STEEL 1/48

  49103 Remove Before Flight STEEL 1/48

  491371 F-16D Block 50 1/48

  FE1372 F-16D Block 30/40/50 seatbelts STEEL 1/48

  EX966 F-16D Block 30/40/50 1/48

  481120 A-10C formation lights 1/48

  49103 Remove Before Flight STEEL 1/48

  491373 A-10C 1/48

  FE1374 A-10C seatbelts STEEL 1/48

  Product page

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  117

  November 2023

• Page 118

  MASKS

  JX317 TBD-1 TFace

  1/32 Trumpeter

  JX318 MC.202

  1/32 Italeri

  JX319 MC.202 TFace

  1/32 Italeri

  EX988 F-14B windshield TFace

  1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  EX989 Sea King

  1/48 Airfix

  EX990 Sea King TFace

  1/48 Airfix

  CX654 F-35A RAM panels early

  1/72 Tamiya

  CX655 F-35A RAM panels late

  1/72 Tamiya

  JX318 MC.202

  JX318 MC.202

  JX319 MC.202 TFace JX319 MC.202 TFace

  JX319 MC.202 TFaceJX319 MC.202 TFace

  JX317 TBD-1 TFace

  JX317 TBD-1 TFace

  JX317 TBD-1 TFace

  JX317 TBD-1 TFace

  IT FITS!

  INFO Eduard118

  November 2023

• Page 119

  EX988 F-14B windshield TFace EX988 F-14B windshield TFace

  EX988 F-14B windshield TFaceEX988 F-14B windshield TFace

  MASKS

  EX989 Sea King

  EX989 Sea King EX989 Sea King

  EX989 Sea King

  EX990 Sea King TFace

  EX990 Sea King TFace EX990 Sea King TFace

  EX990 Sea King TFace

  INFO Eduard

  119

  November 2023

• Page 120

  RELEASES

  NOVEMBER 2023

  KITS

  PE

  -

  SETS

  ZOOMS

  MASKS

  DECALS

  82138 Fw 190A-7 1/48 ProfiPACK

  2143 WNM pt. 2 Dual Combo 1/72 Limited

  84194 F6F-3 Hellcat 1/48 Weekend

  84195 Tempest Mk.V Series 1 1/48 Weekend

  7039 Fokker Dr.I Re-release 1/72 ProfiPACK

  82163 Bf 109G-6/AS Re-release 1/48 ProfiPACK

  53299 USS Nimitz CVN-68 part 5 1/350 Trumpeter

  32486 TBD-1 exterior 1/32 Trumpeter

  32487 TBD-1 landing flaps 1/32 Trumpeter

  32488 MC.202 landing flaps 1/32 Italeri

  321013 TBD-1 1/32 Trumpeter

  321014 MC.202 1/32 Italeri

  36510 WWII British Army 30-CWT 4x2 Truck 1/35 Airfix

  491392 F-14B 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  491394 Sea King HAS.1 1/48 Airfix

  491395 Sea King HAS.5 1/48 Airfix

  491396 Sea King HU.5 1/48 Airfix

  491397 Sea King HU.5 cargo seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Airfix

  72734 AC-130J exterior 1/72 Zvezda

  73812 AC-130J cargo seatbelts 1/72 Zvezda

  73813 AC-130J cargo floor 1/72 Zvezda

  73814 AC-130J cargo interior 1/72 Zvezda

  33357 TBD-1 1/32 Trumpeter

  33358 TBD-1 seatbelts STEEL 1/32 Trumpeter

  33359 MC.202 1/32 Italeri

  33360 MC.202 seatbelts STEEL 1/32 Italeri

  FE1392 F-14B 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  FE1393 F-14B seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  FE1394 Sea King HAS.1 1/48 Airfix

  FE1395 Sea King HAS.5 1/48 Airfix

  FE1396 Sea King HU.5 1/48 Airfix

  FE1397 Sea King seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Airfix

  FE1398 Tempest Mk.V Weekend 1/48 Eduard

  JX317 TBD-1 TFace 1/32 Trumpeter

  JX318 MC.202 1/32 Italeri

  JX319 MC.202 TFace 1/32 Italeri

  EX988 F-14B windshield TFace 1/48

  Great Wall Hobby

  EX989 Sea King 1/48 Airfix

  EX990 Sea King TFace 1/48 Airfix

  CX654 F-35A RAM panels early 1/72 Tamiya

  CX655 F-35A RAM panels late 1/72 Tamiya

  D48113 Bf 109K-4 stencils 1/48 Eduard

  EDDIE THE RIVETER

  ER32003 Triple riveting rows 1/32

  ER48008 Triple riveting rows 1/48

  ER72003 Triple riveting rows 1/72

  INFO Eduard120

  November 2023

• Page 121

  BIG-EDBIG-ED

  RELEASES

  BRASSIN

  LöökPLUS

  BIG SIN

  SPACE

  634043 TBD-1 Devastator LööK 1/32 Trumpeter

  634044 MC.202 LööK 1/32 Italeri

  644229 F-16D Block 40 LööK 1/48 Kinetic

  632198 MC.202 wheels 1/32 Italeri

  648885 A-1J ejection seat PRINT 1/48 Tamiya

  648904 Bf 109K-4 cockpit PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648905 Bf 109K-4 undercarriage legs BRONZE 1/48 Eduard

  648927 Mi-4 wheels 1/48 Trumpeter

  648929 Hurricane Mk.II cockpit door PRINT 1/48

  Arma Hobby

  648930 Sea King wheels 1/48 Airfix

  648931 F/A-18E ejection seat 1/48 Hasegawa

  648932 F/A-18E/F wheels 1/48 Hasegawa

  648935 Bf 109G-4 cockpit PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648937 UB-32 rocket launchers 1/48

  672333 F-35A wheels 1/72 Tamiya

  672334 F-35A exhaust nozzle PRINT 1/72 Tamiya

  672335 F-35A cockpit PRINT 1/72 Tamiya

  672336 F-35A ejection seat PRINT 1/72 Tamiya

  672338 Bf 109G undercarriage legs BRONZE 1/72 Eduard

  672339 Bf 109G-2/G-4 gun barrels PRINT 1/72 Eduard

  672340 Bf 109G-2/G-4

  wheels for plain wings PRINT 1/72 Eduard

  644234 A-10C LööKplus 1/48 Academy

  644235 Hurricane Mk.II LööKplus 1/48

  Arma Hobby

  SIN648113 FM-2 ESSENTIAL 1/48 Eduard

  SIN648114 Bf 109F 1/48 Eduard

  SIN648116 Su-25 armament 1/48

  Eduard/Zvezda

  3DL32020 TBD-1 SPACE 1/32 Trumpeter

  3DL48140 Hunter FGA.9 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL48141 Hunter FR.10 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL48142 Hunter GA.11 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL48143 F-14B SPACE 1/48

  Great Wall Hobby

  3DL48144 Sea King HAS.1 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL48145 Sea King HAS.5 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL48146 Sea King HU.5 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL53013 US Navy ensign & union jack flag SPACE 1/200

  NOVEMBER 2023

  BIG ED

  BIG33156 A-20G 1/32 HKM

  BIG49384 F-16D Block 30 1/48 Kinetic

  BIG49385 F-16D Block 40 1/48 Kinetic

  BIG49386 F-16D Block 50 1/48 Kinetic

  BIG49387 A-10C 1/48 Academy

  INFO Eduard

  121

  November 2023

• Page 122

  BUILT

  built by Robert Szwarc

  Wellington Mk.Ic

  1/72

  Airfix

  Accessories used:

  72672 Wellington Mk.Ia/c landing flaps (PE

  -

  Set)

  72673 Wellington Mk.Ia/c bomb bay (PE

  -

  Set)

  73639 Wellington Mk.Ia/c (PE

  -

  Set)

  672172 British 250lb depth charges (Brassin)

  672198 Wellington Mk.Ia/c wheels (Brassin)

  672200 Wellington Mk.Ia/c engines (Brassin)

  INFO Eduard122

  November 2023

• Page 123

  BUILT

  INFO Eduard

  123

  November 2023

• Page 124

  built by Paolo Portuesi

  #11142

  MARKING L

  Tales of Iwojima

  Very Long Range:

  1/48

  BUILT

  Accessories used:

  648522 P-51D cockpit (Brassin)

  648555 P-51D engine (Brassin)

  648571 P-51D 75gal drop tanks (Brassin)

  648647 P-51D wheels block tread 2 (Brassin)

  INFO Eduard124

  November 2023

• Page 125

  BUILT

  P-51D-20, 44-72587, flown by 2nd Lt. William G. Ebersole / 2nd Lt. James R. Bercaw, 462nd FS,

  506th FG, 20th AF, Iwojima, July 1945

  This Mustang was shared with 2nd Lieutenants

  Bill Ebersole and James Bercaw. Bill Ebersole,

  the youngest pilot of the 462nd FS, arrived to

  Iwojima east side No.3 Airfield already on May

  1945, in times of latest night attacks of the rest

  of Japanese soldiers. He flew his first combat

  sortie over Chichijima on May 15th, 1945. He flew

  the first VLR Mission among his total 10 on June

  7th, 1945, which was a 8 hours long escort sortie

  over Osaka. He was credited by Zero destroyed on

  ground during attack of Hyakurigahara airfield on

  June 26th, 1945. He is also credited by destroyed

  small transport ship „Sugar Dog“ type on early

  August. His final strafing mission was flown

  against Tachikawa on August 5th, 1945, only day

  before dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

  INFO Eduard

  125

  November 2023

• Page 126

  ON APPROACH

  DECEMBER 2023

  644230

  F-16D Block 50 LööK

  1/48 Kinetic

  644240

  Fw 190A-7 LööK

  1/48 Eduard

  644241

  FM-1 LööK

  1/48 Eduard

  BIG49388 Yak-9T 1/48 Zvezda

  BIG49389 F-4G 1/48 Meng

  BIG72176 PBY-5A 1/72 Hobby 2000/Academy

  BIG5369 USS Nimitz CVN-68 PART I 1/350 Trumpeter

  644230 F-16D Block 50 LööK 1/48 Kinetic

  644240 Fw 190A-7 LööK 1/48 Eduard

  644241 FM-1 LööK 1/48 Eduard

  648906 Bf 109K external fuel tanks 1/48 Eduard

  648938 Hurricane Mk.II gun bays PRINT 1/48 Arma Hobby

  648940 Fw 190A-7 cockpit PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648941 Fw 190A-7 engine & fuselage guns 1/48 Eduard

  648942 Fw 190A-7 undercarriage legs BRONZE 1/48 Eduard

  648943 FM-1 undercarriage legs BRONZE 1/48 Eduard

  648944 FM-1 wheels 1/48 Eduard

  648945 FM-1 folding wings PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648946 FM-1 exhaust PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648947 FM-1 engine PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648948 FM-1 wheel bay PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648949 FM-1 seat PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648950 FM-1 gun barrels PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  672341 Bf 109G-2/G-4 wheels for bulged wings PRINT 1/72 Eduard

  672342 Bf 109G-2 cockpit PRINT 1/72 Eduard

  672343 Bf 109G-4 cockpit PRINT 1/72 Eduard

  672344 Bf 109G radio compartment PRINT 1/72 Eduard

  672345 F6F wheel bays PRINT 1/72 Eduard

  672346 Bf 109G propeller PRINT 1/72 Eduard

  634045 MC.202 LööKplus 1/32 Italeri

  644236 MiG-17F LööKplus 1/48 AMMO

  644237 F-16D Block 30 LööKplus 1/48 Kinetic

  SIN648115 FM-2 w/ armoured headrest ESSENTIAL 1/48 Eduard

  SIN648117 F6F undercarriage 1/48 Eduard

  BIG ED (December)

  BRASSIN (December)

  LöökPlus (December)

  BIGSIN (December)

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboards

  and STEEL seatbelts for F-16D in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Kinetic

  Set contains:

  - resin: 6 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboards

  and STEEL seatbelts for Fw 190A-7 in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboards

  and STEEL seatbelts for FM-1 in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  PRELIMINARY IMAGES

  PRELIMINARY IMAGES

  PRELIMINARY IMAGES

  INFO Eduard126

  November 2023

• Page 127

  648906

  Bf 109K external fuel tanks

  1/48 Eduard

  ON APPROACH

  Brassin set - external fuel tanks (3 types) with racks

  for Bf 109K in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces

  plastic parts. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - 3D print: 3 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  648938

  Hurricane Mk.II gun bays PRINT

  1/48 Arma Hobby

  648940

  Fw 190A-7 cockpit PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set - gun bays for Hurricane Mk.II in 1/48 scale.

  The set consists of gun bays for both wings.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 22 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - cockpit for Fw 190A-7

  in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 19 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  INFO Eduard

  127

  November 2023

• Page 128

  ON APPROACH

  DECEMBER 2023

  648941

  Fw 190A-7 engine & fuselage guns

  1/48 Eduard

  648942

  Fw 190A-7 undercarriage legs BRONZE

  1/48 Eduard

  648943

  FM-1 undercarriage legs BRONZE

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set - the engine and fuselage

  guns instalation for Fw 190A-7 in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 31 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - the undercarriage legs for Fw 190A-7

  in 1/48 scale. The legs are made of bronze.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - bronze: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - the undercarriage legs for FM-1

  in 1/48 scale. The legs are made of bronze.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - bronze: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  INFO Eduard128

  November 2023

• Page 129

  ON APPROACHDECEMBER 2023

  648944

  FM-1 wheels

  1/48 Eduard

  648945

  FM-1 folding wings PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  648946

  FM-1 exhaust PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for FM-1 in

  1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheels and

  a tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 5 parts

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: yes

  Brassin set - folding wings for FM-1 in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 10 parts

  - spare plastic wings: 1 set

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - exhaust pipes for FM-1 in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  INFO Eduard

  129

  November 2023

• Page 130

  ON APPROACH

  648947

  FM-1 engine PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  648948

  FM-1 wheel bay PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  648949

  FM-1 seat PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set - engine for FM-1 in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 35 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - wheel bay for FM-1 in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 10 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - pilot seat for FM-1 in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  DECEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard130

  November 2023

• Page 131

  672341

  Bf 109G-2/G-4 wheels for bulged wings PRINT

  1/72 Eduard

  648950

  FM-1 gun barrels PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for

  Bf 109G-2 & G-4 in 1/72 scale. The set consists

  of the main wheels and a tail wheel.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  ON APPROACH

  Brassin set - gun barrels for FM-1 in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  672342

  Bf 109G-2 cockpit PRINT

  1/72 Eduard

  Brassin set - cockpit for Bf 109G-2 in 1/72 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 9 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  DECEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard

  131

  November 2023

• Page 132

  ON APPROACH

  672343

  Bf 109G-4 cockpit PRINT

  1/72 Eduard

  672344

  Bf 109G radio compartment PRINT

  1/72 Eduard

  672345

  F6F wheel bays PRINT

  1/72 Eduard

  Brassin set - cockpit for Bf 109G-4 in 1/72 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 9 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - radio compartment for Bf 109G in 1/72 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 5 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - wheel bays for F6F in 1/72 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  DECEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard132

  November 2023

• Page 133

  ON APPROACH

  Collection of 3 sets for MC.202 in 1/32 scale.

  Recommended kit: Italeri

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboard & Steelbelts)

  - TFace painting mask

  - undercarriage wheels

  634045

  MC.202 LööKplus

  1/32 Italeri

  672346

  Bf 109G propeller PRINT

  1/72Eduard

  Brassin set - propeller for Bf 109G in 1/72 scale.

  The spinner could be removed. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - resin: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  DECEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard

  133

  November 2023

• Page 134

  ON APPROACH

  644236

  MiG-17F LööKplus

  1/48 AMMO

  Collection of 3 sets for MIG-17F in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: AMMO

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboard & Steelbelts)

  - TFace painting mask

  - undercarriage wheels

  DECEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard134

  November 2023

• Page 135

  ON APPROACH

  Collection of 3 sets for F-16D Block 30 in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Kinetic

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)

  - TFace painting mask

  - ejection seats

  644237

  F-16D Block 30 LööKplus

  1/48 Kinetic

  DECEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard

  135

  November 2023

• Page 136

  SIN648115

  FM-2 w/ armoured headrest ESSENTIAL

  1/48 Eduard

  Collection of 4 sets for FM-2 in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - cockpit

  - exhausts

  - undercarriage legs BRONZE

  - undercarriage wheels

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30%.

  ON APPROACH

  DECEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard136

  November 2023

• Page 137

  SIN648117

  F6F undercarriage

  1/48 Eduard

  Collection of 3 sets for F6F-3 and F6F-5 in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - undercarriage bays

  - undercarriage wheels

  - undercarriage legs BRONZE

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.

  BRASSIN 02/2022BRASSIN 02/2022

  ON APPROACHDECEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard

  137

  November 2023

• Page 138

  PE

  -

  SETS

  53300 USS Nimitz CVN-68 part 6 1/350 Trumpeter

  53301 USS Nimitz CVN-68 part 7 1/350 Trumpeter

  36511 WC-52 1/35 Zvezda

  36512 BMP-3 1/35 Zvezda

  321015 AH-1G early 1/35 ICM

  481125 FM-1 landing flaps 1/48 Eduard

  481126 Mi-17 cargo seats 1/48 Trumpeter

  481127 Seafire F.XVII exterior 1/48 Airfix

  491399 Seafire F.XVII 1/48 Airfix

  491401 Mi-17 1/48 Trumpeter

  491402 Mi-17 cargo seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Trumpeter

  491404 Sea King HAS.1 cargo interior 1/48 Airfix

  491405 Sea King HAS.5 cargo interior 1/48 Airfix

  491406 Sea King HU.5 cargo interior 1/48 Airfix

  ZOOMS

  33361 AH-1G early 1/35 ICM

  33362 AH-1G early seatbelts STEEL 1/35 ICM

  FE1399 Seafire F.XVII 1/48 Airfix

  FE1400 Seafire F.XVII seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Airfix

  FE1401 Mi-17 1/48 Trumpeter

  FE1402 Mi-17 seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Trumpeter

  FE1403 Bf 109E-4 Weekend 1/48 Eduard

  SS815 S-199 Erla canopy Weekend 1/72 Eduard

  MASKS

  JX320 AH-1G 1/35 ICM

  JX321 AH-1G TFace 1/35 ICM

  EX991 Seafire F.XVII 1/48 Airfix

  EX992 Seafire F.XVII TFace 1/48 Airfix

  EX993 Mi-17 1/48 Trumpeter

  EX994 Mi-17 TFace 1/48 Trumpeter

  EX995 Bf 109E-4 TFace 1/48 Eduard

  EX996 F6F-3 US national insignia 1/48 Eduard

  CX656 S-199 Erla canopy Weekend 1/72 Eduard

  SPACE

  3DL32021 AH-1G early SPACE 1/35 ICM

  3DL48147 Seafire F.XVII SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL48148 Mi-17 SPACE 1/48 Trumpeter

  3DL48149 FM-1 SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  3DL48150 P-39N SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  3DL48151 X-1 SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  DECAL SETS

  D48114 F-35A stencils 1/48 Tamiya

  D72046 F-35A stencils 1/72 Tamiya

  ON APPROACH

  DECEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard138

  November 2023

• Page 139

  ON APPROACH

  FM-1 Wildcat #82204 1/48

  VC-1, USS Block Island (CVE-21), Autumn 1943

  VC-33, USS Nassau (CVE-16), September 1943

  No. 846 Naval Air Squadron, HMS Tracker, June 1944

  BuNo. 15334, VC-33, USS Coral Sea (CVE-57), November 1943

  BuNo. 46776, VC-13, USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60), spring 1944

  JV377, No. 882 Naval Air Squadron, HMS Searcher, August 1944

  DECEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard

  139

  November 2023

• Page 140

  ON APPROACH

  TEST BUILD

  #82204

  FM-1 Wildcat 1/48

  built by Jakub Nademlejnský

  DECEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard140

  November 2023

• Page 141

  ON APPROACHDECEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard

  141

  November 2023

• Page 142

  ON APPROACH

  P-39N Airacobra 1/48#8067

  P-39N-1, 42-9385, Lt. Kirby F. Smith, 346th FS, 350th FG,

  Reghaia, Algeria, September 1943

  P-39N-5, 42-18815, Lt. Walter A. Hymovitch, 41st FS,

  35th FG, New Guinea, Nadzab, fall 1943

  P-39N, 42-8747, Guard Capt. Grigoryi Andreevich Rechkalov, 16

  GIAP, the Soviet Union, August 1944

  P-39N-1, 42-18378, 10° Gruppo,

  4° Stormo, ACI, Lecce-Galatina,

  Italy, 1944

  P-39N-5, 42-18810, 40th FS,

  35th FG, Nazdab, New Guinea,

  fall 1943

  P-39N-1, 42-18354, Maj. Charles F. Hoover, 345th FS, 350 FG,

  Ghisonaccia, Corsica, December 1943

  DECEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard142

  November 2023

• Page 143

  P-39N-1, 42-18378, 10° Gruppo,

  4° Stormo, ACI, Lecce-Galatina,

  Italy, 1944

  ON APPROACH

  Bf 109E-4 #84196 1/48

  Oblt. Gerhard Schöpfel, III. /JG 26, Caffiers,

  France, August 1940

  WNr. 5375, Hptm. Wilhelm Meyerweissflog, Stab/JG 53,

  Etaples, France, September 1940

  WNr. 1433, Hptm. Hans von Hahn, CO of I./JG 3,

  Grandvillers, France, September 1940

  WNr. 2060, Lt. Hans Guse, 2.(J)/LG 2,

  USSR (today´s Republic of Moldova), July 1941

  DECEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard

  143

  November 2023

• Page 144

  ON APPROACH

  Avia S-199 ERLA canopy 1/72#7472

  D-121, 101 Squadron (tayeset), Chel Ha Avir, Qastina, Israel, September 1948

  D-115, 101 Squadron (tayeset), Chel Ha Avir, Herzliya field base, Israel, July 1948

  S-199.310, 3rd Squadron, Air Regiment 7, 3 Air Division, Brno-Černovice, Czechoslovakia, spring 1949

  S-199.99, 1st Squadron, Air Regiment 8, 3 Air Division,

  Brno-Černovice, Czechoslovakia, 1950/51

  DECEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard144

  November 2023

• Page 145

  ON APPROACH

  46-062, Charles Yeager,

  Muroc Dry Lake Base,

  October 1947

  46-063, Robert Champine,

  Edwards AFB, June 1949

  46-063, Chalmers Goodlin,

  Muroc Dry Lake Base,

  April 1946

  46-062, Jack Ridley, Edwards AFB, May 1950

  Re-release

  X-1 Mach Buster 1/48

  #8079

  DECEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard

  145

  November 2023

• Page 146

  Bf 109G-4

  1/48

  #82117Re-release

  ON APPROACH

  Bf 109G-4/R6, WNr. 14997, Lt. Erich Hartmann,

  7./JG 52, Taman, the Soviet Union, May 1943

  Bf 109G-4/trop, WNr. 15013 Lt. Ulrich Seiffert,

  8./JG 53, Tindja, Tunisia, April 1943

  Bf 109G-4/R6, WNr. 14946, Maj. Wolfgang Ewald,

  Stab III./JG 3, Kertch, the Soviet Union, April 1943

  Bf 109G-4/R6, WNr. 19566, ten. Giuseppe Gianelli,

  365

  a

  Squadriglia, 150

  o

  Gruppo Autonomo, Sciacca,

  Sicily, July 1943

  Bf 109G-4, Lt. Av. Petre Protopopescu, Escadrila 57,

  Grupul 7 Vânătoare, Kirovograd (Kropyvnytskyi/ Ukraine now),

  the Soviet Union, June 1943

  DECEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard146

  November 2023

• Page 147

  Re-release

  ON APPROACH

  Albatros D.V

  #7406

  1/72

  Albatros D.V 1154/17, Lt. Max Ritter von Müller,

  Jasta 28, Varsenare, Belgium,

  September 1917

  Albatros D.V 4629/17, Lt. Hans-Joachim

  von Hippel, Jasta 5, Boistrancourt,

  France, February 1918

  Albatros D.V, 2030/17, Lt. Alfred Lenz,

  Jasta 22, Ercheu, France, April 1918

  Albatros D.V 2299/17, Lt. Xaver Dannhuber,

  Jasta 26, Abeele, Belgium, 1917

  DECEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard

  147

  November 2023

• Shows

  This autumn is one of the most traveled periods of our of exhibition and show team. In less than one month, we visited four exhibitions: E-Day in Milovice, Picchitatelli Trophy in Bergamo, Nitra Model in Slovakia and Scale Model Challenge in Eindhoven, and this represents a record. The last two mentioned exhibitions were even held on the same date.

