Messerschmitt Bf 109: The Yugoslav Story

Опис

Several variants of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 roamed the skies over the Balkans for fourteen years in the hands of Yugoslav, German, Italian, Hungarian, Romanian and Bulgarian aviators, yet its role in Yugoslav aviation history remained in the shadow of its exploits in other areas of Europe. Breaking with many fallacies and misconceptions, this volume tells in detail the story of the epic German fighter in an forgotten arena, a side show to major theatres, but nonetheless one of the bloodiest and most atrocious battlefields of the Second World War. It covers the acquisition and service of the most modern fighter in the inventory of the Royal Yugoslav Air Force, the dominance of the Luftwaffe Bf 109 units during the April War in 1941 against an ill-prepared and poorly led, but nonetheless brave and courageous adversary; their renewed deployment over, by then, a frightful battlefield, melting under the might of the Allied air offensive. Illustrated with 37 aircraft profiles and 231 photographs, many of which are published for the first time, this book represents the result of decades of painstaking research. It is drawn from extensive archival sources, numerous interviews and personal recollections, as well as privately-owned documents and artifacts from Serbia, Germany, Croatia, Slovenia, United Kingdom, United States, Belgium, Hungary, Romania, Italy, Bulgaria, Russia, France, Austria, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

196 pages
231 photographs
37 aircraft profiles

Contents:
Chapter 1: Royal Emils
The Land of the South Slavs 7
An Air Force in Despair 8
Hard Talk 8
Fragile Peace 20
Tumult in the Balkans 37
Pact or War 43
Luftwaffe Gearing Up 48

Chapter 2: Bloody April
Black Dawn 53
On the Adriatic Front 59
Battle for Belgrade 60
Fight in the North 71
Defense Melting 73
Breakdown 81
Stage Closing 90
Zemun Interlude 97
The April War Aftermath 99

Chapter 3: The Wild Battlefield
Bandengebiet 101
On the Reich’s Southern Flank 103
At the Crossroads 110
Mounting Pressure 119
Spring Attrition 125
Defenses Fading Away 144
New Foes on the Horizon 151
Over Batina Bridgehead 154
Up Until the Last Plane Flying 156

Chapter 4: Camouflage and Markings
Vazduhoplovstvo Vojske Kraljevine Jugoslavije 159
Luftwaffe 163

Endnotes 169

Appendix 1: VVKJ Bf 109E-3a Production Numbers Pool 171

Appendix 2: Roster of VVKJ Bf 109E-3a & IK-3 Units in the
Defense of Belgrade, 6 April 1941 171

Appendix 3: VVKJ Fighter Claims, April War 1941 (Provisional) 172

Appendix 4: VVKJ 6.LP Combat Log, 6 – 12 April 1941 173

Appendix 5: Luftflotte 4, Order of Battle for Bf 109E Units,
5 April 1941 176

Appendix 6: Known Claims by Luftwaffe Bf 109 Units Over
Yugoslavia 1941 – 1945 177

Appendix 7: Known Luftwaffe Bf 109 Losses in Yugoslav Campaign and in Yugoslavia 1941 – 1945 182

Appendix 8: Approximate Comparison of Ranks 186

Abbrevations 187
Selected Bibliography 187
Selected Archival Funds and Documents 188
Selected Internet Sources 188

Messerschmitt Bf 109 in Color 189