AIRCAM AVIATION SERIES No.

39
(Val. 1 j

R i 109E-1. 7./JG2 - ' R i c h t h o f e ~ "'lowr, by Ohlt. Macholrls. S'affel-

kap~tan.S t a i d ~ r dspliiter upuw s ~ r l a c r sh~!rlvy
, 4:rQy rnott'e on fuselaqo.
t)as,~'I at LFI Havre. France. Luftflcftc 3.
Ra:tlc o f B i ~ t i l ~D(!~IU<+
r,

# LUFTWAFFE 8 FOREICN SERVICE

ACYUOWLEDGEMENTS
T h s 1s the first of fcur volumes an :he M e s s e r s c h r n l t t Bf 104. When
Text by Francis K. Mason t h e S P ~ ~ CI SS cnmplete the four books will preseqt the most thorough
plctorlal coverage of this famous slrcrnft rvrr puhllshed. Acknow-
tedgement rnusl be madc to the puhllshed researches of Herr Karl
Illustrated and compiled by R P I ~ Jr.. and t o all those who assisted with photographs and
lnturmat~onwhose names are l~stpdbelow In alphnhrt~calordpr
Richard Ward Borw Hlelrn IWM. Gerhard J h o s MOISCSCU Mlharl. Hans Obert,
~ a r ; s Redernesln. F. SFIII~C~. WSAF, Martln C. Windrow

R f 1095-1. 1 I J G 5 2 R a t t 3 e c f Britain period. shot dawn o t Maidstoro,

Yent. 78 Septcwbor 1 ! d o . Standarc! spllnter upper sudaces, grey -roltle
on fusrlage s~dps,VP-v l~eavvhrbnralb cock~11t6 !J'I c l o r d of wlnq
laor-C3uvron, France, Luftllot:e 2.

Publtshed by: Osprey Publ~shrngLimited, England

Edtrort~lOffrce: P.0 Box 5. Canterbury. Kent. England
S~~bscrtprton
R B u s t n ~ sOfftce:
.~ P.0 Box 25. 707 Ox'ord Road. R e a d l n g . Berkshire. England
The Derksl~urePrinllng Co Ltd r9 q 1973
Osprey P u b l ~ s h ~ nLtd. ISBN O 85045 152 3
Abcve ?.lc-c\r.rs:.P11>1;1 ?f 1:irkP .7 :! iJRF L e y ~ o nCondor. Frunete area, I r A r Msdr:d. Spa~n.J u r c 1 5 3 7 A1 1k;. l i r - f l . , , o ~ ~ u-r,,pl,
l~, ,A. -, l , ~ k b j ~ ?
79;. " l o p 1-l?t 1-1sl5nl;l hd:l 11l:tbeen a ~ p ! l c d
tr) Ihe fuse aqe, ro:e thr: wrng roundels sllgbl!y ovorla3 tke sller0r.s ( b a n s I?,:;--:]

$\b ov(, Lp [<II,,>,,l! , L,; 1 1 !.I,-, I,:., :,,:,l(,, ,a;:t,,>;: l,,,lll, dt*,.. tr,,, : - ~ ~ l , ~ ~ lt , >
- lI., , , ( 1 :,I1 I ,, c< 18,: -,,-- :,.-,L8c:! <~ll~-~;ll' ,,,.,\
bcrn .-oulnped w ~ l hF r y p r ~ r h a u s~t y s l t - ~ r l

Eelow. A Bf 103C-1 after a landlr;g c o l l ~ s ~ oh n; l h a Junkers 3 u 52 (Hans Oberf)

