I./JG 27 in North Africa.
 

According to some accounts, when on April 1941 I./JG 27 arrived to Lybia as the first Luftwaffe Jagdgruppe to be deployed in North Africa, it was mounted on Bf 109s E-4/Trop. On the other side, there are many pictures of 3./JG 27 preparing to the ferry flight from Sicily to Lybia, where the Bf 109 Es are all outfitted with the belly tank and the pointed spinner, which are usually regarded as a distinctive mark of the -7 sub series.

Anyone knows for sure the outfit of I./JG 27 when it first arrived to Lybia? E-4? E-7? a mix of both?

Thanks.

Re: I./JG 27 in North Africa.
 

The loss lists in Dr. Prien's volume indicate exclusively E-7s until the arrival of the F-4 in late 1941.

Don

Re: I./JG 27 in North Africa.
 

I’ve just watched the X Fliegerkorps order of the battle, which I downloaded from the Michael Holm’s site, where I./JG 27 is listed on 22/03/41 with Bf 109 E-7s. On 25/03 it was refitted with tropical equipment during its stay in Sicilian airbases. If this document is accurate, and since it matches with Prien’s loss list mentioned in the post above and with the picture evidences, I think I can assume I./JG 27 arrived in North Africa with a E-7 trop complement.

Thanks Don.