Aviation Archives

Product Spotlight: From Whence the Boogeyman Comes

German Messerschmitt Me 410A-1/U4 Heavy Fighter – Oberleutnant Friedrich “Fritz” Stehle, 5./Zerstorergeschwader 26 “Horst Wessel”, Hildesheim, Germany, March 1944 (1:72 Scale)

The culmination of Germany’s vaunted “Destroyer” concept, the Messerschmitt Me 410 was the intended successor of the Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter. Despite entering service almost two years late, it was arguably the Luftwaffe aircraft which most closely matched Britain’s magnificent de Havilland Mosquito in terms of role and performance.

Unquestionably one of the most interesting aircraft of the Second World War in appearance, the Me 410 was a true multi-role aircraft and could be adapted to perform a number of offensive roles, including that of heavy bomber killer.

Equipped with the mighty Rheinmetall manufactured BK-5 autocannon which protruded from the nose of the fighter, this weapon was a development of the 50mm Kampfwagenkanone anti-tank gun found in Panzer III tanks.

With 21 shells housed in a magazine in the weapons bay of the fighter and a shell already loaded in the breach ready to fire, the pilot could usually only rely on one round being fired, before this temperamental system jammed, leaving just reduced standard armament to be used during the sortie.

A single, well-aimed shell did possess the destructive power to easily bring down an Allied bomber and could be fired at ranges where the attacking Luftwaffe aircraft were effectively impervious to the wall of return fire put up by the bomber stream. However, the additional weight and drag caused by using this powerful gun made the Me 410 incredibly vulnerable to marauding Allied fighters.

On March 6th, 1944, the US 8th Air Force launched Mission No. 250, sending 730 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers to targets in Berlin and the surrounding area. This vast armada was escorted by a total of 801 Lockheed P-38 Lightnings, Republic P-47 Thunderbolts and North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft of VII Fighter Command. The Reichsluftverteidigung controllers sent 463 Luftwaffe aircraft to intercept and engage the approaching bombers.

Led by Staffelkapitan Oblt. “Fritz” Stehle, 5./Zerstorergeschwader 26 “Horst Wessel” operating from Hildesheim dispatched 10 Messerschmitt Me 410 aircraft, and formed part of a large ‘Gefechtsverbande’. Some of the aircraft were fitted with the Bordkanone 5 (BK 5) a hard hitting 50 mm Kanone which it was planned would enable the Me 410s to engage the attacking bomber aircraft outside of the range of their withering defensive fire. In practice, this was not realized and they were forced to commence their attacks at close range, making them vulnerable to both return fire from the bombers, and slow and thus outmaneuvered by the escorting fighters.

5./Zerstorergeschwader 26 “Horst Wessel” were able to engage Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft from the 1 Bombardment Division, and claimed 7 ‘abschuss’ between 12:35 and 13:15. Claims were submitted by Uffz. Hartl, Oblt. Stehle, Uffz. Retschy, Fw. Schneider, Ltn. Kutscher, Ofw. Fros and Ofw. Pennekamp. In the ensuing air battle, 5./Zerstorergeschwader 26 “Horst Wessel” were intercepted by North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft over the Doberitz-Brandenburg-Bernburg area, and six Messerschmitt Me 410 aircraft were shot down. Ofw. Ziesch, Feldwebel Bonnecke and Uffz. Patsch were all killed in this engagement. The Luftwaffe lost 63 fighters, with a further 19 damaged on this day. The US 8th Air Force lost 74 bombers and 14 fighters. Oblt. Stehle would go on to fly Focke Wulf Fw 190 aircraft with 6./Jagdgeschwader, before being assigned as Kommandeur I./Jagdgeschwader 7 flying the Messerschmitt Me 262.

On May 8th, 1945, Oblt Stehle shot down a Russian Bell P-39 Airacobra which crashed near the village of Klinyin. This may have been the last fighter victory of WWII in Europe. Post war, he helped train the Syrian Air Force before joining Lufthansa. He died in October 2008, and was credited with 26 victories. He was awarded the Deutsche Kreuz in Gold, and the Ehrenpokal fur besondere Leistung im Luftkreig.

