David Pentland .com Home Page
Order Helpline (UK) : 01436 820269

You currently have no items in your basket

Join us on Facebook!

Payment Options Display
Buy with confidence and security!
Publishing historical art since 1985

Follow us on Twitter!
FANTASTIC SAVINGS ON ORIGINAL PAINTINGS BY DAVID PENTLAND   -   MAKE US AN OFFER !
Aircraft
Search
Squadron
Search
Signature
Search
Tank
Search
Special
Offers

Product Search         
CLICK HERE FOR A FULL LIST OF ALL DAVID PENTLAND PRINTS BY TITLE
ALWAYS GREAT OFFERS :
20% FURTHER PRICE REDUCTIONS ON HUNDREDS OF LIMITED EDITION ART PRINTS
BUY ONE GET ONE HALF PRICE ON THOUSANDS OF PAINTINGS AND PRINTS
FOR MORE OFFERS SIGN UP TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Major Gerhard Schopfel (deceased) - Art prints and originals signed by Major Gerhard Schopfel (deceased)

Gerhard Schopfel

Gerhard Schopfel
The signature of Major Gerhard Schopfel (deceased)

17 / 5 / 2003Died : 17 / 5 / 2003

Major Gerhard Schopfel (deceased)

Gerhard Schopfel was Staffelkapitan of 9./JG26 at the outbreak of war, and became Kommandeur of III./JG26 in August 1940. In December 1941 he succeeded Adolf Galland as Kommodore of JG26 until Januray 1943. Later, Kommodore of JG4 and JG6. He flew over 700 combat missions, achieving 40 victories, all in the West. He was awarded the Knight's Cross in 1940. Died 17th May 2003.

Items Signed by Major Gerhard Schopfel (deceased)

 A pair of Fw190F fighters during the winter of 1943.  The Fw190F and G had become the Luftwaffes standard fighter-bomber for ground attack.  The Fw190F was very effective in this role. Additional armour protection was given to ground-attack variants......
Fw190F Fighters - Winter 1943 by Ivan Berryman. (B)
Price : £290.00
A pair of Fw190F fighters during the winter of 1943. The Fw190F and G had become the Luftwaffes standard fighter-bomber for ground attack. The Fw190F was very effective in this role. Additional armour protection was given to ground-attack variants......

Quantity:
 Kommodore of JG26, JG4 and JG6, he scored 40 victories, notably all on the Western Front.  Recipient of the Knight's Cross, he died in 2003. ......
Clipped Signature - Gerhard Schopfel.
Price : £40.00
Kommodore of JG26, JG4 and JG6, he scored 40 victories, notably all on the Western Front. Recipient of the Knight's Cross, he died in 2003. ......

Quantity:
Fighter general shows Dolfo Galland leading a schwarm of BF109s out low at tree top height over the Kent countryside after doing battle with spitfires, during the last week of August 1940. This remarkable pilot was awarded the Knights Cross as a Majo......
Fighter General by Graeme Lothian.
Price : £230.00
Fighter general shows Dolfo Galland leading a schwarm of BF109s out low at tree top height over the Kent countryside after doing battle with spitfires, during the last week of August 1940. This remarkable pilot was awarded the Knights Cross as a Majo......

