Hobby Master Croatian Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 "Gustav" Fighter - Mato Dukovic, Jagdgeschwader 52, Crimea, April 1944 (1:48 Scale)

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Croatian Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 "Gustav" Fighter - Mato Dukovic, Jagdgeschwader 52, Crimea, April 1944 (1:48 Scale)

Hobby Master Croatian Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 "Gustav" Fighter - Mato Dukovic, Jagdgeschwader 52, Crimea, April 1944

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Product Code: HA8760

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Hobby Master HA8760 Croatian Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 "Gustav" Fighter - Mato Dukovic, Jagdgeschwader 52, Crimea, April 1944 (1:48 Scale) "For the last two and one-half years the bitter and costly struggle against Bolshevism has made the utmost demands upon the bulk of our military resources and energies. This commitment was in keeping with the seriousness of the danger, and the over-all situation. The situation has since changed. The threat from the East remains, but an even greater danger looms in the West: the Anglo-American landing! In the East, the vastness of the space will, as a last resort, permit a loss of territory even on a major scale, without suffering a mortal blow to Germany's chance for survival. Not so in the West! If the enemy here succeeds in penetrating our defenses on a wide front, consequences of staggering proportions will follow within a short time. All signs point to an offensive against the Western Front of Europe no later than spring, and perhaps earlier. For that reason, I can no longer justify the further weakening of the West in favor of other theaters of war. I have therefore decided to strengthen the defenses in the West, particularly at places from which we shall launch our long-range war against England. For those are the very points at which the enemy must and will attack; there--unless all indications are misleading--will be fought the decisive invasion battle."
- Fuhrer Directive No. 51, announcing preparations for a two-front war, November 3rd, 1943

Numerically the most abundant fighter produced by either side during WWII, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 formed the backbone of the Jagdwaffe on both the eastern and western fronts, as well as in the Mediterranean and North Africa. Of the eight distinct sub-types within the huge Bf 109 family, the most populous was the G-model, of which over 30,000 were built between 1941-45. Despite its production run, only a handful of genuine German Bf 109s have survived into the 1990s, and with the serious damaging of the RAFs G-2 at Duxford in October 1997, only the German-based MBB G-6 and Hans Ditte's G-10 (both composites) are currently airworthy.

The G series, or Gustav, was introduced in mid-1942. Its initial variants (G-1 through G-4) differed only in minor details from the Bf 109F, most notably in the more powerful 1,475 PS (1,455 HP) DB 605 engine. Odd-numbered variants were built as high-altitude fighters with a pressurized cockpit and GM-1 boost, while even-numbered variants were un-pressurized, air superiority fighters and fighter-bombers. Long-range photo-reconnaissance variants also existed. The later G series (G-5 through G-14) was produced in a multitude of variants, with uprated armament and provision for kits of packaged, generally factory-installed parts known as Umrust-Bausatze (usually contracted to Umbau) and adding a "/U" suffix to the aircraft designation when installed. Field kits known as Rustsatze were also available for the G-series but those did not change the aircraft title. By early 1944, tactical requirements resulted in the addition of MW-50 water injection boost and high-performance superchargers, boosting engine output to 1,800-2,000 PS (1,775-1,973 HP). From early 1944, some G-2s, G-3s, G-4s and G-6s were converted to two-seat trainers, known as G-12s. An instructor's cockpit was added behind the original cockpit and both were covered by an elongated, glazed canopy.

Pictured here is a 1:48 scale replica of a German Messerschmitt Bf-109G-6 "Gustav" fighter that was piloted by Mato Dukovic who was attached to Jagdgeschwader 52, during April 1944. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 8-inches
Length: 7-1/2-inches

Release Date: April 2023

Historical Account: "in the Service of the Third Reich" - The Croatian Air Force Legion (Croatian: Hrvatska Zrakoplovna Legija), 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.

The legion fought on the Eastern Front between 1941-1943 during the Second World War. The unit was sent to Germany for training on July 15th, 1941, the fighter group to Furth near Nuremberg and the bomber group to Greifswald, before heading to the Eastern Front. Some of them also had experience in the two main types that they would operate, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Dornier Do 17, with two fighter pilots having actually shot down Luftwaffe aircraft.

The Legion's first commander was Obertsleutnant Ivan Mrak. During operations over the Eastern Front, the unit's fighters scored a total of 283 kills while its bombers participated in 1,332 combat missions. It was disbanded on July 21st, 1944, and transformed into the Croatian Air Force Training Group. It was then absorbed by the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia and its surviving members fought back on Croatian soil. The legion had approximately 360 officers, NCOs and men.