It I\oitcn remarkcd rhst thr H a w k c ~I-lurricanc was h e were prototypes. I t was intended to include a 20-mm.
Id\[ oi a generation and the Supermarlne Spitfire was FF cannon ltring through lhe prnpcllcr hub, but early
rhc lirst of a newr one. Whrrca5 rhc former prrwsted tn cnollng troubles wilh rhrl gun led to the later proto-
a clructure d e ~ p nth?r had orlg~natcdamong the Biplancr tvpcs h u n g completcd with a third 7.9-mm.MG 17 in
clt a prcvlcTu9 cra, tlic lattcr was ro lntroducc strcsscd- phce of thc largcr gun.
d u n manocoquc Into Rr~tirh ~n-servrce hghtes deslm. The I3f 109B entercd production 1n 1937 (a batch of
'l'hat tlic I-Iursicanc Rca 71x months befosr the S p ~ t i ~ r e Rf IO9B-0 pre-prcluction aircraft being delivered for
3nd was larger> ohwlcscent rcvcral year< bcforc rhc wrvice evaluarlnn) and cxtendcd to the R - l and RZ, sub-
"atl-metal" de\ipn 1s further evidence that the Ilawkcr varlantr. A prototype sub-varunt, the Hf 109V13, was
iigltter wap rcdlsticaHx of an carl~er generatiun. As a standard B-ser~es airframe with a specially boosred
such. despltc a great deal of adaptat~on in later l ~ f e , 11 Dnimler-Beni: 601 e n q n c developing 1,650 h.p., and,
could never match the dr\rgn dsvclopmcnt potential of flown h y I l r . I-Icrmann Wurster, .;et up a new landplane
rhr Splthrc. I ' h ~ k prramhle I\ necewary to ~llustratc. in world spccd rrcord ol 379.39 m.p.h. o n 11 November
corrcci wr+pcLtlve thc true slgnlticancc of Professor 1937. (It is worth mentioning here that rhe later spced
I l ~ l l vMrswrcchmnt'\ quprrb Bf 109 dcr~gn,for th~kalr- rccord of 469.22 rn.p.li., e ~ t a b l ~ s h e on
d 26 April 1939
raft flew two months before the Hurr~carir,Wac a marrh n a y not ~ c up t by n Bf ln9-as was suggested at the
Tor the Spitfirc thrnughout i r s I I ~ L , and by thc time tlme. The so-called "hie l09R" was a ahollv dlffcrcnr
thc Sccond World V( ar c n d ~ dcould st111 he counted among design, specially developed for h~ph q x c d prc~tipc
d ~ cbt>r p~ston-eng~nedhghrers of rhe dav. When onc purpure\.)
Eurrhtr ~ u n w d e r rthc relar~venhwnce nf uitable power- -1 hc first pmduc~ifln version, the BF 109R-1, waq
planr dt.vclopmcnr d u r r n ~thc ~Mcs~ercchrnitt's earl) d e r q n powered by the 635 h.p. Jumo 210D, had a rop speed of
per~cd,and the extent o f prlbatlon suffered h t Gemany 292 m.p h. at 13,100 fret-the low maximum $peed being
towards the end of the n a r , that ~ u c han aircraft rquld lhe dirtct reculf of the abscncc of powerful engines pcr
c v e n rnnrcnd top honaurr amonfi rhc b c ~ tf i g h t ~ r 'ln
~ tIlc ava~lnbic.In Germany, when compared with rhc 1,030 h.p
world mu?[ bear arnplc teltrmony to ITS rxtraord~nary Rolls-Royce iUcrlln of the Hurricanc (top ~ p c c d thcn
qualitv. about 315 rn.p.11,). These early aircraft wcre supplied to
~0'fl~dguscl17uudcr "RichrhoJen", but the poor cl~mb per-
Prototypes end early productian formance heqlowed by rhc carly fixed-pirch w d c n pro-
pclltrr had alrcadv prompted arrangcmenty to liccncc-
Concclvcd in Scpternbcr 1933, the Bf 109 rvas one of four manufacture IIam~iton two-blade var~ablc-pitch metal
designs 5cEcctcd for protnlypti mmpetirivc cvaluat~on-- propeIlerc and t h r v west Iirtcd to the Bf 109B-2, powered
tllc others bcing thc Arado Ar XDV1, Heinkel He l l Z V l by the rwn-sragc suprrcharged Jumo 21 (X; developing
rind Iz~)cke-WuliI+'w 159VI-to replace rhe He 51 znd 670 h.p. Thi? fightcr variant ]lad a lop spccd of 302 m.p.11.
Ar hX blplaac lighters. The BF 109V1 ( 0 - I A R I ) firrr flew s t about 17,500 feet. Empty and loaded weights were
In Scptmmber 1935 and attended the rrlals a t Travcmundc 3.R10 and 5.180 Ih. respccrivcly.
the foltowing month. Dclpitc being puwered by nn Mcanwhrlc. rapid strengthening of the fighter unlts of
impnr~ed695 h.p. Rolls-Rotce KestreI V. and \u\talning the Lcgmtl 66ndur, fightlng In support of the Natlon-
ttic coltapse of i t s ~ ~ n d e r c a r r ~the
a ~ e.Mc.\.;erschm~tt
, dcslgn ahst forces In the Spanl?Ii Civil WRT and facing thc
w:rs ed1udgt.d thc wlnncr. l ' h c Rf 104V2 ( D - I U D E ) flrrv P o l 1 k a r p o v 4 e s l ~ e d 1-1 5 and 1-16 fightcrq puppl~cd
In ]nnuar\- 1936, pnwcred hy the new 610 h.p. Junkers by K u w a , prompted the hurried despatch of 13 Bf
Jumo 710iZ, and was folloaed by rhtl Rf 109V3 (13-IH,%"Y) 109II-15 and SIX 33-2s for ~ s s u c to 1 and 2 Stofjcln,
In Jane Thcse twn protorvpcf included provision for 3 u ~ r i ~ ~ z t p 7/88
pe In the Fenin~ula. Such participation
two spnchranrsed 7 9-mm. MG 1 7 mach~nc-guns in the b y Gcrman p~lorsin modern lighter< afforded con<idcrnble
top novc dccklng, b u ~111 the light of report? of the frre- rxprricnce horh for the Luftrcaffe and lor thc manufzc-
firing cigirt-gun :jrmarnent to be carried hv ~ h cHurricanc, turcrl, ,although pome of the "lessons" *-ere nllcrakeniy
i t rcrm dc-cide3 1 0 abandon t11c propurcd RE 109A pro- uildcrstood hb those inadequately ~nl'ormecl of thcir true
ducrion vtraiun In favour of the more heavilc armed narure. For example, whcn a d a m g r d Rf 109 suffercd t l ~ c
I3 varlant, of which the Rf 109V4, V5. Y6 and Y7 Ir>h\ of ~ t \mil In a hlgh-specd dlve, i i lent currency
Nose detall of a P,f 1 0 9 F 11 .; . 18 , , : .. -,,'I Ii:'l , , r , i l 11 ' ' I., "'2' ,,I
pllot Unternftl?,er u a n s Scll#lr2v l . ~ l i ,!,, ~..t)l.rt)
~

