Historic:

Although making an unremarkable start to his combat career during the Battle of Britain, Werner Schroer's transfer to North Africa and air operations in support of the Afrika Korps would bring him a change in fortune and a steadily increasing victory tally which would eventually make him one of the Luftwaffe's most successful pilots. By the time III./JG27 relocated to the Aegean Islands in late 1942, Schroer has 61 confirmed victories to his name, making him the second most successful "Desert Eagle", with only the famous Hans-Joachim Marseille ahead of him. For a time, Schroer and the rest of 8./JG27 enjoyed great success flying fighter cover for strike aircraft targeting British shipping in the Mediterranean, but unfortunately, this success proved to be short-lived, as the Allies were now advancing on all fronts and their time of Rhodes soon came to an end. With Germany now coming under concerted bombing attack by day and night, as many fighters as could be spared were pulled back to defend the Reich from what was now becoming an increasingly desperate situation. Werner Schroer would survive the war with 114 aerial victories to his name, having flown just 197 operational missions. Of this number, 102 victories were achieved in combat on the Western Front against the most capable Allied aircraft and airmen, a figure which included 26 four-engined heavy bombers, as the German homeland itself came under concerted aerial attack.

Designed to meet a Luftwaffe need for a single-seat fighter/interceptor, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was first flown on May 28th, 1935. Its all-metal construction, closed canopy and retractable gear made the Bf 109 one of the first true modern fighters of WWII. This versatile aircraft served in many roles and was the most produced aircraft of the war and the backbone of the Luftwaffe, and was flown by Germany's top three aces, who claimed a total of 928 victories between them. Armed with two cannons and two machine guns, the Bf 109's design underwent constant revisions, which allowed it to remain competitive until the end of the war.

Info: Messerschmitt Bf 109G Luftwaffe 8./JG 27, Red 1, Werner Schroer, Aegean Islands, 1942