Note: the barrel of the BK 5 with five white abschuss rings. The machine was fitted with the Zielfernohr ZFR4 telescopic gun-sight installed in the cockpit. Characteristic of II./Zerstorergeschwader 26 “Horst Wessel” is the yellow ‘Holzschuhe’ (wooden clog) ‘Wappen’ on the engine-cowling.

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Corgi Turns Back the Hands of Time to D-Day

Earlier today, Corgi revealed their May through August 2024 new aircraft introductions, the bulk of which have something to do with the D-Day landings of June 1944. We’ve listed most of the latest models discussed in the accompanying video and have opened the pre-order window accordingly. Bear in mind product photos have yet to be provided by the manufacturer so we are guessing that they are still a few months out from hitting the streets. Enjoy!

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Product Spotlight: Operation Vittles

Corgi’s 1:72 scale USAF Douglas C-47A Skytrain Troop Transport – 315208 ‘Fassberg Flyer’, Berlin Airlift, 1948

Typically, war planners like to give military operations names that help to convey the spirit and intent of the exercise in question. Overlord for the Allies’ invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe in the summer of 1944, Barbarossa, for the German invasion of Russia in 1941, and Market-Garden, the supposed breakthrough to the Rhine and beyond by Allied forces struggling to bypass the morass of northwest Europe in the autumn of 1944, all come to mind.

In the summer  of 1948, three years after the conclusion of war in Europe, Soviet forces decided to close the major supply corridor into Berlin and bring it into the Soviet sphere. The Berlin Blockade, as it came to be known, (June 24th, 1948 – May 12th, 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post-World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies’ railway, road, and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control. The Soviets offered to drop the blockade if the Western Allies withdrew the newly introduced Deutsche mark from West Berlin.

The Western Allies, under the guise of Operation Vittles, organized the Berlin airlift (June 26th, 1948 – September 30th, 1949) to carry supplies to the people of West Berlin, a difficult feat given the size of the city’s population. Aircrews from the United States Air Force, the Royal Air Force, the French Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and the South African Air Force:338 flew over 200,000 flights in one year, providing to the West Berliners up to 8,893 tons of necessities each day, such as fuel and food. The Soviets did not disrupt the airlift for fear this might lead to open conflict.

By the spring of 1949, the airlift was clearly succeeding, and by April it was delivering more cargo than had previously been transported into the city by rail. On May 12th, 1949, the USSR lifted the blockade of West Berlin. The Berlin Blockade served to highlight the competing ideological and economic visions for postwar Europe.

Corgi’s 1:72 scale take on a C-47A Skytrain is special for several reasons. Firstly, its big and beefy, a far cry from a 1:144 scale version of the same aircraft released way back in 1998. Secondly, its the inaugural product in their all-new 20th Anniversary Aviation Archive series, which commemorates many of the aircraft models they first offered to the public some twenty years ago. Now in stock, the “Fassberg Flyer”, as it came to be known, is an important piece of civil and military history, and a worthy addition to anyone’s diecast aviation collection.

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Corgi Draws Inspiration from Hollywood

Corgi’s 1:72 scale replica of a USAAF Consolidated B-24H Liberator Heavy Bomber – Colonel Jimmy Stewart’s “Male Call”, 453rd Bombardment Group, RAF Old Buckenham, England, 1944

Looking to leverage the legendary star power of Hollywood, Corgi announced plans to build a 1:72 scale replica of a Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber that was piloted by none other than screen actor, Jimmy Stewart. While several legends of the silver screen enlisted in the military when their nation called upon them, Jimmy Stewart could be one of the most famous, leading an entire bomb group  to reek vengeance over Germany and Nazi-occupied Europe during the latter stages of World War II. While he reportedly flew several bombers, “Male Call”, the lead ship of the 453rd Bombardment Group (AA34018) may be his most noteworthy, surviving the war having completed an impressive 95 bombing missions. In fact, she is thought to have been the only survivor of the original 61 aircraft assigned to the 453rd Bombardment Group, which arrived at RAF Old Buckenham airfield on January 21st, 1944. Look for “Male Call” to be called to action in October.

If you’re interested in learning more about Jimmy Stewart and his wartime experience, we strongly recommend Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe, which is available on Amazon.

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