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The mouse behind the ace

Messerschmitt Bf 109

Originally designed in the early 1930’s, the Messerschmitt Bf109 first saw action during the Spanish Civil War. By the break of World War II, it had become the primary fighter plane of the German Luftwaffe and accounted for 57% of all the German produced fighters. Modifications to the design that continued production until April of 1945, allowed the Messerschmitt to remain competitive with the latest Allied fighter aircraft throughout the conflict. Interestingly enough, with a total production of 33,984 units, the Bf109 goes down in history as the most produced fighter aircraft of all time. The "E" variant of the Messerschmitt Bf109 was introduced in late 1938. A notable revision from previous versions was a squared-off canopy, which gave greater visibility to the pilot and was easier to produce. Of the many variants, the Bf109E-4 showcased in this model, as well as the E-1 experienced most of the action during the Battle of Britain. A total of 339 Bf109E-4's reported for duty during this conflict and were responsible for escorting bombers from bases located in the Netherlands, Germany and northern France. A renowned group of aces piloted the Messerschmitt Bf109. The "ace" status was granted to any pilot who tallied five or more victories. A total of 105 aces were credited with 100 or more victories using this aircraft. Thirteen of these pilots tallied more than 200 victories, while Gerhard Barkhorn and Erich Hartmann have astounding victory tallies of 301 and 352 respectively. Needless to say, the Messerschmitt Bf109 is credited with more aerial victories than any other aircraft.

Adolf Galland

Renowned pilot Adolf Galland flew this aircraft during the Battle of Britain, where he was originally assigned as Gruppenkommandeur of fighter wing III/JG26 based in Pas de Calais, France. By this time, Galland had already achieved the ace status, having accumulated 14 victories in the previous French campaign. The particulars of this Messerschmitt BF109E-4 (W.Nr.5819) belong to the aircraft that he flew between September 1940 and April 1941. During the intense combat of this period, aerial victories, promotions, and decorations came rapidly for Adolf Galland. By November of 1940 he had already recorded his 50th victory against a British Spitfire, a tally that amounted to 104 aerial victories by the end of World War II.

The mouse behind the ace

Adolf Galland may have been one of the most charismatic and colourful of the German pilots serving in the Battle of Britain. Amidst the controversy, his aircraft was equipped with a cigar holder and lighter. As depicted in the scale model photos below, the fuselage of his aircraft was also painted with his personal insignia, a Mickey Mouse cartoon smoking a cigar and holding a hatchet. An insignia used since his early flying days during the Spanish Civil War. On a more civilized level, when his squadron (JG26) captured British ace pilot Douglas Bader, a double amputee who lost both his artificial legs in the ordeal, Galland arranged for an RAF aircraft to safely fly over France and airdrop a spare set of wooden legs. The two went on to become lifelong friends.

Some notes about the model

For this project, I used Hasegawa's 1/32 scale model of the Messerschmitt Bf109E that carried markings for Adolf Galland's legendary aircraft. I also used several aftermarket parts which included a resin cockpit, landing gear, machine guns, interior and exterior photo-etch parts. Enjoy the photos. The original article with more photos can be found at www.modelaces.com