Messerschmitt Aufklärer - Recce Bf 109s During mid-1943 a number of tactical reconnaissance Gruppen were established in southern Germany. These Nahaufklärungsgruppen (NAG or NAGr) were equipped with various models of the latest 109 Gustav sub-types and tasked with fast, high altitude recce sorties over the battlefield beyond the reach of Allied fighters. Powered by the latest up-rated and often power-boosted variants of the DB 605 engine and mostly unarmed, these reconnaissance Gustavs – fitted with Rustsätze comprising the RB 12.5/7 or RB 32/7 camera installations prior to the appearance of the dedicated G-8 recce variant - were deployed to the hot spots of the European theatre.

One such unit was I./NAG 12 established at Herzogenaurach in southern Germany during the spring of 1943. The fifteen aircraft of this unit’s 2. Staffel were deployed to the Balkans in the autumn of 1943 and were initially based on the field of Berat (southwest of Tirana) from where they flew sorties alone or in Rotte strength (two machines). The Staffel operated a mix of Gustav variants, having on strength at various stages the G-4, G-5, G-6, G-8 – a dedicated reconnaissance variant - and G-10 sub-types. The unit later deployed to Sarajevo and flew sorties from this base during early 1944 over US-held airfields and ports in Italy.

  I. Gruppe NAG 12 Technical Officer Oblt. Heimo Emmerstorfer seen climbing into the cockpit of his ‘White 14’. Note the cowl bulges, the MG 131 machine gun barrel and the over-painted data plate to the right of the supercharger intake – evidence that this unique camouflage scheme was field-applied. Note the demarcation between the darker lower surface colour and the lighter of the two upper surface colours.The pictures were taken in the early summer of 1944. (All pictures via Jean-Yves Lorant)

  Oberleutnant Heimo Emmerstorfer

  One known and surviving pilot of I. Gruppe NAG 12 was Technical Officer Oblt. Heimo Emmerstorfer, who spent three weeks flying sorties with 2. Staffel during the spring of 1944. His album contained the fascinating photos published here. Emmerstorfer’s flight log reveals that as a recce pilot he flew 217 combat sorties over 1134 flight hours and – in addition to the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class - was awarded the Luftwaffe honour goblet, the Reconnaissance Combat Pilot Clasp in Gold, the Wound Badge in black and the German Cross in Gold.

Emmerstorfer never saw combat with Allied fighters at high altitude though the high flying German recce 109s were a thorn in the Americans’ side as a number of strafing attacks on Sarajevo mounted by US fighters bore witness. Emmerstorfer himself was almost caught on the ground on one occasion during 1944. Taxiing out to lead off a Rotte, Emmerstorfer lined up on the strip to get airborne – all take offs were flown in a northerly direction aiming for a gap between the mountains surrounding the town. Suddenly, eight P-47s swept in through this same gap low over the trees directly towards the two 109s just as Emmerstorfer was opening up the throttle to launch into his take off run. Exhorting his Rotte comrade to throw open the throttle - “Alfred, Pulle rein! Amis!” - the 109s hurtled down the runway, travelling so fast that the strafing P-47s were unable to lower their noses and draw a bead. The Messerschmitts disappeared between the mountains narrowly escaping the salvos of fire from the airfield flak defences. Emmerstorfer was forced to return early to the field with a single flak hit in the radiator – the US fighters having flown just one strafing pass.

During late 1944 and early 1945, the sixteen Bf 109s of 2./NAG 12 were deployed to Hungary and flew constant sorties from Tapolca as the Russians completed their encirclement of Budapest, threatening the Reich’s last oil fields in southern Hungary. This huge Kesselschlacht (literally ‘cauldron battle’) lasted some six weeks and the Messerschmitt Bf 109 recce Aufklärer were in almost constant action. By May 1945 the Staffel had flown some 2,000 sorties. Emmerstorfer himself made his last flight in a Bf 109 on 9 May 1945 - one day after WW II ended. Determined to avoid Russian captivity he was airborne from Ziri, west of Ljubljana – just ahead of the Russians who occupied the field that evening. He flew west in the direction of Austria and reached his hometown of Hoersching without incident. However with American columns on the roads he elected to continue westwards. Finally at 19:35 he belly landed at Haibach on the Danube River and made his way to his parents house on foot.

NAG 12 Gustav variants

  The following is an attempt to arrive at some conclusions regarding the identity of the Gustav variant depicted in the illustrations presented here.

The most obvious identifying features are the cowl bulges or Beulen of the G-5 and G-6 variants. The cowl bulges were designed to cover the breeches of the larger MG 131 machine guns – note the barrels of the weapons in the side view. While most G-14s also featured cowl bulges, the up-rated engine on this later model usually required the taller and wider chord tail fin and rudder to counter the 109’s pronounced torque swerve on take off - the aircraft pictured here has the standard small rudder and tail. Later variants such as the G-10 featured refined cowl shapes and dispensed with the Beulen.

