Algerian Air Force Su-34 fighter-bomber.

The Algerian Air Force is the aerial arm of the Algerian People’s National Army.

Its history begins with the creation by Saïd Aït Messaoudène, during the war of independence, of a first nucleus of air force with the training of Algerian pilots and personnel from friendly countries. This nucleus officially gave birth in 1962, the day after independence, to the Algerian Air Force.

Major General Mahmoud Laraba was appointed Commander of the Air Force in July 2020, succeeding Major General Hamid Boumaïza. On February 23rd, 2025, Major General Zoubir Ghouila took office as Commander of the Air Force, replacing Mahmoud Laraba.

History

The Algerian Air Force was created to support the fight of the People’s National Army against the French occupying forces. It came as part of the decisions of the Soummam congress held on August 20th, 1956, which recommended a long-term plan to form a modern army.

Before 1962

In 1957, six Algerians were sent for training to the Syrian Arab Air Force flight school at Nayrab near Aleppo. During this period, training also took place with the Egyptian and Iraqi air forces, as well as in the USSR and in China. During this period, the French army started the Challe and Morice lines used to isolate the ALN fighters inside the country and to stop supplies coming from Tunisia and Morocco. Then came the idea to train transport and helicopter pilots to ensure supplying the national liberation army, and to prepare the first core of the military aviation. The Algerian Air Force was officially established on 4th February 1959, as a part of the FLN.

From 1962 to 1970

The Algerian Air Force was originally based at Maison Blanche (White House). In 1962, Egypt transferred 12 Helwan Gomhouria trainers and five MiG-15s (two MiG-15UTIs and three MiG-15bis), together with a group of advisors to help with training. Several Mil Mi-4s were also received from the Soviet Union. Two Beech D.185S light transports purchased for the personal use of then President Ben Bella in 1963.

Training was one of the major preoccupations of the ALN/FLN leaders. Military aviation had a core of pilots and technicians after independence, who laid the foundations of the present Air Force. The Algerian authorities sent trainees to friendly countries such Egypt, Syria, Iraq, China, and the USSR, while waiting for the creation of Algerian Air Force schools. In 1966, the Air Base of Tafraoui in the 2nd Military Region was built as an air officers’ school (EOA) where the first officer students were received to train as pilots and technicians in aeronautics.

Algerian Air Force MiG-21 Light Fighter

The nascent Algerian Air Force participated in the 1963 Sand War with Morocco. However, air power did not play a big role during the war. MiG-15s and Mi-4s were used, and aircraft from national company Air Algérie served for transport duties. Following the end of the war, the build-up of the Algerian Air Force was intensified. In 1964, 20 additional MiG-15bis fighters were delivered by the USSR. The next year, the first of at least 30 MiG-17s arrived in Algeria. In 1965–1966, 24 MiG-21F-13s were received, and 14 Ilyushin Il-28s were ordered in the same period, as well as some MiG-21FLs. Despite its growth, at the time of the Six-Day War the Algerian Air Force was not deemed combat ready. Still, 20 MiG-17Fs, 20 MiG-21s and 12 Il-28s were sent to Egypt, but without any crews. In 1967, the Algerian Air Force also bought its first surface-to-air missile systems, with two battalions of S-75 Dvinas. However, these were never put into service.

From 1970 to 1980

In the late 1960s, thanks to increased oil prices and to Algeria’s economic growth, important arms orders were passed with the USSR. Hence, in the early 1970s, the Algerian Air Force received 52 MiG-21MFs, MiG-21Rs and MiG-21UMs, and 40 Sukhoi Su-7BMKs. During the same period, 28 second-hand Fouga CM.170 Magisters were bought from West Germany, as well as some Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma and Mil Mi-6 helicopters.

Algerian C-130H 

Thanks to its growth in the previous years, the Algerian Air Force was able to participate directly in the 1973 October War. Two squadrons of MiG-21s, another of Su-7s and a unit comprising 23 MiG-17s were sent to Egypt. This deployment was supported by Antonov An-12 transports. Some Algerian pilots were also assigned to Egyptian Air Force MiG-17 squadrons. In total, around 500 combat sorties were flown by Algerian pilots. One MiG-21 and one Su-7 were shot down, but no pilot was killed or captured.

In 1975, another big arms deal was passed with Moscow, including 40 MiG-23BNs, 47 MiG-21bis, and 16 Mil Mi-8s. The first MiG-23BNs arrived in 1976; this type replaced the Su-7BMKs. Another arms order followed in 1978, with the Algerians requesting the delivery of 40 more MiG-21s, 16 MiG-23MFs, 20 Mil Mi-24s, and 12 S-125 Pechora missile systems. However, while 20 MiG-25s were delivered by 1979, negotiations for the remainder of the package proved much more difficult than expected, and took nearly four years. Limited quantities of Western aircraft were bought too: in 1978, six T-34C Mentors and three Fokker F27s were acquired.

From 1980 to 2000

In 1981, thanks to the deliveries of air defence equipment, a new branch of the air force was created: the Défense Aérienne du Territoire (Territorial Air Defence). Through the 1980s, the Algerian Air Force worked to build a fully integrated network of early warning radars. In 1986–1988, the Territorial Air Defence was expanded and reorganised into the Commandement de la Défense Aérienne du Territoire (Territorial Air Defence Command). In 1988, this command became a fully independent branch of the Algerian armed forces.

An Ilyushin IL-78

The resulting organisational structure of the air force was as follows:

A central command assisted by a general staff and an inspectorate, an arms division, a department of support, and specialized offices
Air commands in the military regions
Air bases, schools, training centers, support institutions, equipment renovation enterprises & defense, and control units
In the second half of the 1980s, the Algerian Air Force also introduced the wing structure. During this period few changes occurred in the combat aircraft inventory of the Algerian Air Force. Ten Sukhoi Su-24MKs were received from the USSR, while the ageing MiG-17F was phased out. A new airplane supplier emerged just after the Iranian revolution when Algeria received 18 C-130H Hercules and 12 Hawker Beechcrafts supplied by USA from 1981 to 1989.

Starting in the second half of the 1980s, the Algerian Air Force saw combat in the Algerian Civil War.

From 2000 to 2020

As the Civil War was winding down, the Algerian Air Force began to replace its older combat aircraft. The last MiG-21s were withdrawn from service in 2002. The MiG-23BNs followed in 2005, as did the MiG-23MFs in 2008. The Air Force purchased a large number of Mikoyan MiG-29s (index 9.13) from Belarus and Ukraine from 1999 to 2003. At least 25 Su-24MKs were also acquired during the same period. In March 2006, as part of a bigger arms deal, Algeria ordered 28 Sukhoi Su-30MKA multirole fighters, 16 Yakovlev Yak-130 trainers, 28 MiG-29SMTs fighters and six MiG-29UB conversion trainers from Russia. Shortly after the first MiG-29 9.19 deliveries, the Algerian military discovered that these aircraft were not newly built airframes, but older ones modernised to MiG-29 9.19 standard.

An Algerian Su-30MKA

The decision was taken to send back the aircraft to Russia, refuse all of the planned subsequent deliveries, and to freeze the payments for these aircraft. After a meeting between Algerian and Russian heads of state in February 2008, the aircraft that had already been delivered were returned to Russia, and the whole batch originally built for Algeria was bought back and delivered to the Russian Air Force. Instead, Algeria was given the possibility to order another batch of Su-30MKAs at sharply reduced prices. This was done in December 2010, when 16 additional aircraft were ordered. In December 2015, 14 more Su-30MKAs were purchased. Algeria ordered 16 SU-30MKA and 16 MIG-29M/M2 multirole fighters in 2019, a massive 1.8-billion-dollar deal.

Since 2020

In late 2020 Algerian Air Force modernized its SU-24M/MK/MR to the M2/MR2 format.

In August 2022, the final MIG-25 were retired, but in late 2022 they were brought back to service.

Since 2025, the Algerian Air Force has entered a new phase of modernization. In 2025, a deal was signed with Russia for the delivery of Sukhoi Su-35 multirole fighters, continuing the long-standing partnership between the two countries. The delivery of these aircraft started in March 2025.

In addition to fighter jets, Algeria has also improved its helicopter fleet. In 2022, the Air Force received several AW139 utility helicopters from the Italian company Leonardo. These helicopters are used for search and rescue missions, transport, and other support roles.

Algerian Air Force Su-34 fighter-bomber.

Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Su-34 Fullback Fighter Bomber 704, Algerian Air Force, 2025 available from Flying Tigers.

Check out the very latest 1/72nd scale Su-34 Fullback Fighter Bomber available to pre-order from Flying Tigers. Please click on the image/ link below to go straight to the model page to order yours now.

HA6310 Hobbymaster Su-34 Fullback Fighter Bomber 704, Algerian Air Force, 2025  RRP £126.00  Flying Tigers only £91.99

Thank you for reading this week’s Newsletter.
Richard
Flying Tigers.

The post Algerian Air Force , Hobbymaster Offers of the Week and Deal of the Day Sales! appeared first on Flying Tigers.

A 48th Tactical Fighter Wing F-111F aircraft retracts its landing gear as it takes off to participate in a retaliatory air strike on Libya. 

The United States Air Force (USAF), Navy, and Marine Corps carried out air strikes, code-named Operation El Dorado Canyon, against Libya on 15th April 1986 in retaliation for the West Berlin discotheque bombing ten days earlier, which U.S. president Ronald Reagan blamed on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. There were 40 reported Libyan casualties; one U.S. plane was shot down. One of the claimed Libyan deaths was of a baby girl, reported to be Gaddafi’s daughter, Hana Gaddafi. However, there are doubts both as to whether she was really killed, or even if she truly existed.

The targets were two alleged Libyan command and control centres for overseas operations, one training camp, and Benina and Mitiga International Airports. The strikes primarily used F-111 Aardvark fighter-bombers, launched from RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom, and A-6E Intruder attack aircraft launched from the USS America (CV-66) and USS Coral Sea (CV-43) in the Gulf of Sidra. These were supported by electronic-warfare EF-111 Advarks and EA-6B Prowlers and anti-radar missile-carrying F/A-18 Hornets and A-7E Corsairs. Political disagreements led France, Spain, and Italy to deny the use of their United States Air Forces in Europe bases, and deny overflight permits.

Two USAF captains were killed when their F-111 was shot down over the Gulf of Sidra, possibly by a Libyan S-200 missile. Libya released the body of one pilot in 1989, and denied holding the body of the other pilot, while the pilot’s family alleged they had.

Origins

Libya represented a high priority for President Ronald Reagan shortly after his 1981 inauguration. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was firmly anti-Israel and had supported terrorist organizations in the Palestinian territories and Syria. There were reports that Libya was attempting to become a nuclear power and Gaddafi’s occupation of Chad, which was rich in uranium, was of major concern to the United States. Gaddafi’s ambitions to set up a federation of Arab and Muslim states in North Africa were alarming to U.S. interests. Furthermore, then-U.S. Secretary of State Alexander Haig wanted to take proactive measures against Gaddafi because he had been using former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operatives (most notably Edwin P. Wilson and Frank E. Terpil) to help set up terrorist camps.

After the December 1985 Rome and Vienna airport attacks, which killed 19 and wounded approximately 140, Gaddafi indicated that he would continue to support the Red Army Faction, the Red Brigades, and the Irish Republican Army as long as the European governments allegedly “supported anti-Gaddafi Libyans.”

After years of occasional skirmishes with Libya over Libyan territorial claims to the Gulf of Sidra, the United States contemplated a military attack to strike targets within the Libyan mainland. In March 1986, the United States, asserting the 12-nautical-mile (22 km; 14 mi) limit to territorial waters according to international law, sent a carrier task force to the region. Libya responded with aggressive counter-maneuvers on 24 March that led to a naval engagement in the Gulf of Sidra.

On 5th April 1986, Libyan agents bombed “La Belle” nightclub in West Berlin, killing three people, including two U.S. servicemen and a Turkish woman, and injuring 229 people, including 79 Americans. West Germany and the United States obtained cable transcripts from Libyan agents in East Germany who were involved in the attack.

More detailed information was retrieved years later when Stasi archives were investigated by the reunited Germany. Libyan agents who had carried out the operation from the Libyan embassy in East Germany were identified and prosecuted by Germany in the 1990s.

Preparations

President of the United States Ronald Reagan in a briefing with US National Security Council staff on Operation El Dorado Canyon.
The attack mission against Libya had been preceded in October 1985 by an exercise in which the 20th TFW stationed at RAF Upper Heyford airbase in the UK, which was equipped with F-111E Aardvarks, received a top-secret order to launch a simulated attack mission on 18th October, with ten F-111Es armed with eight 500-lb practice bombs, against a simulated airfield located in Labrador, Canada south of CFB Goose Bay. The mission was designated Operation Ghost Rider. The mission was a full rehearsal for a long-range strike against Libya. The mission was completed successfully, with the exception of one aircraft that had all but one of its eight bombs hang up on one of its wing racks. The lessons learned were passed on to the 48th TFW which was equipped with the newer F-111F model.