! o a wrdcTy-held hellef that the fighter was badIy undcr- th:m ahour 300 m.p.h. T h e completion of rhc Bf 109V10
.jrrt.ssed. I n fact no such wcakne~rcuisted. On the othcr prorotvpc I~n~vvvrr reprcscntcd a cubstantial improvcmmr;
h-lnd ~t wnr confirmed that thc Uf 109 was undcr~unned- ilclng a rtandard B-2 airframe, it was pwcrtld lly a
t v t n h> t11c ptandord~of. t h c Civil \Tar-~hilr rhree other development DH 650 engine of 960 h.p., and thih rctilrncd
weakne~ser; werc rrcopisrd: that of ruddcr buffct. of a maximum spccd o I 320 m.p.h. T h e ncxr two protorvpes,
a l n g \huddtr rccultinq from the autnmaric slats opcning V-11 and Y-12 (also uqlng R-Z airtrame.;) were fltted
at ton low an nrrspeed, and ~nhercnrundercarri~gt.w ~ a k - with production DR 600,4 cnglnes. snd thesc aircraft rvcrc
n r s p (this latter penl\ting thrtnughout the lll9'\ lift and patrtrnq for rhr RI 10913 protiucrion ver5tm which had a
ilu-ays demandinfi spcclal care when landing and tnxling). maximum spced of 323 m.p.11. and a qervicc ce~lingof
yo~wlthstandinp thcsc shortcom~ngs, German pilots 31,200 fret. Rv uslnl: I3-2 nirframcs a $mall prc-production
gamed ctmslderahle succesces i n air vornbnt. and amonR batch of Rf 109D-0.; u7a5 completed earlv In 1938 armcd
t h t scores a ~ l a l n e d by lLicc~crschrnltt pilols who wcrc to with twn wing-rnountcd MG 13\ and a vinglr hub-fir~ng
f~aursprominently In tlic Sccnnd World War were those FF cannon.
b ) Wrrner MnFders (14). Herbert Ihlrfeld (7>, Rcinhnrd Ds5pite the improvement5 in power provided by thc
Seiler <9), W1alter Oernu !X) a t ~ dGhnthcr Lutzuw ( 5 ) . DH hW. such wa\ the rnpidiw ol cnglne dt.velr>pment In
ETorrs t o rcmcdy tIic arnlarnent sllorrcomin~shad con- Gcrnmanv in 1937-38, the Ef l09D rvas 5horrlivcd in
tinucd unchecked a t Aup~hurg: the Bf l04VX prurotype T,ufrrr~af(efir-r-I~ne use. It ic helieved that only about 350
included the ~dditionof t w o wing-mountcd M G 17 gun.; w c h aircraft. t h e HI 10913-1, wrre built : ~ n dthat these only
and the Bf 109V9 i'catured lwa win^-maunrcd 70-mm. FT: cquippcd nnc Y a g d ~ r u p p ein Gcrmanv in 193s l'hev were
gun5 (nlmost clmulrancouslv In Rritnm the Hurricane was witl~drawn from operational usc and re-J~striburinn to
being readied for experlmental 1n51allalion of a pair of 6phrrr schools in small numbers, n,fi!le othcrs contlnucd
20-mrn Runs under t h e winp). I'hc outcomc o l these to he flown h y Srnh SrajJeln of combat unity a s late nq
protutvpc., waq thc fif 117PGthc p r d u c t i o n verfion 1941 (one or ~ w o cvcn featuring in low rccords duslng rht.
which occupied the axsemblv linc durnng September to alr hstrlcs of 1940). Silch was the ascendancv nnricipatcd
Octohcr 1937. T h e prc-product~nn Rf 1WC-0 and early in thc Iarer verqinnq rhnt Gtrmanv [rlr. confidrnt in allow-
C-1s were armed with two now-mo~intcdand two wlng- ing rhc cxporr of rhrce Bf IR9C-Zc to Hungnrv late in 1938
rntluntcd MG 17 rnachlnc-guns. whilc the C-2 ~ncludcd and ten to Switzerland. Dthcr Bf lfl9D-1s scrvcd wlrh
the hub-tir~nghlG 17 In addlhnn. T w c (:-Is wcre sent to Z~r+torerfesc/ru~arler
Spa~ri as rcplncrmcnt\ for ~ u ~ d g v u p p7J8R's c 2 S~nffcl T h e SU'IISRf IWC\ were regi\tered as 7-70! to 9-310.
in M a y 1938, and the following A u ~ s t12 cuch alrcraft deliverier b c i n ~cornpletcd b y mid-lanuarv 1939: they
rc-cqulppcd thc 3 Sraffel-later led with w c h success wesr mainly riped for conversion tralninq ~ n wcrc d dlstrih-
bv Molders. n 15 nnd 21 of the Sw15s
uted among P l ~ e g e r k o r n p a ~ i e1;.
Tlrc Rf lfl9G-4 was an unsuccessful variant armed with Alr Force bawd a t Thun. Payerne and D u k n d o r f
four MG 17 m n r and a huh-fir in^ 20-mm. FF cannon, respcctir.cly.
but the wc~_ehtof armament lim~tcdrllc speed to no more
than 172 m.p.h., while the cannon c n ~ l r ~ n u c dto p v c The "Ernil'" appears
lurthcr pcrwstcnt trouhle.
'The cnglne development referred to above cenrred princi-
Mora powerful engines at l a s t pally ;ibnut carburnrion nnd ~uprrchnrgirq-~ndrcd
German eneineers l~arl for some vear< bccn advancing in
Nune of the rMeqwrrchmitr\ which werc cent to Spain up direct lurl ~nlc.ctionand it was r ~ c o g n l ~ ethat
d cllminaiion
l o the 5umrncr of 1938 urere capabtc of %peed.;greater ot rhc customary carburettor would bectow cun\idrrah]e
White 1 1 o l II /JG 1 roseu-odor In
thc sI,,nw un UE.KO] airf~eld.
( H a n s Oberr)

