Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 2 : Bf 109 Aces of North Africa and the Mediterranean

While the Bf 109E was becoming outmoded in other theatres, it was more than adequate for North African operations, a fact that became abundantly clear after the first clashes with enemy aircraft. Any inherent drawbacks with the 'Emi' were easily compensated for by pilots who already had hundreds of hours on the type, and had a great affection for it. They faced RAF units generally flying aircraft that had seen much service, ex-Battle of Britain Hurricanes being the premier Allied fighter throughout the region. Britain had been forced to give the Middle East a low priority until the threatened German cross-channel assault of 1940 had been contained. 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 Afrika Korps against the British and American forces. Relying almost exclusively on the Luftwaffe's staple fighter of World War 2, the Messerschmitt Bf 109, 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. Text by Jerry Scutts with illustrations by Chris Davey.

Contents

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