4/15/1986 President Reagan being briefed by the National Security Council staff on the Libya air strike in the White House Situation Room (left to right) President Reagan George Shultz William Casey Don Regan General Charles Gabriel

In August 1985 six specially trained B-52H crews of the 23rd Bombardment Squadron in Minot, North Dakota, were designated as the Advanced Conventional Taskforce (ACT) and trained at specialized low-level conventional bombing missions, including the first ever use of Night Vision Goggles by B-52 crews. The specially trained crews were capable of delivering 6 strings of MK-117 munitions seconds apart with pinpoint accuracy operating from North Dakota. In six months of intensive training the special mission unit dropped more live ordnance in the Nevada and Utah test ranges than had been expended since the conclusion of the Vietnam War. The B-52 provided a powerful alternative or follow-on option, however, as the backbone of the U.S. nuclear deterrent there was some risk to using the B-52 option against an SA-6 defended target.

Elements of the then-secret 4450th Tactical Group (USAF) were put on standby to fly the strike mission against Libya. Over 30 F-117 Nighthawk stealth attack aircraft had already been delivered to Tactical Air Command (USAF) and were operating from Tonopah Test Range Airport in Nevada. European Command senior officers knew nothing about the stealth capabilities of the F-117, or that the aircraft even existed. Within an hour of the planned launch of the F-117s, Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger scrubbed the stealth mission, fearing a compromise of the secret aircraft and its development program. The air strike was carried out with conventional U.S. Navy and USAF aircraft. The F-117 would remain completely unknown to the world for several more months, before being unveiled in 1988 and featured prominently in media coverage of Operation Desert Storm.

For the Libyan raid, the United States was denied overflight rights by France, Spain, and Italy as well as the use of European continental bases, forcing the USAF portion of the operation to be flown around France and Spain, over Portugal and through the Straits of Gibraltar, adding 1,300 miles (2,100 km) each way and requiring multiple aerial refuelings. The French refusal alone added 2,800 km. French President François Mitterrand refused overflight clearance because the United States was interested in limited action in Libya while France was more interested in action that would remove Gaddafi from power. Another factor in the French decision was the United States’ last-minute failure to participate in a retaliatory air raid on Iranian positions after the 1983 Beirut barracks bombings.

Targets

After several unproductive days of meetings with European and Arab nations, and influenced by an American serviceman’s death, on 14th April Ronald Reagan ordered an air raid on the following Libyan targets:

• Bab al-Azizia Barracks in Tripoli – Gaddafi’s command and control centre for overseas operations
• Murrat Sidi Bilal in Tripoli – a training camp for naval commandos and combat frogmen
• Mitiga International Airport – used by Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft
• Jamahiriyah Guard barracks in Benghazi – an alternative command and control headquarters for overseas operations, and which contained a warehouse for storage of MiG aircraft components
• Benina International Airport – used as a base by defending fighters

Ground crew prepares a 48th Tactical Fighter Wing F-111F aircraft for an air strike on Libya

Strike force

Among operational United States tactical aircraft, only the General Dynamics F-111 and the A-6 Intruder possessed the ability to attack at night with the required precision. Although the F-111s would be required to fly from distant bases, they were essential to mission success, because the eighteen A-6s available aboard USS Coral Sea (CV-43) and USS America (CV-66) could not carry enough bombs to simultaneously inflict the desired damage on the five targets selected.

An F-14A Tomcat that launched from USS America (CV-66) during Operation El Dorado Canyon

United States Air Force

Twenty-eight McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extenders and Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers took off from RAF Mildenhall and RAF Fairford shortly after 19:00 on 14th April. These tankers would conduct four silent refueling operations over the 6,000 mi (9,700 km) round-trip route the F-111s would fly to target. Within minutes the tankers were followed by twenty-four F-111F strike aircraft of the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing, flying from RAF Lakenheath and five EF-111A Ravens of the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing from RAF Upper Heyford. Six F-111s and one EF-111 were designated spares who returned to base after the first refueling was completed without any system failures among the designated strike aircraft. One F-111F had a flameout of one engine upon take off and was ordered back to base.

NATO E-3A AWACS aircraft flying out of Trapani air base in Italy provided airborne surveillance.

An A-7E from the USS America is armed with AGM-88 HARM ARMs and CBU-100 Rockeye cluster munitions, in preparation of Operation El Dorado Canyon

United States Navy

America was on station in the Gulf of Sidra, but Coral Sea was preparing to leave the Mediterranean, and made a high speed run from Naples through the Strait of Messina. America’s air group would strike targets in downtown Benghazi and provide fighter and suppression support for the USAF bombers, while Coral Sea’s planes would strike the Benina airfield outside Benghazi and provide fighter and suppression support for the Navy bombers. About 01:00 America launched six A-6E TRAM Intruder strike aircraft with Mark 82 bombs against the Jamahiriyah Guard barracks and six A-7 Corsair II strike support aircraft. Coral Sea, operating east of America simultaneously launched eight A-6E TRAM Intruders and six F/A-18A Hornets. Additional fighters were launched for combat air patrol (CAP).

The Raid

The raid began in the early hours of 15th April, with the stated objectives of sending a message and reducing Libya’s ability to support and train terrorists. Shortly after the raid Reagan warned “Today, we have done what we had to do. If necessary, we shall do it again.”

Coordinated jamming by the EF-111s and EA-6B Prowlers began at 01:54 (Libyan time) as the A-7Es and F/A-18As began launching AGM-88 HARM and AGM-45 Shrike missiles for suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD). The attack began at 0200 hours (Libyan time), and lasted about twelve minutes, with 60 tons of munitions dropped. The F-111 bombers’ rules of engagement required target identification by both radar and Pave Tack prior to bomb release to minimize collateral damage. Of the nine F-111s targeting Bab al-Azizia, only three placed their GBU-10 Paveway II bombs on target. One F-111 was shot down by a Libyan SAM over the Gulf of Sidra and one F-111’s bombs missed the barracks, striking diplomatic and civilian sites in Tripoli, and narrowly missing the French embassy. All three F-111s assigned to Sidi Bilal released their GBU-10 bombs on target. One of the six F-111s assigned to bomb the Tripoli airfield aborted its mission with a terrain-following radar malfunction, but the remaining five dropped BSU-49 high drag bombs destroying two Il-76 transport aircraft. America’s A-6s damaged the Jamahiriyah MiG assembly warehouse and destroyed four MiG shipping crates. Two A-6s from Coral Sea aborted their mission, but five A-6s with CBU-59 APAM cluster bombs and one with Mk 82 bombs struck Benina airfield destroying three or four MiGs, two Mil Mi-8 helicopters, one Fokker F27 Friendship transport, and one small straight-wing aircraft. A Boeing 727 was also reportedly destroyed during the Benina strike.

Ilyushin Il-76 targeted by the bombing

Some Libyan soldiers reportedly abandoned their positions in fright and confusion, while the officers were slow to give orders. Libyan anti-aircraft fire did not begin until after the planes had passed over their targets. No Libyan fighters launched, and HARM launches and jamming prevented any of the 2K12 Kub (SA-6), S-75 Dvina (SA-2), S-125 Neva/Pechora (SA-3), or Crotale SAM launches from homing. One SA-6 however was able to track onto an A-6 from VA-34 during the strike on the Jamahiriyah barracks but was evaded successfully.

Within twelve minutes, all United States aircraft were “feet wet” outbound over the Mediterranean. Navy strike aircraft had been recovered aboard their carriers by 02:53 (Libyan time) and surviving USAF planes, with the exception of one F-111, which landed in Naval Station Rota, Spain, with an overheated engine, had returned to Britain by 10:10 (Libyan time). Although the bombing operations were staged out of the UK, RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus was employed in the role of an alternate in case of emergency, and was used as such by at least one aircraft. This led to retaliatory action against the British base.

United States forces and targets

The Libyan air defense network was extensive, and included:

• 4 Long range S-200 Vega (SA-5 Gammon) anti-aircraft missile units with 24 launchers.
• 86 S-75 Volkhov (SA-2 Guideline) and S-125 Neva (SA-3 Goa) anti-aircraft missile units with 276 launchers.Covering Tripoli alone were:
• 7 S-75 Volkhov (SA-2 Guideline) anti-aircraft missile units with 6 missiles launchers per unit giving 42 launchers.
• 12 S-125 Neva (SA-3 Goa) anti-aircraft missile units with 4 missiles launchers per unit giving 48 launchers.
• 3 2K12 Kub (SA-6 Gainful) anti-aircraft missile units with 48 launchers.
• 1 9K33M2 Osa-AK (SA-8 Geko) anti-aircraft regiment with 16 launch vehicles.
• 2 Crotale II anti-aircraft units with 60 launch pads.

Casualties

Libyan

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his family rushed out of their residence in the Bab al-Azizia compound moments before the bombs dropped, forewarned by a telephone call from Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, Malta’s Prime Minister. Bonnici had been made aware of the presence of the American strike force by Prime Minister Bettino Craxi of Italy; the latter nation had detected the then-unidentified aircraft off the West coast of Sicily and scrambled a flight of F-104 Starfighters to intercept it, discovering the strike force’s presence and being warned away by pilots with obvious American accents.

According to medical staff in a nearby hospital, two dozen casualties were brought in wearing military uniforms, and two without uniforms. Total Libyan casualties were estimated at 60, including those at the bombed airbases. An infant girl was among the casualties; her body was shown to American reporters, who were told she was Gaddafi’s recently adopted daughter Hana. However, there was and remains much skepticism over the claim. She may not have died; the adoption may have been posthumous; or he may have adopted a second daughter and given her the same name after the first one died.

American

Two U.S. Air Force captains—Fernando L. Ribas-Dominicci and Paul F. Lorence—were killed when their F-111 fighter-bomber (callsign Karma-52) was shot down over the Gulf of Sidra. In the hours following the attack, the U.S. military refused to speculate as to whether or not the fighter-bomber had been shot down, with Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger suggesting that it could have experienced radio trouble or been diverted to another airfield. The next day, the Pentagon had announced it was no longer searching for the F-111 believed to be downed by a Libyan missile. On 25th December 1988, Gaddafi offered to release the body of Lorence to his family through Pope John Paul II. The body, returned in 1989, was identified as Ribas-Dominicci’s from dental records. An autopsy conducted in Spain confirmed that he had drowned after his plane was shot down over the Gulf of Sidra. Libya denies that it held Lorence’s body. However, Lorence’s brother said that he and his mother saw television footage of a Libyan holding a white helmet with the name “Lorence” stenciled on the back. Furthermore, William C. Chasey, who toured the Bab al-Azizia barracks, claimed to have seen two flight suits and helmets engraved with the names “Lorence” and “Ribas-Dominicci”, as well as the wreckage of their F-111. Gaddafi declared that the raid was a Libyan victory and stated that three American planes had been shot down, but Karma-52 was the only one that failed to return to base.

F-111F “Aardvark” 72-1448

Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-111F “Aardvark” 72-1448, 48th TFW CO, RAF Lakenheath August 1991  &  F-15E “40 Years Eldorado Canyon” 91-311, 494 TFS, USAF RAF Lakenheath 2026

Check out the following Lakenheath 1/72nd scale models available to pre-order fromk Flying Tigers. Please be quick to order with both these models as they are sure to sell-out at pre-order stage.

HA3037 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-111F “Aardvark” 72-1448, 48th TFW CO, RAF Lakenheath August 1991 PRICE: £87.99 incl VAT (RRP £120.00, SAVING £32.01)

HA4582 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-15E “40 Years Eldorado Canyon” 91-311, 494 TFS, USAF RAF Lakenheath 2026 PRICE: £82.99 incl VAT (RRP £114.00, SAVING £31.01)

Thank you for reading this week’s Newsletter.

Richard
Flying Tigers.

The post Operation El Dorado Canyon , Hobbymaster New Model Announcements and Offers of the Week! appeared first on Flying Tigers.

William Thomas Whisner Jr. (October 17th, 1923 – July 21st, 1989) was a career officer and pilot in the United States Air Force, retiring as a colonel with 30 years of military service. He was a fighter ace with Army Air Forces over Europe in World War II and a jet fighter ace with the Air Force in the Korean War.

Although best known for his credited destruction of 22½ aircraft in aerial combat and being one of only seven U.S. combat pilots to become an ace in two wars, Whisner commanded the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing, before retiring in 1972.

