FABBRI Edition

Series – Air Combat Collection

by ITALERI

AG-P-001 – MESSERSCHMITT Bf 109 E “Emils”

JG 26 “Schlageter” III./JG 26 “Yellow 16”

June 1940 – August 22, 1940, Gruppenkommandeur Adolf Galland “Dolfo” *

Die-cast

Scale – 1/100

Condition – stock, in sealed original blisterpack

20% discount (adjusted price $9.59) will apply if purchased along with any other aircraft model from my inventory (same or higher value).  Price adjustment will be processed before your credit card will be charged.

Additional savings on S&H with a combine shipment, on average additional model will add only $1-2 to the S&H per model.

Model presented as the plane flown by Adolf Galland in June – August 1940.

Please note that wing mounted guns (separete parts) were not attached to the model when I made a picture.

Fabbri is international publishing company that among many other line of products in recent years sales different collectibles along with its magazines.  Models that are distributed under Fabbri name in fact produced by different model makers depend on the collection theme.

Models were distributed in some European countries, New Zealand and in Japan.

On some markets models were distributed under DeAgostini brand name.  Fabbri didn’t export their models beyond countries where they have their own distribution system.

These models were exported from Europe where they were purchased from independent dealer. 

Air Combat Collection

“The collection covers all the most important warplanes of World War 2, the Cold War and the present day. …  1:100 scale die-cast model warplane or helicopter. All the models are intricately detailed with accurate and historically correct camouflage and markings”

It appears that models from ‘Air Combat Collection’ made of famous C.D.C. Armour Collection tooling and presented in the liveries that were available in their original collection.

The main difference is on C.D.C. branded models weapons were attached to the model while Fabbri models have weapons packed along with a model in a blisterpack and need to be attached.  And of cause packaging, instead of display case it is a blisterpack. 

Please note that C.D.C. models retailed around $30.00 and now retails up to $40.00

After C.D.C. was purchased by Franklin Mint 1/100 Collection was produced in limited quantity and now by my best knowledge is discontinued.  I believe these models were price in a range of $25.00.

Adolf Galland March 19, 1912 – February 9, 1996 was born at Westrholt.  He was a WW II German fighter pilot and commander of Germany’s fighter force from 1941 to1945.  He flew 705 missions and scored 103 kills.  All his aerial victories were against the Western Allies.  He was one of only 27 recipients of the highest German military decoration. 

His military service began in 1933 and saw his first combat during the Spanish Civil War where he first use a Mickey Mouse figure as a personal emblem.  By the beginning of the WW II Galland was promoted to Hauptman (Captain) and took a part of the Invasion of Poland flying a bi-plane ground attack plane.  On September 1, 1939 he was transferred to the fighter unit.  He scored his first aerial victory on May 12, 1940 and by the end of the French campaign he had 14 victories.  In June 1940 Galland was assigned as the Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG  26 and in July he was promoted to major.  In August 1940 Galland became the third fighter pilot to receive the Titterkreuz. On August 22, Galland became Geschwaderkommodore of JG 26.  On September 25 he was awarded the Eichnlaub to the Ritterkreuz for 40 kills and by the end of 1940 he had 58 victories.  He was promoted to Oberstleutnant (lieutenant-colonel).  JG 26 under Galland command become very effective unit.  June 21, 1941 was a very difficult day for Galland.  On that day he was first shop up and had to crash land and in the afternoon shot down and bailing out.   At the same month he received the Schwrter (Swords) award to the Ritterkreuz.  He was almost killed on July 2, 1941 when a 20mm shell from a Spitfire hit his plane.  An armor plate installed just days prior saved his life this event.  In November 1941, following his 94^th official victory he was chosen by Herman Goring to succeed Werner Molders as the commander of Germany’s fighter force as General der Jagdflieger.  In November 1942 he was promoted to Generalmajor and become the youngest officer to attain General rank in Germany.

In 1942 he flew an early prototype of Me 262 that become the world’s first operational jet fighter and become a strong supporter of this aircraft. 

With the war progressing Galland openly and consistently criticized his superiors and in January 1945 he was relived of his command and put unter house arrest following the “Righter Pilots Revolt”.  After that he was returned to frontline duties in disgrace and initially was assigned to command a Staffel of JG 54 that at that time was located at the Courland pocket.  But he never took this command but was tasked to form JV 44 in March 1945.  He was allowed to hand pick high scored German Aces to re-train and fly Me 262.   Flying Me 262 in March – April 1945 Galland scored sever victories (all American planes including two heavy bombers).  Galland last flight was on April 26, 1645 when during the dogfight with an America P-47 “Thunderbolt” he was wounded.  The command was transferred to Heinz Bar.   Galland was captured by the US Army on May 14, 1945 and was a prisoner of war until 1947.   His first job after captivity was to lecture on tactics for Britain’s Royal Air Force.  

The Jagdgeschwader 26 (JG 26)“Schlageter”  This unit was formed from I. And II./JG 132 that was stationed in area of the Rhineland that was reoccupied by Germans in 1936.  The unit was adopted by locals and was named after the local hero nationalist Albert Leo Schlageter who had been shot by the French in 1923.  French political policy didn’t allow to sale any coal to Germans therefore locals didn’t have any coal to warm their homes and protested against this policy.  Schlageter attempted to destroy railroad line that was used by French to transport coal back to France.  Thus he becomes a local hero. 

