A blog exclusive - a (very low res) view of the rudder scoreboard kill markings on Friedrich-Karl Müller's 1./NJGr 10 Moskito hunter "Red 2" during the late summer/autumn of 1944 and (above) amended profile artwork from Anders!
Since Anders Hjortsberg's original profile artwork was first published over ten years ago (!!) on this blog, Müller's Bf 109 G-6/AS "Red 2" can be found all over the net (..stolen by Laird at the asisbiz site needless to say..), has been the subject of model kits and even featured on kit box artwork. With one area of 'speculation' - the rudder. The original images made available to this blog did not show the rudder kill markings yet we assumed they were there since all of Müller's aircraft were reputed to feature a rudder scoreboard. And although this is only a poor quality (photo) copy it was well worth waiting for too - the Hakenkreuz is very unusually for a late war 109 painted right across the hinge line. The owner of the photo stated when he sent me this poor quality copy that the swastika was 'oversized' for better 'visibility' and this was why it encroached on the rudder. This is evidently not the case - the Hakenkreuz is not over-sized but it is strangely positioned as Ander's revised artwork below indicates. Still unusual - but not as unusual as it might have been!
Note the last but one bar in the bottom row is Müller's 24th victory returned on 23 August 1944 - his first and probably only Mosquito. The word 'Mosquito' (with English spelling) appears in the black stripe. Müller made six combat sorties in "Red 2" verifiable from his log book, before the machine was repainted in the ace's preferred 'Green 3' as Müller went to the 'new' Stab I./NJG 11 some time in September-October 1944 -according to his erster Wart. It may be that 'Red 2' had already become 'Green 3' by the time the above image was captured. Müller's 25th was claimed on 12 September (last victory bar above) and his 26th three months later on 4 December 1944.
When Hans Dittes restored his 'Black 2', a number of pictures of what was reported to be the original rudder from Müller's Bf 109 K-4 'Green 3' were published. Here the swastika must have been 'restored' to the fin as the rows of bars are neatly aligned ...and note the (German) spelling of 'Moskito'...
To conclude, a couple of links on this blog covering both this and another similar aircraft;
Bf 109 G-6/AS 'Red 2', 1./NJGr 10 Moskito hunter flown by Friedrich-Karl Müller during July-August 1944 - pictures and artwork here
'Green 5', the overall black Bf 109 G-6/AS of 2./Erg.JG 2, the Ergänzungsnachtjagdstaffel (night fighter auxiliary training unit) featured on this blog here
My 'history' feature on wilde Sau ace Friedrich-Karl Müller of JG 300 and NJG 11 complete with rare photos and first person accounts is available to read in the free 76-page November 2019 issue of Eduard INFO - download it here