advnntagc in comhat as the cllrlIic ~ ~ o u l ttlur

l cul out rime .tnrl ttdlowcct I r l .:rd,t\mlrll: four
hpatc, s ~ d lnrn~c.d1 ~ 1 r h
undcr nrgnt1r.e-g forceu-an advantage rr.>li.;ed by Ailled MG 17,. txhilc a n ~ whub-\-:ir~,~nt,
rhe Bf lOYE-1/R.
pilors durlng rhe war whcn rhcrr engine5 falrered under capablc of carrying either fuur 50-kilo or a +idgle 2%-k~lo
~ c conditions
h while thosc of thelr opponents contlnucd hnmh, rcrac also lhsued In mid-1939. Often wrnnglv dcs-
to give normal power. T h e ~ p e e d y perlcct~on of thtse crihcd as a ground-support fightcr, the E - l / B war a n
innovations In thc re-desipcd DB 601 cnglne and in the unqlinlificd dive-bomber. for the procedure flown was a
production 13B hOlA resulted in the declyion LO d~scon- 45-degrcc divc along a. siyht-linc provided by thq rrandard
tlnue the Dl3 600-and at thc same time rhc RI' 109U. A Carl Zeips Rmi gurnight. AS S U C ~it U ' ~ F fairly inacrurate
new prototype, the Ht 109V14 wac Rown In the summer --a\ ~ 3 the 3 aItzrnatlvc <hallow-dive attack st low Icvel
of 1938. powered by the 1,100 h.p. DH hOLA nnd armcd fur rvhrch no homb-~lght waq ava~lablc.
wit11 two wing h'F cannon and t ~ v onose-mounted MG 17 Flfteen Rf 1091<-1s arrivcd in Spam in about hlarch
a m ? . I1 was followcd bv the BE 109VLi; with huh-fitlng 1939. hut were too late to see slgni[icant combnt service.
1'1: cannon and no w ~ n gguns, but rhc engine-mounted T h c foIInw~nqmonth the L c ~ l o nCovrdnr started IFS rcturn
cannot1 was slill pruving rccalcjtrsnt and the drwlopmenr homr, but at Ieact one Bf 1091:-1 (W.Nv. 790) wa5 handed
Rf 1QYE-0sand tnitrnl 13f 109k+1-ls pcrsisrcd (kith tl~clr over 10 the Spanish, and this example ~ u n ~ l v cdnuun d lhc
:armament of two wing-mounted and two nose-mounled venrs. and in 1960 was acqurred hv tlic Munich Delrrsche
=,ynchronised MG 17 machine-guns. T h e E-l sub-variant M ~ a e n m ~rhcre ~t is drsp!ayed in the colours hf JG 26
of thc "Bm~l", as the Bf 109F. came to be af'rcctinnatdv " Tcl~lu~eter".
known, was rlre Iirlt mar;?-produced versjrm, and h r the By rhe outbreak of war in September 1939 every front-
end ol 1939 a total oi 1,54fl had bcen produced In nine d e r fullv equipped with the Bf 10YB.
Iine ~ u ~ d . y r s c l ~ e u uwas
factnrrc5 (a roughly similar numher of Hurrlcane~ and Nc> wlrollt, accurate production figure for thA varlana can
Sp~ttireshad bccn produced af that time). hc qut>tc.rI [nl thouglr carinus n u r n h c r ~have been su-ggcftcd,
filmpared to other 11~h1crscntcring servlce in 1939, mnging from 1,800 to about 3,400) aq from rrarntnatlon
thc Ef lW1I w a s unrnarchcd, even b y rhc Spitfire in its r r f thc Werke Nr. records ~t 1s clrar rhat ~ u h w q u e n t
ln~lial servicc configuration. On the one hand the Bf variations had commenced mnnuf~c~uringasscmbly :IS
I 0 9 posct..;\ed an initldl climb rate of 3,100 feet/minu~e E-ls, although this wa5 to some evtenr offset hu scsvice
(Spirfirc., 2.500 fcet/minute), n a s fully comhat-clmrcd up reverqlon tn E-1 standnrd hv field e n ~ i n c e r facilitie\.
to an alt~tudcof 34,000 Ecct [the Splrfire had l i m ~ t a r i o n ~ What is nowr quite clear is that production of the E-1
imposed above Zh*000 f r e t owing to qun-hearing problems w n r ~ n u e d aImost throughout 1940, alongside the later
for many months). while those 109s equipped with wlng E-3 and E-4 variants.
cannon could iar nutrnnxr thc machlnc-gun armamcnr When Germany invaded Poland on I September 1939
of !hc Britlsh t~ghtcr. Tlw 109 could aha o ~ ~ t d ~11ic vr the i,nfrzlbaffc fighter vtrength was 12 Gruppen with
Spirlirr. That thest conclu~ions wcrc not ~trictly born an estnbl~shment of $50 Ef 1mF.-1s and E-l/Bs. In
o u t -1111cr in c0mha.r or when Brrr~shpilotu f c w n cap- addihun a Zersrdrcrpesclrwader ficldcd about 230 obsol-
lured Ef 1U9E in 1931) has now been a~crihcd ro the escenr Bf 109D-1s. A few other Bf 109E-1s operated
substnnrinl lmprovemcnt5 In rhc Spitfire (such a5 the searuhllght co-operation sorties with a f i g h ~ r rGrrrppe of
addition ol rhr vnr~ablc-pitch propeller) and the prcl- L e h r g t ~ c hwader 1. Whatever the relative schievemen~sby
g r e w v r rernov~l uf crlmhnt limitations. thc Lu]rwafle and the Polish A I Force ~ may appear In the
Aside From cornhat the Messerschrnirt was unqucslion- hght of ~ubrequrtnt scrutiny, there 1s no doubt thnt ahe
ably a trlcky tiyhrer to fly. It posscsscd a wing lrnding L~tfrw~lfJe Stad did not derive much from the combat
20",, abovr. lhnt *\I the Spitfirc and this demanded par- cxperlence gamed by Hf 109B unirs in the shrm Polish
rlcular care whm landing, wtiiIe the undercarria~cshort- campaign. Indccd, much more significant were the fleeting
cemlngs rarrmdy rncnt~oncd) c a u ~ e d frequent rnlshaps brushcc with thc R A F and Armde de I'Air In the west,
among the less rxper~enccd pilor.;. The wine; slats llclprd bcfore the end of 1939. Despite the stalemate reached on
to scqtore somc deyree of cnmhnt rnnnocuvrab~llty, the Western Ikon€, in urhlch there were probahly fcwer
although hey were ncvcr able to be4tow a Fully controlled than a dozen indances of iightcr-vcrsus-fighter ~mmbat,
h t ro match thnt of the Sprtfire.
t ~ ~ turn unessortcd R A F bombers were b a n g punished by
I'he rv~luntianRt 109E-05 appeared In D ~ c m b e r1938 BI 109E-equipped units based In Northern Germany,
and some of rhesc rvcre lsslled to operational 7eq.d- especially YG 77. (ha raid hy 24 Wrllingtonc, of Nos. 9,
,prcltmader in Fehruarr 1939 lor scnficc commenr. I-'uIl 37 and 149 Squadronr on W~lhelmshavcnun 18 Drcembcr
produ~tiun standard Hf 109C-19 appeared a1 about thlr 1939, III/YG 77 Bf 109E1;shot down no fewer than 12
of tlre bombcrs-,A ccrtnln Lcutnnni Irdidnnc\ hrr.ii~Ilof? 1 ' v r l h l , i r ~ l hIutrtm9 uxld~*ln~r','l'd in'n lhc wper-
scorinE two oi thc vrctrlcs; t111\ pilot r\.rntuallr slrut ctmrgcr lo provide extra oxvgcn and r l i d u ~ c dcrnnarion.
down 1715 encmy aircrnft during the war.) '1-hrce othcr standard "Emll\", t h c E-5, E-6 and E-8
Follow~ngthe E-1 Into L u f t ~ e n f f eservice was the E-3, reactled Lufrwafie units bcforc the end of the Battle ol
wliich had commrnced delircrg d u r ~ n g1939. Armed with Brltain, allhough a? far as 1% kneun, the F.-6 was nor
two MG 17s in the nose, a furrher p l r in the wings, and encountercd in action. T h e E-5 and E-6 wcre rccon-
an MG E'FJhil hub-firing cannon, this varlant was the naiswncc vrrslons xvh~chomirtcd the wing armament and
principal producricm varmn1 durkng thc per~odSeptember featured a camera mounted behind the prlot'h seal. T h e y
1939 ahout M a y 1940, though as will bc sel~redlater the dtffcred only in the powerplant, the former with a Dl3
hub-firing cannon way unpopular in service and was fre- M I A and the latter u ~ l ha 13R 6OlN. T h e E-8 was simply
quenrly discarded, while the alrcraft variant itself appears a manufnctured variant which formally lncluded all fighter
to have been p h a ~ e dout durmg the sccond half of 1940. and fighter-hnmbrr rnoditicatlons added ro previous vcr-
'I.he E-4 enrcsed production early in 19413, but 11 l< \inns. and was powered h c a 1,200 h.p. Dl3 601E engine
thoughr ro have bcen too late to sce action In the Battle Only tltc E-9 remained to inin the Lufrwafle at t h e end of
of France. I n chi5 the mgme-mounted cannon was dl\- 1940; this had no wing armament, but inctudrd pmvi~ion
cardrd, but the wing rnachinc-guns were replaced bv MG slons, and w a s powercd by a 1,200 h.p. 13R 6 n l G cnginc.
FF cannon. Rarhcr later on, In 1941, a sub-variant of the rngine.
E-4. t h p E-411'-camc to be used In the TC'estern Dcser~; One "add-hall" vcrsion of the "Emil" was redesignated
it fzalured a DB hOlN cnglne with 1rnpr0vc.dfuel Injection the 13f 1 D9T (Trh~er=Carsier)-navaIised E-3 airtramcs
and supercharger coupling, and servcd for many months intendcd for service abroad the G r a J Zeppelrn atrcraft
with ~ u ~ d ~ e i c l t r 3 d27c 1a n d 53. csrricr on rvhrch work wa.r praccedlng in 1940. T h e y
Other Improvements in rhr E-4 included improved arm- featured incrcawd-.pan, manually-fold~ng wings and
our protcctlon ( a fcature that rendered thr E-4 more arrester hook!,. and when work was huvpendtld on zbe
popular lhan the E-1 during the Ratde of Britain) and carricr about fifty a~rcrafrhad bticn comp1ctc.d. T h e y wcre
sl~phrly improved pilot iicld of vis~on. handed over-m~nus deck hooks-to I/?G 77.
'I'i~e neat versions rvhich joined the Ltrfrwufle simul-
taneouvly in A U ~ W L 1940 kvcrc the E-2 (rvhich raw only The big battle in the west
limited service) and the E-7. The 1:-7 was hnth widely
built and retrospec~ively mdified from the B-4. It jotncd Bcforc going on to record h e Bf E09'c service during
yuiyi~ejchwader and LG 2 in France and featured rhe the air war uver Britain in 1940, i t is necessary to enlargc
B-4 gun armament, plus belly-shackles for either SOU-klin upon the cquipment b a n g delivered. flown and lorr In
bomb or ~crrisonable 66-Imp. gal. fuel tank. A minor the battles In the west during the summer of that year.
varrctv of thi, verslon wap u5ed by Erpvobungsffuuppe 210 I t har been frequently stated En the pact that the Bf 1091i-3
l a t e in the Rattle of Br~taincarrylng the drop-tank plus was rhe principal variant flown by the Lufrwafle durjnp
two or lour .?O-k~loImrnhs, thus being able to reach No. 12 the Rattle of Hritain+n assumption prc~umablystemming
Group airfield% of the RAF. T h e 1:-7 w a s flown b y the from Factory Dellvery Rtlcurdc during the period March
ubiqulrous I I I JYG 77 in the Balkans. snd a l ~ oover Malta to July 1940. Yct a careful analysis of the Ll<jrzuaije Gen>r,
in 1941. T h e Rf 109E-7/U2 was sn armoured ground- Gen.Qu./6 Abt~ilrtng/?U.g.I<dos.IC(C)perational Returns)
attack version, trnpicaltred €or use in North Africa, and for r b r period 1 July to 31 October 1940 discloses thc
t h e Rf 109E-7/% was a little-used "~prlnl" variant uung following interesting information :
Two oood deta~lsfiol? ul a B f 109t-4 w ~ t hend w ~ t h n u bellv
l bcmb rack (Hans Aederrarn)