JG 26 took part in the Battle of France.  During this campaign JG 26 to help with identification painted yellow undrnoses of their Me 109, with some planes had their entire cowling painted in yellow.  JG 26 claimed 160 French and British aircrafts shot down with their losses of 17 pilots killed. During the Battle of Britain Geschwader claimed 285 fighters shot down with its own losses of 76 planes and 45 pilots killed and 29 prisoners of war.  After the Battle of Britain end and until the most of 1942 only two single seat fighter planes units left to defend west coast.  JG 2 “Richthofen” and JG 26 Schlageter that had their main based at Abbeville in Northern France (Jul. 1940-Sep. 1941) but their plains flew out of this airfield from 1940 till 1944, and such it was known as “The Abbeville Boys” by British or “The Abbeville Kids” by Americans who flew against them.   The unit was armed with Messerschmitt Bf 190E known for allies as Me 109E (May 1939 – September 1941) in fall 1941 it got Bf 109F and by the late 1942 group I. And II. were converted to Fw 190A and in late 1944 to Fw 190D.  However, conversion of III. Group stopped soon after it started and for the rest of the war it was equipped with different versions of Bf 109 (Me 109)  JG 26 fought the war on the West European Theatre.  In February 1941 7./JG 26 participated in the Mediterranean theater against Malta were the unit was extremely successful claming 52 victories without losing a single plane.  JG 26 was very effective during the Allies Dieppe Raid during which allies aircrafts outnumbered Germans 3 to 1 but RAF claims 50 victories (Germans sad 48) for lost of their own 106 aircraft.  Germans claimed 97 kills of which JG 26 claimed 38.  Out of 23 German fighters lost 7 were belong to JG 26 and out 14 pilots killed 6 from JG 26.    In early 1943 JG was ordered to replace JG 54 on the Northern Eastern Front I./JG 26 and 7./JG 26 were transferred in January but plans were changed soon and I./JG 26 was back to France by early June and 7./JG 26 in July.  11 pilots were killed on the Eastern Front with some 199 Soviet Air Force aircraft had been claimed shot down.  For the rest of the war JG 26 spend on the Western Front.  It fought against constantly increasing allies bombing.  It flew the bulk of the 172 sorties by the Luftwaffe Fighter arm on D-Day, for comparison Allies Air Forces flew 14,000 sorties the same day.   After Allies landing in Normandy JG 26 flew intensively over battlefields.  Overwhelming Allied air superiority inflicted heavy loses on all German units and by late summer only few experienced pilots remained with the unit with majority of pilots fresh out of school with less than 180 hours flying experience.   Still in July they shot down 30 planes with their own loses of 20 pilots killed and 16 injured, in August claimed 76 kills but suffering the highest lost over one month of 40 pilots killed in action plus 6 in accidents and 20 injured.  By this time they had only 56 aircrafts left.  JG 26 saw heavy combat during the Operation Market Garden. In November 1944 II Gruppe was re-equip with new improved Fw 190 D “Dora”.

In 1945 JG 26 took a part in Operation Bodenplatte that happened during the Battle of the Bulge.  During the operation 1,035 German aircraft were deployed, including about 900 fighters and fighter-bombers, attacking Allied airfields as soon as weather improved hopping to cripple Allies air forces in Low Countries of Europe.  Though they scored a total of 465 Allied aircraft damaged or destroyed and most of the targeted airfields remained out of action up to two weeks following the attack Luftwaffe own losses were severe.  They lost 304 aircraft, including 277 fighters or fighter-bombers (of which 84 were lost to friendly fire) and 238 pilots killed, missing or captured and 18 pilots wounded, including three Geschwadrkommodoren, six Gruppekommandeuren and 11 Staffelkapitane.  Though based on Allied aircraft losses it could be considered as a sucses for Luftwaffe for a long-term it was a failure.  While Allies losses were soon replaced for Luftwaffe planes and pilots were irreplaceable.

Though JG 26 inflicted heavy loses on attacked airfields their own loses were severe II. and III./JG 26 lost 17 aircrafts and I./JG 26 that attacked different targets along with III./JG 54 sustained heavy loses including many to friendly fire.  For the rest of the war JG 26 provided support that it could for German Armies defending the Northern Sector of the Western Front but due to chronic shortages of fuel and equipment it wasn’t very effective.

After war researches suggest that JG 26 claimed some 2,726 planes shot down.  Depends on source loses of JG 26 a slightly different the highest that I found are  631 pilots killed in action and 132 in accidents, some 67 were shot down and become prisoners of war, other suggests 701 combat lost (killed, missing or taken prisoners) and 121 pilots killed in accidents.  

Please note that many sources providing information about Luftwaffe units will count victories in aircrafts but at the same time count German’s loses by killed pilots.  Taking in consideration that many pilots survived after losing number of planes such comparison in my opinion is inappropriate creating a picture of much superior German pilots.