Later Gustav variants can also be identified by the D/F loop behind the antenna mast – here the loop is not present and is probably mounted under the fuselage. On the original prints the mounting points for the supercharger intake sand filter are evident, although no clip holders for the umbrella attachment for the tropical ‘Trop’ variant are present. Note too the ‘Galland Panzer’ armoured glass head armour, here fitted to the older frame-type canopy and first introduced on the G-5.

The G-5 – interspersed on G-6 production lines - resembled the G-6 in all respects except for the pressurised cockpit and the associated compressor fairing below the cowl bulge on the starboard side. The canopy glazing on the G-5 featured moisture absorbing silica gel tablet cartridge inserts that are not present here. Later Gustav sub-types were usually fitted with the clear vision Erla hood and dispensed with cockpit pressurisation. Unfortunately, there is no clear view of the under surface camera installation Rustsatz such that it is not known if it was either the Rb50/30 (G-6/R2) or Rb 75/30 (G-6/R3) combination.

Note the C3 fuel filler point. C3 was used on early DB 605 AM engines and the cowling intakes confirm this. Also, there are no refined bulges ahead of the oil cooler intake on the lower front cowl as featured on the later AS engines. It is possible to make out the filler hatch for the MW 50 methanol-water power boost on the starboard fuselage side – the G-6/R2 recce variant is thus a likely candidate here since the MG 131s were retained. Only the engine mounted cannon would be removed as a weight-saving measure. The other option is of course the dedicated Gustav recce variant – the G-8 – of which some 167 examples were built by the summer of 1944 exclusively by WNF. The D/F loop was re-positioned to somewhere nearer the tail on this variant to allow for the camera installation between frames 2 and 3. Camera installation was also possible at frames 4 and 5.

Given the evidence, it is likely that the variant depicted here is something of a hybrid – a G-6/Trop possibly converted on the assembly line to G-8/R2 or R3 configuration. There is no evidence of a constructor’s number, which might have helped identify the type. However, a strength return for this unit published in the May 1991 issue of the German-language magazine ‘Jet & Prop’ indicates that ‘White 14’ was a G-10 which it most clearly wasn’t. The same document reveals evidence of a ‘White 4’ WNr.200 2XX on strength with 2./NAG 12. This machine was a G-8 and the conclusion is therefore that the official document was originally incorrectly transcribed. Indeed it is known that early G-8s were assigned the WNr. block 200 000 – 200 800 (six digits) while concurrently-produced G-6s retained the five digit Werknummern in the 20 000 – 20 800 range.

   “White 14” and NAG 12 Camouflage Schemes

  Commensurate with their high altitude mission profile, NAG 12 flew a number of 109s painted light blue overall. While Emmerstorfer’s machine may have worn this blue 76 ‘Hellblau-über- alles’ finish at some point in its career, close inspection of the photos accompanying this article reveal that at least three camouflage colours were applied.

Previously illustrated in RLM 74/75/76, the forward views show that there is a clear demarcation between the lighter of the two upper colours and the under surface colour. The light upper surfaces are most probably the original blue 76 – while the under surfaces have a darker hue, possibly indicating a 78 Himmelblau finish. The undercarriage legs were finished in this same blue shade. The grey tone of the second upper surface colour is warm - note too that it appears lighter than the forward canopy framing which was almost certainly finished in grey 74. The rear of the canopy where it attached to the fuselage is the same tone as this unidentified upper surface colour.

Evidence that this special scheme was unit-applied is the over-painting of the data plate clearly visible to the right of the cowl bulge. Given the theatre over which this aircraft was operating, it is possible to surmise that the upper surface colour was over-sprayed onto the RLM 76 in a free-hand zig-zag effect. In all probability it was 79 Sandgelb (sand-yellow), a brownish hue which has too light a tone to be either grey or green. Bf 109s of JG 4 and JG 77 operating over Italy were also painted in this colour.

With regards to the aircraft’s national and unit markings, note how the upper wing crosses – Balkenkreuze – have been over-painted while the fuselage crosses have been carefully masked. There is no evidence of a Werknummer or any but the most important maintenance markings that were invariably painted over as well. The aircraft’s Verbandkennzeichen ‘14’ was painted in white with a narrow black outline. The spinner has been divided into four quarters of alternating black and white. Finally, there is no evidence of any white-coloured Mediterranean theatre markings that were usually applied on wingtips or as a fuselage band.
   
A superb plan view of ‘white 14’ showing details of the paint scheme applied to the starboard side of the aircraft. Note the armoured glass head armour in the old style three-part canopy with its heavy framing.The mast is mounted on the rear of the canopy. The zig-zag stripe effect has been airbrushed on free-hand and has a very irregular edge. .
   

Acknowledgements

My thanks to Jean-Yves Lorant, Georg Punka, David E. Brown, David Wadman and the contributors on the Luftwaffe Experten Message Board.