KITS 11/2023

WNr. 110087, Hptm. Horst Carganico, CO of I./JG 5, Herzogenaurach,

Germany, May 1944

The first unit in which the then twenty-two-yearold 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

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INFO Eduard

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.

November 2023