Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 Trop of 3. / JG 27, Ain El Gazala Libya, June 1942, pilot Hans-Jochim Marseille, Fine Molds kit.
Berliner Hans-Jochim Marseille was widely known as one of the best marksmen in the Luftwaffe, and one who had perfected the art of deflection shooting. His preferred tactic was to engage enemy aircraft while flying at a reduced speed to maximize maneuverability and concentrate his fire on the forward fuselage, where both the engine and pilot were located. He was shot down himself on several occasions (including twice by Sous-Lieutenant James Denis, a Free French pilot with No. 73 Squadron RAF) and lost additional aircraft due to mechanical difficulties. Marseille was a playboy and a major disciplinary problem for his commanders, but was highly effective in aerial combat. He was officially credited with 158 victories. On 30SEP42 Marseille was killed while bailing out after the Bf 109 G-2 he was flying developed engine trouble.
Inch High Guy 
Beautiful Plane. Just read Atkinson’s book ‘Army at Dawn’ about the entire North Africa campaign. From the landings at TORCH to the final taking of Tunis and Bizerte.
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Very nice, Jeff! 🙂 I’m surprised they persisted with yellow numerals against the sand base colour!
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The desert is one of the few environments where the yellow would not be conspicuous. I guess it was more important to the Luftwaffe to maintain their Staffel designation paradigm.
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Very fine model Jeff- he sounds quite the character too.
Cheers,
Pete.
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He was definitely an interesting fellow!
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In Feux du Ciel Clostermann mentioned that Marseille was once shot down on December 20, 1941 by Bauden an air gunner flying on a Bristol Blenheim Mk IV of the Lorraine Squadron. There is a long description of that air combat between a Me 109 and the Free French Air Force bomber piloted by Ezzano. Most interesting reading, but did Clostermann again make up this story?
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Unfortunately there was a trend in aviation books to embellish the stories, particularly in the years after the war. I’ve always wondered how much of that was due to the editors or publishers. Peculiar as the real stories were much more interesting than anything a writer could come up with.
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I don’t mind embellishing stories to get a sense of the period, but it’s more about name dropping and having facts that are wrong like Yamamoto being shot down in a Sally not a Betty. Clostermann boasted he had read ten of thousands official documents during four years. Anyway I have turned the page.
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As a footnote he talks about JG 18 which ambushed the Blenheims. JG 18 does not exist!
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How I came to fact check almost everything? In 2010 I met my first WWII veteran. He was a rear gunner with 425 Alouette squadron. He told stories which I believed… name dropping and all. Later I realize he was making up these stories even having his pilot killed in a crash in North Africa. I know now that he was not the only one making up stories. Even now 10 years later I still think about it
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