  SHOWS

  Text: Jakub Nademlejnský

  This autumn is one of the most traveled periods

  of our of exhibition and show team. In less than

  one month, we visited four exhibitions: E

  -

  Day in

  Milovice, Picchitatelli Trophy in Bergamo, Nitra

  Model in Slovakia and Scale Model Challenge

  in Eindhoven, and this represents a record.

  The last two mentioned exhibitions were even

  held on the same date. I don't think we've ever

  been to two big full-scale events at the same

  time. Because of this situation, we had to create

  an additional show team and train them with the

  systems that we employ at events like these.

  Then, there is the fact that somehow, we needed

  to get everything together for two simultaneous

  shows. Since this whole event coincided with

  one of the biggest Afterparty internet events,

  the one after E

  -

  Day, there was such a buzz

  in our sales department and warehouse that

  eventually, other colleagues from different

  departments joined the whole preparatiory

  operation in addition to the warehouse staff.

  In the end, we managed everything with all

  our might and successfully participated in

  everything that was scheduled to happen.

  If you haven't read the special edition E

  -

  Day

  newsletter section and are interested in what

  it was like on E

  -

  Day, it's definitely worth

  a read. I personally first attended the Picchiatelli

  Trophy exhibition in the suburb of Bergamo in

  the town of Scanzorosciante, where we came at

  the invitation of friends from Italy. We brought

  with us the October group of new releases and

  a small stand. Participation in the competition

  was the icing on the cake of our trip to Italy,

  which we combined with a tour of several

  museums. We also measured and 3D scanned

  the what we needed to get into other projects.

  The trip was spectacular and we traveled across

  half of Italy in a week. We got as far as Rome,

  from where we drove to Scanzorosciante. I have

  to highlight the competition itself. Although the

  event was not one of the biggest in Europe in

  terms of space or number of vendors, I was

  really impressed by the quality of the models

  as well as the international cast on the judging

  committee full of big names in the field.

  The following week, we made the trek to the

  Scale Model Challenge in Eindhoven. This event

  was announced in advance by the organizers

  as one of the biggest model exhibitions in

  Europe, filling us with anticipation. Our team

  participated in the event for the first time this

  year and I must admit that our expectations were

  easily satisfied. The level of organization and

  its professionalism, the wonderful venue with

  Eduard vendor table at Nitra.

  Nitra sports hall filled to capacity.

  A little something for the jubilee customer at Nitra

  INFO Eduard148

  November 2023

• Page 149

  secure accommodations in the adjacent hotel,

  but especially the breathtakingly well arranged

  show, with the models being directly lit by

  several hundred lamps, which really enchanted

  us. Thanks to the participation, we could see

  a lot of modellers not only from the Netherlands,

  Belgium, France, Great Britain and Germany, but

  also from different parts of the world. Again,

  after a long time, we could see representatives

  of other modeling companies, which we did not

  see this year at the fair in Nuremberg. We drove

  to Italy and the Netherlands in our company

  vehicle, which is painted up in the markings

  of Meyer's Petie 2nd P-51D Mustang. If you

  caught up with us anywhere along the way and

  managed to take a picture of our chariot, please

  share the photo with me. Send it to me at jakub.

  nademlejnsky@eduard.cz, we would like to

  share the best photos on our channels.

  The second exhibition team from Nitra

  also arrived with very good impressions. The

  organizers of the Nitra show have raised the

  bar a bit higher compared to last year, and

  last year’s show was a great one in and of

  itself. Once again, they filled the sports hall

  with interesting vendors, lots of visitors, and

  especially beautiful models on display. Most

  likely, they have permanently found a place in

  our calendar of events that we simply must not

  miss each year.

  Eduard vendor table at Scale Model Challenge in Eindhoven

  A view of the display tables at Picchiatelli Trophy from the Eduard table.

  Eduard vendor table at Picchiatelli Trophy

  Stanislav Archman, Vladimír Šulc, Jakub Nademlejnský

  and their Italian friends at a dinner during Picchiatelli Trophy

  INFO Eduard

  149

  November 2023

• Editorial

  
  

  Good Day, Dear Friends

  We find ourselves in the same situation with November’s new releases as we did with the October ones, in that they also have been available for purchase a couple of weeks ahead of the newsletter announcement, meaning that they will already be known to a large percentage of readers and perhaps even in their possession. Some modellers may be putting them together, and some of the items may even be built already. With the Bf 109 G-2 or G-4 in 72nd scale, this is not a difficult concept to grasp. From my own experience, I can confirm that this little thing comes together on its own, presents no pitfalls, nor does it hide any nasty surprises. Not that I'm one of those who can say they built this kit. I did slap it together, but didn't paint it, and I wouldn't even bother with weathering for what I needed to do with it. But the gluing of the kit, kind of halfway to building the model, is something I practice quite regularly, because it doesn't hurt when the head of the company knows what he's actually selling. And I'll also openly admit that I do the same with competitor’s kits, because knowing what the competition actually creates and puts out there is also good to know.
  

  
  

  Kits

  Wunderschöne neue Maschinen Pt.2 is the name of the 72nd scale Limited Edition kit, covering an important developmental period of the Messerschmitt Bf 109, namely the first Bf 109 Gs. The Bf 109 designation changed from F to G after a new Bf 109 F-4 airframe had a DB 605A engine installed. You can read about it, if you should so wish, in my article on the subject in this issue of the newsletter, and if, after reading it , you are left with the impression that although the kit presents none of the aforementioned nastiness in construction, the original builders and designers seem to have laid plenty of traps for future researchers, then good, because that is what a part of the intent of the text was. The fact is that the two basic types, the G-2 and G-4, do not have clearly defined technical characteristics. Apart from a few minor details, the problem is that the G-4 got new, larger wheels, and with them, fairings on the upper wing over the wheel wells, and a non-retractable, larger, tailwheel. This sounds obvious, but in reality some of the older G-4s, and there were not just a few of them, still had the old smaller wheels and had no fairings on the wing. To make matters worse, older G-2s received bulged wings and new larger wheels during overhauls. This created a nice mess in the genome of the G-2 and G-4 types, including the G-1 and G-3, which were machines with a pressurized cockpit, from which there is practically no way out without knowing the serial number of the aircraft of interest. Fortunately, the serial number can be found for a large number of Bf 109 Gs, God bless German precision. That carried with it its own price too, but we'll get to that in a few months. In January to be exact, when we start looking at the Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6. It will be a blast, literally on all fronts, and you can certainly look forward to it!

  In the kit, we simplified the problem of differentiating between these complex issues between the Bf 109 G-2 and G-4 by strictly following the rule, when deciding on markings options, that for the G-2 we only chose aircraft without the upper wing wheel well fairings, and for G-4 only those with them. But as nobody’s perfect, we made one small mistake in depicting the Finnish Bf 109 G-2 coded MT-213 with the fairings in the color scheme, but there is no need to think too much about it. In fact, she flew without them, apparently even after general overhaul. This also eliminates a lot of thinking about the combination of different parts, there is enough in this kit to build one G-2 and one G-4. There are 14 marking options available, seven for each version. If you would like to build more than two models, Overtrees are available, even in a discounted Bundle offer.

  The following information has a lot in common with what I wrote above, and it's not just that it's also a German subject. In the ProfiPACK 1:48th scale line, we present the Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-7. Perhaps unbelievably, this is a type that we have never released before in the new tooled Fw 190 A line. At the same time, it is not such a peripheral type, with some 700 units having been produced, which is comparable to, for example, the A4, of which 970 were built. The truth is that the A-7 was, like the A-6 and also like the Bf 109 G-2 and G-4, a transitional type, a precursor to the mass-produced Fw 190A-8. And what it also has in common with the small Bf 109 G-2/G-4 is the design of the kit. They both look the way we imagine a plastic kit should look, they are exactly the kind of products we want to produce and sell.

  Other kits released in November also fit into the concept described above. Both 48th scale Weekend kits have a balanced composition of colour options. The F6F-3 Hellcat has the usual four markings, three American, two of which are iconic, by which I mean Alexander Vraciu's White 32 and the sharkmouthed Hellcat of VF-27 from the aircraft carrier USS Princeton from October 1944. Also included is the British Hellcat Mk.I, and that is included because, for one, it further diversifies the markings offered in the kit, and two, we will almost certainly not release British Hellcats as a separate item.

  Similarly, we have the Tempest Mk.V Series 1, which is somewhat out of line with the six marking option formula set out for the Weekend edition kits. This is because the famous Tempest of No.150 Wing RAF Commander Roland Beamont is depicted in three stages of development in its markings, from the period before the Invasion, through the markings from the beginning of it, specifically from June 8th, 1944, to the period between June and July, 1944. Overall, all markings cover a longer period of time from April, 1944 to January, 1945.

  With respect to reissues, we present two vintage releases, the 72nd scale Fokker Dr.I, which as a type still holds the top spot as our best-selling 72nd scale model, and the 1:48th Bf 109 G-6/AS. This one is also selling well, and to be honest, it's one of my (forgiven) mistakes and miscalculations. I once considered these versions of the Messerschmitt 109s with DB 605AS engines to be marginal and commercially uninteresting types. Fortunately, reality later proved me wrong. For Fokker Dr.I we have modified the cover box art according to the latest research, details and reasons for this can be found in the Box Art Story by Richard Plos.

  And we're not done with kits yet. With the second edition, the recently sold out Wilder Cat is back on sale, the 48th scale licensed FM-2 Wildcat version, and from the beginning of November, the 48th scale Profi;PACK MiG-21PFM will be on sale as well. There are only 310 of these left in stock. And while I'm on the subject of licensed Wildcats, I'd like to remind you that we're releasing the FM-1 in December. We already have the box art, which in my opinion is one of our most beautiful box arts to date.

  
  

  MASKS, PHOTOETCHED, SPACE and LOOKs 

  From the masks, I would like to draw your attention to two sets covering F-35A RAM panel masking for Tamiya's 1:72nd scale F-35A kit. We have both classic single and double-sided canopy masks for the Sea King in 1:48th scale from Airfix. For the F-14B in the same scale from GWH, there is only a double-sided mask (TF) being made available and only for the windscreen, which is dictated by the design of this feature for this model, where the canopy frame and the glass are molded separately. In 1:32nd scale, canopy masks for the MC-202 from Italeri and the TBD-1 Devastador from Trumpeter are available. We also offer photoetch sets for these kits, with the Sea King sets total three for three different versions of this famous helicopter. The Space and Look sets have a similar setup, and in the Space line we have added three sets for the three versions of Airfix’s 48th scale Hunters.

   

  EDDIE THE RIVETER

  I also have to mention three sets of generic 3D decals with triple rows of rivets, in 1:32, 1:48 and 1:72 scale, for November. We've already launched decal sets with single and double rows of rivets, which are followed up by November's positive rivet sets.

   

  BRASSIN

  We are adding to the Brassin line with cockpit and bronze landing gear sets for the 48th scale Bf 109K-4 of our making. Also on offer are some 72nd scale Bf 109 G-2/G-4 mini kits for the Wunderschöne neue Maschinen Pt.2 kit, as well as four new 72nd F-35A sets for the Tamiya kit. Between them are two larger sets, the exhaust and cockpit, and two smaller ones, the seat and wheels. The fact that we issue the seat as a separate set does not mean that the cockpit does not have a seat, of course, as it is also part of the cockpit. The 48th scale seat for the A-1J Skyraider (Tamiya) with integrated seatbelts is interesting. This is a kind of test, we are investigating what interest there would be in seats with integrated printed belts. For the Su-25K in 1:48 scale, we have the UB-32 rocket pod set, suitable for both the original Zvezda kit and our limited edition ‘Hrabe’ (Rake), and for the same kit is the BIGSIN Su-25K Armament set, containing four sets of missiles, bombs and launchers (OFAB-250 bombs, B-8M1 and UB-32 rocket pods, R-60 air-to-air dogfighting missiles and S-24 air-to-ground rockets). In this case, they are mostly cast items. In November's range you'll find a number of other smaller sets, as well as sets from the BIGED, BIGSIN and LööKplus ranges. Further information on these is presented below.

   

  Articles

  Mira Barič's series on the air war over Ukraine continues in today's newsletter. It is slowly but surely moving over Russia, and I believe that the time is approaching when the war will end with the expulsion of the Russian army from all of Ukraine. However, Ukraine is currently overshadowed by the events in the Middle East, which began on October 7th with an attack on Israel by Palestinian terrorists from their Hamas leadership. It is perhaps not so surprising that the scale of these crimes committed against civilians, women and children, comparable to the atrocities committed by the SS  during the Second World War, shows the inability of many Western politicians, organizations and even state institutions to call a murder a murder, call terror terror and a criminal, a criminal. How long throughout history have we known that dismissing and shrugging off evil only brings more evil?  We have seen so many times that evil comes out of its hiding places at similar moments to do its incredibly repulsive deeds to fulfill its warped agendas. I would still understand that members of the Arab communities in Western Europe are demonstrating for Palestine, but that the BBC would not dare to call a terrorist a terrorist, I would never have thought that in my wildest dreams. Winston Churchill must be rolling in his grave!

  The development of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 is covered in the article ‘Wunderschöne neue Maschinen – Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2 & G-4‘. It has already been mentioned here and it is quite clear what it is about. Also today we have an article by Ed Mautner, a story of his father's wartime fortunes. The history of the Aero L-39 is covered in an article by Tomas Dedera, and we have a modelling article about working with photoetched brass by Jakub Nademlejnský. We have four box art stories, dedicated to the cover images of the Fw 190A-7, Tempest Mk.V Series 1, F6F-3 Hellcat and Fokker Dr. I kits.

  And with that, I wish you a good read with our newsletter, and we hope to see you at Telford!

  Happy Modelling!

  Vladimír Šulc

  
  

• The 201st victory

  
  

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Illustration:  Piotr Forkasiewicz

  Cat. No. 82138

  
  

  Heinz Bär became one of the Luftwaffe's most famous fighter pilots and was one of the rare German airmen the Allied press wrote about during the war. His journey to the cockpit of a fighter plane took him through a job as a Luftwaffe aircraft mechanic, a series of rejections from superiors, violations of regulations and the cockpit of Ju 52. He gradually worked his way up to become a successful fighter pilot, a Staffelkapitän and then a Gruppenkommandeur. His health problems and exhaustion led to a conflict with Hermann Göring in the summer of 1943, which resulted in his removal as commander of I./JG 77. A subsequent conflict with an NSDAP functionary led to Bär's transfer to II./JG 1, with which he served as a simple pilot as punishment in early 1944, with 179 kills to his credit!

  However, in March 1944,  Bär became acting commander of II./JG 1. From February to April he achieved 23 victories without being shot down himself. Among the highlights in this period  are the  downing of the bombers “Miss Ouachita” and “Flak Magnet”. In both cases, Bär's ground personnel witnessed the victories. With  B-17 “Miss Ouachita”, Bär appeared in a newsreel. The destruction of the Liberator “Flak Magnet” was an even more significant event, as it was Bär's 200th victory, and a short OKW communiqué (Bär's third) was issued two days later about this achievement. Albeit  II./JG 1 lost almost a hundred machines during the same period.

  Major Heinz Bär scored his 201st victory on April 29, 1944 at 10:56 near Braunschweig while fighting bombers and their escorts heading for Berlin. Bär managed to lead the II./JG 1 formation into a frontal attack against the bomber formation, damaging one Liberator in the process.

  Then a fighter escort of Thunderbolts from the 359th FG and apparently Mustangs from the 352nd FG appeared on the scene. In his report, Bär said that after the frontal attack in which he hit one Liberator,  his unit was dispersed by a strong fighter escort and there were separate engagements by Rotte and Schwarms. He pulled up and saw below an Fw 190 with its starboard undercarriage extended being chased by a Thunderbolt. He got behind the Thunderbolt and fired from above  and behind at a distance of about 150m. The Thunderbolt immediately exploded in mid-air and the individual parts crashed down to the ground. The impact occurred south of Braunschweig. In the minutes that followed, Bär's airmen claimed three more Thunderbolts and several four-engined bombers (including a B-24 as 202nd victory of Heinz Bär). One Mustang may have been claimed in this area by an airman from I./JG 302.

  The problem is that no Thunderbolts were lost on this day, and even the Mustangs of the 352nd FG did not experience losses in this area. However, in studying German reports of Allied aircraft crashes, I found that one Mustang was shot down in this area and time. At 11:00 a Mustang crashed 700 meters northeast of Brasdorf and was so badly damaged that only the white letter J and the numbers 3, 6, and 7 could be discerned from its markings.  From these indications, it can be clearly determined that it was a P-51B-5-NA 43-6577 “WR-J” of the 354th FS, 355th FG. Its pilot was Capt. Thomas F. Neal Jr. Until now, it was believed he disappeared about 30 miles southwest of Berlin. In this area, he led his Falcon Red Flight in a dive to attack  four Fw 190s,  yet his wingman lost contact with him while passing through cloud cover and Neal then failed to respond to radio communications. The place where Neal actually ended up is quite far west of where he was last seen. He probably made his way back, perhaps joining the 359th or 352nd FG formation and eventually dying in combat with German fighters near Braunschweig. Of the information known so far from the German side, Heinz Bär's claim fits the best. Neal's Mustang had a razor back and olive camouflage of upper surfaces. It was therefore possibly   mistaken for a Thunderbolt. Neal was at the top of the 354th FS at the time with 4.5 kills and was one of its leading personalities.

  Bär scored a total of 221 victories, of which 125  were over Western powers' pilots (including 16 in the Me 262), placing him second only to Hptm. Hans-Joachim Marseille, who achieved all of his 158 kills against RAF and Commonwealth airmen. Further details on this airman can be found in my three-part article in REVI Nos. 81 to 83 and in the French magazine ACES No. 8.

  
  

• Greenies from Green island

  
  

  Text: Richard Plos

  Illustration: Adam Tooby

  Cat. No. 84194

  
  

  In January 1944, American forces were entering the third year of the war in the Pacific. They had a number of combat operations under their belts, and experience to the credit of units, commanders, and their men was growing. However, none of these experienced men were present at the formation of VF-34, a Naval fighter squadron that was to operate from land bases during the final phase of Operation Cartweel. The newly and hastily formed unit consisted of 45 pilots, only one of whom had seen any combat action and only two of whom were classified as fully trained Class A pilots. None of the eighteen Lieutenant or Lieutenat Junior Grade pilots had completed combat training, and of the twenty five Ensign rank pilots, twenty had indeed been trained, but only ten of them in the F6F Hellcat. The rest had only experience in Wildcats or Dauntlesses. This was simply not an A-team, or even a B-team. More like a C-team ... Still, the unit was thrown into combat without hesitation.

  The personnel of the new VF-34 departed San Diego on February 13 bound for Pearl Harbor, from where they were airlifted to Espiritu Santo on February 23 to pick up their equipment. Within a week everything was ready, and on March 3 the entire unit moved to Guadalcanal and from there to Piva Yoke airfield on Bougainville, where the rookies of VF-34 first encountered the harsh realities of war. Their airfield experienced shelling the very next day and three aircraft were damaged. Therefore, VF-34 left the hot ground and moved to the island of Vella Lavella, where the pilots made their first combat sorties, but their location proved logistically disadvantageous. So, their third and final move followed. Green Island became the squadron’s home for nearly two months.

  Pilots of VF-34 provided escort to bomber formations of Mitchells, Dauntlesses or Avengers and attacked ground targets, though they had no opportunity to get a single kill because the enemy aircraft were neither seen nor heard.. Thus, the greatest danger to the VF-34 pilots was Japanese anti-aircraft fire, which soon claimed its first victim when Ens. Driscoll was hit by defensive fire during an attack on a Japanese boat. Although he managed to land on the sea and was even seen swimming away from the sinking aircraft, he disappeared shortly thereafter and was never found. Ten days later the unit suffered a second loss when Ens. Miller failed to return from an attack on Japanese vessels off New Ireland, and five days later the squadron endured its third casualty. In bad weather conditions, Lt. Rose’s landing Hellcat collided with an Avenger that was landing on the runway in the opposite direction. The unfortunate pilot was pulled out of the burning wreckage by Lt. Kukuk, but Rose died shortly afterwards in hospital.

  It took less than a month of fighting for the rookies to become seasoned warriors, because the combat sorties were conducted one after the other virtually on an everyday basis. The squadron’s account included destroyed ammunition or fuel depots, vessels including gun boats, trucks, engineering machines or port facilities. There was hardly a mission from which the pilots did not bring back some wounds, caused by the “salutes” of Japanese anti-aircraft guns. Pilots attacked from ever lower altitudes. Sometimes they literally “combed” the tops of the vegetation with their propellers, which proved fatal to the Ens. Richardson, who hit a tree on April 24. His Hellcat flew by inertia over the shoreline to the water surface and soon disappeared under it.

  The fifth and most unfortunate loss was suffered by VF-34 three days before the end of its operational tour. Two divisions led by Lt. Knight and Lt. Shaw escorted Avengers and Dauntlesses that were to attack two Japanese gun boats. During the attack, Lt. Knight was hit by AA fire and crashed into the ocean. Both boats were destroyed, unfortunately it turned out they were not Japanese but American...

  The Navy was quite strict when it came to the efforts of personnel to improve the appearance of their aircraft with various nosearts. Occasional exceptions happened though, especially when the unit was out of reach of high command officers’ supervision, which was the case with the VF-34. Thus, several of their Hellcats were decorated with some pin-ups, including the boxart aircraft of kit cat. no. 84194. The port side was decorated with a painting based on Vargas’ masterpiece from the Esquire magazine calendar and the inscription Mary Jane, while the starboard side was most likely adorned with the cut-out of the same calendar glued to the fuselage. 

• Cormeilles-En-Vexin

  
  

  Text: Jan Zdiarský

  Illustration: Adam Tooby

  Cat. No. 84195

  
  

  Part of the preparations for the opening up of the Western Front in 1944 were systematic attacks against Luftwaffe transport infrastructure and airfields in northern France and the Netherlands. Supporting the nearing invasion by massive amounts of ground troops was dependent on securing air supremacy, along with crippling enemy supply routes, two factors that would be of decisive importance to the success of the entire operation. The weight of this task rested mainly on fighters and medium bombers of the RAF and USAAF.

   The most accurate tools of the trade were to be single engined fighters. Particularly suited for the task in the RAF were the Hurricane Mk.IIb or Mk.IV, which, however, had their heyday behind them, and the more modern Typhoons and Tempests from the same manufacturer.

