Bf 109 wr.nr.1289

[chuckschmitz]

Does anyone have anything on wr.nr.1289? 1289 is in the range of aircraft produced by Erla and as you can see from the 2 photos captured and sent to the US.

Chuck

[Don Pearson]

1289 is the number associated with the Bf 109 E-3 currently in South Africa.

Don

[Peter D Evans]

...and I have that example as a Bf109E-3 coded "Brown 2" of 2./JG26 and flown by Uffz.Heinz Wolf. Force landed at Udimore, Sussex on 28th November 1940 - and not a former II.(Schlacht)/LG2 Bf109E-1/B. WNr.6313 being flown by Uffz Paul Wacker of 2./JG27 which made a force landing on farmland in Dorset. That example was coded "Triangle + G" but the WNr doesn't match!

Very confusing!

Cheers
Peter D Evans
LEMB Administrator

[ouidjat]

6313, Here: http://www.me109.info/display.php?a=e&fid=4660 for example
and
1289 here: http://www.me109.info/display.php?a=e&fid=5242 for example. Note: no tailplane on these pictures.

[Peter D Evans]

So the tail off WNr.1289 was used on WNr.6313... makes sense really...

Cheers
Peter D Evans
LEMB Administrator

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

I've studied this one carefully and have photos of both a/c, including W.Nr.1289 on a French AF before it FL in Britain. The South Africa 109 apparently arrived in SA without a tail, which had been removed and attached to W.Nr.6313 to make it whole, after someone probably souvenired the swastica from the tail of W.Nr.6313. So to make it whole for display purposes, someone removed the tail from the SA example (1289), and installed it on the one headed for the USA, which explains why to this day, the SA plane has no tail. Apparently there was no tail available for the SA one and it was sent without one.

Regards,

[chuckschmitz]

Gentleman,

Thank you all for the replies. To sum up the aircraft that was on display in the States was really wr.nr 6313 a Bf 109E-1/B with a borrowed tail from 1289 now tailess and on display in South Africa.

[Peter Cornwell]

28 November 1940: 2./JG26 Messerschmitt Bf109E-3 (1289). Suffered engine failure during freelance sortie over the Channel and belly-landed in garden of Stocks Cottage, Main Road, Udimore, 4.00 p.m. FF Uffz Hans Wolf captured unhurt. Aircraft Black 2 + 100% write-off.
Aircraft shipped to South Africa for exhibition and now displayed in the National Museum of Military History at Saxonwold, Johannesburg. Entire tailplane switched to Bf109E-1 (6313) of 2./JG27 captured November 30 prior to its transport to the USA for exhibition. Main Erla identity plate confirming '1289' found by Steve Vizard amongst remains of RAF Air Intelligence dump buried at Kenley in 1984.

30 November 1940: 2./JG27 Messerschmitt Bf109E-1 (6313). Belly-landed at Woodyhyde Farm, south of Worth Matravers, when engine blew a piston during weather reconnaissance sortie 1.15 p.m. FF Uffz Paul Wacker captured unhurt. Aircraft p + White G 100% write-off.
This aircraft was a replacement only recently taken on the strength of 2./JG27 and still carried the markings of its previous unit 4.(S)/LG2. Complete tailplane fitted to 4101 of 2./JG51 captured on November 27 and subsequently flown as DG200 by the RAF Enemy Aircraft Flight. Replacement tailplane taken from 1289 of 2./JG26 captured on November 28 later fitted prior to shipment to the USA for exhibition tour.

[ouidjat]

Thank Mr. Cornwell,

It's a little bit more complicated since there was a THIRD plane involved in this tailplane story... But now it's cristal clear!
BUT!! Just a comment.
You wrote: "Main Erla identity plate confirming '1289' found by Steve Vizard amongst remains of RAF Air Intelligence dump buried at Kenley in 1984."
Does it mean that the identity plate didn't stay on fuselage after the belly-landing? If that so, plate was found in that dump in 1984, how it's possible to make the link with the SA machine??



Tschüss, Franck.

[Peter Cornwell]

Hello Franck,

Having now checked my files I find that the Erla manufacturer's plate from 1289 found at Kenley in 1984 and now in Steve Vizard's collection may not have been the actual main plate. My notes simply describe it as a 'maker's plate'. But the markings carried on the fuselage sent to South Africa are enough to identify it with certainty. However, just to confuse us further, I believe that close inspection of the entire airframe in 1973 revealed the legend '109 21 - 09/E3 55060 W.N.1037 53R' stamped on the starboard undercarriage knuckle. So maybe it was sent abroad minus tailplane (doubtful) along with a replacement wing. A veritable 'Dog's Dinner'.