Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-4 “Hartmann” by Fine Molds

1/72 scale
Kit No. FL13
Retail: $45.00-65.00
Decals: Two versions – both Luftwaffe WWII
Comments: Engraved panel lines, detailed cockpit, one-piece canopy, option for additional 20mm cannon in underwing gondolas

History

Willy Messerschmitt’s famous Bf 109 series of single-seat fighter airplanes was produced in larger quantities than any other combat airplane in history except the Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik. The first prototype Bf 109 flew in September 1935, powered by a Rolls Royce Kestrel 695-hp engine because suitable German aircraft engines were not yet available-engine development had been hindered by the Versailles Treaty. Follow-on prototypes of the Bf 109 used several other engines until Messerschmitt and the Air Ministry settled on the Daimler-Benz DB 600 series inverted-V, liquid-cooled engine. (Note: The Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG, abbreviated Bf, is the company that built and flew the prototype Bf 109. The firm was renamed Messerschmitt AG in July 1938 but many official German publications continued to refer to the airplane as the ‘Bf 109.’)

The new fighter’s first public demonstration took place at the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin, but the airplane’s first real impact on the aviation world came during the international flying meet held in Zurich in the summer of 1937. Five Bf 109s took part and demonstrated outstanding climbing, diving, and maneuverability, along with exceptional speed. As these impressive demonstrations were taking place, the Luftwaffe was delivering twenty-four ‘109 fighters to Spain for the Condor Legion. By the time England declared war on Germany, German pilots had battle-tested the ‘109 in aerial combat and Messerschmitt AG was busily mass-producing the ‘E’ model.

Supermarine’s Spitfire was the first aircraft to seriously challenge the Luftwaffe fighter. The Spitfire was slightly faster and definitely more maneuverable, but its performance at altitude was inferior. There was little difference in piloting skill between the Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force but in 1940 during the Battle of Britain, the RAF usually fought over friendly territory. The Bf 109s limited fuel capacity reduced fighting time over Britain to about twenty minutes. Many ‘109 pilots exhausted their fuel and crashed into the icy waters of the English Channel.

Bf 109’s saw heavy use on the Eastern Front after the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. In the West beginning in 1943, daylight raids by U. S. Army Air Forces heavy bombers steadily increased, to match the escalating intensity of the night bombing campaign of the Royal Air Force. The Luftwaffe pressed the ‘109 into service intercepting the massive bomber formations, battling heavy defensive crossfire and increasing opposition from escort fighters. In most air encounters over Europe, Allied pilots expected the 109s to appear for a fight. The 109 was a formidable adversary, but with the arrival of the Focke Wulf Fw 190 and later the Me 262 jet fighter, it is curious that Germany never halted 109 production in favor of these newer fighters of superior performance.

As new and improved models of Allied fighters became available, the Germans countered with upgraded models of the Bf 109 — an aging design that was state-of-the-art in 1937, but by 1943 was showing its age.  Messerschmitt improved his iconic fighter primarily by increasing power in the Daimler-Benz engine, and later, fitting it with heavier armament as the Allied bombing campaign of Germany intensified.

The “E” version which had been the latest iteration of the type during the Battle of Britain was augmented by the F and G versions, with most pilots agreeing that the “F” version, nicknamed “Franz,” represented the zenith of the design, as it featured significant aerodynamic improvements. These included a smoother, more rounded cowling and a larger spinner that blended smoothly into the cowling, along with a streamlined oil cooler radiator and fairing. When production stopped, Messerschmitt had produced far greater numbers of the “G” than any other model. The company built 21,000 by the end of 1944, and reportedly 36,000 by war’s end.

The “G,” nicknamed “Gustav” first appeared in February 1943. It was powered by a Daimler Benz DB 605 engine, and the subject of this kit, the G-4, featured improvements such as an armored fuel tank and an internal bullet-proof windscreen. Later models, beginning with the G-6, had heavier armament, replacing the 7.92 mm machine guns in the nose with two 13mm MG 131 machine guns. This gave the G-6 its distinctive bulbous fairings on either side of the fuselage foreward of the cockpit.

The G series carried a variety of machine guns, bombs, and cannons and occasionally, two 20mm MG 151/20 cannon slung beneath the wings in specially faired gun pods. The latter combination was ideal for bomber interception but the extra weight and drag of the under wing armament severely reduced maneuverability and overall air-to-air combat effectiveness. For this reason, the heavily armed G-6 brought more firepower to bear against Allied bombers, but was sometimes criticized by Luftwaffe pilots as “flying like a pig.”

Erich Hartmann, Leading Ace of World War II
Notwithstanding its deficiencies, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the mount of choice of the leading fighter ace not merely of Germany, but of any of the combatants’ air forces of World War II. Major Erich Alfred Hartmann was credited with an astounding 352 victories, the bulk of them on the Eastern Front where the VVS, the Soviet Air Force, was only of limited effectiveness during the opening months of the war in the East.  Hartmann reportedly did not share his colleagues’ low opinion of the G, calling it “very maneuverable.” The G-4 and G-10, which he is known to have flown, were both more aerodynamic than the G-6, which drew criticism for the effect of its bulbous gun fairings on the plane’s handling.

The bulk of the Red Air Force squadrons stationed in Western Russia were decimated on the ground in the beginning stages of Operation Barbarossa, the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. In addition, the VVS had been severely weakened by Stalin’s great purge of 1937, with a good portion of its leadership and that of the Red Army summarily executed or sent to Siberia.

