Messerschmitt Bf 109 in Yugoslav service

Last updated

Messerschmitt Bf 109 in Yugoslav service
Yu Me-109G-2.jpg
A Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2 at the Museum of Aviation in Belgrade
General information
Type Fighter
Manufacturer Messerschmitt
Primary user
  • 2nd Fighter Regiment
  • 6th Fighter Regiment
History
In service1939–1941

The Royal Yugoslav Air Force (VVKJ) operated the German Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3 fighter aircraft from August 1939 to April 1941. During that period, the VVKJ obtained 73 Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3s from Germany, marking the second-largest export sale of the model. When the country was drawn into World War II by the German-led Axis invasion of April 1941, a total of 46 Yugoslav Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3s were serviceable. They achieved some successes against Luftwaffe aircraft, but all Yugoslav Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3s were destroyed or captured during the 11-day invasion.

Contents

During World War II, the Yugoslav Partisans captured ten Messerschmitt Bf 109s. These small numbers were boosted by a 1947 agreement with Bulgaria, under which Yugoslavia eventually received about 120 G and K models to help equip the fledgling Yugoslav Air Force. Due to lack of spare parts, all Yugoslav Bf 109s were withdrawn from service in 1954.

Acquisition

In 1938, the VVKJ began modernising its fleet of aircraft. Following protracted negotiations, it ordered 50 Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3 fighter aircraft from Nazi Germany. This was followed by a further order of 50 aircraft. [1] Between August 1939 and late 1940, [2] a total of 73 aircraft were delivered under these contracts. This was the second-largest foreign purchase of the E variant of the fighter, after Switzerland. [1]

Operational service

Royal Yugoslav Air Force

Once in service, the Bf 109E-3s were used to equip the 31st Fighter Group of the 2nd Fighter Regiment based at Knić, and the 32nd and 51st Fighter Groups of the 6th Fighter Regiment based at Prnjavor and Zemun, both on the outskirts of Belgrade. The Bf 109E-3 was also operated by the 702nd Liaison Squadron of the 1st Fighter Brigade based at Zemun, and the Independent Fighter Squadron of the 81st Bomber Group and the Air Training School, both based at Mostar. All of these aircraft were deployed in the fighter/interceptor role. [3] [4] Immediately prior to the German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941, 64–65 of the original 73 Bf 109E-3s were serviceable. They were allocated as follows: [3] [4] [5]

Allocation of Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3 aircraft, 6 April 1941
FormationUnitLocationAircraftNotes
1st Fighter Brigade
702nd Liaison Squadron
2
2nd Fighter Regiment
31st Fighter Group
19
101st and 141st Squadrons
6th Fighter Regiment
32nd Fighter Group
27–28
103rd, 104th and 142nd Squadrons
51st Fighter Group
Zemun
10
102nd Squadron
81st Bomber Group
3
Independent Fighter Squadron
Air Training School
Mostar
3

Commencing at 06:45 on 6 April, the Luftwaffe launched Operation Retribution, a series of concerted bombing attacks on Belgrade that coincided with air and ground attacks throughout the country. Several waves of German aircraft approached Belgrade during the day, initially Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive-bombers escorted by fighters. All of the Bf 109E-3s of the 51st Fighter Group scrambled to meet the first onslaught, and they were soon joined by the Messerschmitts of 32nd Fighter Group. Seven claims were made by the pilots of the 102nd Squadron of the 51st Fighter Group, losing five aircraft in return. The 32nd Fighter Group Messerschmitts claimed another four bombers for the loss of two of their own, although several more Yugoslav fighters were hit and damaged. [6] During the initial melee, Yugoslav anti-aircraft guns had fired at the Yugoslav Messerschmitts as well as the German ones, unable to distinguish between them. [7]

