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My next build continues with Erprobungsgruppe 210 - this time I want to build a Bf110D. I have no link to this other than my mother lives in Southampton, over which the aircraft was targeting the Supermarine works on the night of 24th Sept 1940. Interestingly one of my other builds, a Spitfire flown by Crelin Bodie, is mentioned in my main reference source for the build, Bombsites over Britain, by John J Vasco. His Sqn, 66 Sqn RAF, engaged 3 x Bf110 over Aldebugh, downing 1 x Bf110D. This build will be of Bf110D-0 of the 1st Staffel, Wr 2284 coded S9 + HH. I will be also using the 1/72 build that @Stew Dapple completed back in 2014 as my paint reference etc as he'd done some previous research that showed a slightly different approach than the decals set. The aircraft was hit by anti aircraft fire that night and crashed into the channel. The 22 year old pilot, Lt Ulrich Freiherr von de Horst and 24 year old W/T Op, Ogefr Franz Ollers were listed as killed in action, their bodies never recovered. Ogefr Ollers would have celebrated his 25th birthday 2 days later. The Luftwaffe list the aircraft as shot down by fighters, although there are no traceable claims. Sold as new, when I opened the box there are signs of a few scratches, maybe sanding and copious notes on the instructions - thats E Bay for you! Should be fine though. Have some Montex Masks - didn't fancy that masking task ! @Stew Dapple - you mention some tinkering with the personal marking/unit marking on your thread, can i ask what that was? I have not done any WW2 Luftwaffe camo before, so plan a bit of practice on a paint mule. I have Mr Paint paints, but not sure it will work with a stipple brush etc, also have Mr Color that I may be able to thin to allow this. Any top tips on mottling appreciated - one of my builds will need real tight mottle that an airbrush just won't do....

The next build I plan is of a BF109E-4/B. Reading through a bit of history, I became aware of the Fighter Bomber squadron, that was shortlived, but quite effective. Erprobungsgruppe literally means test group and were involved in the concept, with 2 x Bf110 Staffel and 1 x Bf109 Staffel. The fighter codes were smaller than usual on the units aircraft, about the same size as the cross in height, so again, great advice to use 1/72 versions! Having read a bit and become hooked, I bought a coy of Bombsights over England, by John J Vasco - a fascinating read for anyone interested in BoB history. But I expect plenty on this GB will know about the unit, the book etc. The Bf109E-4/B's had a ETC-500 bomb rack, I think it could carry 4 x SC 50KG bombs, or 1 SC 250 KG bomb? It appears I may have an SC 500 KG bomb in the kit? Can I gather that I should fit the SC 250 on my build? Also noted is the unarmoured Windscreen and lack of head armour, plus the latest 'square' canopy. Being a non Bf109 expert (I do see lots of German and RAF references to Me109 but won't go there as I have been warned!) I had to ensure I use the right parts on my build earlier on the chat, thanks for the help chaps! Will use part 26 Spinner Parts 3,6 and 8 for the canopy - think thats right? Will Omit part 36 Hintze flew the airframe from 1st July - 17th Oct, where it was taken off charge as it had flown 250hrs. He was shot down in White 6 on 29th Oct 40 right at the end of the battle, apparently by a Spitfire flown by Sgt Burgess of 222 Squadron. Hintze was wounded but managed to bail out and became a POW. Yellow 3 is also featured in the book, flown by Lt Horst Marx, shot down and injured, becoming a POW during the Croydon raid on 15th Sept 1940. That day was costly for the unit, with the loss/heavy damage of 7 Bf110 as well as Hintze's Bf109 Yellow 3. A Yellow 11 can also be seen in a pic, but I thought I'd go for Yellow 1 as it was the lead and was pretty much omni-present during the battle. The Staffel had a yellow painted spinner tip and a bit of non standard camo, appears to be the normal RLM 65 undersides and sides, RLM 71/02 wings and upper cam, but in place of the sometimes seen mottle, there appears to be a more stripe variation, using both RLM 02/71. Couple of builds here: http://www.hyperscale.com/2013/features/bf109e348rm_1.htm https://imodeler.com/2018/12/airfix-1-48-scale-messerschmitt-bf-109-e-4-b/ and a great 1/32 build here: https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/32278-bf109-e-4b-yellow-6-oblt-otto-hintze-3-erprgr210-1940/ Whilst doing some research, I came up with a tenuous personal link! I was posted to Dover for 5 years, spent a lot of time running along the white cliffs etc, being Dover we were always running up the hill at the end of the PT, as the camp was just behind the castle....one young officer liked to take us to the port once a week, running down the hill.....straight into the sea, swim out to a wall, swim back, run back up the hill, a weekly joy! However some of the routes were fascinating, along the cliffs west, gun emplacements etc...even our sports field dated back to a WW1 fighter strip, and Fort Burgoyne was inside the camp, used as a vehicle park was fascinating, with tunnels, rumoured to go to the castle. Camp is now closed and the Land Trust open up the fort. https://thelandtrust.org.uk/space/fort-burgoyne/ I digress....we had various annual fitness tests, a couple unique to our unit. One of which was the 2 miler. To be done in max of 18 minutes, carrying 29Lb of webbing/daysack, wearing 10lb body armour and a helmet, carrying a rifle. This is a quite tough test. The route was around the masts just over the road from our camp....Turns out this was the site of the Swingate Radar station here (you can see a scar to the west which is the old site of the camp, now demolished, with the fort intact to the north end. I remember thinking it must be WW2 related. Turns out it was targeted by Erprobungsgruppe 210 on the morning of 12 Aug 1940. According to page 28 of the Bombsites over Britain book, Hintze led this raid of 8 Bf109E-4/B's. Am I right in saying its a SC 250 KG on Yellow 3? Depicted in Graham Turner's painting 'Attacking the Chain Home Radar Sites' https://www.studio88.co.uk/acatalog/Attacking_the_Chain_Home_radar_sites.html So, I think I plan to build the subject, Yellow 1, in flight that morning.