   An invasion of the European mainland coast was almost imminent when, on the morning of May 28th, 1944, a combat reconnaissance conducted by RAF Spitfires discovered a large number of Luftwaffe single and twin-engined aircraft at airfields near Paris. On the same day, nine Tempests from No.3 Squadron RAF, subordinate to No.150 Wing and under the command of W/Cdr Roland P. Beamont himself, D.S.O, DFC & Bar headed for France. Before the group crossed the Channel, the pilots of four Tempests had to turn around for an early return due to various issues. The remaining five crossed the coast at 8,000 feet at Ault and headed straight for Cormeilles-En-Vexin airfield northwest of Paris. The tight formation of Tempests arrived at the base around 5:30 p.m., and from an area of unlimited visibility, they dove into smoke, which reduced visibility to 5-6 miles from the ground up to 5,000 feet. Nevertheless, the Tempest pilots spotted five twin-engine bombers on the southern perimeter of the airfield, which they identified as Ju 88s or Ju 188s. W/Cdr Beamont led his group in a descending turn so that they got the thin fog breaking through the sun behind them and attacked at low altitude and high speed. Roland Beamont chose a single, darkly camouflaged twin engined target, positioned between blast shelter walls. The bomber was almost head-on from the approaching Tempest, and at 470 miles per hour, destruction was only a matter of seconds. Beamont opened fire from less than 2,500 feet: ‘„…a short ranging burst and then hard down on the trigger, ruddering correction as necessary, as the blast pen erupted in strikes, with bursts all over the bomber and a large piece of it flying in the air as I snatched at the stick at the last moment to avoid flying headlong into the target.’.

   The five made only one pass over the strip. To turn around would be to attract the attention of defensive flak. Thanks to the tactical advantage of smoke reducing visibility, launching the attack from the sun, high speed and, above all, the nerves of steel of W/Cdr Beamont and his boys, they escaped unscathed. Add to that the fact that they practically nailed their Tempests almost into the ground. Inaccurate light flak was only noted as the group crossed the runway. The British airmen stuck to the ground for another two or three miles beyond the airfield before beginning to climb. Behind them they saw two prominent columns of smoke. Each of them came to their own. W/Cdr Beamont was credited with one Ju 88 destroyed, the remaining three airmen shared another Junkers destroyed and two damaged. After another thirty-five minutes, the members of this informal multinational squadron (three British, one Australian and one Polish) landed at their home field.

   Because aircraft lost in ground attacks usually did not make into Luftwaffe reports accessible today, it is difficult to determine the identity of the destroyed aircraft. There was most likely a Ju 88 S, and possibly a Ju 88 D from 6.(F)/123 (reconnaissance unit Aufklärungsgruppe 123). A Ju 188 F from 13.(F)/122 cannot be ruled out either.

   W/ Cdr. Roland Beamont scored six aerial victories, and another shared, one probable and two enemy aircraft damaged. In addition, a number of targets were destroyed on the ground and, above all, an incredible 32 destroyed V-1s. On October 12th, 1944, during an attack on the Rheine airfield, he was shot down himself and taken prisoner. After the war, he worked, among other things, as Chief Test Pilot for English Electric and in the position of Director of Flying Operations at BAC.

   

  (I would like to thank Jan Bobek, Matti Salonen and Michal Krechowski for help with sources for this story)

• Moskitojagd

  
  

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Illustration: Adam Tooby

  Cat. No. 82163

  
  

  During World War II, both Germany and Great Britain came to use night bombing as a significant part of their war effort to damage or destroy the enemy's production and logistic targets, as well as to break the morale of the enemy population. In doing so, the two air forces addressed similar technical problems. One of these was finding a target in night conditions and marking it for other bombers.

  A pioneer in this respect was the German bomber unit KGr. 100 (later I./KG 100), which from the autumn of 1940, during raids on Great Britain, searched for targets using electronic equipment and marked them with flares. This tactic so intrigued the British that, despite opposition from Arthur Harris, Commander of Bomber Command, it was adopted by the RAF. The crews tasked with marking targets in Germany were placed under the command of the Path Finder Force (PFF), which began operations in August 1942 with five squadrons. Their armament included Wellingtons, Mosquitos, Lancasters, Halifaxes and Stirlings.

  In January 1943, these specialized units were concentrated in No. 8 (Pathfinder Force) Group, which gradually grew to 16 squadrons. These units were always the first to receive the new bomb aiming systems (Gee, Oboe and H2S). If the Germans managed to shoot down a Pathfinder crew, it greatly hindered the accuracy of the bombing raid. The Pathfinder planes and especially the fast Mosquito were among the most prized trophies among German night fighters. These fast twin-engined aircraft also performed night bombing duties and were successfully deployed as long-range night fighters. Their target were German night fighters and thus the hunter becomes the hunted. Interception of Mosquitos (German: Moskitojagd) were often fruitless and frustrated German pilots, whose machines were not up to the performance of these British twin-engined fighters, saw only condensation lines or no enemy at all.

  On the German side, the number of night bombing attacks on Great Britain gradually declined and efforts to defend their own territory with anti-aircraft artillery and night fighters using radar stations increased. From the summer of 1943, the Luftwaffe also deployed to night combat single-engine day fighters without radar equipment, whose pilots searched for targets  following radio instructions from ground controllers. This tactic was given the designation Wilde Sau (Wild Boar), but by early 1944 these units were increasingly being assigned to daytime combat against American bombers. A new unit tasked with continuing Wilde Sau tactics and experimenting with the use of radar on single-engine fighters was 1./NJGr. 10 under the command of Hptm. Friedrich-Karl “Nasen” Müller. He was the most successful fighter of the Wilde Sau units, achieving 30 victories in 52 combat sorties. For details on Müller and his aircraft, which is pictured in combat with Mosquito on Adam Tooby's boxart, see Neil Page's article in INFO magazine 11/2019.

  Müller's aircraft was equipped with the DB 605 AS engine, which increased power gave a better chance of intercepting and destroying the fast Mosquito at high altitudes than the conventional Bf 109 G-6 and G-14.  Müller´s machine also had the armoured headrest removed for weight reduction and a better view from the cockpit. During July 1944, Müller's pilots managed to shoot down three Mosquitos, but their commander had to wait until the night of 23-24 August to also shoot down the Wooden Wonder. His target was the crew of the Mosquito B Mk.XX (KB242) from No. 608 Sqn RAF, with Canadian F/Lt Stuart Douglas Webb at the controls. Their machine was hit by flak during a raid on Cologne. Müller attacked the damaged Mosquito near Eindhoven and after the fourth attack the British machine went into a spin at 25,000ft, which Webb recovered at 9,000ft. 

  The aircraft had a destroyed elevator trim, damaged hydraulic lines and a non functioning airspeed indicator. Webb, however, managed to get the aircraft to Woodbridge Base. Before approach, his hydraulics failed completely and during the hard landing with the landing gear retracted, the tail section of the aircraft broke off after being severely damaged by Müller's fire. A few months later Stuart D. Webb was sadly killed in a plane crash on 10 November. He became one of more than 3,700 PFF airmen who lost their lives. During World War II, Pathfinder Force crews flew 5,490 sorties against 3,440 targets. They fulfilled the motto of their No. 8 (PFF) Group, “We guide to strike”.

• Markings for Fw 190A-7 1/48

  WNr. 431007, Maj. Heinz Bär, CO of II./JG 1, Störmede, Germany, April 1944

  Heinz Bär is credited with 221 aerial victories, including 16 achieved flying the Me 262 jet fighter, ranking him in eighth place among German WWII fighter aces. In July 1943, as CO of I./JG 77 in the Mediterranean got into conflict with Göring and as punishment was transferred to the position of commander of the operational training Jagdgruppe Süd. In early 1944, however, he was assigned to II./JG 1 in Germany as a simple pilot, due to a physical assault on an NSDAP official. However, he soon took command of the combat formations of this unit, was appointed its provisional commander in March 1944, and was officially appointed at the end of April. Bär achieved 23 victories during his five months with II./JG 1 without being shot down himself. Among his most famous victories were the B-17 “Miss Ouachita” and B-24 “Flak Magnet”, the latter became his 200th victory. Bär’s machine sported the JG 1 emblem, his lucky number 13, and the 200 victory symbol painted on the white rudder that was the designation of formation leaders during this period.

   

  Hptm. Rolf Hermichen, CO of I./JG 11, Rotenburg, Germany, March 1944

  Rolf Hermichen achieved 66 kills during the WWII, the first 11 of them as a Bf 110 pilot during the battles of France and Britain. He was transferred to III./JG 26 in November 1941 and first served as an adjutant to Josef Priller, the CO of III. Gruppe. As early as May 1, 1942, Hermichen became Staffelkapitän (CO) of the 3. Staffel. When I./JG 26 moved to the Eastern Front in January 1943, he added eight more kills to his existing 21. Already as Hauptmann, on his return to the Western Front he temporarily led III. Gruppe from June 15 to July 4, 1943 and became CO of I./JG 11 on October 16. There, as a part of the Defense of the Reich, he was very successful in combat against Allied bombers. In total, he had 25 (or 26) of them to his credit. His last success came on April 24, 1944, when he shot down a P-51D. He was shot down himself on May 12 and after withdrawal from operational duty, he served at Headquarters of 2. Jagd-Division. From October 1944 to January 1945, Hermichen served as CO of II./JG 104. His Fw 190A-7 of spring 1944 had the original camouflage colors of RLM 74/75 repainted in varying intensities with the light grey-blue of RLM 76.

   

  Oblt. Otto Kittel, CO of 3./JG 54, Riga-Skulte, Latvia, August 1944

  Otto Kittel was born on February 21, 1917, to German parents in Korunov (German: Kronsdorf, since 1945 Krasov) near Jägerndorf (Krnov) in Austria-Hungary. Kittel was apprenticed as a car mechanic in Mladá Boleslav, partly learned Czech and joined the Luftwaffe in 1939. He completed his first combat deployment during the fighting in Yugoslavia in the ranks of 2./JG 54, which was deployed in the advance on Leningrad during the attack on the USSR. On June 24, 1941, Otto Kittel scored his first two aerial victories, and on September 14, 1943, he achieved his 100th kill. In March 1944 he became CO of 3./JG 54 and in May he received his personal Fw 190 A-7, the only machine of this version that was in the armament of I./JG 54. Kittel achieved over 100 victories with his A-7 and the aircraft was lost in combat in December 1944 during Kittel's leave. He was killed on February 16, 1945, in combat with a formation of four Il-2s from 502 ShAP near Džūkste, Latvia. He shot down 267 enemy aircraft during World War II, all on the Eastern Front. This result places him 4th in the Luftwaffe’s fighter ace rankings.

   

  6./JG 300, Holzkirchen, Germany, July 1944

  JG 300 was initially tasked with nighttime interception of Allied bombers headed to targets in occupied Europe as was the case with her sister unit JG 301 as well. However, at the beginning of 1944, attention shifted to daylight operations. A red band around the rear of the fuselage was the marking of the JG 300s in the rapid identification system of fighter units. The II. Gruppe of the unit was formed in July 1943 and equipped with heavily armed and armored Fw 190A-8/R2s or R8s in the summer of 1944. But the unit also received 30 A-7s between January and July. The Yellow 18 has the JG 300 emblem painted on the engine cowling. The commander of the 6./JG 300 from March 1944 was Oblt. Ernst-Erich Hirschfeld, who originally served in the Flak, after pilot and fighter training briefly flew with II./JG 54 on the Eastern Front and in August 1943 signed up for night deployment with JG 300. Until his death on July 28, 1944, he achieved 24 victories, 14 of which were four-engine bombers shot down by day and eight by night. He was posthumously awarded the Knight’s Cross in October 1944.

   

  Fw. Klaus Dietrich, Führerjägerstaffel, Rastenburg, Germany, August 1944

  This unusual aircraft was the personal machine of Klaus Dietrich, who was a member of the fighter unit that was used to escort Adolf Hitler’s flights, state visits and to provide fighter cover for the Wolf’s lair in Rastenburg, Germany (now Kętrzyn, Poland). The fighter unit (Jagdstaffel) was formed as part of the Führer-Kurierstaffel in the summer of 1944 and its commander was Oblt. Klenk. In June 1944, Klaus Dietrich was assigned to it, having achieved 17 victories during his previous service with 2./JG 51 Mölders. His career with the JG 51 was ended by a dogfight with a La-5 pilot on August 19, 1943. Severely wounded, Dietrich landed at his own airfield with 121 bullet holes in his Fw 190 and had to be airlifted to the rear for surgery. While serving with the Führerjägerstaffel, Dietrich witnessed the arrival and departure of von Stauffenberg during the fateful July 20, 1944. While covering the Wolf’s lair, Dietrich managed to shoot down a Soviet Pe-2 reconnaissance aircraft around noon of August 26, 1944. In January 1945 the unit was disbanded, and Dietrich then tested the freshly produced Me 262.

   

  WNr. 642962, Maj. Hans-Günther von Kornatzki, CO of Sturmstaffel 1, Dortmund/Salzwedel, Germany, early 1944

  Hans-Günther von Kornatzki was born in Liegnitz in Lower Silesia (today Legnica, Poland) on June 22, 1906. In 1928, he first joined the army, and transferred to the Luftwaffe on its formation in 1933. In May 1941, he married Goering's secretary Ursula Grundtmann. After she became a victim of an Allied bomber raid on Berlin, he became a supporter, and later a leader, of units tasked with intercepting the heavy bombers with heavily armed fighters from as close a range as possible. The first such unit was Sturmstaffel 1, which was deemed combat ready on January 1, 1944. With his personal mount White 20 fell on March 6, 1944, in a dogfight with two Mustangs Lt. Gerhard Dost. Sturmstaffel 1 was disbanded in May 1944 and Kornatzki took command of II.(Sturm)/JG 4. The black-white-black bands as a quick identification element of Sturmstaffel 1 were taken over by JG 4. On September 12, 1944, he led an attack against a B-17 formation near Magdeburg. After destroying one of the bombers, he was engaged by escort fighters and was shot down. In his attempt to belly in, he hit high-power lines and died in the crash. 

• Markings for Bf 109G-2 and G-4 1/72

  Bf 109G-2/R6, Oblt. Heinrich Ehrler, CO of 6./JG 5, Petsamo, Finland, March 1943

  Heinrich Ehrler served with the artillery in the pre-war period. He joined the Luftwaffe in January 1940, underwent training and was assigned to 4./JG 77 (re-designated 4./JG 5 later on). In May 1942 he was transferred to 6./JG 5 and in August he took over its command. In June 1943 he became commander of II./JG 5 and in August 1944 he was appointed Kommodore of JG 5. After the sinking of the battleship Tirpitz he stood trial by court martial on unsubstantiated charges of inadequate air cover for that ship. From February 27, 1945, he flew Me 262 fighters with JG 7. He died in combat with B-24 Liberator bombers on April 4, 1945. He managed to shoot down two of the bombers, ramming a third one. Ehrler is credited with 208 victories and was awarded the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves.

   

  Bf 109G-2/Trop, Oblt. Werner Schroer, CO of 8./JG 27, Rhodos, Greece, November 1942

  Werner Schroer achieved 61 kills in the skies over Africa, the first of which was a Hurricane downed on April 19, 1941, over Tobruk, Libya. Later, Schroer served as a Gruppenadjutant of I./JG 27. He assumed command of 8. Staffel JG 27 and in April 1943 assumed command of the entire II./JG 27. He ended the war as Geschwaderkommodore of JG 3 with 114 kills to his credit (including 26 four-engine bombers). He was awarded the Knight’s Cross on October 21, 1942 and on April 19, 1945, he became the recipient of the Swords as well. In March 1944 he took command of III./JG 54 in Western Europe and in February 1945 became the last Kommodore of JG 3. His aircraft sported typical desert camouflage scheme of RLM 79 and RLM 78, which was complemented with irregular spots of green, probably of RLM 80 shade. It is depicted here in the state of early November 1942 with sixty kill marks on the rudder.

   

  Bf 109G-2, WNr. 13670, Hptm. Hermann Graf, CO of 9./JG 52, Tusow, the Soviet Union, September 1942

  Hermann Anton Graf was born on October 24, 1912. He trained as a locksmith and was a keen football player in his youth. Later he took up sailing and entered the army in 1939. In the spring of 1940, he served in JG 51 and participated in the Battle of France. In April 1941, he fought over Greece and Crete, but did not achieve any victories during this period. His first kill came on August 4, 1941, near Kyiv and things changed. At the end of January 1942, he received the Knight’s Cross for 45 kills, in May 1942, he achieved his 100th aerial victory and received Oak Leaves and Swords in addition to the Cross. He was the fifth in line of pilots to be awarded the Diamonds to the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords on September 29, 1942. Graf became part of propaganda campaigns, even a member of the Luftwaffe football team. At the end of the war, he was leading JG 52 and retreated with the unit from East Prussia, through Silesia and into Bohemia. He surrendered on May 8, 1945, in Písek (South Bohemia) to Americans. They promptly handed him over to Russians and Graf spent more than four years in captivity.

   

  Bf 109G-2, Maj. Heinz Bär, CO of I./JG 77, Comiso, Italy, September 1942

  Heinz Bär is credited with 221 aerial victories, including 16 he achieved when flying the Me 262 jet fighter, ranking him eighth among German WWII fighter aces. As a fighter pilot, he entered combat in September 1939 and downed his first victim over the French – German border. Progressively Bär fought in the Battle of Britain, over the Eastern Front, in the Mediterranean and took part in the defence of the Third Reich. He commanded I./JG 77 from May 1942 to the end of July 1943 when he left JG 77 after disagreements with Hermann Göring. From October 1942 to May 1943 in Africa the I./JG 77 with 192 kills was most successful Jagdgruppe on this battlefield. On both sides of the fuselage a caricature of the Leipzig coat of arms was painted, which was used by Sachsenfunk company as its advertising. Bär, native of Sommerfeld near Leipzig, was allegedly given a lion cub as a gift from Leipzig Zoo. The animal was apparently the inspiration for the choice of the caricature.

   

  Bf 109G-2, WNr. 10423, Obfw. Kurt Stöber, 7./JG 54, Izocha, the Soviet Union, January 1943

  Kurt Stöber was born on April 24, 1918, in Dermbach. He joined the Luftwaffe and took part in the fighting in Spain in the ranks of the Legion Condor. He achieved his first kill on the Eastern Front on March 22, 1942. In January 1943, bad weather conditions prevailed in the vicinity of Velikiye Luki, yet III./JG 54 operated there to help Wehrmacht troops escape from encirclement. The operation failed and the ground troops surrendered on January 16, 1943. Obfw. Kurt Stöber achieved 8 confirmed kills during these flights. During a dogfight on January 15, 1943, plane of Obfw. Kurt Stöber was hit in the engine by a LaGG-3 pilot, was forced to make an emergency landing in Red Army controlled territory and fell into captivity. He achieved a total of 36 victories and in February 1943, in absentia, received the German Cross in gold. He was lucky and survived all the hardships of captivity, returning home in 1948. He died on May 2, 2000.

   

  Bf 109G-2/R6, WNr. 13633, Hptm. Wolf-Dieter Huy, CO of 7./JG 77, Tanyet Harun, Egypt, October 1942

  Wolf-Dieter Huy joined the Kriegsmarine in 1935, and was transferred over to the Luftwaffe on October 1, 1937, where he underwent fighter training. His assignment was to 4.(J)/TrGr. 186, the fighter unit of the Graf Zeppelin aircraft carrier. This ship was never completed, and the unit was redesignated 7./JG 77. Huy took part in combat over France, as well as over Britain, and over the Balkans. The unit gained notable success in the battle for Crete and Huy, who accumulated 22 victories, was awarded the Knight’s Cross on June 5, 1941. The Oak Leaves were added in March 1942. After early combats on the Eastern Front the unit moved to Egypt. There, on October 29, 1942, was Wolf-Dieter Huy captured after he had been shot down by future ace J. H. Nichols of No. 601 Squadron, flying a Spitfire Mk.Vc. Huy’s Bf 109G-2 from the time the unit moved to North Africa bore the non-typical camouflage made up of RLM 70 and 71 (some sources suggest a Soviet AMT-4 Green). The yellow band behind the fuselage cross, common on aircraft serving on the Eastern Front, was hastily overpainted with a fresh colour RLM 71 (or Russian AMT-4 Green), and partially replaced by white paint used on aircraft that fought on the Southern Front. The wingtips were also painted white. The rudder was decorated with the pilot’s score and awards.

   

  Bf 109G-2, lntm. Eino Ilmari Juutilainen, 1/HLeLv 34, Suulajärvi, Finland, April 1944

  Aircraft WNr. 14754 with factory code RJ+SX was taken over by 3/LeLv 34 in March 1943. In May 1943, kers. A. Nuorala, vääp. U. Lehtovaara and kers. A. Alakoski scored victories with this plane. The most successful Finnish fighter lntm. Eino Ilmari Juutilainen flew the MT-213 as well. Luutn. R. Valli crashed with MT-213 on May 20 and the aircraft was sent for overhaul. In January 1944, 1/LeLv 34 received the plane with a new paint job, but vääp. N. Katajainen landed it on its belly on February 27 due to an engine failure. In May, MT-213 was taken over by 2/HLeLv 24 and three kills were scored by luutn. Riihikallio. After overhaul, the aircraft was repainted with olive green and black paint on the upper surfaces, while RLM 65 was applied on the lower surfaces. The aircraft sported a yellow band on the nose and aft fuselage and yellow lower wing tips (165 cm wide). The original German markings have been repainted. In their place the Finnish insignia was applied – at first a white circle with a blue swastika, later the white circle was overpainted with light grey during repair following the belly landing of vääp. Katajainen. The decal sheet offers both variants.

   

  Bf 109G-4/R6, Obfw. Rainer Pöttgen, 3./JG 27, Fels am Wagram, Austria, October 1943

  Rainer Pöttgen was the most famous wingman of the legendary fighter pilot Hans-Joachim Marseille. He served in Africa with I./JG 27 from December 1941 and perfectly fulfilled the role of a reliable wingman who covered his leader’s back, allowing him to concentrate on the target. Pöttgen gained his first victory on June 1, 1942, after 100 combat missions flown with Marseille. Because of his leader’s high number of victories, Pöttgen was nicknamed the “Flying Counter” (fliegendes Zählwerk). He also flew with Marseille during the fateful day in which the famous pilot died. Pöttgen served with I./JG 27 in 1943, first in France, where he achieved four victories during the spring and summer. At the end of July 1943, his unit moved to Austria and was integrated into the Defence of strengthen the Reich. The armament of the unit’s aircraft was strengthened by MG 151/20 underwing cannons to be more effective in the combats with Allied four-engine bombers. Pöttgen survived the war during which he achieved seven victories. He was a valued member of the JG 27 veterans organization.

   

  Bf 109G-4/R6, WNr. 14997, Lt. Erich Hartmann, 7./JG 52, Taman, the Soviet Union, May 1943

  Lt. Erich Hartmann, the most successful fighter ace in history, began to ply his trade with 7./JG 52, to which he was assigned on October 10, 1942. He first flew the Bf 109G-2, but by the first half of March 1943, the unit began accepting the Bf 109G-4. From the beginning of May 1943, after gaining his 11th and 12th kills, he was made Rottenführer (leader of a two-aircraft flight) and his score began to quickly rise to reach 352 by the end of the war. For his success, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. Hartmann’s “White 2” was camouflaged in the standard Luftwaffe scheme consisting of RLM 74/75/76. The factory codes on the fuselage sides and the bottom of the wings were not completely obliterated, but only partially oversprayed with a white wave (III. Gruppe marking), the white number 2 and a yellow band, which together with the yellow bottom wing tips was common to Luftwaffe aircraft operating on the Eastern Front. The front of the aircraft carried the marking of its previous user, I./JG 52. Flying this aircraft, Uffz. H. Meissler was forced to land behind enemy lines by Soviet fighters due to an engine failure on May 28, 1943 and was taken prisoner.

