Messerschmitt Bf.109E, German users, part four

The JG 27, under the control of the X. Fliegerkorps, three JG 27's staffeln were sent to North Africa, composed mainly of experienced pilots who had piloted their Emils through France and Battle of Britain and some of them also through the Norwegian campaign.
Even if the I./JG 27 wasn't at full roster, its 90 strength fighter force, posed a very serious threat to allied aerial operations. In the new theatre of operations, the Jagdflieger faced mainly battle-worn Hawker Hurricanes that had gone through the battle of Britain, that was the main fighter of the RAF in the region as North Africa was classed as a low-priority front due to the cross-Channel threat. However, even if the Hurricanes were somewhat outdated and battle-worn, they still outnumbered German fighters, even wehn additional Axis forces were sent to the area.
The JG 27 was stablished at Ain El Gazala, in Libya, between Tobruk and Timimi using Gambut as and advanced base having a Staffel positioned there to conduct air raids returning to Ain El Gazala in the evening.
While the Bf.109E was becoming outdated in other theatres, it was very adequate for the JG 27's task, as any technical disadvantage was soon compensated by the veteran pilots who had already hundred of combat hours and great affection for the type.
In order to prevent excessive wear on the Bf.109E operating in tropical sandy or dusty areas, some tropicalization modifications were made in 1940 like the inclusion of a sand filter for the port side ram air-intake for the Daimler Benz DB601A engine, lubricant cooling and generator ventilation. Additionally racks were added to fit the 300L (66 imp.gals.) tank, which, although disliked by the pilots due to higher risk of fire, they were useful for long fligths over the Mediterranean. However, it seems that they weren't used when flying over land.
The Emils took place in most of Afrika Korps' operations over North Africa, like the first siege of Tobruk, where they mainly escorted Stukas and also some other theatres like Greece or Crete where they flew supporting the Fallschirmjager. With the introduction in the theatre of the more advanced Spitfire Mk.V and the Curtiss Tomahawk (P-40C) the Emils started to be outdated and, by autumn 1941 all Staffels assigned to North Africa and the Mediterranean began to transition to the Bf.109F-2/Trop.

Sources:
1. Osprey - Aircraft of the Aces 2 - Bf 109 Aces Of North Africa And The Mediterranean
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_operational_history#Combat_service_with_the_Luftwaffe