v
 ir t ) t l O 9 E n: 1 1 1 /JG 77 ( 7 ~ ' l ylanded nn n Norweq~aoalrffeld ( H A ~nh~rt)
$
to close escort duties, a chore that frustrated the fighter tiations a n initial contract for 50 Bf 109E-3s was signed,
pilots' Instinct for individua11sm. Sticking close to *low and t h ~ swas lollowed by an order for a further 50. In
Immkrs, which ra~dedfurther and further into England, the event only 73 arr~ved for scrvice with the y u ~ o -
resulted in thc RE 109s running dangerouvEy short of fuel, slocbnr.ko kraitevsko rarnn cw&hnplou~wu (JKRL'), They
90 thnt not only were they nftcn forced ro break off combat served with the (IZ.Lm:ncka p u p a . and the 102. and 161.
and leave the bombers unescorted, bur thelr pilots had to eskdrzlla of the S1.Lrwacka q u p a of the 6th Fighter
nurse thcir aircraft hack acrosq the Ionelv watcrs of the Regirnenr, the 31.Lswacka gridpa of the 2nd Flghter
Channel wonder~ng whether the dreaded fuel warning Reg~ment, and with the Fighter Training Squadron
Iight would signal a watery landing. Seldom after the (SomusraIna e\kadr~lralwacke j-hnle), At thr rime of the
opening weeks of the Batrle were the Rf 109s permitted German invasion of Yugoslavia on 6 April 1941 only 46
ro fly unre~trictcdfret: chases bur when thcv did (as In Bf 109Es a c r e available at combat readiness, and ~ h e ~ r
the first weck of September) the RAF suffered crueIly. p11ots Rave a creditable account of themselves (nfren fight-
T h e mistaken use of his best aircraft was one of the basic jng agalnst s i m l l ~ rWf 109Es of the L ~ i j z w o f f but
~ ) wcrc
errors which cmt Goring the Batde. coon ovenvhrImcd by the huge weight of the German
forces.
The "'Ernil"' in foreign colaurs A Lufrwafle misslon ro Romania in September 1940
was folPoweci by that country's joining Gcrmany in the
Between I939 and 1941 a tord of 284 Bf 109Es was ex- Trlparrite Pact on 23 Nwcrnbrr, and resulted in a
parted; in addition, there was a number of others, which, quantity of German rnilltary aircraft being nrdcrcd-
lortunes of war, found themselve~ m the colours of including 40 Rf 109E-47. Hy thc time of the Gcrman
other natlons-including ar least four flown in Britsin, invaslon of Russia in 1941, these aircraft had nor been
one in France and onc in Sweden. The i'rrqt Bf 109E, integrated in10 the Forrelor Acrlene Read d s Rorninra
believcd to havc h e n a n E-3, was forced down at Amicns, {Rorat Alr Forccq n l Romanla, or FARR) and the
France, on 2 Mav 1940. Ir was immediately painted in Romanian elemcnts of Lufrflorr~4 suffcrcd considerable
French colours, although only one pilot of the Armie de nttririon on the Bes~arabianFront. Early in 1942 Florila I
I'Alr flew it; it was a l w flown by pllots of Nos. 1 and 73 clndroare was wlthdrnivn for rc-equipping, it.; surviving
Squadrons of thc RAF, repaintcd in British colourc and He ll2.R: and PZL F.Z41!s being replaced by the RT
transferred to Boscombe Don- where it was extensively 109E-4, of which a total of 69 had bv then arrived
flown. Within six months a furrher rhree Rf 109s west from Germany. These aircraft were concentrated in two
flying in British co1our.;-a Rf 109F-I and two 11-45, fighter groups of the 1st Air Corps ( C ~ p u lI Aerian) and
TIrc Swedish example was an E-I YWhlte 3" of 4/7G fought lor atwut six month., in the Ukrainc until replaced
77, lVerke Nr. DRZO) which accidentally forcelanded in hy 13E IflYG-6s and G-Hs.
Sweden on 24 October 1940. Littlc 1s known of the fete of At the 5ame tlme hat the Bf 109E-4s joined the
this aircraft save lhaf it was the subject of a diplomatic Romanian CYorpuI 1 Auem, a further 40 Bf 109E-4s
exchange in November 1940, suggesting that it was re- were supplied to re-equip Hunjyrian alr elemenr~ of
covered intact and probably flown In Swedish coIours. Suftflozte 4 %hose Fiat C.K.42 biplanes had also quffcred
The pdot, Uffz. Frclba, was interned. consrderably m Russ~anskies.
Thc Iargesr forcign cusromer far rhe "Emil" was Swit- Ana~licr signarorv of tY~c Axis Tripartite Pact was
zerland. I h ~ r t y R t 109Es, powcred by the 1,100 h.p. Bulgaria, and by the time of the signlng of the Pact its
D.)B601Aa and armed w11h two 7.45-mm. and two 20-mm, air arm (an integral part of the D u l ~ ~ r i aArmy) n had
Hlspano cannon, were dcllvered hetwecn 14 April 1939 ordcrcd 19 Bf 109E-4s.Nevertheless, unltke Romania and
and the end of June that year. A furrhcr ordcr for 50 Hungary, Bulgaria tmk n o significant part in the early
s l r n ~ h r aircraft was quickly placed, and dclrveries or campaigns la Russia and it is rhuught unlikelv that her
these w a s completcd by 27 April 1940. By mid-1940 SEX BS 1091% saw combat service.
n , 6 , 7 , 8, 9, 15 and 21 had reached
F l ~ e g e r k o m p a ~ n ~ eNos. O n lhe other hand, following the formation of the
full opcratronal s t a m . Despitr SWISS neutraliry, frcqucnt Slorakian RepubIic in 1939, a semi-autonomous Slovak
evcurslons rhrouph her sirspace resulted in numcmus corn- Air Force particlparcd alongside the Lufrmafle in the
bats w t h the warring airforces. On rhc whole the Swrss Polish campalp of t h a ~ ycar. The following year 16
nf 109 pilot^ Seem to havc given a good acmunl of them- Bf 109E-3s wcrc supplted ta this Air Force and in 1941
<elves. 'Thc impurtrd "Ern~l\"' were registered 3-311 to two squadrons of Bf 109Es f o u ~ h twith the German forces
3-390. Rf 109s werc also h u h under l~cenccIn Switzerland, Invading Russia.
although I ? fa bel~eved that production by the Dornlm- This cumpleres the list or "Emils" exportcd for servlcc
Wcrkc AG of Altenrheln, Switzerland, was ~ntended to wirh foreign air forccs, akhough it is known that at least
proclde spares and llrn~ted rcplaccments; in thr: event, five such alrcraft werc supplied ro the U.S.S.R. in 1939-40.
only nine complete alrcrafr, four sets of wing-s and sevrn T w o further aircrzft werc sh~pped to Japan where it
fu~rlageswcre produced between April 1944 rind M a r c h was inrrnded to licence-build the lypc at the Kawasaki
1946; rhe cornplefcd arrcrafr wcrc reg~stered 7-311 to planr, but this plan never mxtcrialiscd.
7-399. 'Thcrc is nu doubt that the Bf 1O9E was the finest
Next largest quantity of cxporred Rf lD9Es went to fighter based an the Europcan continent between July and
Yugmlavra, wl~ich during 1938 emharkcd o n substantial neccrnher 1940, but by the lime Gcrmany attacked
fighrcr re-equ~pmcnt,endeavouring tn a c q u h such fightcrs R u s w ir had been overlaken by thc Rf ln9F, and the
a\ wcre permltrcd for <ale by El~rnpeangavernmenr\, as "Ernil" nevcr a g i n enjoyed rhe unquestioned ~upcriorily
~ build them. Afrcr rnonthr nf nego-
well as I ~ c e n c c to rt Iound in the months that prccsdcd the fall of Francc.
 '
I- 1