Early life

William T. Whisner Jr. was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on October 17th, 1923, to William Whisner, Sr. and Eloise Bickham Whisner. In his youth, Whisner was an active member of the local Boy Scouts of America, eventually attaining the rank of Eagle Scout in that program.

Growing up in Shreveport, Whisner attended C. E. Byrd High School, becoming active in the school’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. It was during this involvement that Whisner developed an interest in becoming a military aviator

Military career

Immediately upon graduating from high school, Whisner applied for the United States Army Air Forces cadet program, being accepted and began his training on 8th April 1942. Whisner first began Primary Flight Training at the Lafayette Municipal Airport in Lafayette, Louisiana, getting his first flight time aboard PT-17 and PT-19 trainer aircraft. Following the successful completion of this training, he underwent Basic Combat Training at Greenville Army Airfield in Greenville, Mississippi. After this training, Whisner attended Advanced Flight Training at Napier Field, Alabama flying the AT-6 Texan. Whisner completed his training on 16th February 1943 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army.

Whisner’s first assignment in the Air Corps was sent to Westover Field in Springfield, Massachusetts, for operational training, where he learned to fly the P-47 Thunderbolt fighter aircraft. With this training complete, he was assighed to the 34th Fighter Squadron at LaGuardia Field in New York City, New York. The squadron was in the process of training for deployment in support of World War II. The unit was later redesignated the 487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group.

World War II

With the unit’s training completed, the 352nd Fighter Group boarded the troopship RMS Queen Elizabeth in June 1943. The group landed in the United Kingdom, and was assigned to RAF Bodney in Watton, Norfolk, under the operational control of the 67th Fighter Wing, VIII Fighter Command. Throughout the summer, Whisner and his fellow aviators were occupied in training flights over England, where they acclimated to flying in unfamiliar weather. This training was completed on 9th September 1943 and the group flew its first combat mission on that date.

Whisner in his P-47 Thunderbolt

From September 1943 through January 1944, Whisner and the group saw limited success, as the P-47s were limited in range and few Luftwaffe patrols of Nazi German pilots appeared over Norfolk. In its first four months of short-range patrols, the 352nd Fighter Group had 23 confirmed victories, two probable victories, and two German aircraft damaged.

First tour

In late January 1944, the US Army Air Corps adapted a new strategy for P-47s to escort bombing runs as they returned from their missions. The first attempted mission, on 24th January, was disrupted by bad weather. On 29th January, 13 P-47 Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang fighter groups escorted a bombing mission of B-17 Flying Fortresses to Frankfurt, Germany, and Whisner was among the pilots in the group. German aircraft launched heavy resistance against the bombing, and it would be the first time he could engage enemy aircraft. Whisner and the 352nd Fighter Group joined the mission over Namur, Belgium, as the bomber group was already under attack. Whisner, who was the wingman of Captain George Preddy, joined the chaotic battle, and within 10 minutes Whisner spotted two Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters which had just shot down a B-17. Whisner pursued one of the Fw 190s down to 1,000 feet (300 m), pursuing it closely as it attempted evasive maneuvers. As the Fw 190 attempted to dive behind a bank of clouds, Whisner struck it with three bursts from his machine gun, and it descended to 800 feet (240 m) before its pilot bailed out. By the end of the day, The American pilots claimed 47 German aircraft destroyed and 5 probables, losing 14 of their own.

Whisner with his P-51B Mustang ‘Princess Elizabeth’

By March 1944, the 352nd Fighter Group had 63 victories to its pilots, but senior leaders felt it was under-performing, so the group was equipped with P-51 Mustangs. It was customary for pilots to nickname and decorate their own aircraft, but a command decision compelled Whisner to name his aircraft “Princess Elizabeth” in honor of an anticipated visit by Elizabeth II. Over the next month, the squadron saw much greater success, and Whisner was among the pilots to benefit. On 9th April, Whisner and Preddy were on an escort mission over Belgium when they spotted an airfield which the flight attacked. In five passes, Whisner destroyed two Junkers Ju 88 dive bombers and damaged a nearby barracks. The group eventually claimed 12 aircraft destroyed and one probable in the attack. On 30th April, during an attack on an airfield in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Whisner shot down an Fw 190 which was attempting to attack the bombers. The 352nd ended the month with 107 victories and 4 probables, and 62 aircraft damaged.

In May, Whisner and the group continued aggressive bombing missions, and while he was unable to get any aerial victories, he was credited with destroying several ground targets. On 10th May, Whisner was a part of an attack on an airfield in Frankenhausen, Germany when he destroyed a Junkers Ju 87 Stuka on the ground. During another mission 24th May, Whisner was credited with destroying seven locomotives and damaging three others during an attack on a German railyard, as well as destroying a railroad station, a tugboat, and a gun emplacement. On 29th May the group escorted a flight of B-24 Liberators over Güstrow, Germany when they were met by 40 German fighters. Whisner engaged an Fw 190 at 26,000 feet (7,900 m). The pilot was extremely skilled, but Whisner managed to strike the Fw 190 with six bursts of machine gun fire, destroying the aircraft. The next day, on a mission against a fuel depot and aircraft production complex in Magdeburg, Germany, and during the subsequent heavy engagement, Whisner and Preddy shared a victory, making Whisner’s total victory count 6.5, including ground kills.

Whisner’s P-51D

In June, Whisner flew missions in support of the allied invasion of Normandy. For the first week of the month the group supported attacks to soften German defenses in France and Belgium. Following Operation Overlord, Whisner conducted bombing and strafing missions in close air support of ground forces. Flying multiple missions a day, Whisner assisted in the destruction of a convoy on 7th June, with 15 vehicles credited to him. On 13th June, Whisner was given three months shore leave in the United States, having completed his first tour of duty.

Second tour

Whisner returned to England in late September. By this time, however, the Luftwaffe had taken heavy losses and was opposing allied pilots far less often. Whisner flew his first combat mission on 28 September, shortly after being promoted to Captain. The 352nd Group was not credited with destroying any aircraft until 1st November. Whisner, now a captain, rejoined the 487th Squadron in the fall of 1944. On Nov. 2nd, he downed a Bf 109 using the new K-14 gunsight. On Nov. 21st he led a flight of P-51s on an escort mission to Merseburg, Germany. As the bombers left their target, a large formation of enemy fighters struck. In a linked series of attacks, Whisner shot down four Fw 190s in the cover flight and probably got another.

With no more than two Fw 190s left in the cover flight he had attacked, Whisner turned his attention to the main enemy formation, shooting a Fw 190 that had not dropped its drop tank. Evading three Fw 190s on his tail, he shot down another that was closing on one of his pilots. Then, low on ammunition, he joined up with his flight and returned to Bodney. Whisner was credited with five Fw 190s and two probables that day.

Whisner poses after scoring 4 kills and 2 probables on November 21st, 1944.

His score later was revised by the Air Force Historical Research Agency to six destroyed, making that day one of the best for any USAAF pilot in the skies over Europe. For that achievement, Whisner was awarded his first Distinguished Service Cross—second only to the Medal of Honor. Whisner was finally certified a flying ace, bringing his total to 10 air-to-air kills.

Battle of Y-29

During the Battle of the Bulge, which started on December 16, the 487th Fighter Squadron was moved forward to airfield Y-29 near Asch, Belgium.

On New Year’s Day 1945, Whisner was one of 12 Mustang pilots led by Meyer that had started their takeoff roll when a large formation of Fw 190s and Bf 109s hit the field. In the ensuing battle, fought at low altitude and before the 487th Fighter Squadron pilots had time to form up, Whisner shot down a Fw 190, then was hit by 20 mm fire.

With his windshield and canopy covered by oil and one aileron damaged, Whisner stayed in the fight, shooting down one more Fw 190 and two Bf 109s. He was awarded a second Distinguished Service Cross for that day’s work—one of only 14 USAAF men to be so honored in World War II. At the end of the war, Whisner had flown 127 missions and logged 450 combat hours. He was credited with 16.4 aerial victories, which put him in the top 20 USAAF aces of the European Theater.

USAF career

After World War II, Whisner left active duty and served in the reserves from August 24th, 1945, to August 31st, 1946. He then went back on active duty and served with the 56th Fighter Group at Selfridge Field from September 1946 to April 1947, and then with the 334th Fighter Squadron of the 4th Fighter Group at Andrews Field from April to September 1947. He then served for a short time at Bolling Air Force Base and then with the 61st Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the 56th Fighter Interceptor Group at Selfridge Air Force Base.

Korean War

In September 1951, Whisner deployed with the 334th Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing to Korea, where he destroyed two MiG-15s in aerial combat and damaged four others, before joining the 25th Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing in November 1951. He then destroyed another 4.5 MiG-15s with 2 more damaged, with total 6 enemy aircraft destroyed in Korea.

Whisner in Korea

During his time in Korea, he served under the command of ETO’s leading ace, Gabby Gabreski. Gabreski was an aggressive commander and fostered a fierce rivalry between the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing and 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing, both F-86 Sabre wings, fueled in part by the fact that the 4th had also been the keenest rival of the 56th Fighter Group during World War II. Gabreski and a fellow former 56th Fighter Group pilot, Colonel Walker M. Mahurin and Whisner planned and executed a mission in early 1952 in which the F-86s turned off their IFF equipment and overflew two Chinese bases. These missions were known as clandestine ‘Maple Special’ missions. Gabreski brought with him from the 56th Fighter Interceptor Wing in June 1951.

Before the mission of February 20th, 1952, Gabreski and Whisner each had four MiGs credited as destroyed. During the mission, Gabreski attacked and severely damaged a MiG 15 that fled across the Yalu River into China. He broke off the engagement and returned to base after his own airplane was damaged, where he claimed the MiG as a “probable kill”. Whisner trailed the MiG deep into Manchuria trying to confirm Gabreski’s kill, but his Sabre ran low on fuel. He completed the shootdown and returned to K-14 where he confirmed the kill for Gabreski but did not claim it himself. Gabreski confronted him and angrily ordered him to change his mission report, confirming Whisner’s own role in the kill. Whisner refused. Soon after, Gabreski recanted his anger and the two shared the claim, as a consequence of which three days later Whisner and not Gabreski became the first pilot of the 51st FW to reach jet ace status.

Gabreski, Whisner, Gen Jones

As a result, Whisner was awarded his third Distinguished Service Cross for being the first ace of the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing. He is also one of the two airmen to receive the Distinguished Service Cross three times.

For a two-war total of 22 destroyed in the air, 1 probable, 6 damaged, and 3 destroyed on the ground, made him one of only 7 people to have been an ace in both World War II and the Korean War. The others, George Andrew Davis Jr., Gabby Gabreski, Vermont Garrison, Harrison Thyng, and James P. Hagerstrom, are all Air Force pilots, as well as John F. Bolt of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Post-war

Whisner returned to the U.S. in March 1952, where he continued his career as a fighter pilot. Whisner also competed in air races, and in 1953, while a Major, he won the 1,900-mile Bendix Trophy Race, flying an F-86F Sabre jet from Edwards Air Force Base in California to Dayton, Ohio, in what was then a record time of 3 hours 5 minutes and 45 seconds, for an average speed of 603.5 miles an hour. He served with the 3596th Flying Training Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base until December 1954, when he went to Randolph Air Force Base to serve on the staff of Headquarters Crew Training Air Force. Whisner then served as a Royal Air Force exchange officer in London, England, from February 1956 to April 1957, followed by service as commander of the 494th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Chaumont Air Base from April 1957 to April 1959.

He then served on the staff of the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project at Sandia Base from April 1959 to June 1962, and then as a special assistant to the commander for the Combat Crew Training Group at Luke Air Force Base until September 1962, when he became commander of the 4517th Combat Crew Training Squadron, also at Luke Air Force Base.

Whisner (left) shakes his hand with Maj. Van Chandler.Korea 1952-1953

After completing Vietnamese Language School, he served as an Operations Staff Officer with Headquarters 2nd Air Division at Tan Son Nhut Air Base in the Republic of Vietnam from October 1963 to October 1964, followed by service on the staff of Pacific Air Forces at Hickam Air Force Base from October 1964 to October 1967, during the Vietnam War. He made several deployments to Southeast Asia, but did not fly any missions during the war.

Whisner then served as Chief of the Fighter Division with Headquarters Tactical Air Command at Langley Air Force Base from October 1967 to June 1969.

He was commander of the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, from February 1970 to March 1971. Whisner retired from the Air Force at Kirtland Air Force Base on July 31st, 1972.

Later life and death

After retiring as a colonel, he lived quietly in his home state of Louisiana with his wife. Whisner died at his home in Alexandria, Louisiana on July 21st, 1989, from complications following being stung by a yellow jacket.

His remains were cremated and scattered into the Red River near Shreveport, his birthplace.

