4 weeks, 7 whifs #7: Bulgarian Bf 110E-2/Trop

[comrade harps]

Messerschmitt Bf 110E-2/Trop
White 11, 1st Fight, 4th Orliak, 6th Fighter Regiment, Royal Bulgarian Air Force
Captain Hristo Stoichkov (pilot) and Sub-lieutenant Dimitar Penev (navigator/gunner)
1 August 1943, Karlovo, Bulgaria



The Royal Bulgarian Air Force had received plenty of warning. Over 170 American B-24 Liberators flying from bases in Libya had crossed over Albania, Yugoslavia and into Romania to bomb the oil refineries at Ploiești. Many were expected to transit through Bulgarian airspace on their return. There was sufficient time for the alert aircraft and crews to be supplemented by additional fighters and for them to take-off, climb to altitude and await the expected invaders. On their way over Bulgaria, the B-24s were intercepted by three fighter groups: four Bf 110s from Karlovo, seven DAR 11 from Bozhurishte and ten  DAR 11 from Vrashdebna (Sofia) airport.




Bulgarian received its first seven Bf110C-4s in September 1941, follow-on deliveries bringing the C-4 inventory to 17 by mid-1942. Further orders were met with ex-Luftwaffe Bf 110E, E-2 and E-2/Trop models, bringing the total to 39 when the last arrived in July 1943. Although few in number, and despite an often low availability rate, the type was active on bomber and shipping escort missions over the Black Sea, on air defence, coastal patrol and anti-partisan attack operations over the Bulgarian-occupied Macedonia, Pomoravlje, and Western Thrace regions of Yugoslavia. Karlovo in central Bulgaria served as the home base for the widely dispersed detachments that fulfilled these various missions and operational areas.




The four Bf 110s that rose to meet the American B-24s on 1 August 1943 was a motley collection of variants. A pair of old C-4 fighters were the designated alert planes and they were joined by one E-2 and one E-2/Trop. The E-2 was fitted with empty bomb racks and underwing fuel tanks in preparation for a ferry flight to Skopje to join the anti-partisan effort. The E-2/Trop had been one of the last delivered and was in an armed but clean configuration as it was prepared for a technical check flight following refurbishment.




Although working with Freya-LS and F early warning radars and fighter controllers, most of the  Bf 110 and DAR 11 crews had not been trained to intercept B-24s. Despite the target-rich environment, the bombers were flying fast and low and the Bulgarian pilots made several errors and only shot down 4 Liberators: 3 fell to the guns of DAR 11 pilots and 1 to the Bf 110 E-2/Trop of Captain Hristo Stoichkov (pilot) and Sub-lieutenant Dimitar Penev (navigator/gunner) in White 11.



Their B-24 killer, White 11, would later serve in the air defence of Sofia, intercepting American bombers in their campaign against the Bulgarian capital between November 1943 and April 1944. On 10 January 1944 the plane (with a different crew) was credited with shooting down a B-17F. Flying again in response to yet another bombing raid on Sofia by the USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force, White 11 was shot down by a P-38J on 30 March 1944.

[zenrat]

Excellent.  The best of this little lot.  Well done mate.

[Dizzyfugu]

That's a nice one. 

[comrade harps]

Excellent.  The best of this little lot.  Well done mate.

I kept it for last for a reason! Ta 

[NARSES2]

Excellent.  The best of this little lot.  Well done mate.

Absolutely, I just love that colour scheme 

You now have me thinking about a Bulgarian one in the pre-war national insignia or maybe a Romanian one. Thanks for the cranial stimulation 

[Old Wombat]

Pretty!

[CANSO]

Captain Hristo Stoichkov (pilot) and Sub-lieutenant Dimitar Penev (navigator/gunner)

You must be a big soccer (football in Europe) fan!
BTW I personally would expect this a/c to have yellow rudders (based on some other Bulgarian types, e.g. FW-189).
Did you know that the Bulgarian name for all types of Me-110's was "Glukhar" (GLU like in GLUE + KHA like in HAmburg) = grouse (or capercaillie )?

[comrade harps]

Captain Hristo Stoichkov (pilot) and Sub-lieutenant Dimitar Penev (navigator/gunner)

You must be a big soccer (football in Europe) fan!
BTW I personally would expect this a/c to have yellow rudders (based on some other Bulgarian types, e.g. FW-189).
Did you know that the Bulgarian name for all types of Me-110's was "Glukhar" (GLU like in GLUE + KHA like in HAmburg) = grouse (or capercaillie )?

I've been sprung! Sort of.

Yes, my Bulgarian aircrew are indeed Bulgarian soccer players. I've been using national team soccer player names for years in my backstories: Bulgarian, Russian, Japanese etc. It's a convenient way of securing nation-relevant names. I've been waiting for someone to notice and rumble me, so hats off for being the one! 

However, as someone who broke his right leg in consecutive years while playing schoolyard and backyard soccer, I loathe the game. I couldn't even identify an Aussie A-League team. (All my ball game energy goes into being a masochistic AFL Saints member.) 

[NARSES2]

However, as someone who broke his right leg in consecutive years while playing schoolyard and backyard soccer,

Some of the worst injuries I saw were in school playground kick abouts, but twice in two years, and the same leg  Has to have left a permanent weakness, my condolances

[comrade harps]

However, as someone who broke his right leg in consecutive years while playing schoolyard and backyard soccer,

Some of the worst injuries I saw were in school playground kick abouts, but twice in two years, and the same leg  Has to have left a permanent weakness, my condolances

Both greenstick fractures, so both healed up nicely after a while in plaster. No weakness felt and my right leg gives me no problems. However, the right elbow that was broken in the playground (with the assistance of two other kids), that one still sticks occassionally. Thanks for your expression of concern. 

[NARSES2]

Good to hear there were no long term consequences to the leg breaks