AIRCRAFT OF THE ACES No 2 Bf109 ACES OF NORTH AFRICA AND THE MEDITERRANEAN

Totally outnumbered throughout their short two-year sojourn in the Western Desert, the crack fighter pilots of the handful of Jagdgeschwader in-theatre fought an effective campaign in support of Rommel’s Afrikakorps against the British and American forces. Relying almost exclusively on the Luftwaffe’s staple fighter of Second World War, the Messerschmitt Bf109, the battle-hardened aces used the aircraft’s superior performance to achieve incredible scores against the Allies. Similarly, once pushed out of North Africa, these units continued to take the fight to the RAF and USAAF from makeshift bases in northern Italy.

Contents

Desert Jagdflieger * 'Star of Afrika' * End of an Era * New Adversaries * Italian Debacle * Jagdgeschwader 27 'Afrika' * Appendices