Whisner being interviewed in 1987- By Wade Meyers

Aerial victory credits

• January 29th, 1944   1  Fw 190 Namur, Belgium P-47D 487 FS, 352 FG
• May 29th, 1944    1 Fw 190 Güstrow, Germany P-51B 487 FS, 352 FG
• May 30th, 1944   0.5  Bf 109 Magdeburg, Germany P-51B 487 FS, 352 FG
• November 2nd, 1944     1 Bf 109 Merseburg, Germany P-51D 487 FS, 352 FG
• November 21st, 1944  6 Fw 190 Merseburg, Germany P-51D 487 FS, 352 FG
• November 27th, 1944   2 Bf 109 Hameln, Germany P-51D 487 FS, 352 FG
• January 1st, 1945   2  Fw 190 Liège, Belgium P-51D 487 FS, 352 FG
• January 1st, 1945   2  Bf-109 Liège, Belgium P-51D 487 FS, 352 FG
• November 8th, 1951   1 MiG-15 Sukchon, North Korea North American F-86A Sabre 334 FIS, 4 FIG
• November 9th, 1951   1 MiG-15 Sinuiju, North Korea F-86A 334 FIS, 4 FIW
• January 6th, 1952   1 MiG-15 North Korea North American F-86E Sabre 25 FIS, 51 FIW
• January 11th, 1952   1 MiG-15 North Korea F-86E 25 FIS, 51 FIW
• February 20th, 1952   0.5 MiG-15 Uiju, North Korea F-86E 25 FIS, 51 FIW
• February 23rd, 1952   1 MiG-15 North Korea F-86E 25 FIS, 51 FIW

Awards and decorations

Whisner received numerous awards and decorations for his services

• Distinguished Service Cross with two bronze oak leaf clusters
• Silver Star
• Distinguished Flying Cross with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters
• Bronze Star Medal
• Air Medal with two silver oak leaf clusters
• Air Force Commendation Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster
• Air Force Presidential Unit Citation
• American Campaign Medal
• European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four bronze campaign stars
• World War II Victory Medal
• National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star
• Korean Service Medal
• Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
• Vietnam Service Medal with two bronze service stars
• Air Force Longevity Service Award with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters
• Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
• Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Award
• United Nations Service Medal for Korea
• Vietnam Campaign Medal
• Republic of Korea War Service Medal

Distinguished Service Cross citation (1st Award)

Whisner Jr., William T.
Captain, U.S. Army Air Forces
487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group, 8th Air Force

Date of Action: November 21st, 1944

Citation:

Captain (Air Corps) William T. Whisner Jr., United States Army Air Forces, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a P-51 Fighter Airplane in the 487th Fighter Squadron, 352d Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force, in aerial combat against enemy forces on 21st November 1944, during an air mission in the European Theater of Operations. On that date, Captain Whisner led a flight of P-51s on an escort mission to Merseburg, Germany. As the bombers left their target, a large formation of enemy fighters struck. In a linked series of attacks, Whisner shot down four Fw 190s in the cover flight and probably got another. With no more than two Fw 190s left in the cover flight he had attacked, Whisner turned his attention to the main enemy formation, exploding an Fw 190 that had not dropped its belly tank. Evading three Fw 190s on his tail, he shot down another that was closing on one of his pilots. Whisner was credited with five Fw 190s and two probables that day. His score later was revised by the Air Force Historical Research Center to six destroyed, making that day one of the best for any USAAF pilot in the skies over Europe. Captain Whisner’s unquestionable valor in aerial combat is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the 8th Air Force, and the United States Army Air Forces.

Distinguished Service Cross citation (2nd Award)

Whisner Jr., William T.
Captain, U.S. Army Air Forces
487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group, 8th Air Force
Date of Action: January 1, 1945

Citation:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9th, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Distinguished Service Cross to Captain (Air Corps) William T. Whisner Jr., United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a P-51 Fighter Airplane in the 487th Fighter Squadron, 352d Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force, and as flight leader in a squadron of twelve fighter aircraft taking off on a patrol, 1st January 1945. On this date, as his plane left the ground, Captain Whisner observed 30 hostile fighters preparing to strafe the field. Disregarding the enemy’s great superiority in numbers and position, and without waiting to form up with his flight, Captain Whisner attacked alone. In the engagements that followed his aircraft was hit and badly damaged, but determined to defend the field he pressed his attack and destroyed four enemy aircraft. Only after the enemy had been completely dispersed did Captain Whisner halt his pursuit. The extraordinary heroism and determination to destroy the enemy displayed by Captain Whisner on this occasion reflect highest credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.

Distinguished Service Cross citation (3rd Award)

Whisner Jr., William T.
Major, U.S. Air Force
25th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing, 5th Air Force
Date of Action: February 23rd, 1952

Citation:

The President of the United States of America, under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved July 9th, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting a Second Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Third Award of the Distinguished Service Cross to Major William T. Whisner Jr., United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving as a Pilot with the 25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing, Fifth Air Force, in action against enemy forces in the Republic of Korea on 23rd February 1952. On that date Major Whisner destroyed an enemy MiG-15 aircraft attacking an F-86 piloted by a member of his own group. Major Whisner flew to the immediate aid of the pilot in the face of the enemy’s great numerical superiority. With an expertly executed maneuver, he attacked the MiG-15 which was pressing full attack on the friendly aircraft and forced the enemy to break away. As Major Whisner bore in to deter the enemy action, another MiG-15 swept down on his tail and began lobbing shells at his aircraft. In spite of the imminent danger of losing his own life, Major Whisner continued to force the first MiG-15 to break away, and, in the face of overwhelming odds, destroyed the enemy aircraft. The downed MIG-15 raised Major Whisner’s record of enemy aircraft destruction to five and one-half and established him as the seventh jet ace of the Korean campaign.

Recently imported from the United States, 1944 P-51 Mustang ‘Moonbeam McSwine’ joins the Biggin Hill fleet for experience flights with flyaspitfire.com

Corgi Aviation Archive 1/72nd scale P-51D Mustang ‚’Moonbeam McSWINE’ and F-86E Sabre – Eleanor ‚CHRISTINE  both flown by William T. ‘Bill’ Whisner Jr.

Corgi Aviation Archive 1/72nd scale North American P-51D Mustang ‚’Moonbeam McSWINE’ Capt. William T. ‘Bill’ Whisner Jr. and North American F-86E Sabre – Eleanor ‚CHRISTINE / William T. ‘Bill’ Whisner Jr.

Check two of the latest Corgi Aviation Archive 1/72nd scale releases available to pre-order vrom Flying Tigers. Please click on the images/links below to order your now.

AA27709 Corgi Aviation Archive 1/72nd scale North American P-51D Mustang ‚’Moonbeam McSWINE’ Capt. William T. ‘Bill’ Whisner Jr  RRP £60.00  Flying Tigers only £53.99 SAVE £6.01

AA35817 Corgi Aviation Archive 1/72nd scale North American F-86E Sabre – Eleanor ‚CHRISTINE / William T. ‘Bill’ Whisner Jr  RRP £60.00  Flying Tigers only £53.99 SAVE £6.01

Thank you for reading this week’s Newsletter.

Richard
Flying Tigers.

The post William T. Whisner Jr. , Corgi Aviation Archive Updates and Hobbymaster Offer of the Week Sale! appeared first on Flying Tigers.

Hans-Joachim Marseille

Hans-Joachim Walter Rudolf Siegfried Marseille (13th December 1919 – 30th September 1942) was a German fighter pilot during World War II. A flying ace, he is noted for his aerial battles during the North African Campaign. All but seven of his 158 claimed victories were against the British Desert Air Force over North Africa. No other pilot claimed as many Western Allied aircraft as Marseille.

Marseille joined the Luftwaffe, in 1938. At the age of 20 he participated in the Battle of Britain, without notable success. As a result of poor discipline, he was transferred to another unit (JG 27), which relocated to North Africa in April 1941.

Under the guidance of his new commander, Marseille quickly developed his abilities as a fighter pilot. He reached the zenith of his career on 1st September 1942, when during the course of three combat sorties he claimed 17 Allied aircraft. For this he received the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. A month later, Marseille was killed in a flying accident after his aircraft suffered engine failure. Forced to abandon his fighter, Marseille struck its vertical stabiliser and was either killed instantly or incapacitated and unable to open his parachute.

Hans-Joachim “Jochen” Walter Rudolf Siegfried Marseille was born to Charlotte (maiden name: Charlotte Marie Johanna Pauline Gertrud Riemer) and Hauptmann Siegfried Georg Martin Marseille, a family with paternal Huguenot ancestry, in Berlin-Charlottenburg Berliner Strasse 164 on 13th December 1919 at 11:45 pm. As a child, he was physically weak, and he nearly died from a serious case of Influenza. His father Siegfried was an Army officer during World War I, and later left the armed forces to join the Berlin Police force. Siegfried later rejoined the Army in 1933, and was promoted to General in 1935. Promoted again, he attained the rank of Generalmajor on 1st July 1941. He served on the Eastern Front from the beginning of Operation Barbarossa. Siegfried Marseille was killed by partisans near Pietrykaŭ, Belarus on 29th January 1944. He was buried in the local cemetery. Hans-Joachim also had a younger sister, Ingeborg “Inge”. While on sick leave in Athens at the end of December 1941, he was summoned to Berlin by a telegram from his mother. Upon arriving home, he learned his sister had been slain by a jealous lover while living in Vienna. Hans-Joachim never recovered emotionally from this blow.

When Marseille was still a young child his parents divorced and his mother subsequently married a police official named Reuter. Marseille initially assumed the name of his stepfather at school (a matter he had a difficult time accepting) but he reverted to his father’s name of Marseille in adulthood. He acquired the reputation of being a rebel from a lack of discipline, a characteristic that plagued him early on in his Luftwaffe career. Marseille also had a difficult relationship with his natural father whom he refused to visit in Hamburg for some time after the divorce. Eventually he attempted a reconciliation with his father, who subsequently introduced him to the nightlife that was to initially hamper his military career during his early years in the Luftwaffe. However, the rapproachment with his father did not last and he did not see him again thereafter.

Marseille attended the 12th Volksschule Berlin (1926–1930), and from the age of 10, the Prinz Heinrich Gymnasium in Berlin-Schöneberg (1930–1938). He was considered to be a lazy student at first, and was constantly playing pranks and getting into trouble. Toward the end of his school years he started to take his education more seriously and qualified as one of the youngest (at 17 years, six months) to achieve his Abitur, graduating in early 1938. Marseille then expressed his desire to become a “flying officer.”

Prinz Heinrich Gymnasium

Although not athletic in physique, Marseille received a good report for a term with the Reichsarbeitsdienst (“State Labour Service”) Abtlg. 1/177 in Osterholz-Scharmbeck near Bremen, between 4th April and 24th September 1938.

He joined Luftwaffe on 7th November 1938, as a Fahnenjunker (officer candidate) and received his military basic training in Quedlinburg in the Harz region. On 1st March 1939 Marseille was transferred to the Luftkriegsschule 4 (LKS 4—air war school) near Fürstenfeldbruck. Among his classmates was Werner Schröer. Schröer reports that Marseille was often in breach of military discipline. Consequently, Marseille was ordered to stay on base while his classmates were on weekend leave. Quite frequently Marseille ignored this and left Schröer a note: “Went out! Please take my chores.” On one occasion, while performing a slow circuit, Marseille broke away and performed an imaginary weaving dogfight. He was reprimanded by his commanding officer, Hauptmann Mueller-Rohrmoser, and taken off flying duties and his promotion to Gefreiter postponed. Soon after, during a cross-country flight, he landed on a quiet stretch of Autobahn (between Magdeburg and Braunschweig) and ran behind a tree to relieve himself. Some farmers came to enquire if he needed assistance, but by the time they arrived Marseille was on his way, and they were blown back by his slipstream. Infuriated, the farmers reported the matter and Marseille was again suspended from flying.

Herbert Ihlefeld.

Marseille completed his training at Jagdfliegerschule 5 (Fighter Pilot School #5, then under the command of Eduard Ritter von Schleich in Wien-Schwechat to which he was posted on 1st November 1939. One of his instructors’ was the Austro-Hungarian World War I ace Julius Arigi. Marseille graduated from Jagdfliegerschule 5 with an outstanding evaluation on 18th July 1940 and was assigned to Ergänzungsjagdgruppe Merseburg, stationed at the airport in Merseburg-West. Marseille’s unit was assigned to air defence duty over the Leuna plant from the outbreak of war until the fall of France.

On 10th August 1940 he was assigned to I. Jagd/Lehrgeschwader 2, based in Calais-Marck, to begin operations over Britain and again received an outstanding evaluation this time by his Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur, Herbert Ihlefeld.

