Bf109E-4 W.Nr. 1190

One of the most historic 109 airframes extant, the service history of 1190 is well documented. Originally flown by Hptm. Karl Ebbighausen, Stkpt. of 4./JG26, the aircraft was shot down over Eastbourne on 30 September 1940 while being piloted by Uffz. Horst Perez. Perez, who was wounded in the incident, belly-landed his Me and was taken prisoner.

The 109 then went on a world tour of sorts as a fund-raiser centerpiece, spending a considerable amount of time in Canada and it has finally come back to England to be "restored" and placed on display at Duxford in an "as-crashed"configuration.

I say "restored" because the team which redid the aircraft chose a 74/75/76 scheme which is wholly and entirely incorrect for this aircraft...the standard scheme for day fighters at this point in the war was 71/02/65, and David Wadman (co-author of the Jagdwaffe series of books on the Battle of Britain) has confirmed that this aircraft was no exception, based on airframe relics from 1190 still in Canada. Why the aircraft was repainted in this fashion is a complete mystery, and one can only hope that at some point the restoration team will seek to correct this oversight.

Paintwork aside, the mechanical restoration efforts are of a consistent high quality, as befits Duxford's reputation.

The following three photos have been submitted by the ubiquitous Dave MacDonald...
These two pics have been sent in by Axis aircraft guru Mikael Olrog...
The set of photos at right were taken by Peter Evans of the Luftwaffe Experten Message Board during the restoration of 1190. Particularly helpful are the gear well and firewall shots. At this stage, it was still looking as though she would be properly displayed on her gear...
And this is the latest addition, courtesy of David "Falcon"Weiss. Take a good look at the forward canopy shape in the first photo... the upper frame extends upwards at too sharp an angle, making the windscreen glass itself too big and the whole thing extends HIGHER than the opening part of the canopy. Can you imagine the hue and cry if this was done on a model?! The fourth shot gives a great look at the dihedral, and will be helpful for modelers as well.