   

  Bf 109G-4, WNr. 19347, Rtk. Ján Režňák, 13.(slowakische)/JG 52, Anapa, the Soviet Union, April–May 1943

  Jan Režňák launched his military career as a member of Czechoslovak Air Force. He became a member of Slovak Armed Forces in 1939 when the independent Slovak State was formed. As a Third Reich ally, Slovakia participated in the war against the Soviet Union. Slovak Letka (flight) 13 fought under the command of JG 52. Režňák achieved a total of 32 aerial victories over the Eastern Front, making him the most successful Slovak and also Czechoslovak fighter ace. Seven opponents out of his total score were downed with WNr. 19347 in late April and early May of 1943. The tricolor on the spinner is typical for Messerschmitts flown by Slovak pilots. Note the unusual color of the cowling that doesn’t match the rest of the camouflage. Originally painted in yellow, it was probably oversprayed with a camouflage color by ground personnel. Režňák did not take part in the Slovak National Uprising and rejoined Czechoslovak Air Force in the summer of 1945. He was discharged from the service after 1948 Communist coup.

   

  Bf 109G-4/Trop, WNr. 10795, Oblt. Wolfgang Tonne, CO of 3./JG 53, Bizerta, Tunisia, February 1943

  Wolfgang Tonne was born on February 28, 1918, in Moosbach and joined the Luftwaffe in 1937. In May 1940 he took part in the Battle of France in the ranks of JG 53, then fought in the Battle of Britain and consecutively took part in in Operation Barbarossa with the same unit. At the end of 1941, JG 53 moved to Sicily to support Luftwaffe attacks on Malta. There, in January 1942, Wolfgang Tonne was given command of the 3. Staffel. In May 1942, 3./JG 53 was again sent to the Eastern Front, here Wolfgang Tonne achieved his 101st kill and was awarded the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves. In October 1942, 3./JG 53 was sent to North Africa. Tonne’s “Yellow 7” with the numeral 6 painted underneath after the previous user had awards and kills painted on the left side of the rudder. In April 1943, Tonne’s unit was based at Protville airfield in Tunisia. He scored his 122nd kill on April 20, 1943. On returning to the home airfield in his Bf 109G-6/R1 WNr. 16523 he performed a victory roll, apparently misjudging the altitude and losing control of his aircraft. The risky maneuver cost him life.

   

  Bf 109G-4/R6/Trop, Lt. Franz Schiehs, CO of 8./JG 53, Tindja, Tunis, April 1943

  Austrian Franz Schiehs saw combat over Britain with JG 53, followed by action against the Soviet Union, where he shot down fourteen enemy aircraft over a two month period. At the beginning of August 1941, JG 53 returned to Germany, re-equipped and transferred first to Sicily and later to Africa. The number of claims made by Schiehs grew and he achieved his 36th victory on January 29, 1943, being given command of 8./JG 53 on February 16 of the same year. Holding the rank of Oberleutnant and score of 55 downed enemy aircraft, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross on June 21, 1943. On September 2, 1943, he led an intercept of American bombers over Mount Vesuvius and remained missing after the combat. It is assumed that he fell victim to escorting P-38s. The camouflage scheme applied to Schiehs’s aircraft consisted of RLM 78/79 and was complemented by the relevant theatre of operations recognition marks – the spinner, fuselage band and lower wing tips all in white. The engine cowl had the JG 53 unit insignia placed on it. The yellow rudder recorded the number of kills up to the end of March 1943. The original (likely Staff) markings on the fuselage sides were sprayed over with fresh RLM 79 and replaced with a “Black 1”. Aircraft of the unit had fields of the upper surfaces of the wings sprayed RLM 80 Olivgrün.

   

  Bf 109G-4/R6, WNr. 19566, Lt. Giuseppe Gianelli, CO of 365a Squadriglia, 150o Gruppo Autonomo, Sciacca, Sicily, May–July 1943

  Italian Macchi C.202 fighters flown by the Regia Aeronautica from the beginning of the war were due to be replaced by their more capable descendants, the C.205, Fiat G.55 and Reggiane Re.2005s. Due to slow production initiation of the later types and the need for fighters to combat Allied air power, Germany was asked to supply its southern ally with the Messerschmitt Bf 109G, mostly in form of the G-6 version. The Italians received ten Bf 109G-4s, and these were, along with G-2 and G-6 aircraft, assigned to the 150o Gruppo Autonomo. This unit was made up of the 363a, 364a a 365a Squadriglia and to counter the Allied air threat, they were based at Sicily. The Bf 109G-4 used by Italian units came from Luftwaffe stocks and so were camouflaged in RLM 74/75/76. The German national insignia were oversprayed with the Italian color Grigio Azzurro Chiaro 1, and, as in the case of aircraft 365-1, with the addition of small squiggles of Verde Oliva Scuro 2. The usual white identifiers used on the southern front were added to be consistent with Luftwaffe aircraft.

   

  Bf 109G-4, Lt. Av. Petre Protopopescu, Escadrila 57, Grupul 7, Vânătoare, Kirovograd, the Soviet Union, June 1943

  Alongside the German armed forces, combat against the Soviet Union was also carried out by Axis allies, i.e., Finland, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Spain. Romanian ground units operated alongside Germans on the southern front and were supported by their own air units. In March 1943, the Romanian unit Grupul 7 began to accept Messerschmitts Bf 109G but was subsequently moved to combat areas in Ukraine. The aircraft flown by Lt. Av. Petre Protopopescu carried a camouflage scheme composed of German RLM 74/75/76. The German national insignia was oversprayed with the same colors, and the markings were replaced by Romanian, i.e., the St. Michael Cross, while the rudder carried the Romanian national colors. Both sides of the front of the fuselage carried the inscription “Don Pedro”, the pilot’s nickname.

• Markings for F6F-3 Hellcat 1/48

  VF-34, Green Island (Nissan Island), Papua New Guinea, March–April 1944

  The history of VF-34 is rather uncommon as it was assembled in just four weeks and thrown immediately into an action in the final phase of the Operation Cartwheel (neutralization of the Japanese base on Rabaul). Of 45 pilots just one had seen any combat. The unexperienced unit was not attached to any Air Group and leaved San Diego on February 13. After they equipped themselves with all needed on Espiritu Santo, they moved to Guadalcanal on March 3, starting their tour on March 7 from Piva Yoke airfield on Bougainville. Enemy attacks forced the Squadron to move to Vella Lavella Island and, finally, to Green Island (now Nissan Island), which became their permanent base. They flew bomber escort or ground attack missions but did not engage any enemy aircraft during 55 days of the tour. The pilots flew a total of 1,165 sorties from Green Island and 177 from Bougainville. The Squadron was disbanded immediately after return and the designation VF-34 was used again as VF-53 was renamed so. Hellcats of “first” VF-34 had upper side of horizontal tail surfaces and rear fuselage ridge painted white for recognition reasons. Some pilots took advantage of distant “big brass” eyes and decorated their aircraft. This one got the painting made after the Antonio Vargas’ Esquire calendar girl (May 1944) on the port side of the nose, while the starboard sported the girl from August 1944. This one was most probably simple cutout glued to the aircraft. It is not known to which of the pilots was this aircraft assigned.     

   

  VF-27, USS Princeton (CVL-23), October 1944

  Among the most recognizable markings carried by US Navy aircraft were those of the Hellcats of VF-27 operating from the board of USS Princeton. Their shark mouths and bloodshot, menacing eyes seared themselves into the memories of many Japanese pilots. The uncommon and unofficial markings were painted on to the front of all of VF-27’s aircraft by one of its pilots, Robert Burnell. These birds, adorned in this way, wreaked havoc everywhere they engaged in combat over the Pacific from May to October 1944. During this span, some 200 enemy aircraft were destroyed. The string of success was snapped on October 24, 1944, when the Princeton was hit by a Japanese bomb from alone Japanese Judy. The dive bomber dropped a single bomb, which punched through the wooden flight deck and hangar before exploding. Structural damage was only minor, but a fire broke out and quickly spread because of burning gasoline. Cruisers and destroyers came to help and USS Birmingham as a largest ship there took the lead role in firefighting. In the frantic activity Princeton collided with some of the assisting ships and damaged them. Worse to it, the fire caused multiple explosions and the biggest of them damaged Birmingham extensively with considerable casualties. USS Irwin rescued 646 men from Princeton before she was sunk by torpedoes. CO of the VF-27, LtCdr. Frederick A. Bardshar reformed his unit in time to return to the Western Pacific aboard USS Independence (CVL-22). But during the tour from June 10 to October 31, only one more victory was scored by entire Squadron, which was disbanded on November 26, 1945. 

    

  Bu.No. 40994, Lt. Alexander Vraciu, VF-16, USS Lexington (CV-16), June 1944

  Vraciu had enrolled in the Civilian Pilot Training program and earned his private rating in the summer of 1940. Immediately after graduation in June 1941 he enlisted in the Navy as an aviation cadet, beginning instruction in October. Ensign Vraciu received his Wings in August 1942 and joined VF-3 in March 1943. It was the unit led by LtCmdr. Edward H. O’Hare, one of the significant heroes in the first year of the war. Due to a realignment of Navy squadrons, VF-3 was redesignated VF-6 in July 1943 and Vraciu shot down his first victim on October 5, 1943. He added eight more with VF-6 and having finished his tour of duty with VF-6, he declined to return to the USA and on his own request, he was assigned to VF-16 aboard USS Lexington (CV-16) from February 27. During his service with this unit, he was credited with further 10 victories. His best day came on June 19, 1944, when during the Battle of the Philippine Sea (thanks to the enormous number of victories over the Japanese airplanes also known as The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot) he claimed six Japanese D4Y Judy dive bombers shot down in the mere eight minutes. Vraciu’s plane with number 32 sported standard camouflage of the Navy aircraft of that time, but there was a noticeable overpainting of the previous marking, including the stencils, right under the fuselage number.

   

  JV 111, Sgt. (AROV) Charles A. M. Poublon, No. 800 Squadron FAA, HMS Emperor, August 1944

  August 15, 1944, was the start of the Operation Dragoon, the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Southern France. One of the units taking part was No. 800 Sqn FAA, operating Hellcats together with No. 804 Sqn. from the board of HMS Emperor. As the ship was involved in aerial cover over western approaches to the Channel during the Overlord operation, her Hellcats sported invasion stripes. Concurrently they were given the red paint on front cowling, identifying marking for Operation Dragoon. The JV111 was lost on third day of operations. With Dutch pilot Charles Alphonse Marie Poublon in cockpit, it received Flak hits and damaged was ditched off the Spanish coast. Pilot was rescued and continued his service with unit and later also with No. 60 Sqn. RAF in Burma. After the war he served with the Royal Netherlands Navy until transferring to the Royal Netherlands Air Force in 1954. As a member of the 314 Squadron, he set up the demo team called “Red Noses” in 1956, the same year he was named CO of 2e Tactische Jachtgroep (2nd Tactical Fighter Group). He retired as Lieutnant Colonel and passed away on December 4, 1992, in Laren at the age of 71. Poublon was not the only Dutch in the ranks of No. 800 Sqn. as five more joined the unit before the operation Dragoon (transferred from No. 1840 Sqn.). The wreck of JV111 was recovered in 1984 and revealed missing black stripes on the bottom of the fuselage. Whether the these were never painted, or partially removed is not known.             

• Markings for Tempest Mk.V Series 1 1/48

  JN751, W/Cdr Roland P. Beamont, CO of No. 150 Wing, Bradwell Bay, Great Britain, April 1944

  Roland Prosper Beamont was born on August 10, 1920, in Enfield, Middlesex County, and had been fascinated by airplanes since childhood. In 1939, he underwent pilot training and was assigned to No. 87 Squadron, flying Hurricanes. From May 1942, he served with No. 79 Squadron, and in December of the same year, after completing his tour of duty, he joined the Hawker factory as a test pilot. In June 1942, he joined the 56th Squadron, flying Typhoons, and later he was transferred to No. 609 Squadron, which flew the same type of aircraft. In January 1943, he assumed command of the unit. In mid-May 1943, he returned to Hawker, where he participated in testing Typhoon and Tempest aircraft. In February 1944, he was appointed as the commander of the newly established No. 150 Wing, consisting of No. 3, No. 56, and No. 486 Squadrons, which exclusively operated the new Hawker Tempest aircraft. One of the privileges of being the wing commander was the ability to mark the aircraft with one's initials. W/Cdr Beamont took advantage of this opportunity, and his personal Tempest was painted with the letters R B. Beneath the front emblem, on the right side of the fuselage, Beamont's aircraft carried the designation of Wing Commander.

   

  JN751, W/Cdr Roland P. Beamont, CO of No. 150 Wing, Newchurch, Great Britain, June 1944

  In May 1944, No. 150 Wing was declared operational, although only No. 3 and No. 486 Squadrons were equipped with Tempests, while No. 56 Squadron had to wait until June 1944 and temporarily used Spitfire Mk. IX aircraft. During the invasion, the Tempests of No. 150 Wing were tasked with ground attacks against enemy forces, and from mid-June, they also provided protection for southern England against V-1 flying bombs. Beamont’s aircraft had its camouflage enhanced on the eve of the European invasion with distinctive markings in the form of white and black stripes on the rear fuselage, applied by ground personnel by hand. In this newly marked Tempest, Beamont scored a victory over a Bf 109G on D+2.

   

  JN751, W/Cdr Roland P. Beamont, CO of No. 150 Wing, Newchurch, Great Britain, June – July 1944

  During June, the field-applied invasion stripes on JN751 were replaced with factory-applied paint at Hawker. This type of paint application had a positive impact on performance, which was crucial for achieving maximum speed while in combat with V-1 flying bombs. Most of Beamont’s 31 V-1 victories were achieved in this aircraft. JN751 was replaced as his personal aircraft in September 1944 with a new Series 2 Tempest Mk.V sporting the code RPB (EJ706). At the end of September 1944, the entire unit, under Beamont's command, moved to liberated European territory. On October 12, Beamont's aircraft was hit by flak in the radiator, forcing him to make an emergency landing in enemy territory, where he spent the rest of the war. During World War II, he achieved nine enemy aircraft kills and was awarded the DFC & Bar and DSO & Bar. After the war, Beamont worked as a test pilot and flew aircraft such as the Meteor, Vampire, Canberra, Lightning, and the impressive TSR-2. He retired in August 1979 and passed away on November 19, 2001.

   

  JN738, No. 486 (RNZAF) Squadron, RAF Station Castle Camp, Great Britain, April 1944

  No. 486 Squadron was established on March 7, 1942, at Kirton in Lindsey base, and its personnel were predominantly New Zealanders. Initially, it was equipped with Hawker Hurricane aircraft, but from July 1942, it used Hawker Typhoons. Due to its excellent performance, it was selected as the first unit to transition to Tempests Mk.V. The new aircraft were received in January and February 1944, and it became part of the newly formed No. 150 Wing, also equipped with Tempests. It was declared fully operational in April 1944. The camouflage of the new Tempests consisted of the Day Fighter Scheme colors, with the upper and side surfaces painted Dark Green and Ocean Grey, and the lower surfaces in Medium Sea Grey. During this period, black and white stripes were added to the lower wing surfaces of Typhoons and Tempests for better identification of friendly aircraft.

    

  JN735, No. 3 Squadron, Newchurch, Great Britain, June 1944

  No. 3 Squadron, founded in 1912, was initially equipped with Hawker Hurricanes at the outbreak of World War II, and it fought over Belgium and France as a part of the British Expeditionary Force. After returning to Great Britain, it flew patrols over the Royal Navy naval base in Scapa Flow and, from April 1941, served as a night fighter squadron in southern England. In June 1943, it converted to Hawker Typhoon aircraft, and in February 1944, it was equipped with Hawker Tempests. With these aircraft, it participated in preparations for the invasion of Europe, the defense of southern England against V-1 flying bombs, and the subsequent deployment to Europe, where it supported advancing Allied units until the end of the war. The Tempests of No. 3 Squadron did not carry the standard invasion stripes on the lower wing surface after April 20, 1944. They used the code letters QO until May 1944 when they changed to the letters JF.

   

  JN769, No. 287 Squadron, Gatwick, Great Britain, December 1944 – January 1945

  After the Tempest squadrons were fully equipped with Series 2 aircraft, surviving Series 1 Tempests were refurbished by Hawker and assigned to No. 287 Squadron around the turn of 1944 and 1945. This squadron played a secondary role, participating in calibration flights for anti-aircraft units along the British coastline. The red code letters corresponded to RAF instructions at the time.

• Markings for Fokker Dr.I 1/72

  450/17, Lt. Josef Jacobs, CO of Jasta 7, Rumbeke, Belgium, March 1918

  Josef Carl Peter Jacobs was born on May 15, 1984 in Kreuzkapelle, Rhineland. From his school days he had been fascinated with flying and started to learn how to control aircraft even before the war.  Immediately after the outbreak of the Great War, he joined the ranks of the Luftstreitkräfte (German air force) and after training was assigned to the observation unit FA 11 on July 3, 1915. In March 1916 he was transferred to Fokkerstaffel West (from October 6, 1916 it transformed to Jasta 12) where he remained until the end of January 1917 when he was transferred to Jasta 22. From August 2, 1917, he took command of Jasta 7 and stayed with the unit until the Armistice. At that time, his score counted 48 victories. After the war, Jacobs found himself fighting in the Baltic against the Russian Bolsheviks as a part of Kommando Sachsenberg. Subsequently he trained Turkish military pilots. After Hitler came to power, Jacobs refused to join the NSDAP and emigrated to the Netherlands. After the end of World War II, he returned to Bavaria, where he died in Munich on July 29, 1978. He had his two personal Dreideckers at Jasta 7, both painted black. Jacobs later had an engine and propeller from a Sopwith Camel fitted to one of them, the No. 450/17. The sides of the fuselage sported drawing of a devil spitting fire. Existing photography evidence shows the shape of the drawing on the starboard side, while a contemporary illustration of his aircraft shows the left side. Jacobs himself confirmed this one as correct after the war. This evidence leads to the conclusion the paintings differed.

   

  425/17 Rtm. Manfred A. Freiherr von Richthofen, CO of JG 1, Lechelle, France, March 1918

  Manfred Albrecht von Richthofen is rightfully considered the greatest fighter pilot of the First World War as he knocked eighty enemies down prior to his death on April 21, 1918. On contrary to the general perception, the Fokker Dr.I was not his typical mount, as he shot down only 17 out of his 80 victims while flying the Dreidecker for the short period of March and April 1918. Manfred von Richthofen was assigned to the Luftstreitkräfte on his own request in 1915 after his service with a cavalry unit. He became an observer but when he met Oswald Boelcke, the charisma of this fighter ace made him to request pilot training. On completion of that, he became pilot of observer aircraft, but after another meeting with Boelcke he joined the newly formed Jasta 2 fighter unit. In January 1917, von Richthofen was awarded the highly coveted Pour le Mérite and was subsequently made CO of Jasta 11. In June 1917, he received orders to form Jagdgeschwader 1 from Jasta 4, 6, 10 and 11 units and led this “wing” until his death on April 21, 1918. Von Richthofen had his aircraft painted red from January 1917 when he led Jasta 11 and flew the Albatros D.III. He carried this practice over to the Fokker Dr.I which he flew as JG 1 Commanding Officer. According to some sources the aircraft obtained its red color in factory and so the finish was therefore of good quality.  

   

  454/17, Lt. Lothar Freiherr von Richthofen, Jasta 11, Avesnes-le-Sec, France, March 1918

  Lothar von Richthofen was to a certain degree the opposite of his older brother Manfred. While Manfred carefully calculated risks and attacked from a favorable position as much as possible, Lothar got into fights at every opportunity. This helped him to achieve seventeen aerial victories during first two months of his fighter service. On the other hand, his combat style was very risky and on several occasions interrupted his career for a long-term due to various injuries. One of these came on March 13, 1918, when in combat with Bristols F.2B belonging to the No. 62 Squadron caused a collapse of the leading edge of the top wing of his Fokker Dr.I 454/17. Lothar managed to crash-land crippled aircraft, but it took him till the middle of July to recover from the resulting injuries. His total score of forty kills came over the course of a mere 77 days of actual combat flying! The aircraft with which Lothar von Richthofen crashed on March 13, 1917, carried a standard Fokker factory “streaked” finish but the rear fuselage and the upper surface of the top wing was oversprayed yellow, the color of the Dragoner Regiment “von Bredow” Nr. 4, a unit with which Lothar von Richthofen served earlier. The engine cowl, wheel hubs and wing struts were painted red, which was the color of Jasta 11.

   

  545/17, Lt. Hans Weiss, Jasta 11, Cappy, France, April 1918

  Hans Weiss, a native of Hof, began his flying career in June 1916 as an observer and gunner with FFA 282, FFA 28 and FFA 68 units. After training at Jastaschule Valenciennes, he joined Jasta 41, where he scored his first ten kills. Next he was transferred to Jasta 10 on March 17, 1918, where he added another victory. Afterwards he was assigned to Jasta 11. He scored his first victory there on April 2, 1918 and on April 8 was named as temporary commander of the unit but eventually he led it until his death on May 2, 1918, when he was shot down by fire from No. 209 Squadron RAF Sopwith Camel flown by M. S. Taylor. The Dreidecker flown by Hans Weiss had the upper surface of the top wing and the rear section of the fuselage painted white. The wing struts, wheel hubs and engine cowl were red, which was the color of Jasta 11.

   

  404/17, Hptm. Adolf Ritter von Tutschek, JG 2, Toulis, France, February 1918

  Adolf Ritter von Tutschek was born on May 16, 1891, in the Bavarian town of Ingolstadt. He joined the army even before the war, and its outbreak found him serving with the 3rd Infanterie-Regiment “Prinz Karl von Bayern” as a lieutenant. He would see combat on both the western and eastern fronts. For his service against the Russians, he was awarded the Rittenkreuz des Militar-Max-Joseph-Ordens (the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Max-Joseph) which bestowed upon him the title of Ritter. As an infantryman, he was seriously wounded several times (grenade, gas). Afterwards, he requested a transfer to the Luftstreitkräfte and after training, he served as artillery spotter from October 1916 till January 1917 with FA 6b. Subsequently, he was transferred to Jasta Boelcke, where he gained three kills, and on April 28, 1917, he was named CO of Jasta 12. On August 11 he was seriously wounded in combat with C. D. Booker of No. 8 Squadron RNAS. After being released, he was named the first CO of Jagdgeschwader 2 and on March 10, 1918, he reached his 27th victory. Five days later he was shot down and killed by H. B. Redle from No. 24 Squadron RFC. The aircraft in which Hptm. von Tutschek died carried a standard Fokker Dr.I “streaked” camouflage and a turquoise color on the lower ones. The rear part of the fuselage was overpainted with black and the engine cowl was white, which was typical for Jasta 12, one of the JG 2 units.

• Markings for Bf 109G-6/AS 1/48

  WNr. 110087, Hptm. Horst Carganico, CO of I./JG 5, Herzogenaurach, Germany, May 1944

  The first unit in which the then twenty-two-year-old Lt. Carganico served after completing flight training was JG 1 at the beginning of the war. This was followed by service with JG 77 with which he saw combat in Norway and then the Battle of Britain. On January 1, 1941, he returned to Norway where he commanded 1./JG 77. On September 25, 1941, Carganico achieved his 27th kill and was awarded the Knight’s Cross. In March 1942, Carganico’s unit was redesignated 6./JG 5 and he was given command of the entire II. Gruppe in April 1942. On March 26, 1944, he took over I./JG 5 as CO and the unit saw combat against Allied forces within the Defense of the Reich. On April 27 of the same year, Carganico took off for the last time. In an attack on a group of B-17s, his Bf 109G-5 was heavily damaged and during his attempt to belly-land, he struck some high power lines and died in the resulting crash near the French town of Chevry. His final tally consisted of sixty kills over the course of 600 sorties. Bf 109G-6/AS aircraft were assigned to the high altitude interception units, therefore they were camouflaged in the overall coat of RLM 76. Hptm. Carganico had Mickey Mouse painted on the fuselage port side, marking carried by his previous airplanes. Starboard side is not photographically documented, it may have carried the Gruppe Commander’s double chevron marking.