In his first dogfight over England on 24th August 1940, Marseille was involved in a four-minute battle with a skilled opponent while flying Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3 W.Nr. 3579. He defeated his opponent by pulling up into a tight chandelle, to gain an altitude advantage before diving and firing. The British fighter was struck in the engine, pitching over and diving into the English Channel; this was Marseille’s first victory. Marseille was then engaged from above by more Allied fighters. By pushing his aircraft into a steep dive then pulling up metres above the water, Marseille escaped from the machine gun fire of his opponents: “skipping away over the waves, I made a clean break. No one followed me and I returned to Leeuwarden [sic—Marseille was based near Calais, not Leeuwarden].” The act was not praised by his unit. Marseille was reprimanded when it emerged he had abandoned his wingman, and staffel to engage the opponent alone. In so doing, Marseille had violated a basic rule of air combat. Marseille did not take any pleasure in this victory and found it difficult to accept the realities of aerial combat.

Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3

On his second sortie on 2nd September 1940 he scored his second victory, LG2 were over Sheerness in combat with Spitfires of 74 Sqn. It was during one of these engagements Marseille was hit by enemy fire and headed back towards the French coast where he belly landed at Calais-Marck. After belly landing W.Nr. 3579 was recovered by the Bergebattalion and transported to the Erla factory at Antwerp for repair, after which it was issued to JG77. W.Nr. 3579 still flys today and is currently residing at the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar near Bromley, United Kingdom. By the 15th September 1940 Marseille had claimed his fourth victory. Marseille became an ace on 18th September after claiming a fifth aircraft shot down. While returning from a bomber-escort mission on 23 September 1940 flying Werk Nummer (W.Nr) 5094, his engine failed 10 miles off Cap Gris Nez after combat damage sustained over Dover. Pilot Officer George Bennions from 41 Squadron may have shot Marseille down. According to another source, W.Nr 5094 was destroyed in this engagement by Robert Stanford Tuck, who had pursued a Bf 109 to that location and whose pilot was rescued by a Heinkel He 59 naval aircraft. Marseille is the only German airman known to have been rescued by a He 59 on that day and in that location. Tuck’s official claim was for a Bf 109 destroyed off Cap Gris Nez at 09:45—the only pilot to submit a claim in that location.

Marseille tried to radio his position but was forced to bail out over the sea. He paddled around in the water for three hours before being rescued by the float plane based at Schellingwoude. Severely worn out and suffering from exposure, he was sent to a field hospital. I.(Jagd)/LG 2 claimed three aerial victories for the loss of four Bf 109s that day. Marseille was in serious trouble when arriving back at the airfield. He had abandoned his leader Staffelkapitän Adolf Buhl, who was shot down and killed. He received a stern rebuke and final warning from Herbert Ihlefeld, during which he tore up his flight evaluations with a visibly upset Marseille looking on. Other pilots were voicing their dissent concerning Marseille. Because of his alienation of other pilots, his arrogant and unapologetic nature, Ihlefeld would eventually dismiss Marseille from LG 2.

Another account recalled how Marseille once ignored an order to turn back from a fight when outnumbered by two to one, but seeing an Allied aircraft closing on his wing leader, Marseille broke formation and shot the attacking aircraft down. Expecting congratulations when he landed, his commander was critical of his actions, receiving three days of confinement for failing to carry out an order. Days later, Marseille was passed over for promotion and was now the sole Fähnrich in the Geschwader. This was a humiliation for him, suspecting that his abilities were being suppressed so the squadron leaders could take all the glory in the air.

Shortly afterwards, in early October 1940, after having claimed seven aerial victories all them flying with I.(Jagd)/LG 2 Marseille was transferred to 4./Jagdgeschwader 52, flying alongside the likes of Johannes Steinhoff and Gerhard Barkhorn. He wrote off four aircraft as a result of operations during this period. Steinhoff, later recalled:

“Marseille was extremely handsome. He was a very gifted pilot, but he was unreliable. He had girl friends everywhere, and they kept him so busy that he was sometimes so worn out that he had to be grounded. His sometime irresponsible way of conducting his duties was the main reason I fired him. But he had irresistible charm.”

Marseille claimed his 7th aerial victory on 28 September 1940 but had to crash land near Théville due to engine failure. Bf 109 E-7; W.Nr. 4091

As punishment for “insubordination”—rumoured to be his penchant for American jazz music, womanising and an overt “playboy” lifestyle—and inability to fly as a wingman, Steinhoff transferred Marseille to Jagdgeschwader 27 on 24th December 1940. When he joined his new unit, it was difficult to foresee his outstanding career. His new Gruppenkommandeur, Eduard Neumann, later recalled, “His hair was too long and he brought with him a list of disciplinary punishments as long as your arm. He was tempestuous, temperamental and unruly. Thirty years later, he would have been called a playboy.” Nevertheless, Neumann quickly recognised Marseille’s potential as a pilot. He stated in an interview: “Marseille could only be one of two, either a disciplinary problem or a great fighter pilot.”  Jagdgeschwader 27 was soon relocated to North Africa.

Eduard Neumann

Marseille’s unit briefly saw action during the invasion of Yugoslavia, deployed to Zagreb on 10th April 1941, before transferring to Africa. On 20th April on his flight from Tripoli to his front airstrip Marseille’s Bf 109 developed engine trouble and he had to make a forced landing in the desert short of his destination. His squadron departed the scene after they had ensured that he had got down safely. Marseille continued his journey, first hitchhiking on an Italian truck, then, finding this too slow; he tried his luck at an airstrip in vain. Finally he made his way to the General in charge of a supply depot on the main route to the front, and convinced him that he should be available for operations next day. Marseille’s character appealed to the General and he put at his disposal his own Opel Admiral, complete with chauffeur. “You can pay me back by getting fifty victories, Marseille!” were his parting words. Nevertheless he caught up with his squadron and arrived on 21st April.

He scored two more victories on 23rd and 28th April, his first in the North African Campaign. However, on 23rd April, Marseille himself was shot down during his third sortie of that day by Sous-Lieutenant James Denis a Free French pilot with No. 73 Squadron RAF (8.5 victories), flying a Hawker Hurricane. Marseille’s Bf 109 received almost 30 hits in the cockpit area, and three or four shattered the canopy. As Marseille was leaning forward the rounds missed him by inches. Marseille managed to crash-land his fighter. Just a month later, records show that James Denis shot down Marseille again on 21st May 1941. Marseille engaged Denis, but overshot his target. A turning dogfight ensued, in which Denis once again bested Marseille.

Sous-Lieutenant James Denis

Neumann (Geschwaderkommodore as of 10th June 1942) encouraged Marseille to self-train to improve his abilities. By this time, he had crashed or damaged another four Bf 109E aircraft, including a tropicalised aircraft he was ferrying on 23rd April 1941. Marseille’s kill rate was low, and he went from June to August without a victory. He was further frustrated after damage forced him to land on two occasions: once on 14th June 1941 and again after he was hit by ground fire over Tobruk and was forced to land blind.

His tactic of diving into opposing formations often found him under fire from all directions, resulting in his aircraft being damaged beyond repair; consequently, Eduard Neumann was losing his patience. Marseille persisted, and created a unique self-training programme for himself, both physical and tactical, which resulted not just in outstanding situational awareness, marksmanship and confident control of the aircraft, but also in a unique attack tactic that preferred a high angle deflection shooting attack and shooting at the target’s front from the side, instead of the common method of chasing an aircraft and shooting at it directly from behind. Marseille often practiced these tactics on the way back from missions with his comrades. Marseille became known as a master of deflection shooting.

As Marseille began to claim Allied aircraft regularly, on occasion he organised the welfare of the downed pilot personally, driving out to remote crash sites to rescue downed Allied airmen. On 13th September 1941 Marseille shot down Pat Byers of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) No. 451 Squadron. Marseille flew to Byers’ airfield and dropped a note informing the Australians of his condition and treatment. He returned several days later to second the first note with news of Byers’ death. Marseille repeated these sorties after being warned by Neumann that Göring had forbade any more flights of this kind. After the war, Marseille’s JG 27 comrade Werner Schröer stated that Marseille attempted these gestures as “penance” for a group that “loved shooting down aircraft” but not killing a man; “we tried to separate the two. Marseille allowed us that escape, our penance I suppose.”

Finally on 24th September 1941, his practice came to fruition, with his first multiple victory sortie, claiming four Hurricanes of No. 1 Squadron, South African Air Force (SAAF). By mid December, he had reached 25 victories and was awarded the German Cross in Gold. His Staffel was rotated to Germany in November/December 1941 to convert to the Bf 109F-4/trop, the variant that was described as the Experten (experts) “mount.” These victories represented his 19–23rd victory.

Marseille’s service men, Hoffmann (left) and Berger, cleaning the bore of one of the cannons of a Bf 109. “Yellow 14” W.Nr. 8673 can be seen in the background.

Marseille always strove to improve his abilities. He worked to strengthen his legs and abdominal muscles, to help him tolerate the extreme g forces of air combat. Marseille also drank an abnormal amount of milk and shunned sunglasses, to improve his eyesight.

To counter German fighter attacks, the Allied pilots flew “Lufbery circles” (in which each aircraft’s tail was covered by the friendly aircraft behind). The tactic was effective and dangerous as a pilot attacking this formation could find himself constantly in the sights of the opposing pilots. Marseille often dived at high speed into the middle of these defensive formations from either above or below, executing a tight turn and firing a two-second deflection shot to destroy an enemy aircraft. The successes Marseille had begun to become readily apparent in early 1942. He claimed his 37–40th victories on 8th February 1942 and 41–44th victories four days later which earned him the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross that same month for 46 victories.

Marseille’s service men, Hoffmann (left) and Berger, cleaning the bore of one of the cannons of a Bf 109. “Yellow 14” W.Nr. 8673 can be seen in the background.

Marseille attacked under conditions many considered unfavourable, but his marksmanship allowed him to make an approach fast enough to escape the return fire of the two aircraft flying on either flank of the target. Marseille’s excellent eyesight made it possible for him to spot the opponent before he was spotted, allowing him to take the appropriate action and manoeuvre into position for an attack.

In combat, Marseille’s unorthodox methods led him to operate in a small leader/wingman unit, which he believed to be the safest and most effective way of fighting in the high-visibility conditions of the North African skies. Marseille “worked” alone in combat keeping his wingman at a safe distance so he would not collide or fire on him in error.

In a dogfight, particularly when attacking Allied aircraft in a Lufbery circle, Marseille would often favour dramatically reducing the throttle and even lowering the flaps to reduce speed and shorten his turn radius, rather than the standard procedure of using full throttle throughout. Emil Clade said that none of the other pilots could do this effectively, preferring instead to dive on single opponents at speed so as to escape if anything went wrong. Clade said of Marseille’s tactics:

Hans-Joachim Marseille standing next to one of his aerial victories, a Hurricane Mk IIB of No. 213 Squadron RAF, February 1942

Marseille developed his own special tactics, which differed significantly from the methods of most other pilots. (When attacking a Lufbery circle) he had to fly very slowly. He even took it to the point where he had to operate his landing flaps as not to fall down, because, of course he had to fly his curve (turns) more tightly than the upper defensive circle. He and his fighter were one unit, and he was in command of that aircraft like no-one else.

Friedrich Körner (36 victories) also recognised this as unique: “Shooting in a curve (deflection shooting) is the most difficult thing a pilot can do. The enemy flies in a defensive circle, that means they are already lying in a curve and the attacking fighter has to fly into this defensive circle. By pulling his aircraft right around, his curve radius must be smaller, but if he does that, his target disappears in most cases below his wings. So he cannot see it anymore and has to proceed simply by instinct.”

His success as a fighter pilot also led to promotions and more responsibility as an officer. 1st May 1942 saw him receive an unusually early promotion to Oberleutnant followed by appointment to Staffelkapitän of 3./JG 27 on 8th June 1942, thus succeeding Oberleutnant Gerhard Homuth who took command of I./JG 27.

In a conversation with his friend Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt, Marseille commented on his style, and his idea of air-to-air combat:

I often experience combat as it should be. I see myself in the middle of a British [sic] swarm, firing from every position and never getting caught. Our aircraft are basic elements, Stahlschmidt, which have got to be mastered. You’ve got to be able to shoot from any position. From left or right turns, out of a roll, on your back, whenever. Only this way can you develop your own particular tactics. Attack tactics, that the enemy simply cannot anticipate during the course of the battle – a series of unpredictable movements and actions, never the same, always stemming from the situation at hand. Only then can you plunge into the middle of an enemy swarm and blow it up from the inside.

