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Bf 109G-4/Trop, WNr. 10795, Oblt Wolfgang Tonne,
CO of 3./JG 53, Bizerta, Tunis, February 1943
Bf 109G-4/R6, Hptm. Waldemar Wübke, CO of 7./JG 54,
Lille-Vendeville, France, March 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 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
number 6 painted underneath after the previous
user had his 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 return to the
home airfield he performed a victory roll with his
Bf 109G-6/R1 WNr. 16523. He apparently misjudged
the altitude, lost control of his aircraft and the
risky maneuver cost him life.
Waldemar Wübke was one of the few Luftwaffe
fighter pilots to survive combat duty over the
entire course of the war. He was credited
with a total of 15 victories over Allied aircraft.
He started the war as a Leutnant with 9. Staffel,
III./JG 54 during the Battle of Britain and ended
it as a Hauptmann, flying Fw 109D-9s of the
„Papagai Staffel“, which was flying defensive
missions for Me 262 of Galland’s JV 44. The JG 52
started the war on the western front but was
assigned to Army Group North during Operation
Barbarossa as part of the Luftflotte 1. In February
1943 III./JG 54 was transferred back to the west.
There it was to replace one of the Gruppe JG 26.
On February 1, 1943, it was sent from Heiligenbeil
to Lille-Vendeville, where it was handed new
Messerschmitts Bf 109G-4. By March 25, 1943,
the III./JG 54 received orders to relocate to
Oldenburg and to serve within the Defense
of the Reich system. Bf 109G-4s came to the
7. Staffel JG 54 mostly from other units. Aircraft of
III. Gruppe carried fuselage markings consisting
of a wave bar in the Staffel color. The lower
engine cowling was in yellow as was the rudder.
KITS 11/2024
INFO Eduard58
November 2024