Quantity:
 Fighter general shows Dolfo Galland leading a schwarm of BF109s out low at tree top height over the Kent countryside after doing battle with spitfires, during the last week of August 1940. This remarkable pilot was awarded the Knights Cross as a Maj......
Fighter General by Graeme Lothian. (Y)
SOLD OUT
Fighter general shows Dolfo Galland leading a schwarm of BF109s out low at tree top height over the Kent countryside after doing battle with spitfires, during the last week of August 1940. This remarkable pilot was awarded the Knights Cross as a Maj......NOT
AVAILABLE
 On December 16th 1944, Hitler mounted the largest offensive in the west since 1940.  It was his last desperate offensive of World War II.  With Germanys industrial heartland in ruins, its factories pulverised by Allied air raids, and opposing armies......
Winter Wolves by Nicolas Trudgian.
SOLD OUT
On December 16th 1944, Hitler mounted the largest offensive in the west since 1940. It was his last desperate offensive of World War II. With Germanys industrial heartland in ruins, its factories pulverised by Allied air raids, and opposing armies......NOT
AVAILABLE
 On December 16th 1944, Hitler mounted the largest offensive in the west since 1940.  It was his last desperate offensive of World War II.  With Germanys industrial heartland in ruins, its factories pulverised by Allied air raids, and opposing armies......
Winter Wolves by Nicolas Trudgian. (AP)
SOLD OUT
On December 16th 1944, Hitler mounted the largest offensive in the west since 1940. It was his last desperate offensive of World War II. With Germanys industrial heartland in ruins, its factories pulverised by Allied air raids, and opposing armies......NOT
AVAILABLE
 On December 16th 1944, Hitler mounted the largest offensive in the west since 1940.  It was his last desperate offensive of World War II.  With Germanys industrial heartland in ruins, its factories pulverised by Allied air raids, and opposing armies......
Winter Wolves by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)
SOLD OUT
On December 16th 1944, Hitler mounted the largest offensive in the west since 1940. It was his last desperate offensive of World War II. With Germanys industrial heartland in ruins, its factories pulverised by Allied air raids, and opposing armies......NOT
AVAILABLE
 A pair of Focke Wulf 190A4s of 9./JG2 Richthofen based at Vannes, France during February 1943. The nearest aircraft is that of Staffelkapitan Siegfried Schnell. The badge on the nose is the rooster emblem of III./JG2 and the decoration on Schnells r......
Looking for Business by Ivan Berryman. (B)
Price : £350.00
A pair of Focke Wulf 190A4s of 9./JG2 Richthofen based at Vannes, France during February 1943. The nearest aircraft is that of Staffelkapitan Siegfried Schnell. The badge on the nose is the rooster emblem of III./JG2 and the decoration on Schnells r......

Quantity:
 Adolf Galland and his wingman Bruno Hegenauer break through the fighter escort of No. 303 Squadrons Spitfires to attack Blenheim bombers of No. 21 Squadron over northern France, 21 June 1941. In two missions that day Galland claimed two Blenheims an......
Most Memorable Day by Robert Taylor.
SOLD OUT
Adolf Galland and his wingman Bruno Hegenauer break through the fighter escort of No. 303 Squadrons Spitfires to attack Blenheim bombers of No. 21 Squadron over northern France, 21 June 1941. In two missions that day Galland claimed two Blenheims an......NOT
AVAILABLE
 Adolf Galland and his wingman Bruno Hegenauer break through the fighter escort of No. 303 Squadrons Spitfires to attack Blenheim bombers of No. 21 Squadron over northern France, 21 June 1941. In two missions that day Galland claimed two Blenheims an......
Most Memorable Day by Robert Taylor (AP)
Price : £495.00
Adolf Galland and his wingman Bruno Hegenauer break through the fighter escort of No. 303 Squadrons Spitfires to attack Blenheim bombers of No. 21 Squadron over northern France, 21 June 1941. In two missions that day Galland claimed two Blenheims an......

Quantity:
 The pilots of I Gruppe JG-1 were up early on August 17, 1943.  It5 was high summer, and even as the first streaks of light appeared in the sky to the east, four pilots got airborne out of Deelan, Holland, and headed for the coast.  It was the first ......
Day of the Fighters by Nicolas Trudgian.
SOLD OUT
The pilots of I Gruppe JG-1 were up early on August 17, 1943. It5 was high summer, and even as the first streaks of light appeared in the sky to the east, four pilots got airborne out of Deelan, Holland, and headed for the coast. It was the first ......NOT
AVAILABLE
 The pilots of I Gruppe JG-1 were up early on August 17th 1943.  It was high summer, and even as the first streaks of light appeared in the sky to the east, four pilots got airborne out of Deelan, Holland, and headed for the coast.  It was the first ......
Day of the Fighters by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)
Price : £420.00
The pilots of I Gruppe JG-1 were up early on August 17th 1943. It was high summer, and even as the first streaks of light appeared in the sky to the east, four pilots got airborne out of Deelan, Holland, and headed for the coast. It was the first ......