Curtiss Kittyhawks (Mk I)

Marseille had a narrow escape on 13th May 1942, when his Bf 109 was damaged during a dogfight with 12 Curtiss Kittyhawks (Mk I) from No. 3 Squadron RAAF, southeast of Gazala and over the Gulf of Bomba (“Gazala Bay”). With a wingman, Marseille bounced the Kittyhawks. After he downed one of the Australian pilots, Flying Officer Graham Pace in AL172, Marseille’s Bf 109 took hits in the oil tank and propeller, likely from Flying Officer Geoff Chinchen, who reported damaging one of the Messerschmitts. Marseille nevertheless managed to shoot down another Kittyhawk (Sergeant Colin McDiarmid; AK855), before nursing his overheating aircraft back to base. The repairs to Marseille’s Bf 109 took two days. The aerial victories were recorded as numbers 57–58.

Weeks later, on 30th May, Marseille performed another mercy mission after witnessing his 65th victory—Pilot Officer Graham George Buckland of No. 250 Squadron RAF—strike the tail plane of his fighter and fall to his death when the parachute did not open. After landing he drove out to the crash site. The P-40 had landed over Allied lines but they found the dead pilot within German territory. Marseille marked his grave, collected his papers and verified his identity, then flew to Buckland’s airfield to deliver a letter of regret. Buckland died two days before his 21st birthday.

His attack method to break up formations, which he perfected, resulted in a high proportion of kills, and in rapid, multiple victories per attack. On 3rd June 1942, Marseille attacked alone a formation of 16 Curtiss P-40 fighters and shot down six aircraft of No. 5 Squadron SAAF, five of them in six minutes, including three aces: Robin Pare (six victories), Cecil Golding (6.5 victories) and Andre Botha (five victories). This success inflated his score further, recording his 70–75th victories. Marseille was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 6th June 1942. His wingman Rainer Pöttgen, nicknamed Fliegendes Zählwerk the (“Flying Counting Machine”), said of this fight:

All the enemy were shot down by Marseille in a turning dogfight. As soon as he shot, he needed only to glance at the enemy plane. His pattern [of gunfire] began at the front, the engine’s nose, and consistently ended in the cockpit. How he was able to do this not even he could explain. With every dogfight he would throttle back as far as possible; this enabled him to fly tighter turns. His expenditure of ammunition in this air battle was 360 rounds (60 per aircraft shot down).Schröer, did however, place Marseille’s methods into context:

He was the most amazing and ingenious combat pilot I ever saw. He was also very lucky on many occasions. He thought nothing of jumping into a fight outnumbered ten to one, often alone, with us trying to catch up to him. He violated every cardinal rule of fighter combat. He abandoned all the rules.

On 17th June 1942, Marseille claimed his 100th aerial victory. He was the 11th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.] Marseille then returned to Germany for two months leave and the following day was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. On 6th August, he began his journey back to North Africa accompanied by his fiancée Hanne-Lies Küpper. On 13th August, he met Benito Mussolini in Rome and was presented with the highest Italian military award for bravery, the Medaglia d’Oro al Valor Militare. While in Italy Marseille disappeared for some time prompting the German authorities to compile a missing persons report, submitted by the Gestapo head in Rome, Herbert Kappler. He was finally located. According to rumours he had run off with an Italian girl and was eventually persuaded to return to his unit. Unusually, nothing was ever said about the incident and no repercussions were visited upon Marseille for this indiscretion.

Leaving his fiancée in Rome, Marseille returned to combat duties on 23rd August. 1st September 1942 was Marseille’s most successful day, claiming to destroy 17 Allied aircraft (nos. 105–121), and September would see him claim 54 victories, his most productive month. The 17 aircraft claimed included eight in 10 minutes; as a result of this feat, he was presented with a Volkswagen Kübelwagen by a Regia Aeronautica squadron, on which his Italian comrades had painted “Otto” (Italian language: Otto = eight). This was the most aircraft from Western Allied air forces shot down by a single pilot in one day. Only one pilot, Emil “Bully” Lang, on 4th November 1943, would better this score, against the Soviet Air Force on the Eastern Front.

Squadron Leader James Francis Edwards, DFC and Bar, Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar, DFM, of North Battleford, Saskatchewan, top-scoring Canadian fighter pilot of the RAF Desert Air Force during the African campaign, and veteran of two tours, who has returned to Britain from Canada. The stocky Westerner’s score of 13 1/2 enemy aircraft destroyed is rendered particularly noteworthy because he made his name on the obsolescent KittyHawks against the much faster ME 109’s and FW 190’s.

On 3rd September 1942 Marseille claimed six victories (nos. 127–132) but was hit by fire from the British-Canadian ace James Francis Edwards. Der Adler, a biweekly propaganda magazine published by the Luftwaffe, also reported his actions in volume 14 of 1942. Marseille was made famous through propaganda that treated fighter pilots as superstars. He regularly signed postcards with his image. Aside from Der Alder, his exploits were published in Die Berliner, Illustrierte, Zeitung and Die Wehrmacht.

Three days later Edwards likely killed Günter Steinhausen, a friend of Marseille. The next day, 7th September 1942, another close friend Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt was posted missing in action. These personal losses weighed heavily on Marseille’s mind along with his family tragedy. It was noted he barely spoke and became more morose in the last weeks of his life. The strain of combat also induced consistent sleepwalking at night and other symptoms that could be construed as posttraumatic stress disorder. Marseille never remembered these events.

Marseille continued scoring multiple victories throughout September, including seven on 15th September (nos. 145–151). Between 16th and 25th September, Marseille failed to increase his score due to a fractured arm, sustained in a force landing soon after the 15 September mission. As a result, he had been forbidden to fly by Eduard Neumann. But the same day, Marseille borrowed the Macchi C.202 ’96–10′ of the Italian ace Tenente Emanuele Annoni, from 96a Squadriglia, 9° Gruppo, 4° Stormo, based at Fuka, for a test flight. But the one-off flight ended in a wheels-up landing, when the German ace accidentally switched the engine off, as the throttle control in Italian aircraft was opposite to that of the German aircraft.

Macchi C.202

Marseille had nearly surpassed his friend Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt’s score of 59 victories in just five weeks. However, the massive material superiority of the Allies meant the strain placed on the outnumbered German pilots was now severe. At this time, the strength of German fighter units was 112 (65 serviceable) aircraft against the British muster of some 800 machines. Marseille was becoming physically exhausted by the frenetic pace of combat. After his last combat on 26 September, Marseille was reportedly on the verge of collapse after a 15-minute battle with a formation of Spitfires, during which he scored his seventh victory of that day.

Of particular note was Marseille’s 158th claim. After landing in the afternoon of the 26th September 1942, he was physically exhausted. Several accounts allude to his Squadron members being visibly shocked at Marseille’s physical state. Marseille, according to his own post-battle accounts, had been engaged by a Spitfire pilot in an intense dogfight that began at high altitude and descended to low-level. Marseille recounted how both he and his opponent strove to get onto the tail of the other. Both succeeded and fired but each time the pursued managed to turn the table on his attacker. Finally, with only 15 minutes of fuel remaining, he climbed into the sun. The RAF fighter followed and was caught in the glare. Marseille executed a tight turn and roll, fired from 100 metres range. The Spitfire caught fire and shed a wing. It crashed into the ground with the pilot still inside. Marseille wrote, “That was the toughest adversary I have ever had. His turns were fabulous… I thought it would be my last fight”. Unfortunately the pilot and his unit remain unidentified.
Marseille flew Bf 109 E-7 aircraft and Bf 109F-4/Z aircraft.

Bf 109 G-2/trop

The two missions of 26th September 1942 had been flown in Bf 109 G-2/trop, in one of which Marseille had shot down seven Allied aircraft. The first six of these machines were to replace the Gruppe’s Bf 109 Fs. All had been allocated to Marseille’s 3 Staffel. Marseille had previously ignored orders to use these new aircraft because of its high engine failure rate, but on the orders of Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring, Marseille reluctantly obeyed. One of these machines, WK-Nr. 14256 (Engine: Daimler-Benz DB 605 A-1, W.Nr. 77 411), was to be the final aircraft Marseille flew.

Over the next three days Marseille’s Staffel was rested and taken off flying duties. On 28th September Marseille received a telephone call from Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel asking to return with him to Berlin. Hitler was to make a speech at the Berlin Sportpalast on 30th September and Rommel and Marseille were to attend. Marseille rejected this offer, citing that he was needed at the front and had already taken three months’ vacation that year. Marseille also said he wanted to take leave at Christmas, to marry his fiancée Hanne-Lies Küpper.

On 30th September 1942, Hauptmann Marseille was leading his Staffel on a Stuka escort mission covering the withdrawal of the group and relieving the outward escort, III./Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53), which had been deployed to support JG 27 in Africa. Marseille’s flight was vectored onto Allied aircraft in the vicinity but the opponent withdrew and did not take up combat. Marseille vectored the heading and height of the formation to Neumann who directed III./JG 27 to engage. Marseille heard 8./JG 27 leader Werner Schröer claim a Spitfire over the radio at 10:30.While returning to base, his new Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2/trop’s cockpit began to fill with smoke; blinded and half asphyxiated, he was guided back to German lines by his wingmen, Jost Schlang and Lt Rainer Pöttgen. Upon reaching friendly lines, “Yellow 14” had lost power and was drifting lower and lower. Pöttgen called out after about 10 minutes that they had reached the White Mosque of Sidi Abdel Rahman, and were thus within friendly lines. At this point, Marseille deemed his aircraft no longer flyable and decided to bail out, his last words to his comrades being “I’ve got to get out now, I can’t stand it any longer”.

Eduard Neumann was personally directing the mission from the command post:

I was at the command post and listening to the radio communication between the pilots. I realised immediately something serious had happened; I knew they were still in flight and that they were trying to bring Marseille over the lines into our territory and that his aircraft was emitting a lot of smoke.

His Staffel, which had been flying a tight formation around him, peeled away to give him the necessary room to manoeuvre. Marseille rolled his aircraft onto its back, the standard procedure for bail out, but due to the smoke and slight disorientation, he failed to notice that the aircraft had entered a steep dive at an angle of 70–80 degrees and was now travelling at a considerably faster speed (about 640 km/h (400 mph)). He worked his way out of the cockpit and into the rushing air only to be carried backwards by the slipstream, the left side of his chest striking the vertical stabiliser of his fighter, either killing him instantly or rendering him unconscious to the point that he could not deploy his parachute. He fell almost vertically, hitting the desert floor 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) south of Sidi Abdel Rahman. As it transpired, a gaping 40 cm (16 in) hole had been made in his parachute and the canopy had spilled out, but after recovering the body, the parachute release handle was still on “safe,” revealing Marseille had not even attempted to open it. Whilst checking the body, Oberarzt Dr Bick, the regimental doctor for the 115th Panzergrenadier-Regiment, noted Marseille’s wristwatch had stopped at exactly 11:42 am. Dr. Bick had been the first to reach the crash site, having been stationed just to the rear of the forward mine defences, he had also witnessed Marseille’s fatal fall. In his autopsy report, Dr. Bick stated:

“The pilot lay on his stomach as if asleep. His arms were hidden beneath his body. As I came closer, I saw a pool of blood that had issued from the side of his crushed skull; brain matter was exposed. I turned the dead pilot over onto his back and opened the zipper of his flight jacket, saw the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (Marseille never actually received the Diamonds personally) and I knew immediately who this was. The paybook also told me.”

The wreckage of Werknummer 14 256, 30 September 1942; the vehicle in the background marks the spot where Marseille’s body landed.

Oberleutnant Ludwig Franzisket collected the body from the desert. Hans-Joachim Marseille lay in state in the Staffel sick bay, his comrades coming to pay their respects throughout the day. As a tribute they put on the record “Rhumba Azul” that he had enjoyed listening to; it played over and over until the close of day. Marseille’s funeral took place on 1st October 1942 at the Heroes Cemetery in Derna with Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring and Eduard Neumann delivering a eulogy.

An enquiry into the crash was hastily set up. The commission’s report (Aktenzeichen 52, Br.B.Nr. 270/42) concluded that the crash was caused by damage to the differential gear, which caused an oil leak. Then a number of teeth broke off the spur wheel and ignited the oil. Sabotage or human error was ruled out. The aircraft, W. Nr. 14256, was ferried to the unit via Bari, Italy. The mission that ended in its destruction was its first mission.

JG 27 was moved out of Africa for about a month because of the impact Marseille’s death had on morale. The deaths of two other German aces, Günter Steinhausen and Marseille’s friend Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt, just three weeks earlier reduced spirits to an all-time low. One biographer suggests these consequences were instigated by a failure in the command style of Marseille, although it was not entirely within his control. The more success Marseille had, the more his staffel relied on him to carry the greater share of aerial victories claimed by the unit. So his death, when it came, was something which JG 27 had seemingly not prepared for.

