Tuesday 30 January 2018

Messerschmitt Bf.109G - Various users

On this post, we're going to write about various non native users of the Bf.109G.

  • Australia: It seems that personnel from the No.3 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force captured some Bf.109G-2/Trop in a Libyan airfield on 4th November 1942 that was operated by the 8./JG 77. German markings were overpainted with RAAF's ones and it was flown by Squadron chief officer Robert H.M. Gibbes. 
  • United Kingdom: Various examples were captured by the Royal Air Force. For instance, there was one Bf.109G-6 crashed on Thorney island, in West Sussex on 19th May 1944 in good conditions. It was repainted with Royal Air Force's colours and pushed into service with the famous "Rafwaffe", the No.1426 flight where it was tested. Some more Bf.109G-6 were captured and used by the RAF painted with ad-hoc colours like the one piloted by 1st Lt. H.L. Thorne which the main fuselage section was overpainted in coastal command colours.
  • Soviet Union: Many of them were captured during the course of the war in the eastern front since as early as 1942 which was when the earlier versions of the Bf.109G entered into service with the Luftwaffe. Some of the captured ones were overpainted in Soviet white winter colour almost entirely and used in the aerial battle of Stalingrad.  Another examples were used for evaluation purposes at the Moscow TsAGI institute. 
  • United States of America: Many Bf.109G-2 were found abandoned when Axis forces abandoned Tunisia and were captured by the USAAF troops, specially those from the 31st Fighter Group. They were used for testing purposes. There was one, a Bf.109G-6/Trop which was overpainted completely in black with ailerons, spinner and flaps in red and became the personal aircraft of Commander Robert "Bob" Baseler. It was used as a squadron hack serving with the 325th Fighter Group in 1943.









Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109_operational_history
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

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