III/ JG52 109

[OakTree]

I need help with this 109. Friend has iT as a 109F-4. We both agree it is with III/JG52. But i told him that if it was a E-4, it would have a yellow nose. Can anybody give my pic of a 109 that had that skeleton hand on it. I believe it is a 109E-1

[Cpt_Farrel]

Actually, that aircraft is from 3./JG51, Staffel 3 of I./JG51. The skeleton hand is the marking of 3./JG51 while the shield is that of I./JG51.

The aircraft must be an E-3 as it's to early for an E-4 but it's equipped with cannon. The camopattern worn by this aircraft disapperaed from late 1939 to early 1940 so that should help date the photo somewhat. (I don't think that 3./JG51 used that emblem much longer than that either by the way.)

Cheers! / Anders

[Rabe Anton]

While the identification of this Bf 109E as an E-3 is correct, the proof does NOT lie in the round-top canopy, nor in the wing cannon per se. The round-top canopy does indicate a relatively early Bf 109E-3, but from ca. May-June 1940 many, many of these "round-top canopied" Bf 109Es were modified into E-4s and even later, into E-7s. In this modification process many aircraft retained their earlier canopy configurations.

Similarly, the presence of wing cannon per se indicates only the fact of an E-3 or an E-4 (perhaps even an E-7), the E-4 receiving the later and more potent MG FF/M. Externally, however, the two weapons were nearly, if not completely, identical. For me, at least, visual identification as to E-3 or E-4 from wing weapons alone isn't possible; if any reader knows differently, I would love to hear their evidence.

The proof of a correct "E-3" identification in this photo lies in a combination of (a) 20 mm MG weapons, WITH (b) what is clearly a late-1939 era camouflage scheme (note especially the greatly oversized Balkenkreuze) which dates the photo to an era when only the Bf 109E-3 was available. If the machine were an E-1, the wings would display 7.92mm machine guns; if it were an E-4, the 1939-era camouflage would be a gross anachronism, being at least six months out-of-date.