Historians Hans Ring and Christopher Shores also point to the fact that Marseille’s promotions were based on personal success rates more than any other reason, and other pilots did not get to score air victories, let alone become Experten themselves. They flew support as the “maestro showed them how it was done”, and often “held back from attacking enemy aircraft to build his score still higher”. As a result there was no other Experten to step into Marseille’s shoes if he was killed. Eduard Neumann explained:

“This handicap [that very few pilots scored] was partially overcome by the morale effect on the whole Geschwader of the success of pilots like Marseille. In fact most of the pilots in Marseille’s staffel acted in secondary role as escort to the “master”.”

Marseille’s impact on Allied fighter pilots and their morale is unclear. Andrew Thomas quoted Pilot Officer Bert Houle of No. 213 Squadron RAF; “He was an extremely skilled pilot and a deadly shot. It was a helpless feeling to be continually bounced, and to do so little about it.” Robert Tate, on the other hand, is skeptical Allied pilots would have been familiar, asking, “How well was Marseille known to DAF personnel in the Desert? Apparently not so well. Although there is little indication that some Allied pilots may have heard of Marseille, this information did not readily make its way down to Allied Squadrons. Fanciful stories abound of how pilots knew of one another and hoped to duel with each other in the skies. This was more than likely not the case.”

Some serious discrepancies between Allied squadron records and German claims have caused some historians and Allied veterans to question the accuracy of Marseille’s official victories, in addition to those of JG 27 as a whole. Attention is often focused on the 26 claims made by JG 27 on 1st September 1942, of which 17 were claimed by Marseille alone. Another biographer, Franz Kurowski, claims that 24 of the 26 victories were verified through Allied records after the war. A USAF historian, Major Robert Tate states: “for years, many British historians and militarists refused to admit that they had lost any aircraft that day in North Africa. Careful review of records however do show that the British [and South Africans] did lose more than 17 aircraft that day, and in the area that Marseille operated.” Tate also reveals 20 RAF single-engined fighters and one twin engined fighter were destroyed and several others severely damaged, as well as a further USAAF P-40 shot down. However, overall Tate reveals that Marseille’s kill total comes close to 65–70 percent corroboration, indicating as many as 50 of his claims may not have been actually kills. Tate also compares Marseilles rate of corroboration with the top six P-40 pilots. While only the Canadian James Francis Edwards’ records shows a verification of 100 percent other aces like Clive Caldwell (50% to 60% corroboration), Billy Drake (70% to 80% corroboration), John Lloyd Waddy (70% to 80% corroboration) and Andrew Barr (60% to 70% corroboration) are at the same order of magnitude as Marseille’s claims. Christopher Shores and Hans Ring also support Tate’s conclusions. British historian Stephen Bungay gives a figure of 20 Allied losses that day.

However, the claims for 15th September 1942 are in serious doubt, following the first detailed scrutiny of the records of individual Allied squadrons by Australian historian Russell Brown. Moreover, Brown lists three occasions on which Marseille could not have downed as many aircraft as claimed.

Stephan Bungay has pointed out the low military value of shooting down DAF fighters, rather than the bombers that, by mid-1942, were having a highly damaging effect on Axis ground units and convoy routes. Referring to 1st September 1942, Bungay points out that even if Marseille shot down 15 of the 17 he claimed that day, “the rest of the 100 or so German fighter pilots between them only got five. The British [sic] lost no bombers at all… During this period the DAF lost only a few bombers, but all fell to anti-aircraft defences and evidence shows that Rommel was forced onto the defensive because of the losses inflicted by bombers.

Bf 109 G-2 painted with markings of Marseille’s aircraft on display at the Museu TAM in São Carlos, Brazil

Corgi Aviation Archive 1/32nd scale Messerschmitt Bf 109F-4 (Trop) ‘Yellow 14’ Hans Joachim Marseille

Of the 130 most successful air aces in history, all but one flew with the Luftwaffe during the Second World War, with an incredible 107 achieving 100 or more aerial victories. Among this elite group, one name stands above the rest according to his peers: Hans Joachim Marseille. Despite a troubled start to his career, marked by disciplinary issues and a playboy reputation, Marseille would become the highest scoring Luftwaffe ace not having fought on the Eastern Front. Deployed to North Africa, Marseille flourished under fighter leader Eduard Neumann, who recognised exceptional talent in the young pilot. With the desert offering none of his usual distractions, Marseille perfected the art of deflection shooting and became a master of aerial combat. His victory tally climbed rapidly, with multiple kills on single missions earning him the legendary title ‘Star of Africa’. The Messerschmitt Bf 109F ‘Friedrich’ was his favoured mount, which he regarded as the perfect fighting machine. Between 24th August and 25th September 1942, he scored at least 49 victories in this aircraft type, including an extraordinary 17 kills in a single day, a feat that remains unmatched in aerial warfare history.

Please click on the image/ link below to go straight to the model page top order your now.

AA34910 Corgi Aviation Archive 1/32nd scale Messerschmitt Bf 109F-4 (Trop) ‘Yellow 14’ Hans Joachim Marseille  RRP £150.00  Flying Tigers only £134.99 SAVE £15.01

Thank you for reading this week’s Newsletter.

Richard

Flying Tigers.

The post Hans-Joachim Marseille . Hobbymaster New Model Arrivals, Updated Photos, & Zoukei-Mura Kit Pre-orders. appeared first on Flying Tigers.

XL426 as part of the RAF Vulcan Display Flight in May 1985 (By Mike Freer – Touchdown-aviation)

Avro Vulcan XL426 is one of three remaining taxiable Avro Vulcan strategic bombers, the other two being XH558 and XM655. It has been owned and maintained by the Southend-on-Sea-based registered charity the Vulcan Restoration Trust since 1993 and carries out regular taxi runs at London Southend Airport. It served with the Royal Air Force from 1962 to 1986.

History

XL426 was part of the first batch of 24 Avro Vulcans ordered by the Royal Air Force on 25th February 1956.  It was built at Avro’s Chadderton and Woodford plants, like other Vulcans, and was the 44th of 88 Vulcan B2s built. Its first flight was on 23rd August 1962, from Woodford Aerodrome, which lasted 1 hour and 35 minutes.

Royal Air Force

XL426 entered service with the Royal Air Force on 13th September 1962, initially in 83 Squadron. The aircraft had the pennant of senior RAF commander John Slessor painted on the side of its nose. On 10th September 1963, Slessor flew XL426 from CFB Goose Bay in Labrador, Canada to RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, England in 4 hours and 5 minutes, an unofficial pre-Concorde Atlantic crossing speed record.

From April 1964, following a reorganisation of how aircraft were assigned to squadrons, XL426 was rotated between all squadrons at RAF Scampton (which was termed the “Scampton Wing”). This lasted until January 1971. XL426 was equipped with the nuclear missile Blue Steel until 1969, when the nuclear deterrent role was passed on to the Royal Navy.

From 1971 to 1981, XL426 mostly served with 617 Squadron but also served briefly with 27 Squadron and 230 Operational Conversion Unit. It was the 298th and last Vulcan to undergo a major service at RAF St Athan in 1981. At the end of the same year, XL426 was transferred to 50 Squadron at RAF Waddington, ultimately the last Vulcan squadron. The aircraft was also painted to its current green and grey camouflage livery around this time. XL426 took part in the Falklands Victory Flypast over London on 12th October 1982 (though it hadn’t taken part in the war). Following the retirement of the Vulcan in 1984, XL426 was converted to a crew trainer.

XL426 gave dozens of display flights from 1984 to 1986 as part of the Vulcan Historical Flight (later Vulcan Display Flight). However, as its flying hours were running out before needing a major service, its role as a display flight aircraft was transferred to XH558, which had been retrieved from a fire dump at RAF Marham. XL426’s final display flight was on 14th June 1986.

After service

XL426 was put up for sale in the summer of 1986, and after a failed deal with a French consortium, it was eventually sold to businessman Roy Jacobsen of Croydon, who had purchased another Vulcan, XM655, two years prior. The aircraft was delivered to London Southend Airport on 19th December 1986 (which would be its final flight) and became registered as a civilian aircraft on 7th July 1987, as G-VJET. It was flown to Southend as a result of a tentative agreement with local maintenance company HeavyLift Aircraft Engineering to maintain the aircraft. Jacobsen had plans to continue operating both aircraft for display flights and had formed an organisation called the Vulcan Memorial Flight. However, the funds could not be found, and the aircraft sat dormant at London Southend Airport, while XM655 sat dormant at Wellesbourne Mountford Airfield in Warwickshire. By its last flight, XL426 had made 1,891 flights and amassed 6,236 hours of flying time. During this time, XL426 was parked on the main apron of London Southend Airport and later the grass beside the apron, in full view of the terminal. In 1991, it was moved to the northern end of the airport’s disused runway, out of public view.

In March 1990, local enthusiasts formed the Vulcan Memorial Flight Supporters Club (VMFSC) to support Jacobsen’s plans and help maintain the aircraft. Jacobsen eventually transferred ownership of the aircraft to the VMFSC in July 1993, which reformed as the Vulcan Restoration Trust (VRT) and gained registered charity status in 1996. The VRT adopted the secondary goal of having XL426 operate as a taxi-only aircraft for display, should the main goal of airworthiness fail.

Vulcan XL426 taxiing at Southend Airport in September 2021 (By Dgriffs426 – Own work)

The aircraft underwent major servicing and in 1994 was repainted for the first time since leaving the RAF. In 1995, it was moved to a purpose-built pan by the railway line on the airport’s eastern perimeter, where it was more visible to the public. On 7th October 1995, XL426 performed its first taxi run since moving to Southend. In spring 1997, it performed its first public high-speed taxi run on the main runway, during an airport open weekend. The VRT ultimately abandoned its goal of restoring the aircraft to airworthy condition and instead focussed on maintaining the aircraft in taxiable condition.

XL426 performed regular taxi displays from 1995 to 2005 at Southend Airport open days. The aircraft was repainted again in 2000–2001. In August 2005, the VRT suspended the aircraft’s public taxi runs to carry out more major servicing works, which were termed the “Return to Power” programme. The aircraft carried out taxi runs in 2006 and October 2008. It was repainted in 2011–2014, with the obscured insignia of Squadrons 617 and 50 re-added on opposite sides of the tail fin.  More taxi runs were carried out in April 2012, July 2014, June 2015, July 2016, December 2017, December 2018, November 2019 (which was the first carried out for the public since the 2005 suspension), December 2020, June 2021, September 2021, May 2022 and, for its 60th anniversary, August 2022. In 2023, XL426 began conducting more regular taxi runs in May (often termed the “Twilight Taxi-Run”) and September (often termed the “Summer Taxi-Run”) each year. The VRT continues to run ‘Visit the Vulcan’ days as of 2025, in which visitors can get an up-close look at the aircraft. The Trust aims to keep the aircraft in taxiable condition until at least around 2034.

XL426 arriving in Hangar 6

In 2017, the aircraft spent a brief period indoors, inside Hangar 6 at Southend Airport, before having to vacate the building to allow Air Livery to relocate there following a fire in their hangar elsewhere on the Airport. From then until late 2022, XL426 was parked outside Hangar 5. Air Livery’s fire-damaged hangar was repaired, and the company vacated Hangar 6, which lay empty for a period. During 2022, the Vulcan Restoration Trust negotiated terms with the Airport resulting in XL426 being towed back into Hangar 6 on 15th October 2022 following an extensive refurbishment of the space carried out and funded by Vulcan Restoration Trust volunteers.

XL426 arriving in Hangar 6 (By Dgriffs426 – Own work) 

Corgi Aviation Archive 1/72nd scale Avro Vulcan B2 XL426 (The Vulcan Restoration Trust)

The Avro Vulcan remains one of the most spectacular and cherished British aircraft ever to take to the skies. XL426 served as the RAF’s Vulcan Display Flight aircraft, thrilling millions at airshows across the nation before being deemed ‘no longer required’ and sold to a private buyer in 1986. Her final flight was a brief 20-minute delivery hop from RAF Scampton to Southend Airport, where she has resided ever since under the dedicated stewardship of the Vulcan Restoration Trust.

In March 1997, XL426 performed her first fast taxi demonstration along Southend’s main runway, an event that has since become a phenomenon among aviation enthusiasts. These high-speed runs offer a rare ‘living’ Vulcan experience, with the thunderous roar of her engines drawing spectators from across the country.

Even holidaymakers aboard modern Airbus jets pause to watch in awe as this magnificent delta-winged bomber trumpets down the runway, a testament to the enduring affection the British public holds for this remarkable aircraft.

Please click on the image / link below to go straight to the model page to order your now.