Hartmann, a pre-war glider pilot, joined the Luftwaffe in 1940 at age 18 and completed his fighter pilot training in 1942. A little known fact is that he was taught to fly by his mother, Elisabeth, one of the first female glider pilots in Germany. Upon completing his Luftwaffe training, he was posted to the veteran Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) on the Eastern Front and placed under the supervision of some of the Luftwaffe’s most experienced fighter pilots. Under their guidance, Hartmann steadily developed his tactics.

Hartmann rose from the rank of Lieutenant (Leutnant) to Major by war’s end, and was a highly decorated combat pilot. On October 29, 1943, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross for destroying 148 enemy aircraft. On March 2, 1944, he received the Oak Leaves to the Knight’s Cross for destroying 202 enemy aircraft. Exactly four months later, he received the Swords to the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves for shooting down 268 enemy aircraft. Ultimately, Hartmann earned the coveted Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds on August 25, 1944 for 301 aerial victories. At the time of its presentation to Hartmann, this was Germany’s highest military decoration. During 1944, Luftwaffe fighter General Adolf Galland tried to recruit Hartmann into an Me 262 squadron, but Hartmann declined, reportedly preferring to remain with his unit, JG 52, and their Bf 109’s.

Hartmann flew over 1400 sorties during the war, and was involved in air combat on 825 different occasions, shooting down 345 Soviet and 7 American aircraft, and crash landing 16 times during his wartime Luftwaffe service. Hartmann achieved his 352nd and last aerial victory at midday on May 8, 1945, hours before the German surrender.

After the war, in an attempt to pressure him into service with the Soviet-aligned East German National People’s Army, he was tried on war crimes charges and convicted. Hartmann was initially sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment, later increased to 25 years, and spent 10 years in Soviet prison camps and gulags before he was released in 1955. In 1956, Hartmann joined the newly established West German Air Force in the Bundeswehr, and became the first Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 71 “Richthofen.”

In the late 1960’s, Hartmann generated controversy with his strident criticism of the American F-104 Starfighter. Although subsequent events validated his low opinion of the aircraft (269 crashes and 116 German pilots killed in the F-104 in non-combat missions, along with allegations of bribes culminating in the 1976 Lockheed scandal), Hartmann’s outspoken criticism proved unpopular with his superiors, and he was forced into early retirement in 1970 for his vocal opposition to West Germany’s procurement of the F-104 over safety concerns. In his later years, after his military career had ended, he became a civilian flight instructor. Hartmann died on September 20, 1993 at age 71.

 

The Kit

Fine Molds’ Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-4/R6 is crisply molded in grey plastic and consists of 66 parts, including three clear parts for the canopy, gunsight, and pilot’s rear armor. The kit has engraved panel lines and recessed rivet detail throughout the airframe, a nicely detailed pilot figure, and an option for one of two center line drop tanks. Its main armament of two 7.92mm machine guns and a 20mm cannon firing through the propeller hub can be augmented with two more 20mm cannon under the wings if modelers opt for the more heavily armed version.

The cockpit features an unusual level of detail for this scale; the diminutive main instrument panel incorporates raised and recessed relief for the dials when many other manufacturers would just give you a decal, if that. A separate bucket seat, control yoke and gunsight augment the raised sidewall detail for the cockpit on the interior fuselage halves. Engine detail is molded into the fuselage with an implied option for the separate cowling panels to be positioned open or closed, although the instructions assume modelers will opt to show them closed, omitting any other illustration.

The G-4’s somewhat spindly landing gear is faithfully depicted, and option is provided for two 20mm cannon to be mounted beneath the wings in gondolas. The single-piece canopy can only be displayed closed, because the part is molded to include a small section of the airframe just ahead of the windscreen, so the forward section of the canopy may require seam hiding. The rudder is separately mounted. A three-bladed propeller, one-piece spinner, and plate for the airscrew complete the assembly.

 

Markings

The kit decals include stencil details and swastikas, as this kit was initially released in 2007, before the prohibition on such markings became widespread. The markings are of above average quality, with the national markings looking slightly less aged, and the letter markings for the fuselage showing just a hint of becoming yellowed. They are serviceable, but will not be on par with most aftermarket replacement sets.

Markings are provided for two versions, the first being a machine of JG 52, flown by Erich Hartmann in the area of Taman, Russia in May 1943. Its upper surfaces bear a splinter camouflage pattern of RLM 74 and RLM 75 Grey Violet over RLM76 Light Blue, with matching splotches on the fuselage sides and vertical tail. Its spinner is two-thirds Black Green, and one-third White. The second version is also a machine of JG 52, this one flown by Heinz Sachsenberg in the area of Anapa, Russin in June 1943. This aircraft also bears a splinter camouflage pattern of RLM 74 and RLM 75 Grey Violet over RLM76 Light Blue, with matching splotches on the fuselage sides and vertical tail. It features a Black Green spinner. Both aircraft feature yellow flashes on the under surfaces of the wing tips and the under surface of the engine cowling.

Conclusion

This is a crisply molded and well-detailed excellent kit of not just one of the iconic fighter aircraft of World War II, but of the war’s leading fighter ace, Erich Hartmann. Highly recommended.

References

• https://airandspace.si.edu/
• wikipedia.org