Uf : W E I < o: ,: :JG 1 nn D e Ko al*f~e'd.Hnllnncl May

. 3- 4 1 . Ail r m l ealmcra'tV;IIII 1 ' 1 4 - r x c l crlcn of ye"low 4 are
u l ~ l11 ,.,?rlv I F 4 0 s:vle ca-loutlaqc ! Y arrr U bert)
 h e - L I P r>t R i 1 0 9 E - I s l n a ,I,JII~IVdappled
s c i e m r 0: Il;fl.l mrl d;irk y s c n w h i c l ape,e.lrrd
rl,rrlng t k PP~IV ~ [IPrmd ot I h r Riltlli. O' Ur~ta.n,
T ~ i t - ~ 7 1 . 3~ ~ ~ ' l ~[113ik
n c cc$-v~ri.js Rppear O I
h 4 v e L a e i p;llr!lrmrlr % n1 h r 1 o r i q ~ n a lpbotcgrsph
(R. lru'arrl)

rf;%"I'w.?','..jt&&
I-
:.nnnF:'.
:I( , (G Jous vla M . C . Wlndrow)

R f lo?E-7!'.1:: l h l s vcrs80n was very hoavlly

~ r l .: rr#lssl,,r.r. and L s e d
arm.inuro!dt:>r : r i r i ~ ~ i ellat
EX~~"-~SIYCIL. I,-# tlli. d ~ s r i :c a ~ ~ i p a , y ~ i ~ .
IF. Sm711rig?r V I : ~ M 1: L'ilndrow!
C 5sr IIP shouhn(l i*~*13v., c 3 r n c ~ ' l a q e cl~rnarcarlcr lhne q
3 CC
I, 1 ~ 8 i l i l cdce
q c'wsno. I I 'J'; 7 7 ( V a n s Doert)

L'

4
I
pi-*
.A
--. Y
"-
--
 kbrdn & Inlt i . ! J C 7 7 sior:iv afr.:r 1 i e . r arrival irr
Crimkvrt. 1 1 1 l " 4 l ( Y : ~ r sOher']