Quantity:
 P-51 Mustangs of the 357th Fighter Group clash with Me109s in close combat as they struggle for air superiority over the heart of Germany, during the desperate days of 1945.  It had begun - the end game was inexorably in play.  The final defeat of G......
The Eagles Divide by Robert Taylor. (E)
SOLD OUT
P-51 Mustangs of the 357th Fighter Group clash with Me109s in close combat as they struggle for air superiority over the heart of Germany, during the desperate days of 1945. It had begun - the end game was inexorably in play. The final defeat of G......NOT
AVAILABLE
Mesherschmitt ME109s of JG 2 fly close escort as the German capital Ships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen, accompanied by a naval flotilla, round the tip of the Cherbourg Peninsula at dawn, February 12th 1942.......
The Channel Dash by Robert Taylor.
SOLD OUT
Mesherschmitt ME109s of JG 2 fly close escort as the German capital Ships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen, accompanied by a naval flotilla, round the tip of the Cherbourg Peninsula at dawn, February 12th 1942.......NOT
AVAILABLE
 An exceptional painting by the worlds foremost aviation artist remembering the most famous of all Luftwaffe Fighter Wings that fought on the Western Front during the early years of World War Two. Prints are signed by Luftwaffe Aces who contested the......
Eagles on the Channel Front by Robert Taylor.
Price : £210.00
An exceptional painting by the worlds foremost aviation artist remembering the most famous of all Luftwaffe Fighter Wings that fought on the Western Front during the early years of World War Two. Prints are signed by Luftwaffe Aces who contested the......

Quantity:
 An exceptional painting by the worlds foremost aviation artist remembering the most famous of all Luftwaffe Fighter Wings that fought on the Western Front during the early years of World War Two. Prints are signed by Luftwaffe Aces who contested the......
Eagles on the Channel Front by Robert Taylor (B)
SOLD OUT
An exceptional painting by the worlds foremost aviation artist remembering the most famous of all Luftwaffe Fighter Wings that fought on the Western Front during the early years of World War Two. Prints are signed by Luftwaffe Aces who contested the......NOT
AVAILABLE

Packs with at least one item featuring the signature of Major Gerhard Schopfel (deceased)


Four German Fw190 aviation prints by Nicolas Trudgian.
Pack Price : £900.00
Saving : £550
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Ice Warriors by Nicolas Trudgian.
Storm Chasers by Nicolas Trudgian.
Green Heart Warriors by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)
Day of the Fighters by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)

Quantity:

Four Fw190 aircraft prints by Ivan Berryman and Nicolas Trudgian.
Pack Price : £880.00
Saving : £570
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Operation Bodenplatte by Nicolas Trudgian.
Looking for Business by Ivan Berryman. (C)
Green Heart Warriors by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)
Day of the Fighters by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)

Quantity:



Eight Fw190 aircraft prints by Nicolas Trudgian and Ivan Berryman.
Pack Price : £1450.00
Saving : £770
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Timber Wolf by Nicolas Trudgian.
Mountain Wolf by Nicolas Trudgian
Ice Warriors by Nicolas Trudgian.
Storm Chasers by Nicolas Trudgian.
Operation Bodenplatte by Nicolas Trudgian.
Looking for Business by Ivan Berryman. (C)
Green Heart Warriors by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)
Day of the Fighters by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)

Quantity:


Battle of Britain Signature Print Pack.
Pack Price : £360.00
Saving : £594
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

At the Setting of the Sun by Simon Atack.
Close Encounter by Ivan Berryman. (H)
In Them We Trust by Ivan Berryman. (F)
Fighter General by Graeme Lothian.
Hurricane Mk.IIC by Ivan Berryman. (F)
Where Thoroughbreds Play by Ivan Berryman.

Quantity:

Battle of Britain Me109 Print Pack.
Pack Price : £400.00
Saving : £345
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Stormclouds Gather by Nicolas Trudgian
Fighter General by Graeme Lothian.
Adolf Galland / Messerschmitt Bf109 E-4 by Ivan Berryman (B)
JG52 - Summer 1940 by Ivan Berryman.

Quantity:

JG1 Focke Wulf Fw190 Trade Discount Print Pack.
Pack Price : £650.00
Saving : £390
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Ardennes Offensive by Nicolas Trudgian.
Day of the Fighters by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)
Storm Chasers by Nicolas Trudgian.
Cat Among the Pigeons (FW190) by Ivan Berryman. (D)

Quantity:

Pack 799. Pack of two special edition Focke Wulf Fw190 prints by Nicolas Trudgian.
Pack Price : £680.00
Saving : £400
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Green Heart Warriors by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)
Day of the Fighters by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)
Focke-Wulf Fw190A-5/U8 by Ivan Berryman.

Quantity:

Nicolas Trudgian Fw190 Prints with THREE FREE PRINTS.
Pack Price : £500.00
Saving : £150
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Day of the Fighters by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)
Focke-Wulf Fw190A-5/U8 by Ivan Berryman.
Looking for Business by Ivan Berryman.
Ramraiders by Robert Tomlin.

