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Bf 109G-14/AS, Fw. Eberhard Gzik, 2./JG 300, Borkheide,
Germany, October 1944
Bf 109G-14/AS, WNr. 784986, Ofw. Paul Schwerdtfeger, 11./JG 6 Bissel,
Germany, January, 1945
This Bf 109G-14/AS belonging to I./JG 300 was
a Series 780 machine produced by the Erla
factory in Leipzig. During the fall of the 1944, the
I./JG 300 led by Hptm. Gerhard Stamp conducted
fighter cover for the Fw 190A-8/R2 Sturmbock
heavy fighters. The unit suffered serious losses
during tough combats with USAAF fighters
in September and October. On October 2,
I./JG 300 lost 19 aircraft destroyed and
13 damaged by Mustangs of the 355th FG which
strafed the Borkheide airfield. Fw. Eberhard Gzik
was posted to 9./EJG 2 in November 1944 and flew
the Me 262 in Kommando Stamp. He achieved
three aerial victories during the war.
Since 1944 Ofw. Paul Schwerdtfeger logged many
sorties as a reconnaissance pilot. In the summer
1944 he volunteered to the fighter air corps
and on January 1, 1945 took off as a member of
III./JG 6 staff flight for his first combat sortie in the
fighter role. JG 6 target was supposed to be Volkel
airport however the unit commander led his unit
much further to the south. Ofw. Schwerdtfeger’s
aircraft was hit by an anti-aircraft artillery fire
nearby Helmond. The pilot tried to reach German
lines however he crash-landed and was killed
nearby Groesbeek. Ofw. Schwerdtfeger aircraft
flew camouflaged in typical camouflage from the
Messerschmitt factory in Regensburg, in RLM
74/75/76 colors. Vertical tail surface and rudder
were manufactured by the sub-contractor and
painted in the same colors with sharp-edged
blotches of RLM 74, overpainted slightly by RLM
76 blotches, 900 mm red-white-red stripe was
spray-painted on the rear of the fuselage. This
was Jagdegeschwader 6 recognition marking for
its Reich Defense role.
KITS 11/2024
INFO Eduard
43
November 2024