This repaint is for the payware FlyingIron Simulations Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6. It depicts Bf 109G-6 W.Nr. 163269 "Weiße 7" flown by Oberfeldwebel Elias Kuhlein , II./JG 51, Radomir, Bulgaria, June, 1944.
After his training as a fighter pilot, Elias Kühlein was assigned to the 4th Squadron/Jagdgeschwader 51. He flew in the Eastern campaign and was then transferred to North Africa in November 1942 with the II Group under Hartmann Grasser in support of the Afrika Korps .
“At the beginning of 1942, the II Group of Fighter Squadron 51 was in Bryansk. It was under the command of Jagdgeschwader 51 and was equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2 . From Bryansk, the group was deployed in the sector of the 4th Army and the 2nd Panzer Army south and southwest of Moscow . At the beginning of February, the group's operational area was over the Yukhnow area. At the end of February, operational activity in the group's area finally subsided. From April onwards the group flew missions over the Jukhnow area. In mid-April, operations came to a temporary standstill due to the muddy season. On July 17, the group moved to Orel-Nord. On August 2nd, the group moved to Dugino to support the III. to relieve the group of the squadron in the Rzhev area. However, the group always returned to Orel-Nord in the evenings. These operations lasted until August 12th. The group was then deployed again over the Bjelew area. On October 4th the group was withdrawn from deployment. It handed over the remaining Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2s to the other groups in the squadron and moved to Jesau for re-equipment from October 7th. During 1942 the group achieved 587 aerial victories in the East . Their own losses amounted to five dead, one pilot taken prisoner , ten wounded and 23 aircraft. After the II Group was separated from operations in the East, it was converted to the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A in Jesau from October 7, 1942 .
On November 4th, the order was given to convert the group back to the Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-1 and G-2 trop, in order to then relocate to the Mediterranean region. At the same time, the 6th squadron left the group, continued training on the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A and became the squadron's staff squadron. On November 5th, the group staff and the remaining 4th and 5th squadrons in Leipzig-Mockau and Wiener-Neustadt took over the new machines. The group began moving south on November 8th. The group reached Comiso on November 12th via Jesi, Bari and Catania. Here she was subordinated to the staff of Jagdgeschwader 53. On November 14th the group moved to Sidi Ahmes near Bizerte in Tunisia. The group was supplied by II./Jagdergeschwader 53 until their own ground units arrived . The group's task was to provide escort protection for German air and sea transports and to carry out hunting missions over the Tunisian bridgehead. The group left Tunisia again on November 18th and moved to Trapani on Sicily and to Comiso on November 21st, from where they could be deployed more intensively against Malta. On November 25th, the group was relocated again to Tunisia and was accommodated in Sidi Ahmed. On November 26th, the 3rd/ Jager Squadron 1 was incorporated into the group and renamed the new 6th Squadron. The transfer to Tunis El-Aouina followed on November 29th. Here the group was operationally subordinated to the 11th/ Jagder Squadron 26 . The transfer to the E-1 field airfield west of Tunis followed on December 2nd. On December 17th, the group returned to Tunis El-Aouina to provide escort for the transport aircraft flying in from Sicily. The group ended up staying in Tunis El-Aouina until the end of the year. During its deployment in the Mediterranean , the group was able to achieve 53 aerial victories . Their own losses amounted to two killed , four wounded and ten aircraft .”
Külein's cockpit (work number: 163.269
North Africa
In the Tunisia campaign , Sergeant/Feldwebel Kühlein had to fight heavy air battles with the Royal Air Force and the USAAF , on November 17, 1942 (Bf 109 G-2 trop “Weiße 1” against several Bristol Beauforts), on January 2, 1943 (against numerous B -17 and escort fighter P-38) and on February 4, 1943 (again against several B-17s) he had to make an emergency landing damaged and without a landing gear, whereby he overturned the third time, but always remained unwounded. On April 20, 1943, he was shot down in air combat , but was able to parachute out in the El-Mavaria area and was lucky that German troops were able to rescue him before the enemy raiding parties.
On December 28, 1942, group commander Hartmann Grasser was in a dogfight with several P-38s. He was alone, his machine was damaged, and he had little chance. But then Elias Kühlein managed to fly in, he smashed his Bf 109 into the enemy USAAF fighter group from above , so that they had to take evasive action first. Now he used his tactical advantage, shot down a P-38 "Lightning", severely damaged a second (according to other sources, shot down), then the US American squadron sought the distance and Grasser (who was to complete the campaign with 13 aerial victories) was rescued. So both were lucky enough to return to their airfield despite being numerically inferior . Kühlein won a total of five (according to other sources six) aerial victories over Tunisia.
Eastern Front
The II. Gruppe/JG 51 was in Radomir in southern Romania (according to other sources Radomir in Bulgaria south of Varba or southwest of Sofia) in late May to mid-June 1944 to protect the petroleum refinery facilities around Ploești (Ploiești). The 15th US American Air Fleet was in action at the beginning of May 1944 with 21 heavy bomber groups and six fighter groups. From July 1944 onwards, attacks on oil targets such as refineries, hydrogenation plants and depots increased. Detached from the squadron, the group operated in the southeast area and experienced the retreat of German troops in 1944, which brought them as far as Imely by the end of the year.
In the summer or fall of 1944, Oberfeldwebel Kühlein, who also served briefly in the 7th Squadron/JG 51 (on August 15, 1944, the II Group was reclassified, with the 4th Squadron being renamed the 7th Squadron), was promoted to lieutenant (Kr.O.) and took over leadership of the 5th Squadron/JG 51 on November 16, 1944. On December 24, 1944, he became leader of the 6th Squadron/JG 51. The II Group of Jagdgeschwader 51 was closed Beginning of 1945 in Imely, Hungary. In January the group moved to Zeszprem and in February to Raab. The relocation to Fels am Wagram followed in March. In March 1945 the formation of an 8th squadron began. However, the formation was not completed until the group was disbanded on April 12, 1945.
Reich air defense
On April 12, 1945, Lieutenant Kühlein, like others in the Jagdgeschwadergruppe , was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 7 in Saatz as part of the Reich air defense in the final battle for Germany . It is unknown whether he flew the Bf 109 G-14 or was instructed on the Messerschmitt Me 262 .
The ace pilot achieved 36 aerial victories in around 600 enemy flights .
Identification mark
Eagle eye, be alert!
Kühlein's Bf 109 was also known to the enemy because of its personal identification number. Kühlein had the squadron identification on the left side of the nose (eagle head) and the identification of the II Group on the right side of the nose (heraldic shield with sword that pierces the four cockades of the enemy - French, English, Soviet and US American). paint the bumps (two aerodynamic fairings in front of the cockpit ) of the new 131 machine guns, which are unpopular with the pilots, with two blue eyes ( wooden eye , or in this case eagle eye, be vigilant ). Wooden eye is another name for the squad pilot who is responsible for the life of the squad leader with the required vigilance (ensuring the protection of the squad leader by observing the airspace) while he concentrates on his chosen target and is therefore vulnerable.
post war period
Released from Western Allied captivity at the end of 1945 , Kühlein returned to Bayreuth, where in April 1946 he worked at the “Association for Movement Games e. V. Bayreuth” (VfB) founded the handball department with a men’s team.
(copy/paste from the net)
NOTE
This repaint features historical tail markings.
There is no optional replacement file.
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