Quantity:

JG1 Aviation Prints by Nicolas Trudgian.
Pack Price : £480.00
Saving : £260
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Day of the Fighters by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)
Storm Chasers by Nicolas Trudgian.
Focke-Wulf Fw190A-5/U8 by Ivan Berryman.

Quantity:
Pack 515. Pack of two German Me109 aviation prints by Robert Taylor and Graeme Lothian.
Pack Price : £290.00
Saving : £280
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Eagles on the Channel Front by Robert Taylor.
Fighter General by Graeme Lothian.

Quantity:
Pack 600. Pack of two German Luftwaffe Me109 prints by Robert Taylor and Graeme Lothian.
Pack : SOLD OUT
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

In Them We Trust by Ivan Berryman. (GS)
Close Encounter by Ivan Berryman (P)
NOT
AVAILABLE
Me109 Battle of Britain Prints by Robert Taylor and Nicolas Trudgian.
Pack Price : £295.00
Saving : £185
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Stormclouds Gather by Nicolas Trudgian
Eagles on the Channel Front by Robert Taylor.

Quantity:
Adolf Galland Battle of Britain Aviation Art.
Pack Price : £240.00
Saving : £220
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Adolf Galland / Messerschmitt Bf109 E-4 by Ivan Berryman (B)
Fighter General by Graeme Lothian.

Quantity:
Pilot Signature Luftwaffe Bf109 Prints by Robert Taylor and Graeme Lothian.
Pack Price : £300.00
Saving : £240
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Air Armada by Robert Taylor.
Fighter General by Graeme Lothian.

Quantity:
Luftwaffe Me109 Signature Prints by Robert Taylor and Graeme Lothian.
Pack Price : £260.00
Saving : £200
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Eagle Strike by Simon Atack.
Fighter General by Graeme Lothian.

Quantity:
WW2 Luftwaffe Me109 Signature Prints by Robert Taylor and Graeme Lothian.
Pack Price : £220.00
Saving : £200
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Homeward Bound by Anthony Saunders.
Fighter General by Graeme Lothian.

Quantity:
Luftwaffe Aces Signature Aviation Prints by Graeme Lothian.
Pack Price : £325.00
Saving : £185
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Fighter General by Graeme Lothian.
Eagles Over the Steppe by Graeme Lothian.

Quantity:
Messerschmitt Bf109 Aviation Art by Robert Taylor and Ivan Berryman.
Pack Price : £240.00
Saving : £140
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Bf109E of III./JG2 - Summer 1940 by Ivan Berryman.
Eagles on the Channel Front by Robert Taylor.

Quantity:
JG26 and JG54 Me109 Aviation Art by Robert Taylor and Ivan Berryman.
Pack Price : £260.00
Saving : £210
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Eagles on the Channel Front by Robert Taylor.
Ltn. Hans-Ekkehard Bob of JG21 Becomes an Ace by Ivan Berryman.

Quantity:
Blenheim and Me109 Combat Aviation Prints by Robert Taylor and Ivan Berryman.
Pack : SOLD OUT
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Ltn. Hans-Ekkehard Bob of JG21 Becomes an Ace by Ivan Berryman.
Dangerous Duty by Stan Stokes.
NOT
AVAILABLE
Heinz Lange German WW2 Ace Aviation Art by Nicolas Trudgian and Graeme Lothian.
Pack Price : £260.00
Saving : £180
Aviation Print Pack. ......

Titles in this pack :

Mountain Wolf by Nicolas Trudgian. (B)
Fighter General by Graeme Lothian.

Quantity:
Major Gerhard Schopfel (deceased)


Major Gerhard Schopfel
Squadron details



JG26
Country : Germany


JG26

Jagdgeschwader 26 Schlageter was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. It operated mainly in Western Europe against Great Britain, France and the United States but also saw service against Russia. It was named after Albert Leo Schlageter, a World War I veteran and Freikorps member arrested and executed by the French for sabotage in 1923.