Yugoslav Air Force

In October 1944, advancing Partisan forces captured eight Bf 109Gs at Kovin, which were supplemented by more Bf 109s in May 1945. Some of these aircraft were made airworthy and pressed into service, flying sorties against Chetnik forces in Bosnia in early May 1945 and against Croat forces in Posavina late that month. [8] They saw little use after the end of the fighting, and were scrapped in 1947. [9] In 1947, Bulgaria realised that it had a surplus of aircraft above what would be allowed by the Paris Peace Treaties, and rather than scrap them, it was decided that they would be transferred to Yugoslavia, reinforcing the newly established Jugoslovensko Ratno Vazduhoplovstvo (JRV) or Yugoslav Air Force. An initial delivery of 48 dismantled Bf 109s was made in March 1947, and in July that year agreement was made to transfer another 43 Bf 109s, with 12 aircraft being converted to two-seaters. [lower-alpha 1] In 1949, political disagreements between Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union (known as the Tito–Stalin split) caused deliveries from Bulgaria to be stopped after 53 single-seaters (known as Me 109s rather than Bf 109s in JRV service) and six two seaters (designated UMe 109s) had been received. [10] Three more single-seaters were converted to UMe 109 trainers in 1951. [11]

The Me 109s equipped the 83rd IAP (Iovacki Avio Puk - fighter regiment) and the 172nd IAP. [12] Both units suffered high accident rates, [13] and by the end of 1951, operational strength had dropped to 26 single-seaters and 7 two seaters. [14] In 1952, Yugoslavia received large numbers of Republic F-47D Thunderbolts from the United States, together with extensive stocks of spares, and this allowed the Messerschmitts to be replaced that year, with the aircraft going into storage. They were scrapped in 1955. [14]

Surviving examples

Two ex-JRV Bf 109Gs survived the retirement and scrapping of Yugoslavia's Bf 109s:

Notes

  1. These two seaters had several differences from the Messerschmitt designed G-12 conversion. [9]

Footnotes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Messerschmitt Bf 109</span> German WWII fighter aircraft family

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. It was still in service at the end of World War II in 1945. It was one of the most advanced fighters when it first appeared, with an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. A liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine powered it. It was called the Me 109 by Allied aircrew and some German aces, even though this was not the official German designation.

13. Staffel (slowakisches) Jagdgeschwader 52 was a front-line unit of the Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe made up of Slovak personnel during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ikarus IK-2</span> 1937 fighter aircraft by Ikarus

The Ikarus IK-2 was a 1930s high-wing, single-seat, monoplane fighter aircraft of Yugoslav design built for the Royal Yugoslav Army Air Force. The IK-2 was designed by French-trained engineers Kosta Sivčev and Ljubomir Ilić, who saw the desirability of developing a home-grown aircraft industry. A gull-wing design, it was armed with a hub-firing autocannon and fuselage-mounted synchronised machine guns. Just 12 production models were built, as the aircraft was obsolescent at the time it was brought into service in 1935, and only eight were serviceable at the time of the German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941. After the defeat of Yugoslavia, the remaining four aircraft were taken onto the strength of the air force of the Axis puppet state, the Independent State of Croatia, but none survived the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rogožarski IK-3</span> 1930s Yugoslav low-wing, monoplane, single-seat fighter

The Rogožarski IK-3 was a 1930s Yugoslav monoplane single-seat fighter, designed by Ljubomir Ilić, Kosta Sivčev and Slobodan Zrnić as a successor to the Ikarus IK-2 fighter. Its armament consisted of a hub-firing 20 mm (0.79 in) autocannon and two fuselage-mounted synchronised machine guns. It was considered comparable to foreign aircraft such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109E and came into service in 1940. The prototype crashed during testing; twelve production aircraft had been delivered by July 1940.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Retribution (1941)</span> German bombing of Belgrade, Yugoslavia during World War 2

Operation Retribution, also known as Operation Punishment, was the April 1941 German bombing of Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia, in retaliation for the coup d'état that overthrew the government that had signed the Tripartite Pact. The bombing occurred in the first days of the German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia during World War II. The Royal Yugoslav Army Air Force (VVKJ) had only 77 modern fighter aircraft available to defend Belgrade against the hundreds of German fighters and bombers that struck in the first wave early on 6 April. Three days prior, VVKJ Major Vladimir Kren had defected to the Germans, disclosing the locations of multiple military assets and divulging the VVKJ's codes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Pattle</span> South African born World War II Flying ace for the RAF

Marmaduke Thomas St John Pattle,, usually known as Pat Pattle, was a South African-born English Second World War fighter pilot and flying ace of the Royal Air Force (RAF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Invasion of Yugoslavia</span> 1941 Axis campaign during World War II