AA27207 Corgi Aviation Archive 1/72nd scale Avro Vulcan B2 XL426 (The Vulcan Restoration Trust)  RRP £200.00 Flying Tigers only £179.99

---

 

 

Flying Tigers Offer of the Week AND *FREE U.K. Postage! *(Terms & conditions apply) Check out Flying Tigers Offer of the Week!  All models are Brand New models Mint in Box. If you want any of these models be quick to get yours as stocks are limited. OFFER ENDS SUNDAY 31ST MAY 23.00 B.S.T. Standard UK delivery only £4.95 (click here for details) * FREE U.K. POSTAGE only when you buy 2 or more models from the offer below at the same time. Postage will be refunded at the point of dispatch.  While stocks last! Flying Tigers will also consolidate your orders to save on postage costs across all brands ! Please click on the images / links below to go to the model of your choice or CLICK HERE to see all models in the Sale.

HSP1004 Hobbymaster 1/700th scale Sea Power USS Yorktown (CG-48) Ticonderoga Class Guided Missile Cruiser SALE PRICE: £49.99 incl VAT (RRP £76.00, SAVING £26.01)

HA3590 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F/A-18C Hornet “VFA-15 Retro TAC Demo Jet” 164718, US Navy VFA-106 Gladiators, March 2017 SALE PRICE: £44.99 incl VAT (RRP £98.00, SAVING £53.01)

HA5140B Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F/A-18E Super Hornet “Dagger Team” (w/decals for 01, 105, 410 airplanes) SALE PRICE: £54.99 incl VAT (RRP £110.00, SAVING £55.01)

HA6724 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Tornado IDS “Holloman AB” 46+04, German AF Flight Training Centre (FlgAusbZLw), 2007 SALE PRICE: £54.99 incl VAT (RRP £102.00, SAVING £47.01)

HA4544 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-15A Eagle 76-0111, 318th FIS, USAF (with ASM-135 missile) SALE PRICE: £54.99 incl VAT (RRP £114.00, SAVING £59.01)

HA0115 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale MiG-21MF “Polish Air Force” 9111, 3 ELT, Poznan-Kresiny, Poland, 2002 SALE PRICE: £44.99 incl VAT (RRP £88.00, SAVING £43.01)

HA4326 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Sabre Mk. 6 23622, 430 Squadron, RCAF, 1950s SALE PRICE: £44.99 incl VAT (RRP £84.00, SAVING £39.01)

HA6627 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Eurofighter Typhoon 30+78, Luftwaffe, 2021 (with 4 x GBU-48) SALE PRICE: £54.99 incl VAT (RRP £100.00,SAVING £45.01)  SORRY SOLD OUT

HA38052 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Lockheed F-16 MLU 755, Chilean Air Force SALE PRICE: £49.99 incl VAT (RRP £98.00, SAVING £48.01)

HA9614 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Rafale EC 151, Croatian Air Force, France, 2024 (w/6 x GBU-12, 6 x AASM “Hammer”, 4 x MICA) SALE PRICE: £54.99 incl VAT (RRP £110.00, SAVING £55.01)

HA19099 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-4F Phantom II “50 Years of Phantom” 37+14, Luftwaffe, 2008 SALE PRICE: £49.99 incl VAT (RRP £104.00, SAVING £54.01)

HA5511 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale P-40N Warhawk “Geronimo!” Lt. Bruce Campbell, 45th FS, Dec., 1943 SALE PRICE: £34.99 incl VAT (RRP £76.00, SAVING £41.01)

HA1120 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Grumman F6F-5 “Blue Angels” No.2 airplane, US Navy, 1946 SALE PRICE: £26.99 incl VAT (RRP £80.00, SAVING £53.01)

HA19062 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-4C Phantom II 64-0676, 45th TFS, Ubon, Thailand, 1965 SALE PRICE: £54.99 incl VAT (RRP £104.00, SAVING £49.01)

HL2025 Hobbymaster 1/200th scale Douglas C-54Q Skymaster 56501, US Navy Test Pilot School, 1973 SALE PRICE: £34.99 incl VAT (RRP £70.00, SAVING £35.01)

SM1012 Skymax 1/72nd scale F8F-1B Bearcat Blue Angels US Navy, 1946 season (with decals for 1 to 5 airplanes) SALE PRICE: £34.99 incl VAT (RRP £76.00, SAVING £18.01)

HA7211 Hobbymaster 1/48th scale Grumman F9F-5 201/125584, VF-192 “Golden Dragon”, USS Oriskany SALE PRICE: £59.99 incl VAT (RRP £112.00, SAVING £52.01)

HA5254 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Grumman F-14B “Last Gypsy Roll” 161860, VF-32 “Swordsmen”, NAS Oceana, September 2005 SALE PRICE: £74.99 incl VAT (RRP £132.00, SAVING £57.01)

HH1219 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale AH-64D Apache “Tyrone Biggums” 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, US Army, June 2018 to Mar. 2019 “Atlantic Resolve” SALE PRICE: £54.99 incl VAT (RRP £100.00, SAVING £45.01)

HA4438 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Lockheed F-35A Lightning II J-6024, Swiss Air Force, 2023 SALE PRICE: £54.99 incl VAT (RRP £106.00, SAVING £51.01)

HA7858 Hobbymaster 1/48th scale Spitfire Mk. Vb AD572, F/O Frantisek Perina, No. 312 Sqn., Spring 1942 SALE PRICE: £44.99 incl VAT (RRP £90.00, SAVING £45.01)  SORRY SOLD OUT

HA3581 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C 163702, VMFA-112 “Cowboys”, US Marines, 2020 SALE PRICE: £49.99 incl VAT (RRP £104.00, SAVING £54.01)  SORRY SOLD OUT

HA3368 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-5F Tiger II M29-15, No. 12 Skn, TUDM, 1980s SALE PRICE: £34.99 incl VAT (RRP £94.00, SAVING £59.01)

HA38017 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Lockheed F-16B “Top Gun” 04 Centennial of Naval Aviation 2011 SALE PRICE: £49.99 incl VAT (RRP £110.00, SAVING £60.01)

HA6519 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Mikoyan MiG-29A Fulcrum 231st FS, Cuban Revolutionary Air Force, San Julian Air Base, 1997 SALE PRICE: £39.99 incl VAT (RRP £109.00, SAVING £59.01)

Standard US delivery from only £22.00 (click here for details) European tracked delivery from only £16.00 (click here for details) Rest of World tracked delivery from only £25.00 (click here for details)

---

 

Hobbymaster Updated Photos!                   Check out the Hobbymaster updated photos on models and which are available to pre-order from Flying Tigers today. Don’t forget NO DEPOSIT necessary with Flying Tigers and if you order with your debit or credit card (not PayPal) your payment is not taken until your model is available to dispatch.   Please click on the images / links below to go to the model of your choice, or CLICK HERE to see them all in the Future Military Model Releases section.

HA4449 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Lockheed F-35A Lightning II FL010, Belgian Air Force, Florennes AB, 13.Oct.2025 (w/ 2 x B61 nuclear bomb) PRICE: £67.99 incl VAT (RRP £94.00, SAVING £26.01)

HA4448 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Lockheed F-35A “1000th Lightning II” 22-5696, 176th FS, Wisconsin ANG, August 2004 (w/ 2 x B61 nuclear bomb) PRICE: £69.99 incl VAT (RRP £96.00, SAVING £26.01)

HA3035 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-111C Aardvark A8-129, No.1 Sqn., RAAF, 2007 PRICE: £85.99 incl VAT (RRP £118.00, SAVING £32.01)  SORRY SOLD OUT AT PRE-ORDER

HA3036 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-111C Aardvark “Farewell scheme” A8-129, No.1 Sqn., RAAF, Dec 2010 PRICE: £85.99 incl VAT (RRP £118.00, SAVING £32.01)

HA6730 Hobbymaster  1/72nd scale Tornado IDS MM7074, Italian Air Force, Al Dhafra AB, 1991 PRICE: £72.99 incl VAT (RRP £100.00, SAVING £27.01)

HA6731 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Tornado GR.1 7507, 75th Sqn., RSAF, Coningsby AB, 2013 PRICE: £72.99 incl VAT (RRP £100.00, SAVING £27.01)

HA5814 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale YF-117 Nighhawk 79-10782, 410th FTS, Edwards, 2005 PRICE: £85.99 incl VAT (RRP £118.00, SAVING £32.01)

HA6213 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-35C Lightning II 169034, VFA-125, 2022 PRICE: £75.99 incl VAT (RRP £104.00, SAVING £28.01)

HA33015 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale CF-5D Freedom Fighter 116807, 419 Sqn., RCAF, ca.1979 PRICE: £61.99 incl VAT (RRP £86.00, SAVING £24.01)

HA6733 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Tornado ECR “NATO Tiger Meet 2025” 46+38, TAW 51 “Immelmann”, Beja AB, 2025 PRICE: £72.99 incl VAT (RRP £100.00, SAVING £27.01)

HA2852 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-23 “Su-57 Aggressor Scheme” Blue 054, 65th AGRS, Nellis AFB (what if scheme) PRICE: £92.99 incl VAT (RRP £128.00, SAVING £35.01)

HA5718 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Su-35S Flanker E Red 05/RF-93809, Russian Air Force, 2025 (w/Khibiny-U ECM pods) PRICE: £89.99 incl VAT (RRP £124.00, SAVING £34.01)

HA0004 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale MiG-21PFM 5040, 921st Fighter Regiment, Vietnam AF, Dec 1972 PRICE: £59.99 incl VAT (RRP £84.00, SAVING £24.01)

HA0003 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale MiG-21bis 115th GIAP, Soviet VVS, Bagram AB, Afghanistan 1980 SORRY, SOLD OUT AT PRE-ORDER

HA19085 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F-4B Phantom 150476, VMFA-323, US Marines, 1967 PRICE: £69.99 incl VAT (RRP £100.00, SAVING £30.01)

HA3596 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F/A-18C Hornet “Swiss Tiger 2025” J-5002, Swiss Air Force PRICE: £72.99 incl VAT (RRP £100.00, SAVING £27.01)

HA1622 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale Mirage 2000-5F Ukranian Air Force, 2025 (w/no. 1 & 2 planes decal) PRICE: £75.99 incl VAT (RRP £104.00, SAVING £28.01)

HA1343 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale A-10C Thunderbolt II “Maryland Farewell” 79-0104, 104 FS, Maryland ANG, Sept 2025 PRICE: £76.99 incl VAT (RRP £106.00, SAVING £29.01)

HA6025 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale J-11A “Falcon Strike 2015” 11230, PLAAF, Korat Thai AFB, 2015 PRICE: £87.99 incl VAT (RRP £122.00, SAVING £34.01)   ONLY 1 LEFT!

HA8228 Hobbymaster 1/48th scale F4U-4 Corsair BuNo 97380, Capt. Phillip C. Delong, VMF-312, USS Bataan, April 1951 PRICE: £72.99 incl VAT (RRP £100.00, SAVING £27.01)

HA8768 Hobbymaster 1/48th scale BF 109G-5 “Walter Dahl” W.Nr.27112, 3./JG 54, Russia, Dec 1943 PRICE: £57.99 incl VAT (RRP £80.00, SAVING £22.01)

HA8767 Hobbymaster 1/48th scale BF 109G-6 “Capt. Constantin Cantacuzino” W.Nr.166133, Italy, 27th August 1944 PRICE: £57.99 incl VAT (RRP £82.00, SAVING £24.01)

HA8414 Hobbymaster 1/48th scale P-47D Thunderbolt “Tarheel Hal” Lt. ‘Ike’ David, 366 FS, 358 FG, May, 1945  SORRY, SOLD OUT AT PRE-ORDER

HH1223 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale AH-64E Apache “The Australian Army” A64-601, 1st Aviation Rgt., RAAF Townsville, 2025 PRICE: £67.99 incl VAT (RRP £94.00, SAVING £26.01)    ONLY I LEFT!

HH1223B Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale AH-6E Longbow A64-601, 1st Aviation Regiment, The Australian Army PRICE: £67.99 incl VAT (RRP £94.00, SAVING £26.01)  SORRY SOLD OUT AT PRE-ORDER

HH1224 Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale AH-64E “Apache” Q-37, 301 Sqn., RNLAF, 2024 PRICE: £67.99 incl VAT (RRP £94.00, SAVING £26.01)   ONLY I LEFT!

Standard UK delivery only £4.95 (click here for details) Flying Tigers will also consolidate your U.K. orders to save on postage costs across all brands for only £7.00 (click here for details) Flying Tigers will also consolidate your orders to save on postage costs across all brands ! Please click on the images / links below to go to the model of your choice, or CLICK HERE to see them all in the Future Military Model Releases section.

---

 

Thank you for reading this week’s Newsletter.

Richard. Flying Tigers.