7

Bf 109 Late Versions - Camouflage & Markings

CanopyIn the second half of 1943 a new single-piece canopy was introduced for the Bf 109G, with the

aim of improving the potentially fatally poor view rearwards. The new canopy, named after the firm which developed it, was the 'Erla-Haube' (or 'Vollsichtkanzel'1), bent from a single sheet of organic glass and stiffened with two frames joined by a crossbar above the pilot’s head. Such canopies, manu-factured in small numbers, were retrofitted to Bf 109G-6s, with the antenna mast being mounted on the fuselage spine just behind the cockpit.

The next, more important canopy type (see drawing below) was without the crossbar and installed on Bf 109G-6/U2s, G-6/MW50s, G-5/ASs and G-6/ASs. The bulk of the aircraft with this canopy had their antenna mast mounted on the fuselage spine; the only exception was a batch of Bf 109G-6/ASs built from scratch by Mtt Reg., which had the mast mounted on the canopy frame.

The last canopy version was fitted with a modified lock and arched rear lower frame It was installed on all late Bf 109s: G-14, G-14/AS, G-10 and K-4. The antenna mast (if any) was mounted on the canopy frame.

Erla-type canopies were usually fitted with head armour for the pilot, consisting of organic glass plate in the upper section and steel plate below, in the so-called Galland-Panzer installation.

1 Fullviewcanopy

TheinstrumentpanelofthereconstructedBf109G-10/U4W.Nr610824,MuseumoftheUSAirForce.(NationalMuseumofUSAF)

ManufacturersIn spring 1944, new Bf 109s were being manufactured in three plants: the parent factory, Mess-

erschmittAG in Regensburg (here referred to as Mtt Reg.); ErlaMaschinenwerkGmbH in Leipzig (Erla); and WienerNeustadtFlugzeugwerkeGmbH in Wiener Neustadt (WNF). In December 1944, G-10 production also began at the Diana works in Tišnov. Subassemblies and components were manufactured in numerous small plants all over Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia.

SAMPLE

16

Bf 109 Late Versions - Camouflage & MarkingsBf

109

G-6

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oh,J

uly

1944

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ype .

SAMPLE

19

Bf 109 Late Versions - Camouflage & Markings

(G-6/MW50) 463100–463150 – Erla464000–465500 – Erla510800–510999 – WNF (G-14/U4)511800–511999 – WNF (G-14/U4)512300–512500 – WNF (G-14/U4)760000–760600 – MWG Györ (also G-6)780300–781300 – Mtt Reg. (also G-14/AS)782190–782430 – Mtt Reg. (also G-6/AS and G-14/AS)Single G-14s were also manufactured in later Regensburg production blocks, ie. 782750 to 788499.

Camouflage & markingsMesserschmitt RegensburgRegensburg-built Bf 109G-14s from blocks 165xxx–166xxx wore standard camouflage consist-

ing of RLM 74/75/76, identical to Bf 109G-6s built in the same production block. Aircraft from blocks 780xxx–782xxx wore similar camouflage, but on later machines RLM 74 was often replaced by RLM 82 Dunkelgrün. The uppersurfaces of the wings and tailplane, as well as the fuselage spine were painted RLM 74 (or 82) and 75; fuselage sides and underside RLM 76. The lower edge of the fuselage camouflage formed a wavy, more or less blurred line, generally parallel to the upper fuselage outline. One or both camouflage colours were applied to the fuselage sides and fin in irregular, rather large blotches. The spinner was black or RLM 70 Schwarzgrün. The lower surfaces of the wings and tailplane were painted in RLM 76.

Below:ThisBf109G-14,of3./JG53,wasfoundattheHenschelfactoryinAtten-baum,nearKassel.(USAF)

ThisBf109G-14isbeingtowedbyatankette(possiblyaPolishTKS).(Carlsen)

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22

Bf 109 Late Versions - Camouflage & Markings

The crosses on the upper wing surfaces took the form of white outlines, 90 x 90 cm in size, but located further from the aircraft's longitu-dinal axis.

The crosses on the wing undersurfaces were in black outline at 100 x 100 cm.

WNFWNF-built Bf 109G-14s had camouflage and markings almost identical to those of early G-14s

built by Erla, with the rudder and lower part of the engine cowling in yellow. The difference lay in the quantity and shape of the blotches on the fuselage and vertical tail. Some aircraft had the rear fuselage and fin painted almost entirely in one of the camouflage colours, others had only a few small blotches on the fuselage and quite a 'clean' fin. Swastikas were usually black without outline, sometimes painted in a thicker line (a thickness equal to the thickness of the swastika plus its outline).

The crosses on the upper wing surfaces took the form of white outlines, 100 x 100 cm in size. The crosses on the wing undersurfaces were in black with a white outline at 100 x 100 cm.SAM

PLE

46

Bf 109 Late Versions - Camouflage & Markings

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SAMPLE

73

Bf 109 Late Versions - Camouflage & Markings

Bf1

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SAMPLE

86

Bf 109 Late Versions - Camouflage & Markings

Bf1

09G

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seria

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SAMPLE

102

Bf 109 Late Versions - Camouflage & Markings

Bf1

09K

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ossi

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ing

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ses

are

b lac

kw

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tout

lines

.

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09K

-4W

.Nr3

3252

9,p

ossi

bly

ofI.

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52,

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tsc h

Br o

d,A

pril

1945

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sca

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isu

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stin

gof

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84

,with

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nis

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81

with

sha

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dder

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SAMPLE