R-low P~lq'sof 7 /JG 77 'lnd a lit-IP equestrian re:axa-

, ' *Ion hptwren nlt~sln-s d u r i n ~thc CrrrL carnpalgn,
, L i t e r o f f i z ~ J~ or h s r n PicPler o r t k spcond
~ pony
[Hans Obert)
R ~ g b lNose-ovcr b y i! R f 103E i o f ;./.lG 77 on
s R u n ~ a r ~ a n a ~ r f ~Jeu l yd ~
1 9n4 1 . Y e l l c w f u s ~ l a q r
a r c nose but no yellow o n rhe u i d e r s ~ dof~ the
wlng 1 1 ~ sS:ylo
. ond noslticn o' undr:.wlng
crossps clearly siown (I-lans Obert)
- ,

3p13w A qf :gCE-7 o f 7 /JG 37 shot down In

Greece currnq "I<sDrlrg of 1941 { I W M )

1
- . I d
r:.p
lPU" I.
,,:.it. :1 1 - , 1 , , r , .. . , .. , , ' ,,Itl, , !I: I , l,,,l,

R r l o w . P I 109E-4 o f O !JG 5 2 b a s w a t ZVissanl. Frat~ce,s'lot dawn ovcr :hc UK dur~qgthe Battis of B ~ ~ t a r n

. -- - -- --- - .< - - - . - - - -.. - -

%
*Y A?.
Above & h ~ l o wR f 103L 47 91 JG 5 ov a F11nus4 nlr'lr~l- .+r m o w c a d hills and t r r r s have t e e n palnted on the hanqsr doors ( U Hrelm)
 . .-
-
t .
.
i
*
C

--,
:r '+ . I..

c-'
. - I -

n~ ~ u v t - I rruaur I tau i, HIIIK~ m

I I V I I I ~ wy at 1941. I n the ulsladlct. U I i r l e (up pluutuyrdpri I
~ O I LCI U V Q I I C U . > L I I ~ I ~ JU U I I I I I~I I I ~ U ~ ~ I I ~ I ~ ' ~ I I uw
~ ~beert LIIU
t upon whlcl : r:l Iir clesen land~ng-grr 11uaYadfrom Egypt to Tunlsla. (R. Ward)
fllq'it Bf 1OSE-4Trcp s o f I /JG 2 7 over
descrt A T m2y b~ wen In rhe IGWCI ,
p i o t o q r a ~ hthe greerl splotches cm sand
r n ~ r y o divtaflwlth parts of tho desPrr
(fl Ward) -"
-'

R ~ q h t Black 4 (tFlrrly o ~ t l l ~ In c dred) on

a desert l a n d ~ r g - q r o u r dT h ~ sBf 109 was
In iuronoan srt*pme. grven dno blsc6
green spllitcr o n u l n q s tallplarles and
fh:se'aqr. !cp rlocklng green a n d grev h
dapple cri paiv h u e ' ~selapn, w'vlr
rucdrr, f u s ~ l n ] e band anc undpr wlng
t1p5 (A Ward)
Above UI-lck J (thlrlv c u r l ~ ~ rn
~ r rd~ d )In a far from stardard
scheme ( R Wara)

Lp'tClose-up o f rhe lnslqvra of I /JG 27, upper s u r f 9 c c ~of 7h.s

a~rcrzftweresand onlv (Hans Oc?rtj
Bf -0aF-7Trop's o f 7 !.IG 2 % t h ~ sunlt o ~ v r a - e dIn .hp (USAF via M C W ~ n d r o w j
l ~ b y a ndesert cmpalgns and In the Eastern Med~~errdnean.
Above. Rrplacemen[ Rf 10RF-45 !or JC: 5 arrivirg . ... . . . -
-- .

0.1 a F i n n ~ s airf~eld.
!~ ( H a n s Oherr)

- .d

A Bf 7 09f - 4 w ~ r hoverall mhjt.: rapper surfacrs on a

Sussran alr'leld I R W a r c )

A pranqed Bf 1 C9E-4 of Jagdfllegerschule 4. note

~ c h o o l r s l g r l a under c s c k p ~ t ( t i a n s Obsrt)

-LC

A Bf 1098 cf a r u i k n o w n F i l e ~ e r s c b ~ in

h*~lt,
~ l e1940
stvle carnouflaqa, t k e w h i l e or vcl ow fuseiags band
Inrgc i : ~ m e r a l swas starxfard c,n F T S a~ccra't
(mans Ubrn)
-.
--- -
, - - .
J
. - -
-
.- .*
 Bf 109R.1 of 2 . I J 88, Condor Legion, rn ovsrall grey scheme.

.............
.....................
...........
....................
..........
.................
.............
................
..............
................
..............
...............
...............

Condor Legion

llpper surface details.

note roundel 611ghlly
oveylaps a~larcn.

Under surface details.

R I 1 0 9 R - 2 o l ?./J 88 Condor Legion: 'the wPite cross an tho fuselage
r a u n d ~was
l ro: used t o any grent rxtcnt.

Uf 1088-2 flown by Haupymann Got:hardt Handr:ck S t n f f ~ l k a p i t i nof

2./J 89 on the M a d r ~ d'ront ~ rl .h p spring of 1037.
 1 at 1095
';I
1 of 6 /JG 26. manoauvra rnarklngs, Augusf 1939

Pale Plue
4
Bf l 0 9 E 1 . 1 /JG 1 Herbsl. 1939
-- 2
- Bt 109f 3, a IJG 2 R~cnlhofen Beaumont In R a ~ e r Frame,
. 1940
1

4
81 #b€4, m [I m n d w r Ill IJG 6 Whlte Sen aras 1942
-by Hstqlb Pmr (S mher Schdz

5
Bf IMIE-I 0 I J G 26 "Slageler" Dusseldorf. August 1939
Marmeuvb rnarklngs.

-I

ll-
 2
81 l O B E 1 7 . / J G 5 1 . "Mbldsrs" Summer 1939

3
01 10gE.3. I./JG 52 Lwn-Cauwon, Franee, 1940. Shut d m during
-tn+ of m n I

4
W Em-a,7 . M 62. C h a m Coart a ~ e a&ring the c f w g ~dew of
\ Phs&rbdFEsnw.lW

5
Bf 109E.3. l./JG 53 D~nerrlTrel~van, Frmce. 1840 Shot down at
Lengley Eaa!bnuma. Sussex. on the aflemoon ol the 30th Smptamber
I

;'a
Bf 109E-1. 3 IJE 63 PI^ As" Wlesbaden. Gerrnarrv. winter 1838-39

'1
3
81 109E-1. I V I J G 132 Iatsr I IJG 7 7 June 1939, 1

Bf 1WE-4. Il./Wht)CJG 2, Calm-Mar*. Frame. Me 11940. 1

1
Bf 109E-4. It (SladnJlLG 2. St. Omw. hmae. Ocla$at I

5
€if lMb-2, JsgtH+ispepwhuls,
o-L II. €My 183%
. .
-- .

q. 1.
Y 0
Bf 1OSE-4. Slweltian Ar Force,
4
I I=-Bwh
$ Air W e .