   

  WNr. 412807, Uffz. Heinz Zimmermann, 6./JG 27, Fels am Wagram, Austria, July 1944

  In the beginning of April 1944, first Bf 109G-6/AS aircraft were delivered to JG 1, JG 5 and JG 11 units, the following month several aircraft were delivered to JG 3 and also to JG 27, at that time based at the Fels am Wagram airport in Austria. Yellow 2 was camouflaged in RLM 74/75/76 colors sporting the Reich Defense marking of the aircraft serving with JG 27, i.e., green band around the rear fuselage. Irregular stripes of RLM 74 were applied on the engine cowling sides at the unit. There is a    FuG 16 system antenna mounted at the bottom of the fuselage.

   

  Stab I./JG 3, Gütersloh, Germany, July 1944

  The patches of RLM 74/75 were applied to the originally overall gray (RLM 76) aircraft at the unit level while the fuselage sides, tail surfaces and engine cowling sides were sprayed with the irregular stripes of RLM 74. The white stripe surrounding the rear fuselage was an insignia of the JG 3 aircraft flying Reich Defense missions. JG 3 insignia was sprayed on both sides of the engine cowling.

   

  Hptm. Friedrich-Karl Müller, CO of 1./NJGr. 10, Werneuchen, Germany, July 1944

  Friedrich-Karl Müller, the future Knight’s Cross recipient and the ace with thirty night victories over the enemy aircraft, was born on December 4, 1912, in Sulzbach in Saarland. In 1934 he completed his pilot training and got the job with Lufthansa. After the outbreak of World War II, he was transferred to the Luftwaffe. Initially, he was flying as a transport pilot, later as an instrument flying instructor. In December 1942, he was assigned to KG 50 flying with He 177s and in the summer of the following year he responded to Hajo Hermann call and requested the reassignment to JG 300 famous for its Wilde Sau (single-engine fighter night interception without airborne radar guidance) tactics. While serving with this unit, Müller was credited with 19 victories and in January 1944 he was ordered to form 1./NJGr. 10. In August 1944, he was promoted to command I./NJG 11 and was leading this unit until the end of World War II. He passed away on November 2, 1987. The lower and part of side surfaces were painted black to better suit night conditions. The red band around the rear fuselage indicated the original owner of this aircraft within Reich Defense system was JG 300. The pilot’s score was painted on both sides of the rudder in the form of the twenty-three stripes with the enemy nationality and date of the victory.

   

  Oblt. Manfred Dieterle, 2./EJG 2, Hagenow, Germany, December 1944

  Ergänzungsnachtjagdstaffel was established on March 9, 1944, in Ludwigslust and its task was the operational training of the single-engine night fighter pilots who were afterwards destined for JG 300, JG 301, JG 302 and later for NJG 10 and NJG 11. In the end of July, the Staffel was extended to the Gruppe size (EJGr. 2) and in the beginning of November the name was changed to EJG 2. In the meantime, the relocation to the Hagenow airport took place. In October the unit received Messerschmitts Bf 109G-6/AS and G-14/AS with which the instructors were to fly the night sorties against British Mosquitoes. Contrary to the training aircraft which carried the markings of the particular Staffel (1. Staffel white, 2. Staffel red, 3. Staffel yellow, 4. Staffel blue) these combat ones were marked with the numerals in green color. The original camouflage of Green 5 was oversprayed with black color for better night camouflaging and it also carried EJG 2 insignia on the port side of the fuselage nose.

• Tail End Charlie

  Shows
  

  
  

  Text: Jakub Nademlejnský

  
  

  This autumn is one of the most traveled periods of our of exhibition and show team. In less than one month, we visited four exhibitions: E-Day in Milovice, Picchitatelli Trophy in Bergamo, Nitra Model in Slovakia and Scale Model Challenge in Eindhoven, and this represents a record. The last two mentioned exhibitions were even held on the same date. I don't think we've ever been to two big full-scale events at the same time. Because of this situation, we had to create an additional show team and train them with the systems that we employ at events like these. Then, there is the fact that somehow, we needed to get everything together for two simultaneous shows. Since this whole event coincided with one of the biggest Afterparty internet events, the one after E-Day, there was such a buzz in our sales department and warehouse that eventually, other colleagues from different departments joined the whole preparatiory operation in addition to the warehouse staff. In the end, we managed everything with all our might and successfully participated in everything that was scheduled to happen.

  If you haven't read the special edition E-Day newsletter section and are interested in what it was like on E-Day, it's definitely worth a read. I personally first attended the Picchiatelli Trophy exhibition in the suburb of Bergamo in the town of Scanzorosciante, where we came at the invitation of friends from Italy. We brought with us the October group of new releases and a small stand. Participation in the competition was the icing on the cake of our trip to Italy, which we combined with a tour of several museums. We also measured and 3D scanned the what we needed to get into other projects. The trip was spectacular and we traveled across half of Italy in a week. We got as far as Rome, from where we drove to Scanzorosciante. I have to highlight the competition itself. Although the event was not one of the biggest in Europe in terms of space or number of vendors, I was really impressed by the quality of the models as well as the international cast on the judging committee full of big names in the field.

  A view of the display tables at Picchiatelli Trophy from the Eduard table.

  Eduard vendor table at Picchiatelli Trophy

  Stanislav Archman, Vladimír Šulc, Jakub Nademlejnský and their Italian friends at a dinner during Picchiatelli Trophy

  
  

  The following week, we made the trek to the Scale Model Challenge in Eindhoven. This event was announced in advance by the organizers as one of the biggest model exhibitions in Europe, filling us with anticipation. Our team participated in the event for the first time this year and I must admit that our expectations were easily satisfied. The level of organization and its professionalism, the wonderful venue with secure accommodations in the adjacent hotel, but especially the breathtakingly well arranged show, with the models being directly lit by several hundred lamps, which really enchanted us. Thanks to the participation, we could see a lot of modellers not only from the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Great Britain and Germany, but also from different parts of the world. Again, after a long time, we could see representatives of other modeling companies, which we did not see this year at the fair in Nuremberg. We drove to Italy and the Netherlands in our company vehicle, which is painted up in the markings of Meyer's Petie 2nd P-51D Mustang. If you caught up with us anywhere along the way and managed to take a picture of our chariot, please share the photo with me. Send it to me at jakub.nademlejnsky@eduard.cz, we would like to share the best photos on our channels.

  Eduard vendor table at Scale Model Challenge in Eindhoven

  
  

   The second exhibition team from Nitra also arrived with very good impressions. The organizers of the Nitra show have raised the bar a bit higher compared to last year, and last year’s show was a great one in and of itself. Once again, they filled the sports hall with interesting vendors, lots of visitors, and especially beautiful models on display. Most likely, they have permanently found a place in our calendar of events that we simply must not miss each year.

  Eduard vendor table at Nitra.

  Nitra sports hall filled to capacity.

  ….a little something for the jubilee customer at Nitra

  
  

• Air War over Ukraine

  Mi-8 helicopters are ubiquitous and highly needed. This series of images was recently published by the Ukrainian armed forces.

  
  

  Defeat of the Black Sea Fleet

   

  Text: Miro Barič

  Photos:  Ukrainian armed forces, social media and other public sources

  
  

  During the period from September 1 to September 30, there were several successful Ukrainian attacks on the occupied Crimea. This led to the withdrawal of most of the Russian Black Sea Fleet's ships from Sevastopol to more distant ports. As a result, Ukraine was able to resume grain exports independently. This can only be described as a strategic defeat for the Black Sea Fleet.

  
  

  To understand these events, we need to look at preceding periods, as the following events are closely related. In July, the grain agreement, allowing food exports from Ukrainian ports, expired. Russia, following the agreement's expiration, immediately began attacking the infrastructure of ports and grain warehouses, not only in the Black Sea but also along the Danube.

  These attacks continued in August and September, the period we are focusing on in this article. The Danube serves as the border with Romania, and Ukrainian ports Izmail and Reni on this river are only a few meters from a NATO member state. In early September, the remnants of three Russian drones used in attacks on Ukrainian ports were found on Romanian territory within one week. Initially, Ukraine reported crash of a Russian drone on Romanian territory, but Bucharest denied it for a while. When Romanian civilians reported the impacts of Russian drones, the government in Bucharest informed NATO allies about these incidents and summoned the Russian chargé d'affaires to express a "sharp protest." NATO spokesperson Dylan White commented that there was no indication that Russia deliberately attacked alliance territory. It's clear that NATO does not want a conflict with Russia.

  From July to October, Russia launched 17 major attacks on ports, hitting 150 buildings, six civilian cargo ships, and destroying 300,000 tons of grain. Ukraine didn't stand by idly. Their response was gradual, methodical, and, ultimately, very effective, despite lacking a navy.

  In August, a series of attacks occurred on the Crimean Peninsula, including the destruction of an S-400 air defense system in Olenivka in northern Crimea. Bases in Saky, Hvardijske, and Belbek, where a significant portion of the Black Sea Fleet's aircraft was stationed, were also targeted.

  During August, Ukrainian special forces occupied four oil platforms in the Black Sea, which had Russian radar and helicopter landing pads. A skirmish between Ukrainian boats and a Russian Su-35 fighter occurred during one of these raids. The Su-35 became a target for a missile launched from one of the boats. It's uncertain whether it was actually damaged, but the aircraft withdrew. During one of the raids, a Ukrainian boat had to maneuver wildly to avoid being fired upon. One soldier fell into the water but was later rescued by a Ukrainian drone. It reported the soldier's location until rescue arrived.

  It's possible that three Sea King HU.5 helicopters provided by Britain to Ukraine were involved in these actions. Ukraine uses these helicopters for transport, search and rescue missions, and transporting special forces behind enemy lines. Therefore, it's very likely that they played a role in the occupation of oil platforms in the Black Sea and in supporting the special forces' landing on the Crimean coast. Coincidentally, during the period we are examining, a new photo of a Sea King helicopter in Ukrainian service was published. The right side of the fuselage features the image of a drawn character's head and the inscription "Aviator."

  Russian ships also became targets of Ukrainian attacks. On the night of August 4, near Novorossiysk port, the Ropukha-class landing ship Olenegorsky Gornyak was hit by a naval drone as it entered the port. According to initial Russian reports, the attack was successfully repelled, and the ship suffered no damage. However, in the morning, it was revealed that the ship was unable to move and had a significant list to the left. It had to be towed to dry dock. The ship had a hole in the right side of the hull, four meters high and two meters wide. The next day, south of the Kerch Strait Bridge, the Russian tanker Sig was also hit by a naval drone. The explosion caused a hole in the right side and flooded the engine room.

    

  Attack on docks and Headquarters

  All the actions mentioned so far were just a prelude to the main attack that occurred in September. After losing radar installations on the platforms, air defense systems, and aircraft, Russia was unable to effectively protect the western part of Crimea. This had disastrous consequences for the Black Sea Fleet. On Wednesday, September 13, early in the morning, Storm Shadow cruise missiles launched from Ukrainian Su-24M aircraft struck the dry dock of the Sevmorzavod shipyard in Sevastopol. At the time, the dock housed the Minsk-class Ropukha landing ship and the B-237 Rostov-on-Don submarine.

  A major fire broke out on the Minsk, destroying virtually all superstructures from the main deck upwards. Parts of these superstructures collapsed. The command bridge and the ship's mast completely collapsed. In this case, it's an older vessel from 1983, and the cost-effectiveness of repairing it is highly questionable. According to the Ukrainian side, the Minsk was supposed to leave the dock on September 14, which is why it had a crew preparing for that. More than 60 sailors were reported to have perished.

  The Rostov-on-Don submarine fared just as poorly. It belongs to the upgraded Kilo class (Russian Project 636.3) and entered service in 2014. Besides torpedoes, it can carry Kalibr missiles, which it previously launched at Ukrainian cities. However, it's the end for the submarine. After being hit by Storm Shadow missiles, it has two large holes in its hull—one on the right side behind the conning tower and another in the front in the torpedo compartment. The possibility of repairing it is also highly doubtful.

  Less than a week later, Ukrainians carried out another successful mission with Storm Shadow missiles targeting Sevastopol. Exactly at noon, on September 22, the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet were struck by at least two missiles. Only the outer walls remained of the building; the interior was completely destroyed. What was worse for the Russians was that there was a meeting of high-ranking officers in the headquarters, which the Ukrainians were informed about by the partisan movement. Two days after the attack, the Ukrainian Special Forces command reported that in this operation, codenamed "Crab Trap," 34 Russian officers lost their lives, and 105 soldiers were injured. Admiral Viktor Sokolov, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, was said to be among the dead. Russian authorities later released several videos that were meant to prove Sokolov's well-being, but there are uncertainties about when these videos were made. According to Russian occupying authorities, only six were injured, and the "situation is under control." However, they also had to admit that the building cannot be repaired, and its remnants will be demolished.

  Most of the remaining large vessels of the Black Sea Fleet retreated further to the east, especially to Novorossiysk. Landing ships were moved to the Sea of Azov, where they serve for transporting supplies to the ports of Berdiansk and Mariupol. Russia lost control of the western part of the Black Sea, which Ukraine used to resume grain exports at the same intensity as during the grain agreement's validity.

  Landing ship Olenegorskyi Gornyak listing to the left after a Ukrainian naval drone attack.

  Ukrainian naval drone attacking the Russian ship Olenegorskyi Gornyak.

  Olenegorskyi Gornyak in a dry dock showing a hole in its hull.

   Ukrainian helicopter Sea King HU.5 with a cartoon character's head and the name "Aviator" painted on the fuselage side.

  Landing ship Minsk on fire on September 13th in a dock in the port of Sevastopol.

  This peculiar photograph was created by assembling images from a video capturing the damage to the ship Minsk.

  Footage of strikes on the submarine Rostov-on-Don.

  
  

  Russian Air Offensive

  However, this doesn't mean that the Russians are sitting idly. While they received a significant blow on the Crimean front in September, they had the initiative when it came to other areas along the long front line. A particularly unpleasant surprise for the Ukrainian side was the increase in the range of kamikaze drones like the ZALA Lancet. These drones previously had a range of around 40 km. On Tuesday, September 19, however, one Lancet drone attacked Dolgintsevo Airport near the city of Kryvyi Rih, which is located up to 70 km from the front line.

  The Lancet's extended range wasn't the only shocking revelation that day. The entire attack was observed by a Russian reconnaissance drone, which freely moved above the airport. Despite the relatively close proximity to the front, Ukrainian air defense was shockingly underestimated. The Lancet drone approached from behind slightly to the right of a parked MiG-29 fighter jet. It appears to have grazed the end of the right wing and hit the ground just beside the front right part of the fighter. The explosion didn't completely destroy the aircraft but certainly caused significant damage, roughly in the cockpit area.

  What's even more bewildering is the Ukrainian inaction following this attack. Thus, the Russians were able to repeat the attack on Saturday, September 23. The location and participants remained the same. A Lancet drone once again attacked the Dolgintsevo Airbase, and once again, it was recorded by a Russian reconnaissance drone. This time, the footage is at night and of lower quality, so it's challenging to accurately determine the type of aircraft struck. It could have been another MiG-29 or even a Su-25. After the Lancet's strike, this time it exploded and caught fire. The video only captures one Lancet attack and one explosion, but on low-quality satellite imagery, the burned area is visible in another parking area on the airfield, indicating that two aircraft were destroyed.

  For the third time, the attack occurred on Monday, September 25, at Kulbakino Airfield near Mykolaiv. During this attack, an explosion completely destroyed a MiG-29. Lieutenant Oleksandr Bobyk, a 26-year-old aircraft technician from the 204th Tactical Aviation Brigade, lost his life in the incident. The Ukrainian side confirmed his death, stating that he fell victim to a missile strike in this case, with no mention of the Lancet drone.

  This was a costly lesson in not underestimating the enemy and the need to better protect valuable aircraft or move them further from the front line. On the other hand, these were the only losses suffered by the Ukrainian air force during the observed period. While August saw several air-to-air clashes with tragic consequences, in September, Ukraine did not lose a single aircraft or helicopter in the air.

  Mi-8 helicopters are ubiquitous and highly needed. This series of images was recently published by the Ukrainian armed forces.

  
  

  Russian Losses

  Meanwhile, the situation on the ground front was more-less stabilized. Ukrainian troops made advances in the Bachmut and Robotyne-Verbove areas in the Zaporizhia region. Still, their progress was slow. To counter the penetration near the village of Robotyne, the Russians deployed airborne units, which halted the Ukrainian advance with counterattacks but at the cost of heavy casualties. It was clear that the Russian command was buying time at the expense of the lives of its soldiers. What it was buying time for would become apparent in October.

   During the observed period, the Russian air force began to launch more attacks on Ukrainian positions on the front line and beyond. They used glide bombs, released from S-34 aircraft and guided from a relatively safe distance. Attacks occurred along the entire front from Kherson to Kharkiv. On Friday, September 29, a Russian Su-35S fighter was shot down near Tokmak. The pilot perished. The fighter was probably escorting Su-34 on a bombing mission. The exact cause of its crash remains unknown, but it is suggested that it was hit by its own air defense. It is also possible that it fell into a trap set by the Ukrainian side. During the observed period, one Patriot air defense system was relocated near Odessa, and in previous months, Ukrainians had already used it to shoot down Russian aircraft on Russian territory.

   Thus, the month of September began and ended with the fall of Russian aircraft. Already on Friday, September 1, a Ka-52 helicopter crashed into the waves of the Sea of Azov near the Zaporizhia region. It occurred approximately 1.5 km from the coast. The crew survived, and Russian rescuers retrieved them from the water. Furthermore, the Russian air force lost two aircraft in accidents during the observed period. On Tuesday, September 12, an Su-24M crashed near the village of Lozhki in the Volgograd region. Both crew members perished. On Wednesday, September 20, near the village of Kolodezny in the Voronezh region, an Su-34 with the registration RF-95806 and bort number "red 05" crashed. In this case, both pilots from the 47th mixed aviation regiment successfully ejected and survived.

  Su-27 from the Ukrainian 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade.

  The Ukrainian Su-25 has its entire underside and auxiliary tanks painted in blue and yellow for quick identification.

  A shot from the Russian drone Lancet during an attack on the Ukrainian MiG-29 at Dolgintsevo Airport on September 19th.

  Destroyed Russian Su-35S near Tokmak on September 29th.

  
  

• 221st Tactical Flight. Fighting With the Albatros...

  Aircraft 2436 ready for flight awaiting the arrival of its pilot. It carries a non-traditional, relatively large payload of two 350l (92 gal) droptanks and a pair of CP-100-70AM practice bombs. The air intake bears a remnant marking from the airplane’s service with the 11th slp in Zatec. The pilot’s helmet is hanging on the left pitot tube.

  
  

  ….2003 – 2013 timeframe from the point of view of an aircraft armorer

  
  

  Text: Tomáš Dedera

  Photo: unless otherwise stated, author's archive

  
  

  Time flies like water in a raging river. In 2016, we commemorated the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the aviation units later operating at Náměšť nad Oslavou Air Base, and this year, in October 2023, it will be exactly 10 years since fixed-wing aircraft permanently left the local facility. From the MiG-15s, through the Su-7BM, BKL, U, the Su-22M4 and the UM-3K series of supersonic aircraft, and on to the Su-25K, UBK attack aircraft and L-29 Delfín trainers, plus transport and liaison Mi-1, Mi-2 and Mi -17 helicopters, the unit's main equipment for a decade was also the globally known and proven L-39ZA Albatros, produced by the domestic manufacturer Aero Vodochody. Aircraft of this series began to operate from Náměšt in 1994 with the disbanding of the former 30th bilp at Pardubice Airport. In the fall of that year, Su-25K and UBK aircraft, together with four Albatroses (coded 3903, 5015, 5017 and 5019) moved to their new location at Náměšť as part of the 1st TL (Technical Flight), then the 32 .zTL (Tactical Air Force Base), at Náměšť nad Oslavou.

  Aero L-39ZA Albatros, coded 5017 on the apron of the 1st Technical Flight during the winter months. Worth noting is the symbol of the 1st Technical Flight above the nose landing gear (at that time the squadron operated the Su-25K as its bread and butter and this marking was carried by some birds on their engine nacelles or noses) and the 32nd zTL emblem of Náměšť nad Oslavou on the rudder. 

  
  

  As the Su-25K was gradually phased out of service by the end of 2000 (the last flight was made by aircraft coded 5039 in a flyover from Náměšt to Přerov on December 11th) and replaced by the new L-159A ALCA light attack fighter, more L-39ZA Albatroses were assigned to Náměšt’s 2nd TL (Technical Flight). By the fall of 2003, all L-159s were handed over to Čáslav.

  On December 1st, 2003, the 221st TL (Tactical Flight), 22nd zL (Air Force Base) was officially founded in Náměšť nad Oslavou. The squadron operated ten L-39ZA Albatros trainers, coded 2341 (crew chief handle ‘Jára’), 2344 (‘Synek’), 2415 (‘Kája’), 2421 (‘Golem’), 2433 (‘ Sun’), 2436 (‘Fanda’), 3903 (‘Miša’), 5015 (‘Zip’), 5017 (‘Worm’) and 5019 (‘Goat’) plus five reserve aircraft (coded 2347, 2418, 2424, 2427 and 2430). The squadron's technical staff was made up of experienced mechanics and specialists who previously worked on the Russian Su-22 and 25 series of aircraft and later, the Czech L-159A ALCA advanced light combat aircraft. The task of the squadron was to ensure the continued training of young pilots who came from the CLV (Aviation Training Center) in Pardubice, especially in ÚBP (training in the use of weapon systems - combat use tasks) and cooperated with advanced FAC/JTAC aviation instructors. Its first commander was pilot Lt.Col. Ing. Antonín K. and ZV-ILS (Commander of the Technical Staff) Capt., later Maj., Marián M. The Flight did not spend much time warming up on its assigned field, as by 2004, it flew to the airport at Pardubice. It operated from there for seventeen long months, while a major modernization, renovation and construction of new buildings took place in Náměšt. By that time the first experiments with ÚBP began with the use of CP-100-70M practice bombs, popularly called ‘cements’. It should be noted here that this type of training almost stopped for a certain period of time, because the L-159s (operating from Náměšt from the spring of 2001 to the autumn of 2003) did not yet have their weapons systems fully integrated, or were still in development (such as the 20 mm PLAMEN cannon). A greater focus on the use of live aerial ammunition occurred only after the return to Náměšt in July, 2005.

  L-159A Alca on the apron of the 1st Technical Flight at Náměšt in the summer of 2003. The airplane is interesting with its inscription on the right air intake, symbolizing the 50th delivered ALCA for the Air Force of the Czech Republic Army

  
  

  The standard gradually became the use of four aircraft at the ÚBP, if technical conditions and, above all, weather conditions allowed, at least once a month. Monday usually started with preliminary preparation - technicians and specialists performed more extensive maintenance, removed defects that manifested themselves during previous flying, replenished fluid levels and gases, checked important aircraft systems and nodes, or they changed worn tires if signs pointed to that need. Armorers carried out loading of UB-16-57 UMP rocket pods and tested all weapon systems (cannon, bomb and rocket armament) in all modes - not only testing in the standard mode of use, but also, for example, control of the jettisoning of payload under emergency situations, with the help of special preparations and measuring or signaling technology.

