Bf 109F-4/trop "Lt. Hans-Joachim Marseille"
3./JG 27, North Africa, February 1942

Bf 109F-4/trop W.Nr. 8693 / Flown by Lt. Hans-Joachim Marseille, 3./JG 27, Luftwaffe / North Africa / February 1942.
This aircraft was flown by Lt. Hans-Joachim Marseille, a fighter ace with 158 kills to his credit. Marseille was awarded the Knight´s Cross with Swords, Oak Leaves and Diamonds as the recognition of his remarkable success. He was shooting down enemy aircraft at rapid rate with many multiple one-day victories. The German propaganda made use of it to make Marseille a star. The tale ended with Marseille´s death. He was killed in accident on September 30, 1942.
The camouflage of his aircraft consisted of RLM79 “Sandgelb” on the upper surfaces and RLM78 “Himmelblau” on the lower ones. The rudder was adorned with fifty kill marks (Abschussmarken) and appears to be oversprayed with a red-brown primer. Marseille achieved his 49th and 50th kills on February 21, 1942. His victims were two Kittyhawks.
The white-painted wingtips and fuselage band were Luftwaffe markings used on the aircraft flown in the Mediterranean theatre.