6
81 109E-3. Sw18sAir Forco

6
61 109E-3. Swias AII Force
Dl
Rf l O 9 C - i '
n 2./JG 51 In ovpralr
arscn black sc'lcme. 1 3 3 1

A5
B f 103C.1 of I .lJG 132:
note red tall hand shol.in black
 Bf 109E-1 01 I . / J G 61. The insignla of 3 /JG
233 aopearpd on Ihe p o r l s ~ d ?anly.

Upper surface de:alls

of :ibnve. Tote large
size W ~ P ?crnssCs

7 / J G 51. W h ~ t eon
green camou'laga

3 . / J G 1 3 3 . WII:~ an
prren eanouflage.

8 /JG 5 1 . Btack cat

o n whit8 ~ ' S C .

Uf 104E-I.7 . / J G 51 "Molders", slJrnrnFr 793a.

Bf 109E-1. & . / J G 51 "Mfilders", prcvicusly 7.IJG 20.

Enircraf: as FC3 above, note thnr the whim En the
n paintar! In with green.
 Bf 109D-1 of JE 1 in 1938-1 939 scheme of black green u ~ p o surfaces.
f

R f 1 0 4 E - 1 of 9 13G 26 "Schl~getsr". port s;de ident~cal.

9./JF 2 6 "Scblageter". J G 7 6 "Schlagcter". I.:JG 5 2

Red wlth whqle d ~ t a ~ l s . Black or. wt,lte sh~eld. Palo t o d s i t blue sky, I / J C !,I variation.
black lir.lng. rPlE grour'd, black hoar.

Rf 1 0 9 E 3 nl 7.!JG 52. Standard spl~nterupper surfaces on the above

rhree a~rcraft

,, -;
;.- .: ;--, -.
GRUPPE IDENTIFICATION M A R K I N G S

I
Ill. GRUPPE
NIL Substituted for Squiggle in 1941 but
Squ~ggleused by some units for the
durat~onof the war.

ImGRUFPE

11. GRUPPE IV. GRUPPE

\\ ,
i
111. G R u W E L+ . .1 G R u p E (variant)
Ef 10YE-7. Jagdflirrjrrschule. Cufl4re1skornrnnndoII. early t 938scheme.

Grey on Pare
,\bov$ A -.:I r ol Fc~-r,,-r~i,.~ Air
Furcc 31 10!1L 4s o f I'lr 1st F ghter
Group f o r m a : ~ n ~w ~ t al Luf:waflr
a~rcraft.(R. War?)

Left A y ~ l l o wnosed E' 109E-4 o+

t*le Rurnan~anAir Force the spl~nter
s c q e l l e may be seen showlrg
through ?he ycllow.
(Molsescu M ~ b a ~ l )

Below Bf 109t-4 w ~ t hthe legend

In w h ~ t eon [he cowl H ~ FI ~ t ~ t n '
(UP L~t'leG I ~ The ) cark round area
under t b s wlnq appears !o be where
rhr o r ~ g ~ n aLultw8f:n
l Inslgrla has
brPn overpa~ntpd(Mo~sescuM1ha18)
 Abovs P1 r l ~ h r Port
. and starboard shots ol s Bf 10'tE-4 of !he S l r i i a k ~ a n
AII Fnrce ( L d e n ~ k? I n )

11.e detarls for G 4

-."
1 . Upprr surtaca derarls for G6.

( A ) Under surface detalls ( 3 ) Undpr surface details

of Rumamsrl AI= Force. for S l o v a k ~ a n,Air Force.

s t, Flgblrr Group of thc Royal R u m a n ~ a nAir Force

p,' ~ r . ~ q ~ 1- n
4I 4 1 4 GESCHWADER-KOMMODORE

4 GESCHWADER-ADJUTANT

<10
<
-<
+
ll
I GESCHWADER I A

GESCHWADER-TO

<I0 MAJOR STAFF

4 4 GRUPPEN-KOMMANDEUR

< GRUPPEN-ADJUTANT

GRUPPEN-TO (Technical Officer)

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A complete history of the Finnish Air Force from formation
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3
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Avro Lancaster Polish Air Force
Nakajima Ki.43 Luftwaffe: Vol. 1
Republic F/RF-84F Bomber Camouflage 5 Markings 1940. He Ill. J u 88. Do 17.
Thunderstreak/Thunderflash Luftwaffe: Vol. 2
Bomber 5 Fighter Camouflage 5 Markings 1940. J u 87. Bf 110.
Boeing 8-17 Flying Fortress F w 200, Do 18. Do 24. He 59. He 114.
Mitsubishi A6M-Zero-Sen Aerobatic Teams 1950-1 970 Vo1.2
North American F-86A/H Sabre Vol. 1 United States Army Air Force Vol. 1
Nakajima Ki.27lManshu Ki.79 Bombardment Group Identification Markings and Codes
1941-1 945.
Grumman F6F3/5 Hellcat United States Army Air Force Vd. 2
Canadair Sabre Mk. I/VI: Royal Australian Air Force
Commonwealth Sabre Mk. 30132 Vol. 2
South African Air Force
Kawasaki Ki.61-1/111 HienfKi.100
Royal Netherlands Air Force
North American B-25C/H. Mitchell
Belgian Air Force
Vought F4U-117 Corsair
Regia Aeronautica : Vol. 1
Hawker Hurricane Mk. I/IV Colour Schemes & Markings. Fighters and Ground Attack
Nakajima Ki.44-la/llb Shoki types.

Hawker Hunter . Regia Aeronautica : Vol. 2

Colour Schemes 5 Markings. Bombers. Reconnaissance.
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk Maritime. Training and Liaison types.
De Havilland Mosquito Netherlands East lndies Air Force
Nakaiima Ki.84 Havate West German Luftwaffe

Front oovor top to bottom:

Bf 1098-2. 2./J 88 Condor Leg~on,Spain 1937.
Bf 1098-2. II./JG 132 "Richthofen".
I.* i&
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Bf 109E-1 flown by Major Helmut Wick, JG 2 "Richthofen" during the Battle of Britain.
Bf 109E-7Trop. 7./JG 26 "Schlagater", Libyan desert campaigns and the Eastern Mediterranean. ISBN 0 85045 152 3