  From Tuesday to Thursday there were special flying events. They started with a weather survey, when one plane took off with an experienced crew, who evaluated the weather conditions on the flight path to the firing range. If conditions suited, then it was down to business. Aircraft ground crews, R+RTV (radio and radio equipment) and E+ESV (electrical and special electrical equipment) specialists carried out pre-flight preparation, and at the very end, when everyone was finished, the weapons specialists came into the picture. They first checked the rotation of the airplanes in the safe directions, turned off all weapon control elements, the on-board network, the external power source and closed the canopies. They then placed red pylons 5m in front of the aircraft (and in the case of charging unguided rockets, 5m behind the aircraft as well), cordoning off the area as a dangerous zone into which all unauthorized persons and vehicles were strictly prohibited from entering. They then performed their own loading of the machines according to the planned flight schedule. Then it was just a matter of waiting for the crews to arrive at the planes. After the arrival of the pilot, the aircraft crewchief gave a report on readiness for flight and information on the amount of fuel added. The armorer informed the crew of the type and amount of armament the aircraft was equipped with for the flight, or provided additional information, such as fuse timings on any bombs carried. This was followed by strapping the pilot into the VS-1 BRI ejection seat by the crewchief, fitting him into the parachute harness, removing the safety pins from the ejection seat, allowing it’s potential launch. First the SAFÍR APU was set in motion, followed by the AI-25 TL engine itself. After a short engine test and a check of the operation of the flaps and speedbrakes, the aircraft approached the so-called ČPS - Preliminary Start Line, popularly known as ‘the line’. Here, specialists performed the last visual inspection of the aircraft before entering the VPD (takeoff and landing runway). They mainly focused on the perfect closure of all covers and openings, or checked for signs of non-standard leakage of operating fluids - aviation fuel, oil or hydraulics, which could indicate a leak or malfunction of these systems, which could have fatal consequences in the later phase of the flight. After this inspection, if everything was in order, only a raised thumbs up from the inspectors followed – indicating all was good to go, and with the permission of the control tower, the roll-up to the VPD and finally take-off followed. Flights to the firing range usually lasted about 1.5 hours.

  Armorers load S-5 K unguided rockets into UB-16-57 UMP rocket pods. Red flags are placed in front and behind the aircraft, external power is disconnected from the aircraft and cockpits are closed for safety reasons.

  
  

  After landing, the aircraft taxied to a special stand - the so-called ‘holding stand’. There, after guiding the aircraft in a safe manner, the gunners performed a post-flight armament check. If everything was in order, meaning that the cannon operated properly, rocket pods were empty and bombs dropped, the aircraft continued to its own stand. When the occasional problem did crop up, the crew shut down the engine, the armorers disabled the cannon against an unwanted firing, the crewchief secured the seat, the pilot got out, and then the gunners completed the safe discharge of the weapons. Then the whole merry-go-round was repeated, usually at least two or three more times. After the last flight, the airplanes were ‘post flight’ inspected and, with the help of tow trucks and tractors, towed to their hardened aircraft shelters in the squadron's dispersion areas. The entire cycle of flights from the beginning to the end of the working day usually lasted 12-13 hours, in any weather, in freezing cold or sweltering summer heat, in wind and rain. Friday, a non-flying day, was intended for the elimination of possible defects in the airplanes, and above all, for the cleaning of all weapons after having been fired.

  As standard, the armament triad was flown - B, R, C (for bombs, rockets, cannon) - four aircraft with a GŠ-23 cannon with, typically, fifty rounds, one hundred as the exception, two additional fuel tanks 150 l on the inboard pylons and either two UB-16-57UMP rocket pods, each with a maximum supply of sixteen S-5 unguided rockets of various types or two CP-100-70M cement practice bombs on the outboard hardpoints. Later, we increased the range of armament carried by including the use of OFAB-100-110TU frafmentation bombs of 100kg (220lb) weight. These were of Czechoslovak manufacture, produced in Vlárské Strojírny Slavičín from the 80s to the 90s. It was a special bomb that could be used at high speed at low level as a brake, thanks to the integrated BZ-5 braking system. An electric head igniter, also of domestic provenance, of the LZEH-3 type, made it possible to set up to five different delays, depending on the nature of the target, from immediate action at impact, two short-term modes in the order of milliseconds (against bunkers and other fortified targets) and two long-term delays (for practice and security reasons). The odd time, it was also possible to see Albatroses carrying a quartet of training cement bombs or even live OFABs. Unlike the Slovak Air Force, we practically did not use L-39M559 dual ejector racks (only for demonstrations). At times, when it was absolutely necessary, from the point of view of range, especially during cooperation with other formations and larger exercises, the 150l (40 gal) outboard tanks were replaced by their bigger 350l (92 gal) brothers.

  An aircraft technician removes the arming pins from the VS-1 BRI ejection seat just prior to engine start. In a few minutes, the aircraft will take off, its task will be to fire at ground targets with the GŠ-23 cannon and S-5 unguided rockets.

  Specialists having performed a final inspection of the aircraft at the ČPS, give the thumbs up indicaing that everything is in order and there’s nothing preventing further taxiing for takeoff.

  For display purposes, loaded armament could include a UB-16-57UMP rocket launcher and an L-39 M559 twin ejector rack with a pair of CP-100-70 M practice bombs.

  Aircraft 2415 just before taking off from the stand at the point of no return Underslung are a pair of 150l (40 gallon) drop tanks and two live OFAB-100-110TU fragmentation bombs.

  Here, the pilot is taking over aircraft 5019 from the crewchief. It carries two 40 gallon drop tanks and two full UB-16-57UMP rocket pods with 32 S-5KP unguided rockets. A special Praga V-3S SUEZ (Universal Electric Starter Source) vehicle is parked between the planes, serving as a source of electrical power during ground preparation and actual engine start-up.

  Frontal view of an aircraft armed with four CP-100-70M practice bombs.

  
  

  In the case of flying from what used to be Přerov Air Base, the aircraft were loaded up with underwing minitions, without the need to mount drop tanks. This was made possible by the close proximity to VVP (Military Training Area) Libavá with its extensive firing ranges. It was also possible to make six flights per day. At that time you could see Albatroses fully loaded with UB-16-57 UMP rocket pods on the inner pylons and OFAB-100-110TU bombs codenamed JUPITER on the outer units, as they would be in times of actual conflict. At this time, the EKSR-46 signal cartridge ejectors, located in the right rear part of the aircraft, with yellow, red, white and green colors, which were to act as decoys, began to be used again.

  For the first 5 years of the squadron's existence, scheduled higher level work and aircraft overhauls were carried out in cooperation with the 217th LOLNT (Supersonic Aircraft Repair Squadron) in Čáslav. Part of the work involved armament and associated systems, and occasionally, it was possible to see our L-39s with four UB-16-57UMP rocket pods, but only ones that were empty.

  A pair of CP-100-70M practice bombs under the left wing of an L-39. The aircraft is pictured shortly after it was forced to return and land at its home field after suffering a bird strike. The damage, visible on the leading edge of the wing between the pylons, was repaired by the unit's personnel. The bird was not as lucky.

  Aircraft 5019, fully armed with four live OFAB-100-110TU fragmentation bombs, waits for the arrival of the crew on a baking apron in the summer heat.

  Human ingenuity sometimes did not escape even the OFAB-100-110TU bombs. A time indication on the sides of the bombs lets the pilot know what delay after impact the LZEH-3 fuzes are set for.

  Aircraft 3903 ready for flight in front of a weathered shelter at the then Přerov aAir Base. Interestingly, it carries two full UB-16-57UMP rocket pods with 32 S-5KP missiles and two OFAB-100-110TU fragmentation bombs. Under the cockpit windscreen is a red log book.

  
  

  A separate chapter is the use of guided munitions - in our case, this involved exclusively the R-60 AA-8 Aphid air to air dogfighting missile, carried on UZR-60 rails. These were infrared (thermally) guided missiles, which, however, were not equipped with a rocket engine, nor did they carry fins on the rear or rudders on the nose of the missile. Only the IR warhead was retained, as were the four finlets on the front, whose purpose was to help increase the effect of the rudders by swirling the air over them at high angles of attack. This training version of the missile was equipped with a recording device, which recorded some important parameters when the missile was fired - for example, the overload on the aircraft. These parameters were evaluated by the instructor after the flight, and they could realistically indicate whether the launch strategies were chosen correctly. The missile was white and had 3 black bands around its body as a distinctive marking, consistent with the training versions of Soviet/Russian guided missiles. The bodies were suspended on P-62-1M-ZA rail adapters which were mounted under the pylons. By default, the unit was suspended under the left wing, but the adapter had to be suspended under the right side as well to maintain the plane's symmetry. Originally, the ZA version of the Albatros did not possess the ability to carry these missiles, and could only carry the older type infra-red guided R-3S. The work required to adapt the L-39 to the R-60 was carried out sometime in the mid-1980s by workers of the LOZ (Aircraft Repair Base) in České Budějovice.
  

  A specialty, seen on the ZA version at Náměšt, is the use of special containers, carried under the putboard pylons. These containers, operated by the crews of the Military Technical Institute of Aviation and PVO (VTÚL and PVO Prague), served as carriers for the newly developed types of pilot parachute. These were tested together with a special weight imitating the human body.

  Detail of the above noted loadout. Note the weathering on the UB-16-57UMP rocket pod and the fuse delay of 0.03 seconds written down on the bomb in plain chalk.

  Loaded EKSR-46 flare dispenser on the right side of the rear fuselage.

  L-39ZA coded 3903 ready for flight under winter conditions at Caslav AB. The plane carries four empty UB-16-57UMP rocket pods.

  Same bird from the front.

  Beautifully mirrired on the cocrete apron after a spring shower is L-39 2421, loaded with large 350l (92 gallon) drop tanks and a UZR-60 training round under the left outboard pylon.

  
  

  The photograph shows a cartridge case carrying a maximum of 150 rounds of 23 mm ammunition with fifty rounds of OFZ (fragile - explosive - incendiary) and BZT (piercing - incendiary - luminous) ammunition, in a ratio of 4:2. In the winter, when it was not possible to rehabilitate the impact area of the firing range, instead of OFZ cartridges, BZA (armor piercing - incendiary) were used. Visually, the projectiles are distinguished by the following colours: BZA - black projectile body, with a red and white stripe on the tip, under which the incendiary component is hidden, BZT - again black, sometimes gray (depending on the manufacturer and production block) projectile body with a yellow tip, OFZ - black (grey) body of the projectile (grenade) in which the effective explosive Hexogen is incorporated, the lighter is silver in color with a purple tip. It is unlocked only after a certain distance from the muzzle of the weapon (the so-called ‘mask safety’), so that the aircraft itself is not endangered by the action of axial and radial forces (rotation of the projectile, initiated by the grooved bore of the barrel), created during firing. A specific type of round that are placed at the end of the cartridge belt are copper OFZ rounds, additionally marked with a yellow stripe on the body of the projectile. These have a lead wire attached to the bottom of the round, which creates a mixture with copper residues from the guide rings when fired, and the resulting mixture is literally blown out of the barrel by the following round. These cleaning effects on the barrel have a significant effect on reducing wear, improving accuracy and extending overall service life.

  The GŠ-23 cannon is a development of a Soviet weapon with dual barrels and breechblocks. This is how the designers of the weapon, Grjazev and Shipunov, managed to achieve a relatively high muzzle velocity of the weapon - 3200 to 3400 rounds/min. The weapon, which is widespread even to the present day, equipped a whole series of airplanes and helicopters of Soviet origin, either as an integral part of the design or in suspended weapons containers. It is a very effective weapon, whether against air or ground targets, accurate and easy to operate and maintain, with a minimal number of defects.

  Detail view of L-39 2436 with a 150l (40 gal) drop tank and UZR-60 training round on a P-62-1M-ZA launch rail.

  L-39 5017 carrying a special purpose container carrying a newly developed parachute readied for a test flight.

  Detail shot of the pod with the parachute and weight, designed to imitate that of the human body.

  Ammunition case with an average of fifty rounds. Photo Petr Soukop

  Left to right: GŠ-23 cannon pod 23mm rounds of OFZ, BZA and BZT types

  GŠ-23 cannon with a full load of 150 rounds.

  
  

  There were several types of S-5 unguided air to surface rockets used. First off, there were the older S-5 K and S-5 Ms. Both had the same type of ignition of the rocket motor, using electrical wires terminated with a plug. These differed from each other in their purpose. The K version was intended for use against ground and armored targets (tanks, armored personnel carriers, etc.), while the M variant was a more general purpose round used against soft targets and destroyed its target with a pressure wave created during the explosion. The second, more modern branch of these rockets was represented by three types: S-5 KO, S-5 MO and S-5 KP. All of them had an innovative way of initiating launch, using contact rings (faster and safer operation). The warheads of the rockets were also improved: KO – fragmentation - contained a larger amount of explosive and, in addition, to increase the effective radius, ten extra rings on the warhead were added. These were ‘pre-fragmented’ and formed projectiles of about 2g in mass after the explosion. The MO version had twenty of these additional rings. The last used was KP and was the same as KO, with the difference that the use of a piezoelectric igniter, which was supposed to safely initiate the rocket motor even at very shallow angles to the target.
  

  The first big change came about in 2008. On October 1st, Mi-24V/35 combat helicopters, which were operated by the newly formed 221.Vrl, were moved to 22nd Base in Náměšt. As a result, the squadron operating the L-39 was redisignated 222nd Training Squadron. However, the nature of the tasks remained the same. The squadron continued to successfully fulfill its required tasks, until the fateful day of December 16, 2010, when during take-off of 2341, after an engine replacement, a titanium fire occurred in the high-pressure compressor of the engine near the end of the flight, causing its subsequent shutdown. The experienced two-man crew (Capt. Ing. M.K. and Capt. Ing. S.S.) tried several times in vain to restart the engine, until finally both of them were forced to eject from the silent Albatros close to their home field. This accident had a major impact on the further functioning of the squadron. Of course, a ban on flying followed, as it usually happens in such cases, and the problem with the engines were resolved only after more than a year! Then, on November 1st, 2013, operation of Přerov Air Base was definitively terminated and the Mi-171Š transport helicopters were reassigned. At the same time, the remaining L-39s were transferred to the air base at Čáslav, as part of the newly formed 213.VL (Training Squadron), which jointly operates L-39ZAs and L-159Ts, but that's another chapter. Looking back, I believe that the squadron performed its tasks with honor over the ten years and trained many young pilots who then successfully continued on to fly the L-159A ALCA and JAS-39 Gripen out of Čáslav. Thanks also go to the members of the ILS ground staff, not only the 221.TL (222.VL), but also the 217.LOLNT in Čáslav and later the 223.LOLT in Náměšt, who honestly took care of these machines and maintained them throughout their operation on the airfield at Náměšt nad Oslavou.

  Detail view of the GŠ-23 cannon pod under the forward fuselage of the aircraft. Photo: Petr Soukup

  Top is the S-5 KP, below the S-5 K. The difference in the length of the rocket motor and the warhead are evident in the newer KP version. There was also a difference in the ignition systém.

  A comparison of the S-5 K and S-5 KO (top). There was an increase in the rocket motor size and the warhead of the KO, though the V-5 igniters remained the same

  Container with eight S-5 KP rocket projectiles, one with deployed stabilization fins, which would be in flight mode. The others have their fins folded and contained in plastic caps.

  S-5 M rockets built under a Polish licence and delivered in boxes of sixteen.

• WUNDERSCHÖNE NEUE MASCHINEN

  Bf 109 G-2 W.No. 14246. The machine has the smaller landing gear wheels (650x150), with retractable smaller tail wheel  (290x110) and no bulges above the undercarriage wheel well on the upper surface of the wing. [SDASM]

  
  

  Bf 109 G-2 and G-4

   

  Text: Vladimír Šulc

  
  

  After the successful operational use of the Bf 109 F-2 and F-4, powered by the updated DB 601N and DB 601E engines in 1941 and 1942, further development of the Bf 109 was based around the new DB 605A engine, a fuel injected inverted V-12 developed from the DB 601E. The designers most significantly increased its displacement from 33.9 l to 35.7 l by raising the cylinder bore by 4 mm. The compression ratio of the DB 605A was 7.3:1 for the left cylinder bank and 7.5:1 for the right, compared to 7:1/7.2:1 on the DB 601E. The highest boost pressure for both engines was the same, 1.42 atm for takeoff and emergency modes, but thanks to the modernization of the compressor, the speed of which was now automatically controlled by a hydro-mechanical clutch governed by barometric pressure at different altitudes, it was possible to maintain a constant boost pressure at different heights. This meant that the boost pressure did not drop with increasing altitude. All this, along with a change in the valve timing and other modifications, helped increase the maximum rpm from 2,700 to 2,800 at takeoff. Maximum power at takeoff rose to 1,454 hp compared to 1,331 hp for the DB 601E. Combat power at 18,700ft was 1,232hp, with emergency boost at the same altitude rated at 1,336hp, compared to 1,183hp in combat and 1,300hp emergency at 15,750ft for the DB 601E.

  
  

  These changes led not only to an increase in performance, but also to a slight increase in weight from 700 to 756kg. The engine used 87 octane B4 aviation fuel and drove a Type 9-12087 propeller with wider blades. Due to the need for more efficient cooling of the more powerful engine, a larger Type 9-6150 (Fö 870) oil cooler, the same as that installed in the Bf 109 F-4/Z, was used. Interestingly, neither the Bf 109 G-2 nor the G-4 are documented as using the GM-1 and MW-50 booster systems, which were used on both the Bf 109F and the later Bf 109 G-6.

  The first production version of the Bf 109 G-2, manufactured from May, 1942 initially at WNF and then also at Messerschmitt in Regensburg and at ERLA in Leipzig from June, was visually very similar to the Bf 109 F-4, but in fact introduced a number of changes. First of all, the fuselage structure was strengthened, especially in the area of the engine bulkhead and in the rear part of the aircraft between the 8th and 9th fuselage bulkheads, where the need for strengthening was evident already in the Bf 109 F-4. There were changes in the cockpit, the bulkhead between the cockpit and the space for the MG 17 machine guns was redesigned and strengthened. While the Bf 109F had a zippered canvas separator between the instrument panel and the fuselage machine gun compartment, the Bf 109 G-2 and subsequent versions of the 109G had this partition made from an aluminum casting, which better sealed the cockpit from exhaust gases from the engine compartment and fumes from when the guns were fired, which was one of the persistent problems throughout the development of the Bf 109. On the sides of this partition were air-tight openings that could open and closed giving access to the MG 17 machine gun breeches and, if necessary, manually cock them. In the middle of the bulkhead were two sealed passages for the shaft of the propeller adjustment mechanism and for the mechanical tachometer. The main fuselage tank was modified to hold 400 liters of fuel and had armor plating composed of several layers of aluminum sheet and was covered with a three-layer rubber coating, which could seal punctures from rounds of up to 12.7mm caliber. The tank filler neck moved from under the left side of the canopy to between the second and third fuselage bulkhead. Optically and structurally, the canopy underwent significant changes, which resulted in the characteristic robust framing with an integrated armored glass panel at the front. The front plate of the windscreen was equipped with fuel spray. Spraying was started by a cock on the instrument panel which could only be opened in flight. The wing structure including the landing gear was strengthened, the tail wheel remained retractable with a tire size of 290 x 110mm. The main landing gear of the G-2 retained the wheels with tire dimensions of 650 x 150mm, the same as those of the Bf 109 F-4.

  Bf 109G-2

  Bf 109G-4

  
  

  A significant change was the standardization of fasteners for the mounting of weapons and equipment on the airframe, which facilitated the later modernization of the aircraft to higher versions with the help of modernization kits (Rüstsatzen). This design strategy was retained for all G-version sub types from the G-2 to the G-10, and allowed the airframes of older machines to be suitable candidates for conversion to higher standard versions. It also made it easier to train and maintain staff on later variants. All versions of the Bf 109G were also produced with tropical modifications, although interestingly, the G-2/G-4 versions were still listed in documentation as two versions, the standard G-2/G-4 and the tropicalized G-2/ Trop and G-4/Trop. It should be stated, however, that this universality was put into practice only in part of the production of the Bf 109 G-6. Later G-6 models, and the following G-14 and later versions of the G-10 to include the G-6/AS and G-14/AS, dispensed with the tropical modifications, because developments at the fronts and related changes in the deployment of fighter aircraft brought the air force to the conclusion that they were no longer necessary.

  Production of the subsequent Bf 109 G-4 began at Messerschmitt in September, 1942, at WNF in December of the same year, and at ERLA the following January. The G-4 version did not differ in appearance from the G-2 at the start of production, and it is not entirely clear why the new type number was applied. At first, the only significant change was in the radio equipment, where the G-4’s older FuG VIIa shortwave radios gave way to the new FuG 16 Z or FuG 16 ZY VHF units. In addition to the radios, the FuG 16 ZY equipment also had a built-in transponder for the Pegasus Y goniometric gunsight with a Moranmast rod antenna. Some machines were equipped with a ZVG 16 direction finding device with a PR 16 loop antenna on the back of the fuselage. This device was supplied as a Rüstsatz R7 Peilrufanlage set. In any case, despite this equipment being documented as standard for the Bf 109 G-4, in reality, very few actually were so equipped.

  Bf 109 G-2 from III./JG 54 “Grünherz” on the Eastern Front in this picture taken in August 1942. This unit took delivery of the first G-2s in July 1942 and had them in service until January the following year. The G-4 version was delivered to III./JG 54 in February 1943. [Bundesarchiv]

  
  

  During the production of the Bf 109 G-4, probably in December 1942, there was a change in the size of the wheels of the main landing gear. The installation of larger tires was a response not only to the increasing weight of the aircraft, but also to persistent problems with tire life and stability of the aircraft during take-off and landing. With the introduction of the Bf 109 G-2 into service, these problems were exacerbated. The Bf 109 G-2 had the same tires as the Bf 109F, 650 x150mm, tires that deflated quickly. This was thought to be due to the greater weight of the aircraft, but tests with the larger 660 x 160mm tires at Rechlin showed no improvement. On the contrary, the situation worsened when in some cases the tires were destroyed after only two take-offs and landings. During further tests, it turned out that the problem was caused by heat generated by the brakes, transferring onto the tires, the higher temperature of which caused the rapid degradation of the rubber. The solution was the introduction of larger steel brake discs, which did not heat up as much. However, due to the angle of the wheel's transverse axis to the axis of the landing gear strut (9°33"), the wheel with a larger brake drum and a larger tire could no longer fit in the wheel well. This was solved by adding a bulge into the upper wing over the wheel well. The tail wheel was enlarged to 350 x135mm, compared to 290 x110mm for the Bf 109 G-2. It continued to be fixed, on later series machines with a leather sleeve on the strut proper. Unfortunately, these characteristics are not definitive in differentiating between the G-2 and G-4 versions, as a segment of early production G-4s still had the original smaller wheels with a smooth wing without the fairing above the wheel well and a retractable tail wheel of smaller diameter. Additionally, older G-2s were retrofitted, usually during general repairs, to G-4 standard by installing larger wheels with the appropriate equipment.

  Bf 109 G-4 and personnel of the Slovak 13th/JG 52 at Anapa airfield in Crimea in the summer of 1943. [Bundesarchiv]

  
  

  A total of 1,586 Bf 109 G-2s were produced from May to December 1942 and 1,242 Bf 109 G-4s from September 1942 to June 1943, plus one license built Bf 109Ga-2 and 24 Bf 109Ga-4s were produced in Györ, Hungary. In addition to them, 167 Bf 109 G-1s and 50 Bf 109 G-3s with pressurized cockpits were produced. All versions could be equipped with an additional fuel tank with 300 liters of fuel or cannon pods with 20mm MG 151/20 cannons, or a belly bomb rack. But the aircraft usually carried either an additional tank or cannon pods. The simultaneous use of the tank and cannon pods was rare. You can find photos of such combinations, but this may have been a ferry configuration. Cannon pods were never combined with the fuselage bomb racks.

