Eastern Front 1941 Pt.13: Moldovan Bf 109E-4

[comrade harps]

Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4
a/c White 6, 1st Fighter Squadron, Royal Moldovan Air Force
Mykolaiv Миколаїв, Ukraine, Axis occupied Socialist Union, October 1941



Moldova followed closely behind its neighbour and protector, Romania, and joined the Axis Powers on 27 November, 1940. Now eligible for German military equipment, the Royal Moldovan Air Force sought to update its inventory with German types and gain access to German training. In January, 1942, an agreement was reached that enabled both; by then, German troops had already entered Moldova to "secure the border [with the Socialist Union] from Red aggression."




Moldovan air and ground crew were soon sent for training with the Luftwaffe and the first (second-hand) Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3s to enter Moldovan service arrived in May, 1941. This first batch of 14 planes was allocated to the 1st Fighter Squadron, where they replaced Romanian-built PZL P.11fs. They were in combat from the first day of Operation Barbarossa, crossing the border into the Transnistrian and Ukrainian republics of the Socialist Union to conduct escort, strafing and fighter sweep missions on 22 June 1941.




The plane modelled here is the second Moldovan White 6 Bf 109E,  the first crashing following flak damage on 19 September, 1941. This White 6 was part of a batch of 5 E-4s sent as attrition replacements delivered from Luftwaffe repair depots in the first two weeks of October. These planes can be identified by their crudely painted over Luftwaffe markings. As with other Moldovan 109s at the time, the Luftwaffe applied camouflage scheme was lightened and the splinter pattern softened with a disruptive application of a tan paint. White 6 also dampens the quick identification feature of the allover yellow engine cowling with an application of tan on the upper surface.



White 6 embodies the confusion and debate over national and identification markings that characterised Royal Moldovan Air Force relations with their German allies. The fuselage sides display the the traditional red eight-pointed star outlined with yellow and blue. Those on the wings were embedded in a white circle following several friendly fire incidents, as despite the shape of the Bf 109 being familiar, the Germans tended to shoot at anything with a red star. Oddly, the upper wing roundels lack the yellow outline, but the operational tempo was high (the attrition replacements, still wearing their Luftwaffe markings, were ferried directly to the frontline) and the orders covering markings were in a state of flux. Non-standard national markings appear in several photographs of Moldovan Bf 109E-4s from the time, with some featuring Luftwaffe Balkenkreuz underwing in place of the Moldovan roundels. White 6 dampens the quick identification feature of the all over yellow engine cowling with an application of tan on the upper surface.



Moldovan records ascribe 18 air victories to this White 6 airframe, achieved by 5 pilots between 17 October, 1941, and 23 April, 1942. It was struck-off following a landing accident on April 27.

[zenrat]

Noice.

[dumaniac]

nice camo and decals

[NARSES2]

Particularly like the camo scheme 

[Dizzyfugu]

Uh, I know some guys in the Ukraine who will certainly like this build. 

Cool idea.

[Hotte]

Nice 109 

Hotte

[comrade harps]

Uh, I know some guys in the Ukraine who will certainly like this build. 

Cool idea.

Moldovan nationalists?

[DogfighterZen]

Looks good!

[Dizzyfugu]

Uh, I know some guys in the Ukraine who will certainly like this build. 

Cool idea.

Moldovan nationalists?

I think so. The crowd at alternathistory.org is a weird bunch, and fictional Moldovan aircraft have popped up there several times. Some users there seem to lurk whatifmoders.com, I would not wonder if this Bf 109 turns up elsewhere, too.

[Dizzyfugu]

More traces from the rather unknown Royal Moldovan Air Force:


1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4/trop.; "White 24" of the 2nd Fighter Squadron, Royal Moldovan Air Force (Королівська авіація Молдови); Wosnessensk (Вознесенськ ), Oblast Mykolajiw region, Ukraine, early 1942 (Whif/Heller kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4/trop.; "White 24" of the 2nd Fighter Squadron, Royal Moldovan Air Force (Королівська авіація Молдови); Wosnessensk (Вознесенськ ), Oblast Mykolajiw region, Ukraine, early 1942 (Whif/Heller kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


More to come at another place here, soon...

[TomZ]

Great pictures.
I really like the markings on this one.

TomZ