Commanders of II. Gruppe JG 26

Hptm. Werner Palm, 1 May 1939 – 27 June 1939
Hptm Herwig Knüppel, 28 June 1939 – 19 May 1940
Hptm Karl Ebbighausen, 20 May 1940 – 31 May 1940
Hptm. Erich Noack, 1 June 1940 – 24 July 1940
Hptm Karl Ebbighausen, 25 July 1940 – 16 August 1940
Hptm Erich Bode, 17 August 1940 – 3.10.40
Hptm Walter Adolph, 4 October 1940 – 18 September 1941
Hptm Joachim Müncheberg, 19 September 1941 – 21 July 1942
Hptm Conny Meyer, 22 July 1942 – 2 January 1943
Maj Wilhelm-Ferdinand Galland, 3 January 43 – 17 August 1943
Hptm Hans Naumann, 18 August 1943 – 8 September 1943
ObLt Johannes Seifert, 9 September 1943 – 25 November 1943
Maj Wilhelm Gäth, 26 November 1943 – 1 March 1944
Hptm Hans Naumann, 2 March 1944 – 28 June 1944
Hptm Emil Lang, 29 June 1944 – 3 September 1944
Hptm Georg-Peter Eder, 4 September 1944 – 8 October 1944
Maj Anton Hackl, 9 October 1944 – 29 January 45
ObLt Waldemar Radener, 30 January 1945 – 22 February 1945
Hptm Paul Schauder, 23 February 1945 – 1 May 1945



JG4
Country : Germany
withdrawn after heavy losses back to the Reich in September 1944. and was disbanded on March 19, 1945.


JG4

agdgeschwader 4 (JG 4) was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. JG 4 was formed as a full Geschwader on 15 June 1944 in Ansbach from Stab/Jagdgeschwader z.b.V. and its first Geschwaderkommodore was Major Gerhard Schöpfel. I./JG 4 was formed earlier on 7 August 1942 in Mizil, Romania from the Ölschutzstaffel/Jagdgeschwader 77, with 2./JG 4 formed 1 December 1942. Stab I, 3. and 4./JG 4 were formed on 10 January 1943 at Mizil, and the I Gruppe was now complete. II. Gruppe was formed in July 1944 at Salzwedel from I./Zerstörergeschwader 1 (ZG 1) and partially from Sturmstaffel 1. III. Gruppe was formed in July 1944 at Rotenburg from III./ZG 1. IV./JG 4 was formed on 20 October 1944 at Finsterwalde from II./Jagdgeschwader 5. I./JG 4 was assigned in early 1943 as defensive protection of the Mizil and Ploiești oil complexes in Romania. I./JG 4 first saw action in combat against the force of B-24 Liberators dispatched on the low-level attack against Ploiești on 1 August 1943, code-named Operation "Tidal Wave", claiming 12 Consolidated B-24 bombers downed. The unit saw further action over the Balkans against the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) 15th Air Force heavy bombers flying from bases in North Africa and Italy. The unit was later deployed to the defence of Rome and northern Italy. I./JG 4 first saw action in combat against a strike force of B-24 Liberators dispatched on the celebrated low level attack against Ploiești on 1 August 1943 as Operation "Tidal Wave". Stab and I./JG 4 claimed twelve B-24 bombers shot down. JG 4 was then deployed in the German defensive campaign in Italy during the first half of 1944, prior to being shifted to the France for the Normandy invasion. Over the Lake Bracciano area on 7 May 1944, I./JG 4 encountered Spitfires of No. 72 Squadron RAF, who claimed nine Bf 109's shot down; I Gruppe lost 4 killed and 2 wounded in the action.[1] During their Italian campaign, I./JG 4 lost 40 men killed or missing, 26 wounded, and 7 taken prisoner.[2] JG 4 were then withdrawn after heavy losses back to the Reich in September 1944. and was disbanded on March 19, 1945.