  Bf 109 G-4 MT 213 still has the original smaller main landing gear wheels, but now has a larger fixed tail wheel (350x135). This machine is part of the color profiles in this kit, in a new camouflage applied after the overhaul. [SA Kuwa]

   

  Combat Use of the Bf 109 G-2 and G-4

  Both types gradually replaced the Bf 109 F-2 and F-4 in Luftwaffe fighter units over the second half of 1942. The Bf 109 G-2 ensured the performance superiority of German fighters over Allied opponents both on the Eastern Front during the successful German summer offensive and the advance of the German armies to the Caucasus and to Stalingrad, as well as in North Africa during the advance of the German Afrikacorps and its Italian ally along the North African coast towards Egypt. After the defeat of the German armies at El Alamein in North Africa in November, 1942 and the encirclement of the German 6th Army at Stalingrad in the same month, the tide had begun to turn. Luftwaffe fighters were unable to maintain their air supremacy over the battlefield at Stalingrad and keep the air supply lines open to the encircled German forces, nor in North Africa, where a strengthening Allied air force was successfully disrupting supplies to the remaining Axis armies in Tunisia. After the capitulation of the Germans and Italians in Africa, the Luftwaffe faced the Allied landings in Sicily and Italy, on the Eastern Front it waged intense air battles with a strengthening Soviet Air Force, supplemented in the spring of 1943 by new types of Soviet aircraft. Deliveries of British and American equipment were significant, especially the P-39 Airacobra and the P-40 Warhawk, supplied under the Lend Lease Act. In all these battles, the Bf 109 G-2 and G-4 were the most important equipment of the Luftwaffe fighter units. Both the Bf 109 G-2 and G-4's ability to carry MG 151/20 cannon pods under the wings was greatly appreciated in combat against the increasingly dangerous, heavily armored Soviet Il-2.

  A photo reconnaissance Bf 109 G-2/R4 “Black 14” WNr. 10605 of the 2.(H)/Aufkl.Gr.14, shot down in Allied territory in Tunisia on February 20, 1943 with Oblt. Gerhard Wernicke at the controls. He managed to evade capture and after three days and a journey of 120 km got back to his own unit. [SDASM]

  
  

  The importance of the Bf 109 G-4 with underwing gun pods, called Kannonenboot, increased in North Africa and the Mediterranean, where the number and intensity of Allied heavy four-engine bomber operations increased. In this area of operations in the spring and summer of 1943, the Luftwaffe’s Bf 109 G-4 was the main fighter type, whose lighter armament of one 20 mm cannon and two machine guns was less effective against heavy bombers. The reinforcement with two additional cannons was therefore most welcome. The number of the better-armed Fw 190A, whose armament of four 20 mm cannon and two 13 mm machine guns was much more effective against heavy bombers, was relatively low in the Mediterranean. In addition, they mostly served with combat units and were not deployed in battles against bombers. A significant part of the operational activity of the Bf 109G in the Mediterranean was in the employment of tactics against the Allied bomber formations, the organization of air traffic and the guidance of fighter elements to their targets. The Luftwaffe had well-developed operational tactics against smaller units of twin-engined bombers and their fighter escorts from fighting in Africa and on other fronts. The deployment of large groups of heavy four-engined bombers accompanied by strong fighter escorts, however, moved the air war to a higher level, and the command of German fighters in the Mediterranean, Jagdfliegerführer Sizilien, under the command of Lieutenant General Adolf Galland from June 1943, had great problems coping with the new situation in the air. However, the other side also had problems with the tactics and coordination of its forces, for which the deployment of large formations also presented a completely new challenge. The fierce battles over the Mediterranean and Italy in the summer of 1943 were thus accompanied by mistakes on both sides, from which both gradually learned, and they later benefited from the bloody experience when organizing air operations in all areas, especially on the Western Front.

  Wernicke's “Black 14” became a favourite hack of the 86th Fighter Squadron (79th Fighter Group). Unit´s personnel took great care in improving its camouflage and markings. The name Irmgard belonged to the girlfriend of Wernicke's mechanic, who was Uffz. Bopp. [J. Ethell Collection]

  
  

  On the Western Front, the ratio of the two main Luftwaffe single-engine fighters was reversed, units flying  the heavier Fw 190A being more prevalent. However, it was here that the Luftwaffe faced the greatest disaster. In the autumn of 1942, the first units of the newly formed 8th Air Force of the USAAF arrived in Great Britain, and increasingly took part in the bombing offensive against targets in occupied Western Europe. The first daylight raid on Germany was carried out by the 8th Air Army on February 27th, 1943, and from the spring of 1943 it increased its attacks in direct proportion to its increasing strength. Escalating British and American air raids on Germany were causing painful losses with an increasing impact on the German war effort. Not only was the increasing intensity of bombing attacks lethal for Luftwaffe fighter units, but the growing strength of the Allied fighter elements had to be contended with as well. The arrival of new types of American fighter aircraft and the associated change in Allied fighter tactics was deadly to German fighters.

  In August 1943, the Messeschmitt plants in Regensburg and  WNF in Vienna's New Town were hit, and although in 1943 the Luftwaffe was still able to counter the American daytime raids relatively successfully, and even halting them for a time at the end of that year, the situation gradually became critical and by the following year the Luftwaffe had lost the air battle over Germany.

  Lt. Hermann Weber of 3./JG 4 in his Bf 109 G-2 "Yellow 5", Mizil, Romania, summer 1943. Note the open acces door for the aircraft centroplane area. [JG 4 Archive / Museum of Air Battle over the Ore Mountains]

  
  

  The Bf 109 G-2 and G-4 were direct participants in these historical events. The Bf 109 G-2 and G-4 were also used by the Finnish, Romanian, Italian, Croatian, Slovak and Hungarian air forces. In Hungary, the Bf 109 G-2 and G-4 were license-produced as the Bf 109Ga-2 and Ga-4. Romanian sources state that additional Bf 109 G-4s were built in Romania, but they were probably assembled from aircraft delivered by Germany.

  In February 1943, production began of the Bf 109 G-6, which was produced in many blocks until the end of 1944. The exact number of G-6s produced is unknown, but it is believed to have reached 13,000 aircraft. However, the production of the Bf 109 G-4 ran parallel to the production of the Bf 109 G-6 until June 1943, and also in Luftwaffe fighter units, both types served concurrently from the spring and into the summer of that year. As late as July, during the Battle of Kursk, which marked the definitive turning point in the course of World War II, Bf 109 G-4s still equipped half of the Luftwaffe fighter units flying G version aircraft.

  The tail surfaces of Bf 109 G-2 W.Nr. 14638, flown by the commander of 2./JG 4 Oblt. Hans Wilhelm Schopper during winter of 1942/43. Most of the on rudder depicted 34 victories were won before he joined JG 4, during combat in the ranks of II./Tr. 186 and III./JG 77. In addition to this aircraft, Schopper also flew the Bf 109 G-2 "Black 1" in the background. [JG 4 Archive / Museum of Air Battle over the Ore Mountains]

  
  

  Conclusion

  The Bf 109 G-2 and G-4 were transitional types in terms of production and development of the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Their importance lay in the successful adaptation of the airframe, initially modernized for the Bf 109F, to accept the new, more powerful DB 605A engine. The Bf 109 G-4 essentially represented the production pattern and, really, the mass production pattern, of the Bf 109 G-6 and other variants, such as the Bf 109 G- 14 and later, the Bf 109 G-10. The quality of the airframe construction is evidenced by the fact that the basic airframe remained a platform for mounting more powerful engines and weapons, while it changed only in peripheral areas. The engine fairing changed depending on the increase in the size of the compressor, the rudder was enlarged to improve control of the airplane, the wheel wells were widened as governed by subsequent enlargement of the tires, which was a response to the increasing weight of the aircraft due to the installation of heavier weapons and various auxiliary systems, such as the MW 50 and GM-1 booster systems. There was a change to the canopy and cockpit armor, where the aim was to improve ergonomics, the view from the cockpit and better protection for the pilot, and in the last months of the war there were attempts to replace some structural units, typically the tail surfaces, with wooden structures, which was a response to the overall deteriorating supply chain situation and lack of raw materials offered by the shrinking territory controlled by the Third Reich. But the basis of the airframe would remain the same, even in the case of the last development version, the Bf 109 K, where the most extensive design modifications took place in the aforementioned areas. But it was still, in modern terms, just a face lift. The basis of the airframe remained the same as it was fine tuned on the Bf 109 G-4.

  The internal design changes and the overall fine-tuning of the airframe are probably the reasons why the designation was changed from Bf 109 G-2 to G-4. Other changes in the equipment of the aircraft were not the reason for changing the designation in the later period for the Bf 109 G-6. For the Bf 109 G-6, the differences in equipment and armament between individual production blocks were greater than that between the G-2 and G-4, and yet, the Bf 109 G-6 still retained its designation, even after the installation of the DB 605AS engine. The change occurred only after the installation of the DB 605D engine, when the designation changed to Bf 109 G-10.

  However, it is uncertain whether this is actually the case. In fact, the reason why the designation was changed from G-2 to G-4 is still somewhat shrouded in mystery.

  
  

  FUG16Z/ZY

  The FuG-16Z/ZY working in the very short wave band (UKW/VHF) widths was a very modern and compact unit, almost timeless. The entire device, designated Geräteblock LA6NCA, consisted of three modules: the Emfänger E 16 Z/ZY receiver, the Sender S 16 Z/ZY transmitter, and the Bedlengerät BG 16 Z/ZY modulator. The assembly was located in the fuselage behind the cockpit. Tuning was remote from a control panel in the cockpit, located at the edge of the lower left corner of the instrument panel. The control panel had a rotary switch with four positions, below which were preset frequencies, indicated by pictograms. Under Pictogram I was the guidance frequency Y-Führungfrequenz, and under the Roman numeral II was the frequency for communication with the flight commander with his unit or fighter formation Gruppenbefehlfrequenz. Under the triangle was the airfield traffic control frequency Nahflugsicherungfrequenz and under the square was the frequency for all fighter planes Reichsjägerfrequenz. To tune to one of these, it was enough just to switch the selector to the correct position. Alternatively, the switch could have frequencies marked with standard numerals of 1 to 4, and an older version of the control panel had two rocker switches.

  
  

  Bf 109G-12

  Not even later did the Bf 109 G-2 and G-4 completely lose their significance, as they served until the end of the war in training units. Some of them were converted into two-seat Bf 109 G-12s by Blohm und Voss in Hamburg. These were also later converted from the Bf 109 G-6 and Bf 109 G-10. A total of 280 Bf 109 G-12s were likely built, but how many were converted from G-2s and G-4s is unknown. Some of the surviving airframes of the Bf 109 G-2 and G-4 were also used to convert to the higher derivatives of the Bf 109G, and after being withdrawn from service with front-line Luftwaffe units, Bf 109 G-4s continued to be supplied to Germany’s allies in 1944.
  

  Bf 109G-12 (conversion from Bf 109G-2)

  During their service with Luftwaffe training units, the majority of Bf 109 G-12s, which had been converted from Bf 109 G-4, received upgraded, higher-quality wheels standardized for Bf 109 G-6.

• The firespitter

  
  

  Text: Richard Plos

  Illustration: Kateřina Borecká

  Cat. No. 7039

  
  

  The Fokker triplane was a very rare sight in combat units in the autumn of 1918. German fighter units had rearmed to Fokker D.VIIs and the vast majority of them had discarded the nimble but slow triplane. Not so the fourth most successful German fighter ace, Josef Carl Peter Jacobs. The commander of Jasta 7 retained his black Dr. I.

  Jacobs became one of Germany's fighter legends. He could already fly before the outbreak of the war, so it is not surprising that he immediately joined the newly formed Fliegertruppen. After a few months of training as a military pilot, he joined Feldflieger-Abteilung 11 in June 1915, where he flew reconnaissance aircraft. For his actions, which included one unconfirmed shoot-down of a French Caudron, he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class and promoted to the rank of Leutnant (Lieutenant) on February 6, 1916. Shortly afterwards he retrained as a single-seater fighter pilot and by May that year he became a member of Fokkerstaffel West. He achieved his first victory with an Eindecker there and subsequently transferred to Jasta 22 on October 25 and increased his score until he achieved his fifth kill on April 16, 1917, and became a fighter ace. Two months later he was appointed commander of Jasta 7 and remained in that position until the end of the war. During the year, he raised his number of victories to twelve. And the twelfth one might as well have been his last. Shortly after he shot down a Sopwith Camel on December 18, 1917, he collided in midair with an Albatros D.V of Jasta 28, while he had his work cut out for him, he successfully managed to make an emergency landing with his damaged aircraft in a crater-strewn no-man’s land.

  In March 1918, his unit received several Fokker Dr. Is and Jacobs literally fell in love with this aircraft. He was impressed by its agility and rate of climb, so he decided to keep it even after Jasta 7 rearmed during June and July with Fokkers D.VIIs. He flew the Dr. I virtually until the end of the war, so it is not surprising that he became the most successful fighter pilot on this type.

  Jacobs was a very popular commander, according to eyewitness accounts, partly because he was always taking a care of his men’s well-being. But he was also able to “blow up”, especially when someone failed to follow instructions during a combat flight. A guilty man could count on a red-headed commander to be waiting for him on the ground, ready to “explain” everything properly. One of the pilots, according to the recollection of Jacobs himself was Vzfw. Josef Bohne, remarked during one such “spat” that “Köbes is spitting fire” (Jasta Colours vol. I; Bruno Schmäling, Jörn Leckscheid). Köbes was Jacobs's nickname, an ancient term for innkeepers from the Rhineland who not only served guests but also entertained them with jokes and stories. Jacobs came from this area and the nickname said a lot about his character. In fact, Bruno Schmäling stated in his book that Jacobs was one of the nicest and most charismatic WWI pilots he met.

  Bohne’s remark subsequently gave rise to a painting on both side of Jacobs’ aircraft. Jacobs proved his sense of humor when he first saw the aircraft decorated in this way. Not only he did not dress anyone down, but he appreciated the decoration and also had his black Fokker D.VII similarly painted.

  The artwork by Kateřina Borecká for kit cat. no. 7039 depicts a successful attack on an observation balloon, of which Jacobs shot down eight during the war. It could be, for example, a shoot-down on September 16, 1918. The devil spitting fire is depicted on the boxart in a different form compared to the first edition of this kit, because we have considered new information and changed its form. As far as his shape is concerned, it can be read from the only surviving photograph clearly showing the right side of Jacobs’ Dr. I. According to Jacobs himself (who died on July 29, 1978), the devil’s appearance on the left side was faithfully captured by a color painting of which he kept a photograph in his office after the Second World War. In it, the devil had light yellow hair and a stylized wing with a yellow hem. So, unlike the decal in the first edition of the kit, with the devil’s brown hair and the red hem, we have used yellow on both sides. Although the painting in the photograph from Jacobs’ office does not match in shape with what is seen in the period photograph, this is not surprising. These were hand paintings, without any templates, and so the difference in appearance on the left and right sides of the fuselage is more than likely.

• “The Story”

  Title photo: My Baby, B-17G-35-DL while her original assignment with the 324th BS, prior the 91st Bomb Group red-tail marking was applied. [NARA]

  
  

  Somewhere in England, August 10, 1944

   

  I was probably five or six years old when I first heard “The Story” and looked at those three tiny 2 1/2” X 4” photos of the B-17.  This story and those small images were probably responsible for my life long love affair with aviation history. 

   

  My Dad, then Captain Edward Mautner, had arrived in England on July 9, 1944, attached to the 127th Station Hospital based in Salisbury in the south of England.  Salisbury was one of the four whole blood distribution centers for the European Theatre of Operations (ETO) and in particular for the troops breaking out from the Normandy beachhead.  My dad was charged with developing a transportation unit to deliver whole blood to field hospitals supporting the troops advancing into France.

  Captain Mautner’s first challenge was to find vehicles – two and half ton trucks (“deuce and halfs”), Jeeps, motorcycles, trailers, and refrigeration units to extend the short shelf life of whole blood.  He also had to create a cadre of drivers.  The 127th arrived with only 11 licensed drivers and two men qualified to ride motorcycles- Corporal T/5 Lyle Holcomb and my dad.  All the vehicles were requisitioned without paperwork, including 20 Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Training began on the Salisbury Plain.  Teaching young men to drive trucks and Jeeps was pretty easy.  The motorcycles were not quite so easy to master.  Men were taught to start, accelerate, brake and shift gears.  They were then sent out on the grassy plain and told to practice and return in one half hour.  Several did not return having dumped their motorcycles and found them too heavy to right.  A search party led by Captain Mautner and a few semi-competent novices then rode out in search of the lost sheep.  Once found, they were sent out again.

  “Airbase somewhere in England, 10 Aug. 44. “Mac” standing beneath the nose of his plane. I am under the inboard port motor but it was rather dark and the picture isn’t too clear”.  [Mautner]

  
  

  The point in mentioning this is to emphasize the acute shortage of vehicles and drivers. “Midnight requisitions,” a kind term for thievery, by other needy units depleted others of their hard-won caches of vehicles and made securing vehicles of paramount importance.  And so it was on the afternoon of August 10, 1944 when Lt Y.Z. Garner of Birmingham, Ala., entered Capt. Mautner’s office seeking a favor. Garner wanted to borrow Mautner’s Jeep.  One of his best buddies from Birmingham, an Eighth Air Force B-17 pilot, was flying into a nearby U.S. Army Air base and Garner wanted to drive to meet him.  Mautner, concerned for the security of “his” Jeep, offered to accompany Garner to that base which was approximately 15 miles southeast of Salisbury.

  Stoney Cross was a Ninth Air Force base in the New Forest about 10 miles west of Southampton. This former RAF base was home to P-38s of the 376th Fighter Group that had recently flown off to newly bulldozed fields near the Normandy beaches.  Remaining at Stoney Cross were the Martin B-26 Marauder Medium Bombers of the 387th Bombardment Group.  The seemingly short ride to Stoney Cross over narrow, hedge cropped roads took over an hour.  Arriving in mid to late afternoon, Mautner and Garner quickly identified a lone B-17 Flying Fortress that dwarfed a field of B-26 medium bombers.

  Finding the crew of the B-17 proved a little more challenging.  Questioning base Army Air Force personnel led Mautner and Garner to the base Officers’ Club or “O Club.”  Garner’s friend was at the bar with a co-pilot. Both had been drinking.  After salutations and introductions, Garner’s friend, introduced as “Mac,” asked his guests if they would like a ride in “his” airplane.  He didn’t have to wait long for a pair of affirmatives.  The only hold up was how to get the co-pilot back into the aircraft as he was quite inebriated and needed assistance.  Once hoisted into the aircraft, he was unceremoniously laid on the plywood floor of the radio operator’s compartment, unable to sit upright in his right front seat.  This is where he remained as “Mac” took the controls, Garner sat in the co-pilot’s seat and Mautner stood between the two with no more than a good grip on their seat backs.  Mautner recalled that they seemed to use all of the 5000 foot runway to get airborne.

  “Somewhere in England, 10 Aug 44. “Mac” and I just after we landed. It was almost dark when we came in. Had a grand flight. These “Forts” are the greatest bombers in the world”. War time censorship prevented CAPT Mautner from noting that he was at Station 452, Stoney Cross, in the New Forest. [Mautner]

   

  “Mac” asked his guests what they would like to see on their “joy ride.”  Like so many American servicemen in England, the White Cliffs of Dover on the Channel Coast was a familiar landmark made famous by English wartime singer Vera Lynn’s song of the same name.  Told that they had no clearance to fly anywhere near the coast for fear of being shot at by shore batteries, Mautner suggested a flight over their base in Salisbury.  The flyover turned out to be an epic “buzz job” that reportedly left the base volleyball nets in turmoil for several minutes after the event.

  The return to Stoney Cross was so late that a caption on the back of one photo noted “...it was almost dark when we came in”.  Mautner took three photos to commemorate the event - one of “Mac” barely visible under the nose of his B-17, one of “Mac” and Garner and a third, taken presumably by Garner, of “Mac” and Mautner. These images are closer in shots that show the aircraft’s nose art and her name – “My Baby.”  Wartime censorship only permitted my father to caption the images “Somewhere in England, 10 Aug. 44,” and finally that these “…’Forts’ are the greatest bombers in the world.”  They watched “Mac” take off for his home base and returned to their base in Salisbury. Upon their return, base personnel excitedly describing the whipping volleyball nets.

  Mautner recounted that about a month later Lt Garner came to him in tears.  He had just been notified that his good friend “Mac” had been shot down and killed on a mission over Germany. And so ended Dad’s war story - or so I thought.

  In the summer of 1994 I was living in Southern California and close to completing a  Master’s Degree in Historic Preservation/Public History.  The subject of my thesis was Aircraft Preservation at the National Air and Space Museum.  For my final research I had arranged an internship at the National Air and Space Museum’s (NASM) Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility at Silver Hill, Md. for August and September of that year.  I spent those days in Building 10, the preservation/restoration shop, and my late afternoons and evenings researching in the Archives.

  My parents were living at the New Jersey Shore.  On Labor Day weekend, 1994, I drove up to visit them.  With my tales of interning at the NASM, my Dad once again related “The Story” and brought out those three tiny photos, which he then bequeathed to my care.  Having spent much of my adulthood reading WW-II aviation history and building model aircraft, these tiny photos now showed so much more to me than they did as a young boy.  Exactly 50 years after my Dad’s joy ride, I had in my hands all of the incentive to find, in Paul Harvey’s words, “The Rest of the Story.”

  Note B-26 Medium Bombers of the 387th Bomb Group in the background

   
  

  An Unplanned Research Project

  First, it was clear even in these small, low-definition images that the B-17 was not camouflaged, but silver or in Natural Metal Finish (NMF). In the long shot the top of the vertical stabilizer appeared to be a dark color with what appeared to be the top of the letter A in a triangle that was darker than the stabilizer.  In this image much of the aft fuselage was masked by the left wing. But, aft of the national insignia were the letters LG  D.  The close in image of the left nose showed a long line of bomb mission markings and three mission markings on a second line below that.  And the very seductive young lady painted on the nose next to the name “My Baby” painted on a decorative background.   Now I had two research projects to work on at the NASM.

  I had already become a bother to the very patient, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic NASM Archives staff in researching my thesis.  They nonetheless guided me to every source in my search for information on “My Baby.”  Roger A. Freeman’s The Mighty Eighth was my first reference.  The large letter A in a black triangle painted on a red vertical stabilizer was the Group identifier for the 91st Bomb Group (BG) stationed at Bassingbourn in Cambridgeshire in the English Midlands.  The letters on the side of the fuselage identified the aircraft as belonging to the 322nd Bomb Squadron (BS).  So, one might ask, what was a B-17 from the 91st BG stationed in the English Midlands doing flying in and out of a 9th Air Force base in the very south of England on August 10, 1944?  Wasn’t there a war on and didn’t “Mac” and his B-17 have bigger fish to fry?

  Two Natural Metal Finish (NMF) B-17Gs of the 324th BS. On the left is “Lorraine”, Serial No. 44-8651. In the background is “Mah Ideel”, Serial No. 43-37993, DF-N for Nan. Note the Olive Drab replacement rudder. “Mah Ideel” flew the mission to Ludwigshafen on September 8, 1944. Both aircraft survived the war. [Evers via Kelley]

  
  

  With the information I now had, NASM Archives staff advised me that they had in their records, and very conveniently in their Reading Room, files of all of the Eighth Air Force Nose Art and names sorted by BG (this collection is now in the files of the National Archives in College Park, Md.).  It took me five minutes to find a small proof image of “My Baby” in the 91st BG file.  The image is an official 91st BG photo of the aircraft and its crew.  Two things jumped out at me. One of the nine crewmen pictured was the same “Mac” in my father’s small photos. And the official photo showed the same number of bomb mission markings as those shown in my dad’s photos.  Could this photo have been taken on the same day that “My Baby” flew down to southern England to offer two Army officers a “joy ride” around the English countryside?  I ordered an 8” X 10” copy of this photo.

