Fly Past

Spotlight

38 FLYPAST September 2018

Artwork

Messerschmitt

Bf 109E-4 5274

‘White 15’ fl own by

Ofw Werner Machold

of 1./JG 2 in the

summer of 1940.

ANDY HAY-2018

over Britain

Andy Hay artwork of a Bf 109E  own by a Luftwaffe ace in the Battle of Britain

Spotlight

over Britain

Eagle

T

he Messerschmitt Bf

109E was the Luftwaffe’s

primary fighter during the

Battle of Britain, which

officially began on July 10, 1940.

The type’s main role was to escort

German bomber formations, a

task it had not been designed for.

The Messerschmitt’s relatively low

endurance meant pilots could not

penetrate far into enemy territory

before having to return to base.

In combat the Bf 109s could hold

their own against most opposition,

especially when flown by seasoned

Luftwaffe pilots. Although the

Spitfire was generally acknowledged

as being quicker to turn, neither it

nor the Hawker Hurricane could

match the German machine in

the dive.

Our subject, Bf 109E-4 Wk Nr

5274 White 15, was flown that

summer by Oberfeldwebel (Ofw

• equivalent to an RAF Sergeant)
  Werner Machold of 1./JG 2. Already
  regarded as an ‘experten’ (ace),
  Machold had shot down at least
  10 aircraft over France, and added
  another 16 to his tally during the

Battle of Britain. He was awarded

the Ritterkreuz (Knight’s Cross) for

21 victories on September 5, and

was promoted to Oberleutnant

(Flying Officer).

Most Luftwaffe units were diverted

to the Eastern Front in 1941, but

JG 2 was one of those that remained

in northwestern Europe. Machold

continued to fly operations over

Britain, but became a PoW after a

forced landing near Swanage, Dorset,

in Bf 109E-7 5983 on June 9. His

final ‘score’ was 32 victories in more

than 250 missions.

Messerschmitt

Bf 109