Major Gerhard Schopfel
Aircraft details




Fw190
Manufacturer : Fokke-Wulf


Fw190
The Focke-Wulf 190 development project began in 1937. Conceived as a hedge against total dependence on the Messerchmitt 109, the 190 was designed by Kurt Tank utilizing a radial engine. This was against generally accepted design criteria in Germany, and many historians believe that the decision to produce a radial engine fighter was largely due to the limited manufacturing capacity for in-line, water-cooled engines which were widely used on all other Luftwaffe aircraft. Despite these concerns, Tanks design was brilliant, and the 190 would become one of the top fighter aircraft of WWII. The first prototype flew in mid-1939. The aircraft had excellent flying characteristics, a wonderful rate of acceleration, and was heavily armed. By late 1940 the new fighter was ordered into production. Nicknamed the butcher bird, by Luftwaffe pilots, early 190s were quite successful in the bomber interceptor role, but at this stage of the war many Allied bombing raids lacked fighter escort. As the war dragged on, Allied bombers were increasingly accompanied by fighters, including the very effective P-51 Mustang. The Allies learned from experience that the 190s performance fell off sharply at altitudes above 20,000 feet. As a result, most Allied bombing missions were shifted to higher altitudes when fighter opposition was likely. Kurt Tank had recognized this shortcoming and began working on a high-altitude version of the 190 utilizing an in-line, water-cooled engine. Utilizing a Jumo 12-cylinder engine rated at 1770-HP, and capable of 2,240-HP for short bursts with its methanol injection system, the 190D, or Long Nose or Dora as it was called, had a top speed of 426-MPH at 22,000 feet. Armament was improved with two fuselage and two wing mounted 20mm cannon. To accommodate the changes in power plants the Dora had a longer, more streamlined fuselage, with 24 inches added to the nose, and an additional 19 inches added aft of the cockpit to compensate for the altered center of gravity. By mid 1944 the Dora began to reach fighter squadrons in quantity. Although the aircraft had all the right attributes to serve admirably in the high altitude interceptor role, it was not generally focused on such missions. Instead many 190Ds were assigned to protect airfields where Me-262 jet fighters were based. This was due to the latter aircrafts extreme vulnerability to Allied attack during takeoff and landing. The 190Ds also played a major role in Operation Bodenplatte, the New Years Day raid in 1945 which destroyed approximately 500 Allied aircraft on the ground. The High Command was impressed with the 190Ds record on this raid, and ordered most future production of the Doras to be equipped as fighter-bombers. In retrospect this was a strategic error, and this capable aircraft was not fully utilized in the role for which it was intended.



Me109
Manufacturer : Messerschmitt
Built : 33984


Me109
Willy Messerschmitt designed the BF109 during the early 1930s. The Bf109 was one of the first all metal monocoque construction fighters with a closed canopy and retractable undercarriage. The engine of the Me109 was a V12 aero engine which was liquid-cooled. The Bf109 first saw operational service during the Spanish Civil War and flew to the end of World War II, during which time it was the backbone of the Luftwaffe fighter squadrons. During the Battle of Britian the Bf109 was used in the role of an escort fighter, a role for which it was not designed for, and it was also used as a fighter bomber. During the last days of May 1940 Robert Stanford-Tuck, the RAF ace, got the chance to fly an Me109 which they had rebuilt after it had crash landed. Stanford-Tuck found out that the Me109 was a wonderful little plane, it was slightly faster than the Spitfire, but lacked the Spitfire manoeuvrability. By testing the Me109, Tuck could put himself inside the Me109 when fighting them, knowing its weak and strong points. With the introduction of the improved Bf109F in the spring of 1941, the type again proved to be an effective fighter during the invasion of Yugoslavia and during the Battle of Crete and the invasion of Russia and it was used during the Siege of the Mediteranean island of Malta. The Bf109 was the main fighter for the Luftwaffe until 1942 when the Fw190 entered service and shared this position, and was partially replaced in Western Europe, but the Me109 continued to serve on the Eastern Front and during the defence of the Reich against the allied bombers. It was also used to good effect in the Mediterranean and North Africa in support of The Africa Korps. The Me109 was also supplied to several German allies, including Finland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovakia. The Bf109 scored more kills than any other fighter of any country during the war and was built in greater numbers with a total of over 31,000 aircraft being built. The Bf109 was flown by the three top German aces of the war war. Erich Hartmann with 352 victories, Gerhard Barkhorn with 301 victories and Gunther Rall with 275 kills. Bf109 pilots were credited with the destruction of 100 or more enemy aircraft. Thirteen Luftwaffe Aces scored more than 200 kills. Altogether this group of pilots were credited with a total of nearly 15,000 kills, of which the Messerschmitt Bf109 was credited with over 10,000 of these victories. The Bf109 was the most produced warplane during World War II, with 30,573 examples built during the war, and the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 units produced up to April 1945. Bf109s remained in foreign service for many years after World War II. The Swiss used their Bf109Gs well into the 1950s. The Finnish Air Force did not retire their Bf109Gs until March 1954. Romania used its Bf109s until 1955. The Spanish Hispanos flew even longer. Some were still in service in the late 1960s.

Contact Details
Shipping Info
Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy
Privacy Policy

Join us on Facebook!

Sign Up To Our Newsletter!

Stay up to date with all our latest offers, deals and events as well as new releases and exclusive subscriber content!

This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts.  Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE

Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269.  Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com

Follow us on Twitter!

Return to Home Page