The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was put forward in "Führer Directive No. 25", which Adolf Hitler issued on 27 March 1941, following a Yugoslav coup d'état that overthrew the pro-Axis government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Yugoslav Air Force</span> Military unit (1918–1941)

The Royal Yugoslav Air Force, was the aerial warfare service component of the Royal Yugoslav Army. It was formed in 1918 and existed until 1941 and the Invasion of Yugoslavia during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia</span> WW2 military service branch

The Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia, was the air force of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a puppet state established with the support of the Axis Powers on the territory of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia during World War II. The ZNDH was founded under German authority in April 1941, following the German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mato Dukovac</span> Croatian World War II flying ace

Mato Dukovac was the leading Croatian fighter ace of World War II, credited with between 40 and 44 confirmed victories. He joined the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia following the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941, and then the Luftwaffe, with which he flew combat missions on the Eastern Front. His tours of the Eastern Front spanned October and November 1942, February to June 1943, and October 1943 to March 1944. He defected to the Soviet Union on 20 September 1944 and was returned to Yugoslavia in November 1944. He worked as a flight instructor for the Yugoslav Air Force in Pančevo and Zadar before defecting to Italy in April 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croatian Air Force Legion</span> Military unit

The Croatian Air Force Legion, or HZL, was a unit of the Luftwaffe, composed entirely of volunteers drawn from the nazi puppet-state, the Independent State of Croatia. Many of them had previously served in the Royal Yugoslav Air Force in April 1941 during the Nazi Invasion of Yugoslavia.

Zerstörergeschwader 76 was a Zerstörergeschwader (wing) of the German Luftwaffe during World War II. The wing operated the Messerschmitt Bf 109 in the early phases of World War II, then the Messerschmitt Bf 110 for the duration of the war.

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid-1930s. It was one of the first true modern fighters of the era, including such features as all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, a retractable landing gear, and was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine.

Le Mans Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield, which is located near the City of Le Mans in the Pays de la Loire region of northern France.

Air warfare during World War II in Yugoslavia pitted the Yugoslav Air Force, both Royal and NOVJ, United States Army Air Force (USAAF), the Royal Air Force (RAF), including the Balkan Air Force, and Soviet Air Forces against the German Luftwaffe, the Italian Regia Aeronautica and the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia. The latter provided the majority of the support for the ground operations against the Partisans. The Allied forces engaged in an extensive bombing campaign in an effort to weaken the Axis hold on the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Messerschmitt Bf 109 variants</span> Type of aircraft

Due to the Messerschmitt Bf 109's versatility and time in service with the German and foreign air forces, numerous variants were produced in Germany to serve for over eight years with the Luftwaffe. Additional variants were produced abroad totalling in 34,852 Bf 109s built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophus Baagoe</span> German World War II fighter pilot

Sophus Baagoe was a German fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe and fought during World War II. Baagoe was credited with fourteen aerial victories, making him a fighter ace. A fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Invasion of Yugoslavia order of battle: Yugoslav</span>

The Yugoslav order of battle before the invasion of Yugoslavia includes a listing of all operational formations of the Royal Yugoslav Army, Royal Yugoslav Army Air Force and Royal Yugoslav Navy immediately prior to the World War II invasion of that country in April 1941.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawker Hurricane in Yugoslav service</span> Royal Yugoslav Air Force plane (1938–1941)

In late 1937, the Royal Yugoslav Air Force placed an order with Hawker Aircraft for twelve Hawker Hurricane Mk I fighters, the first foreign purchase of the aircraft. The VVKJ operated the British Hawker Hurricane Mk I from 1938 to 1941. Between 1938 and 1940, the VVKJ obtained 24 Hurricane Mk Is from early production batches, marking the first foreign sale of the aircraft. Twenty additional aircraft were built by Zmaj under licence in Yugoslavia. When the country was drawn into World War II by the German-led Axis invasion of April 1941, a total of 41 Hurricane Mk I's were in service as fighters. They achieved some successes against Luftwaffe aircraft, but all Yugoslav Hurricanes were destroyed or captured during the 11-day invasion.

References

Books

Websites

Further reading