  “Yankee Belle,” a B-17G, Ser. No. 42-32085, DF-K from the 324th BS that was also on the same mission to Ludwigshafen, September 8, 1944, the day David McCarty was lost in “Roxy’s Special.” “Yankee Belle” displays the same Natural Metal Finish (NMF) and Group markings as both “My Baby” and “Roxy’s Special.” 

  
  

  Roger A. Freeman, an Englishman famous for his documenting of all things Eighth Air Force in WW-II, also wrote The Mighty Eighth War Diary. It has more photos and anecdotal stories of the men, aircraft, and missions of the Eighth.  It is also an operational diary, a day by day record, of the missions and activities of the Eighth Air Force. It is an education in the organization of the Eighth.  The primary unit of any BG is the squadron consisting of 12 aircraft.  Normally, a BG has four squadrons.  Above the Eighth’s BGs were three Air Divisions, each consisting of 16 to 18 BGs.  The 91st BG was a part of the First Air Division.  Turning to Freeman’s War Diary and searching for August 10, 1944, one discovers that the First Air Division stood down on this date – no mission was assigned to the 91st.  So “Mac” and “My Baby” had a day off.  How “Mac” got to fly a B-17 from Bassingbourn to Stoney Cross can only be guessed.  This may have been an opportunity to break in or “zero time” a new engine, but clearly “Mac” had another mission on his mind – to visit his buddy,  Lt Y.Z. Garner, based in Salisbury.

  Another image of “Mah Ideel,” DF-N for Nan. 

  
  

  Finding “Mac”: An Amateur Sleuth Goes to Work

  In September, 1994 I found a new resource that proved key to unlocking the mystery of who “Mac” was and how he was lost over Germany. Again, following the suggestions of the NASM Archive’s staff, I found another English author who focused on the 91st BG.  Ray Bowden’s book Plane Names and Fancy Dames is a treasure trove of 91st BG aircraft names, nose art, and history of each of the aircraft that Bowden has been able to get images of and information on.  The artwork and name on “My Baby” was painted by T/Sgt. Anthony L. “Tony” Starcer, “…destined to be one of the most prolific and skilled nose art painters in the entire USAAF.”   Starcer painted most of the best known aircraft in the 91st BG including the “Memphis Belle,” “Chow Hound,” “Man O War,” and “Shoo, Shoo, Shoo Baby.”  The figure on the left nose of “My Baby” was modeled on a photo of Brazilian dancer and Hollywood movie star, Carmen Miranda. A single color image shows lettering for “My Baby” was red with a black shadow on a white field with a yellow decorative frame.

  “My Baby” photographed in early or mid-summer, 1944. Photo shows 43 mission markings. She would be shot down by fighters on September 5, 1944 on her 58th mission.

  
  

  Bowden’s write-up on “My Baby” contains a great deal of information and dispelled several preconceptions I had.  She was a B-17G, distinguished from earlier models by a chin turret.  Her serial number was 42-107033.  She was shot down by fighters on September 5, 1944, on a mission to the I.G. Farben Chemical Works in Ludwigshafen, Germany.  It was her 58th mission, but only the second mission for her young pilot, Lt Ernest Robert “Bob” Kelley, who survived the shoot down.  Seventeen different pilots and crews had flown her. My first preconception, that a pilot and crew were assigned an aircraft and stayed with that aircraft until they had met the required mission total and returned to the States, proved incorrect..  Of the pilots mentioned in Bowden’s history, none had Irish or Scottish last names that began with Mc or Mac.  But the September Fail To Return (FTR) date matches my Dad’s “one month” later time frame, I thought that perhaps Lt. Kelley’s nickname might be “Mac” and he had not been killed after all. But how to find out was my next challenge.  Ray Bowden quoted Kelley several times in his notes, so I wrote to Bowden to find out if Kelley was alive and if so, how to contact him.

  Bowden was happy to get the information on my dad’s “joy ride’ in “My Baby” and graciously gave me his contact information for Ernest “Bob” Kelley which indicated that he lived in northern California.  My call that was picked up by “Bob” Kelley who was surprised, but very pleased that someone was calling him about his mission in “My Baby.” He gave me much information while trying to recall names fifty years in his past.  Soon he recalled that “Mac” was Lt David McCarty Jr., who was in the same 322nd BS that Kelley was in.  Kelley also recalled that McCarty was lost on another mission over Germany, but had no further details.   But he provided a wealth of information about his second and last and “My Baby’s” 58th and last mission.

  An official USAAF photo of “My Baby” with McCarty and crew. Mission markings, a day off for the 1st Bomb Division, and transfer to “Texas Chubby, the J-ville Jolter” on August 11, indicate that this photo was taken at Bassingbourn on the morning of August 10, 1944. Back row, L-R: 1Lt David McCarty Jr., Pilot; 2Lt James McElroy, Co-Pilot; 2Lt Ernest Austin, Navigator; 2Lt Frank Bolen, Bombardier; and Sgt. George Hawes, Radio Operator. Front row L-R: Cecil Seeking, Ball Turret; Harold Beeman, Waist Gunner; Floyd “Tex” Dillon, Tail Gunner; T/Sgt. David Wolnowitz, Top Turret. Of those shown only McCarty, Dillon, and Bolen were on “Roxy’s Special” when she was shot down on September 8, 1944. Of these only Bolen survived to become a POW.

  Image of Tony Starcer’s artwork on “My Baby”. The colors indicated conform to Bob Kelley’s recollection.

  Small piece of “My Baby “ recovered from her crash-site years after her dismiss.

  “Roxy’s Special”, B-17G , Serial No. 43-38348, LG-O, 322nd BS, lost with 1Lt David McCarty Jr. and his crew over Ludwigshafen on September 8, 1944. This was the only loss in the 322nd BS that day. Arriving at Bassingbourn on August 18, 1944, she was lost only three weeks later on her 5th mission. Officers pictured are the crew of Capt. Suther. 

  “Texas Chubby, The J-ville Jolter”, B-17G, Serial No. 42-31634, LG-O, 322nd BS. First flown by Texan, Lt Ray R. Ward who named this Olive Drab over Neutral Gray aircraft. Photo shows the Ward crew in front of a freshly arrived and mission free aircraft. 

  With over 40 mission markings, “Texas Chubby” looks a bit second hand in this image. McCarty and crew flew her on August 11, 13, 14, and 15, 1944. She was lost to fighters over Halle the very next day. Four survived the shoot down with five KIA including her pilot. Crew members shown in this image are unknown to the author. 

  
  

  “My Baby”: Failure to Return from Mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany, Sept. 5, 1944

  Ernest Robert Kelley joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in April, 1943 and was commissioned a 2Lt. in January of 1944 at Stockton Field, Calif.  He did final training at Hobbs, N.M., where he was assigned to be first pilot in B-17s.  Sent next to Rapid City, N.D., he was given a crew of eight with whom he flew to England in July, 1944, the same month my Dad arrived in England. Many crews at this point in the war were sent to England in factory fresh aircraft, which they delivered to depots from which they were assigned to Bomb Groups in need of replacements.  Kelley and crew felt very lucky to be assigned to the 91st BG at Bassingbourn.  Close to Cambridge and known as the “Country Club”, this former RAF base had amenities that attracted politicians, entertainers, and journalists.

  Kelley and crew were assigned to the 322nd BS. After he flew familiarization flights around England, Kelley flew his first mission as a co-pilot on September 3, 1944. The target was the submarine pens at Kiel, Germany.  Thirty six aircraft went on the mission and all 36 returned.  Two days later Kelley and his crew were assigned a   mission to bomb the I.G. Farben Chemical Works (today’s BASF at the same location) at Ludwigshafen in western Germany.  The aircraft they were assigned to fly was B-17G, serial Number 42-107033.  This aircraft, initially attached to the 324th BS, had survived 57 missions.

  “Roxy’s Special’s” center fuselage lies on Luther Strasse in the city of Ludwigshafen on September 8, 1944. Martin Luther Church is on the left. Richard Braun, a teenager, recalled coming out of the church upon hearing the crash. He noted seeing bodies still strapped to seats and hanging in nearby trees.  [Stadtarchiv, Ludwigshafen]

  
  

  The 322nd was the second from last and therefore the High Squadron on this mission. Their location in the BG was called “Coffin Corner” and “My Baby” was the 37th and last aircraft, “Tail End Charlie.”  If that wasn’t inauspicious enough, foul weather and a V-1 attack on the airfield that morning heightened anxiety amongst the crew. “My Baby” carried 4400 pounds of incendiary bomb sticks that morning. But Murphy wasn’t through with Kelley and crew.  As the last aircraft to take off, “My Baby” was rocked by prop wash and, barely airborne, she veered slightly to the right and hit an airfield landing light, blowing out a main gear tire.  Assembling at 8000’, they climbed to 21,000’ over France where they encountered worsening weather and the loss of the number three engine.  Heavy flak over Metz, France took out the number four engine.  With loss of all power on the right side “My Baby” was unable to climb and, lagging behind the Group, was advised by the Group Leader to turn back and seek a landing place in France. A return to England was out of the question.

  Shortly after turning back, “My Baby” was beset by Luftwaffe Me 109 fighters.  One made a stern run that instantly killed Tail Gunner, S/Sgt. Richard Doyle, and destroyed part of the rudder and elevator. Further rounds damaged the right wing near the dead number three engine. Losing control and altitude rapidly and unable to see through thick overcast, Kelly rang the klaxon advising all to bail out.  Last to leave the doomed B-17, Kelley put on the last parachute hanging in the cockpit and jumped.  Below 5000 feet, he pulled the rip chord and was immediately alarmed by its refusal to spill the chute, forcing him to pull the pilot chute out of its bag.  As “My Baby” flew on, he saw the severe damage to the tail section and noted that an Me 109 continued to pursue the B-17.  A second Me 109 turned toward Kelley and began to fire in his direction putting several holes in his chute.  Clouds and low altitude ended this attack and Kelley soon found himself on the ground in a dense wooded area.  In the meantime, “My Baby” had made a 180 degree, descending turn and, missing the taller buildings of a small town, crashed onto a farmer’s field.  The crash ignited fuel, oil, and the incendiary bomb load creating a huge fire that would continue to burn throughout the night and into the next morning.

  A close-up of the Wreckage of “Roxy’s Special’s” center fuselage. 

  
  

  Kelley could hear a dog barking nearby and the voices of an elderly man and woman.  Understanding French, Kelley realized they were looking for survivors of the bailout.  Making himself known to them he was quickly taken to the local chief of the French Underground and hidden in a deep hole obviously prepared as a fortress/hide out along with his co-pilot, 2Lt Andy Anderson, Navigator, 2Lt Alton Karoli and Bombardier, 2Lt George Lancaster. This hide out was 20 feet deep and contained two rooms partitioned by a large curtain.  One room was the sleeping area and the second room contained rifles, uniforms, and other supplies used to get allied personnel back to their lines. Kelley and Lancaster suffered minor injuries from their bail-outs.  Engineer, T/Sgt. Ira Krammes suffered ligament damage and, unable to walk or run, was captured.  Waist Gunner Sgt. Zalma Michell and Ball Turret Gunner, S/Sgt. Edward Duemmer landed and were assisted by local residents, eventually evading back to the Allied lines.  Radio Operator, T/Sgt. Grover Nordman was found by locals, given a bicycle with which he rode over 50 miles through German-held territory and across Allied lines. The body of Tail gunner S/Sgt. Doyle was found near the wreckage of the aircraft and buried in the local cemetery by the town mayor and two young brothers.  

  Kelley, Anderson, Lancaster, and Karoli, after nine days hiding with the French Underground, were picked up by two GI’s who had  wandered near their area in a Jeep.  They still had to meander through the French countryside to avoid pockets of German soldiers in retreat.  Arriving in Paris 12 days after its liberation, Kelley and crew, aware that surviving crews were to report to the USAAF headquarters as soon as they arrived, enjoyed the city’s sights and entertainment for two days before reporting in.  Upon the crew’s return to Bassingbourn on September 17, a large, base-wide party was thrown in the 324th BS hangar.

  The wreckage of “Roxy’s Special” lies on Luther Strasse while the remaining pieces fell over an area of several square miles. 

  
  

  Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower issued orders early in the war that evaders were not to be returned to flying status in the ETO.  This was to protect the French Underground from being compromised in the event a previous evader was captured and tortured.  While there were exceptions to this mandate, Lt Kelly and his crew were flown back to the United States to be trained for action in the Pacific Theatre of Operations.  While Bob Kelley did train in Douglas A-26 Medium Bombers to be flown against Japan, the war ended before he was ordered back into combat                             

   The four evaders return to Bassingbourn 12 days after being shot down in “My Baby.” L-R: Lt Andrew “Andy” Anderson, Co-Pilot; Lt George Lancaster Jr., Bombardier; Lt Alton Karoli, Navigator; and Lt Ernest Robert “Bob” Kelley, Pilot. Anderson, who was the pilot of “Madame Shoo Shoo,” was loaned to the inexperienced Kelley crew for the mission on September 5, 1944.

  
  

  1Lt David McCarty: Killed in Action on a Mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany, Sept. 8, 1944

  Thanks to Bob Kelley, I now knew who “Mac” was.  I wrote again to Bowden who responded with a great deal of information about David McCarty and his loss over Germany.  Bowden also provided a partial list of McCarty’s mission history in the 322nd BS. This provided further evidence that the crew photo and flight to Stoney Cross both took place on August 10, 1944. McCarty and crew first flew “My Baby” on August 8 and then again on the 9th and then flew “Texas Chubby, The J-Ville Jolter,” an olive drab over gray camouflaged B-17G, on August 11,13, 14, and 15. “Texas Chubby” was shot down the following day with another crew on board. Further evidence was provided by 2Lt Frank Bolen, bombardier assigned to the crew of “Chow Hound,” another well known, Starcer decorated B-17, in the 322nd BS.  On August 7, 1944, Bolen was relieved of his duties as bombardier by the squadron’s

  lead bombardier because “Chow Hound was to lead the entire squadron on a mission in support of the Normandy breakout. "Chow Hound" and all of her crew were lost on that mission. With no time to reflect on the loss of his crew, Bolen was immediately assigned to the McCarty crew and is shown in the official 91st BG photo that now appears to have been taken on the morning of August 10, the same day McCarty flew “My Baby” to Stoney Cross.

  The 322nd BS hangar at Bassingbourn taken during the “Big Snow” of December, 1944. This structure is a twin to the 322nd BS hangar used to celebrate the return of “My Baby’s” officers on September 17, 1944.

  
  

  McCarty and crew’s next mission was on September 8 in an NMF B-17G, serial no. 43-38348 named “Roxy’s Special.” On that day, this aircraft was listed “Missing in Action” (MIA) on only its fifth mission and McCarty listed as “Killed in Action”

  (KIA) over the same target that saw the loss of “My Baby” three days earlier – the I.G. Farben Chemical Plant in Ludwigshafen.  And this fit almost perfectly my dad’s recollection of Lt Garner’s announcement of Mac’s loss.

  On Friday morning, September 8, 1944, McCarty and crew sat in the “Roxy’s Special” which held twelve 500lb. Demolition Bombs. Shortly after 7:22, as the sun began to rise, McCarty guided the aircraft off the Bassingbourn runway and headed east flying in the “right box” of the Low Group just to the right of the lead squadron.  Climbing above the English Channel to a height of 9000 feet, McCarty headed toward Paris where the entire Group would climb to 26,000 feet.  Time over the target, was to be 11:48 a.m.  Minutes before bomb release, the aircraft was hit by an anti-aircraft round probably from an 88mm. flak cannon.  It hit near the number three engine (the right engine, closest to the cockpit) with devastating results.  The wing was severed at that point and the aircraft was seen to fall burning in a flat spin.  Witnesses saw the B-17 explode in mid-air.  The nose was severed from the rest of the fuselage with both the Bombardier, 2Lt Frank S. Bolen, and Navigator, 1Lt Donald Brazedons trapped by centrifugal force.  Eventually both were spilled out of the nose and parachuted to safety – sort of.  They were the only survivors as the others were either killed instantly or trapped in the aircraft as it spun on fire into the city of Ludwigshafen. “Roxy’s Special” was the only 91st BG loss on that mission.

  The I. G. Farben Chemical plant is near the confluence of the Rhine and Neckar Rivers. Brazedons came down just north of the confluence and on the west side of the river, almost on the burning chemical plant property and was capturedimmediately.   Frank Bolen landed north of Brazedon on a tiny island where the Altrhein Canal enters the Rhine at Sandhofen. Bolen was knocked unconscious from the impact and once awake discovered that his right ankle was badly sprained.  Waiting until dark, he found a rowboat that eventually got him to the east bank of the Rhine where, moving north, he eventually reached the west bank at the city of Worms.  Traveling only at night and hobbled by the sprained ankle, he worked his way west for seven days. Forced to begin moving during daylight to protect his ankle, he was captured on September 14th and transferred to Stalag Luft I. for the duration of the war.  Stalag Luft I. was at Barth, on the Baltic Sea and was a temporary home to many Allied airmen.

  A photo of the 322nd BS hangar during the preparation of squadron personnel for a group photo. A zoomed-in detail shows the 42-31634 'Texas Chubby' standing in the background. [NARA]

  
  

  “Roxy”s Special” fell in many pieces onto downtown Ludwigshafen.  The center fuselage/cockpit fell on Luther Strasse directly in front of Luther Church and was actually viewed by a young boy who was at the church that day. Richard Braun, hearing a crash, came out of the church and saw bodies in the aircraft and dangling from nearby trees.

  The bodies of 1Lt David McCarty Jr., 2Lt Neil M. Mylin (Co-Pilot),  Sgt. Frank F. Trim Jr. (Ball Turret Gunner), S/Sgt. Charles E. Beebe (Waist Gunner), and S/Sgt. Floyd Z. Dillon (Tail Gunner) were interred in the Ludwigshafen Central Cemetery on September 14, 1944. Top Turret Gunner and Flight Engineer T/Sgt. John Cangemi  was initially listed as (MIA). There is no record of his initial interment, but at some point his body was located after the war and reinterred at a U.S. Military cemetery in Minnesota. T/Sgt. Henry R. Schulz is buried at the New Saint Marcus Cemetery, Affton, Missouri. Frank Trim was originally a Waist Gunner on Bob Kelley’s crew.  During the summer of 1944 the 8th Air Force began to reduce B-17 and B-24 crews from ten to nine. This was done by removing one of the waist gunners in each aircraft and assigning them to other positions with other crews. Trim was lost doing Ball Turret duty on McCarty’s crew on “Roxy’s Special”.

  David McCarty was born on his family’s farm in Gardendale, Ala. on February 6, 1922.  David’s parents, David Sr. and Dorothy Ethel Clark, moved to North Birmingham in 1925.  David Sr. became the owner of Northside Lumber Company, Inc.  It was shortly after this move that David’s sister, Ethel Jean was born. David attended grade school in North Birmingham and Philips High School near downtown Birmingham.  Graduating Philips in 1939, David entered the University of Alabama and began studying Pre-Law.  He also took courses at University Center,Birmingham.

  Bob Kelley at a July Fourth parade in 2009. He still fits into his 1944 uniform. Bob was 96 years old and healthy as a horse until a stroke took him down. We corresponded until the end.  Yes, we had become friends and met out in California and spent a day together sometime around 2014-2015. 

  
  

  David’s sister, Jean, said David had inherited his dad’s entrepreneurial skills at an early age, managing a newspaper route for the Birmingham News Age Herald, delivering newspapers on his bicycle and growing his route successfully. Once old enough to drive at 16, he drove a garbage truck for the City of Birmingham in the early hours before school opened.  When this became an interference to school attendance and work he switched to working after school and on weekends at the family lumber yard, eventually becoming Vice President of Northside Lumber Company prior to volunteering for military duty.

   David is remembered by his sister as a young man interested in mechanics and carpentry and an excellent partner to his dad in the management of the family’s lumber business.  He also was very interested in real estate and land development.  She also remembers rides on his motorcycle and, no surprise here, for a “buzz job” of the family home in North Birmingham just prior to his transfer to England.

  A desire to fly aircraft and fearing being drafted into the Infantry or Navy, David volunteered for the U.S. Army Air Corps and was sent to Flight School at Maxwell Air

  Force Base in Montgomery, Ala.  On March 10,1943 he began Primary Training at Avon Park, FL and, later,  Advanced Training at Gunter Field in Montgomery. When

  he graduated from Flight Training at Freeman Field Ind., he received the single gold bar of a 2Lt on December 5, 1943, one month before Bob Kelley was commissioned.   Assigned to bombers, David did further training at Salt Lake City and Dahlbert, Texas, before flying to England where he served with the 91st BG, 322nd BS until his loss on September 8, 1944.

  He was very respected by those who flew with him.  Frank Bolen, survivor of David’s last mission said he was “… nice and easy going, but not reserved.” And that he was  “… an excellent and confident …” pilot.  Dave Wolnowitz who was a member of David’s crew prior to that final mission remembers David as “… quiet and the nicest guy in the world …” and “… a great pilot”.

  David McCarty Jr. was survived by his parents, sister, Ethel Jean McCarty, and

  grandmother, Mrs. Rose Clark McCarty.  The family asked the U.S. Military to return

  David’s body to Birmingham where his funeral service and final burial took place in July 1947.  He is buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Birmingham.

  The body of David McCarty Jr. was returned to Alabama by his family in 1947. He is buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Birmingham. He is survived by his sister Ethel Jean Kittrell.  [Forest Hill Cemetery]

   

  Who Would Have Thought Such Tiny Photos Could Lead To So Much Information

  I could never have imagined that those three tiny images would lead me to so many sources of information.  Not only was I able to find what happened to “My Baby” and her pilot, David McCarty Jr., but I was able, with the help of so many, to locate people who had had flown “My Baby” and survived McCarty’s last mission.  Archivists and Bob Kelley helped discover photos of McCarty and the B-17’s that he flew. Bob Kelley sent me a piece of “My Baby” that he recovered from a farmer’s field many years after her crash.  My late father was astounded by all of this information and amazed that he was able to hold an actual piece of the B-17 that he had a “joy ride” in on August 10, 1944.

  David McCarty was 22 years old when he was shot down over Germany on September 8, 1944. Dad was 26.  Young men united for a carefree afternoon flying over the south of England.  For my dad it was a lifetime memory. For me, it has been an opportunity to honor my Dad’s role in WW II.  But it has also been an opportunity to remember a pilot who did not return to tell his kids amazing tales of his missions with the Mighty Eighth over Nazi Germany.  They were all a part of “The Greatest Generation” and their service should never be forgotten.

   

  Acknowledgements

  This has been quite a tour and I could not have tied all the loose ends together without those who have generously contributed information, photos, contacts, and editorial assistance.  Bob Kelley very early on got me moving toward solving the puzzle of who was “Mac” and the story of the demise of “My Baby.” He referred me to many contacts that filled voids in “The Story.” He also offered me many photos of “My Baby” and finally, a relic removed from her burned out carcass that lies below a French farmer’s bean field. Bob became not only an advisor, but a good friend who did live to see this story completed. Jean McCarty Kittrell, David McCarty’s sister sent not only the recollections of a teenaged younger sister, but a careful list of editorial corrections. Her career as an English Professor made her eminently qualified to do so.  Old friend and writer, Ken Dalecki, also offered assistance in the editorial process. The Archives staff at the National Air and Space Museum lent their knowledge and enthusiasm.  Brian Nicklas, Melissa Keiser, and Larry Wilson could not have been more helpful in pointing me in the right direction.  My early contact with them in 1994 and my subsequent employment at the NASM have created enduring friendships with them.  Frank Bolen and David Wolnowitz were also very generous with information about David McCarty and his last mission. Ray Bowden and The USAAF Nose Art Research Project were a critical source of information on McCarty and the B-17s that he flew. I am also grateful to the 91st Bomb Group Memorial Association for their assistance and Jan Zdiarsky for his interest in this story that led him to provide additional research, photos, editorial assistance and encouragement.