Franz Von Werra's Bf - 109E

[Starfighter]

Hi guys,

Not sure if this has been asked before, but I'm going to build (After I finish my 1/24 scale Mossie!) the Eduard 1/32 scale Bf - 109E-4 in the markings of Franz Von Werra, however, looking at the instructions online there seems to be some doubt over the colour of the cowling?

Eduard suggest that it may have been a "Fresh" coat of RLM 65, whereas all previous references have it as white. Now I see the new Airfix 109 kit has these markings and the box profile seems to indicate white?

I know interpretation of WWII pics can be a can of worms, but I'd be interested to know what thoughts/theories anybody else might have.

[FalkeEins]

Eduard suggest that it may have been a "Fresh" coat of RLM 65, whereas all previous references have it as white. Now I see the new Airfix 109 kit has these markings and the box profile seems to indicate white?

all previous references ..? not in the Kagero Emil book ..nor do Airfix have it in white either, at least not on my box... the spinner though was probably red and white...at least from one contemporary report IIRC

http://falkeeins.blogspot.com/2010/03/fran...ritain-ace.html

[tango98]

I don’t know if this will be much help but here verbatim, is the Crashed Enemy Aircraft Report on von Werra’s machine (italicised entries are mine):

Report No.12

7.9.40

Me 109. Force landed at Love’s Farm, Marden, Kent on 5/9. Markings -+> black outlines in white. Crest: Shield U-shaped, outlined in red, divided into eight segments coloured black and white. Wing tips and rudder painted white. Camouflage all blue. Fuselage all blue. Spinner divided into alternate black and white sectors. Fitted with DB.601A engine made by Mercedes Benz werk nr. 10598. Aircraft force landed following fighter action. Condition reported to be very good. Standard armament 2 20mm. Cannon and 2 MG 17s. No head armament for pilot who was taken prisoner. Starboard wing shows many .303 strikes.

As far as the camouflage finish goes the aircraft wore the standard 02/71 over 65 scheme with a very high demarcation between the upper 02/71 colours and 65 undersurfaces on the fuselage as seen in published photos. The panel immediately ahead of the windscreen appears to have a mottled appearance suggesting it was a replacement 'borrowed' from another aircraft. In addition to the white paint applied to the wing tips, some views of the aircraft strongly suggest that the tips of the tail planes were also painted white.

I also have copies of the late Mike Payne's notes on this aircraft but nowhere is a white nose or cowling mentioned.

HTH

Cheers

Dave

Edited May 16, 2012 by tango98

[FalkeEins]

Camouflage all blue. Fuselage all blue. Spinner divided into alternate black and white sectors.

photo of the 'replica' of WNr. 10598 in the Battle of Britain museum Hawkinge

http://www.kbobm.org/dowding.htm

Edited May 16, 2012 by FalkeEins

[Starfighter]

all previous references ..? not in the Kagero Emil book ..nor do Airfix have it in white either, at least not on my box... the spinner though was probably red and white...at least from one contemporary report IIRC

http://falkeeins.blogspot.com/2010/03/fran...ritain-ace.html

Thanks for the help, guys. I was only going by a small illustration of the Airfix box, so pardon my confusion!

it would indeed appear that Von Werra's a/c did NOT have a white nose, so I'll shall do it with a somewhat cleaner front section, which could have appeared white on B & W photos of the crash scene.

Once again thank you for your replies and input.

[Miggers]

I might be interested in doing this one myself as I have the autograph of the man

that shot him down,the late Gerald "Stapme"Stapleton.

[Nick Millman]

FWIW the Airfix instructions would have you paint the cowling with a 50/50 mix of 65 and white - so a lighter blue than the fuselage but not white!

Cracking kit though. Mine is getting Hinomaru.

[Chuck1945]

...Cracking kit though. Mine is getting Hinomaru.

Why doesn't this surprise me?

[Starfighter]

FWIW the Airfix instructions would have you paint the cowling with a 50/50 mix of 65 and white - so a lighter blue than the fuselage but not white!

Cracking kit though. Mine is getting Hinomaru.

That's very interesting, as I was thinking along those lines. On the photos of Von Werra's a/c the cowling does indeed look brighter than the fuselage, so that's how I intend to do my model. Thanks for the extra info.

[Hepster]

I've so far looked at 4 photos of von Werras plane, 2 at the crash site (one of which has the cowling fitted) and 2 of the plane in a dismantled state at an RAF base.

I'd agree that the cowling is blue and not white, and is a clean replacement one, bacause the rest of the plane is so scruffy.

The mottled replacement cowling panel ahead of the cockpit before the guns is even scruffier, making the contrast even greater.

The shield on the side of the fuselage has been cleaned so that the blue around it is also bright.

Most important - the blue demarcation line on the leading edge of the wings is quite high up - about level with the top of the gunports