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Bf109 Yellow ID marking under nose


StevieD

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Hello

 

About to have a bash at Joachim Munchenberg's G2 from Libya in 1943 as shown on the Xtradecal sheet.

 

It doesn't show the lower yellow nose ID that's seen on most profiles and photos of other desert 109s. Should it be there?

 

Thanks

 

 

 

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Yes white nose tail wing tips and fuselage band.  But lots of profiles and decal sheets show a yellow lower nose. Haven't found any colour desert shots - well at least ones not colourised.

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2 hours ago, StevieD said:

Hello

 

About to have a bash at Joachim Munchenberg's G2 from Libya in 1943 as shown on the Xtradecal sheet.

 

It doesn't show the lower yellow nose ID that's seen on most profiles and photos of other desert 109s. Should it be there?

 

Thanks

 

 

 

 

Some points.

 

First, your thread heading is very vague,  as yellow was used as an ID marking in the BoB, the Balkans and as a standard ID marking on the eastern front. 

 

I suggest using the edit facility to change to "Joachim Munchenberg's Bf109G2 from Libya in 1943, yellow undercowling?"

as this shows at a glance what you are really asking.

 

As @Black Knight says the Mediterranean ID flash was white. 

White and yellow look similar in a B/W photo unless you have decent pic and can see a difference (see below), though the Med ID was usually a white nose ring, fuselage band and wing tips.

 

The airframe may have been transferred from an eastern front unit and still had the undercowl.

 

Xtradecal regularly make mistakes.

 

A quick search has not turned up any photo of of his plane.

 

 

2 hours ago, Black Knight said:

Luftwaffe North Africa id markings were usually white not yellow. Yellow was used on the Russian front.

 

seems a yellow undercowl as well is possible

emilaufklarungs.jpg

 

from http://falkeeins.blogspot.com/2014/08/latest-airfix-dogfight-double-selection.html

 

@FalkeEins  blog, and he may be able to help as well.

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Yellow beneath the cowling was a standard recognition marking (which front is immaterial) from 1941 into 1944.  The usual Mediterranean theatre marking was a white Rumpfband (fuselage band, aft of the cross), and sometimes white wingtips.  The latter were not universal.

 

This one was Bf 109G-2/Trop WNr.10645 of the Stab/JG77, and was 'bent' 1.Dec. 1942 at Arco Philaenorum, Libya.  Müncheberg had made his first claims in North Africa (117. & 118.) in November.  There are a number of photographs of this one, and it has suffered from miscaptioning in some books, often falsely-assigned to the JG 27.  The Stab/JG 77 was marking its machines at this time with a white 'Winkel' (chevron) and a small numeral within.

 

Müncheberg was killed 23.March 1943 SW of Maknassy, near Gafsa (Tunisia), in Bf 109G-6/Trop WNr.16381, in a collision with Capt. Sweetland's  Spitfire of (U.S.) 52 Sq.  Müncheberg's last machine was painted in the factory-applied grays (RLM 74/75/76) and had the conventional yellow under the cowl.  This one was marked with a (single) white Winkel and pointed horizontal bar ahead of the fuselage cross.

 

I don't have a photo-hosting service, so cannot insert images here, but if you wish to send a PM with your email, I'll forward some.

 

Good luck in your build, GRM

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Thanks for that! I've just found photos of the G-2.

 

I know you can't trust a profile but there are just to many North African 109s with that yellow recognition marking for it to have been a repeated mistake.

 

 

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In general, most of the 109's operating in the African theater had the yellow tactical marking on the cowl underside.   Depending on the film type, it can be difficult to distinguish if yellow is present:

 

 

N00C5mm.jpg

 

 

regards,

Jack

 

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My understanding (not saying much) is that the yellow lower engine was a fairly universal recognition device used on Jagdwaffe aircraft regardless of which Front they were on. As GRM has stated the practice was mostly dropped later in the war but as with all things Luftwaffe though you will find exceptions to both of my statements without too much difficulty.

 

Duncan B

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