Messerschmitt Bf-109

Messerschmitt Bf-109

History

Main Luftwaffe fighter aircraft until the end of the war was also best fighter available to Axis forces in Yugoslavia.

Between 1941 and 1943 there was little need for Axis fighters over Yugoslavia since there was no allied bases from which it could be reached but after fall of Italy things changed drastically and this resulted in quick increase in number of Axis fighters with Messerschmitt Bf 109 being most modern.

Local Luftwaffe units and NDH Air Force stayed mostly on defensive since they lacked numbers to combat increasing numbers of allied fighters and suffered heavy losses from constant attacks.

Between 6th and 17th December 1943, 4th Group from JG27 based in Mostar, lost 11 pilots including several aces, with only 15 aircraft out of which only 8 working.

On 16 April 1945 two pilots from NDH air force defected in there Bf 109 G to allied airbases Italy. Further defections followed on 20 April with another two Bf 109G landing on partisans airfield Jasenice near Mostar.

Largest group made of 12 pilots under command of Major Ljudevit Bencetic defected to allied controlled Klagenfurt in Austria on 6 May 1945 with several Bf 109G and other aircraft.

References

Hrvatsko ratno zrakoplovstvo Drugome svjetskom ratu, Tihomir Lisko & Danko Canak, Danko Canak, Nova Gradiska 1998

Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Drzave Hrvatske 1941-1945, Danijel Frka, Josip Novak & Sinisa Pogacic, PC graficke usluge d.o.o, Zagreb 1998

Books

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 (Schiffer Military/Aviation History) by Fritz X. Zobel, Jakob Maria Mathmann, Fritz X. Kobel

Messerschmitt Bf 109 A-E: Development/Testing/Production by Willy Radinger, Walter Schick

Messerschmitt Bf 109F (Luftwaffe Profile Series, 13) by Manfred Griehl

Messerschmitt Bf109 F, G, and K : An Illustrated Study by Jochen Prien, Peter Rodeike

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