Early Gustav on Rhodes in early 1943 flown by Werner Schroer of 8./JG 27. Bundesarchiv images may be reproduced on non-commercial sites. Me 109 Group build currently taking place on Britmodeller.. People seem to go to the dreadful asisbiz pages for pictures when most of 'his' photos are bad copies of images that are available in much better quality on the BA web site. Many are beautifully reproduced in 'Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe' series, in this instance Teil 11/1. See pages 226-237 for several photos of Oblt. Schroer's G-2 trop and other 8./JG 27 machines on/over Rhodes and Crete. The Prien team concludes that the a/c are finished in their original two-colour scheme of 78/79 modified at the unit to suit local conditions, probably with 80. The spinner is black with 1/3 white.
From the 'official' caption;
" German fighter planes have now also landed on the island of Rhodes, close to the gates of Turkey, as part of the increased expansion of the individual bastions of the Axis front in the Mediterranean. The photos show the deployment of a Gruppe. The ground crew, who ensure that the Me 109s are always ready for take-off at the new operational field, also relocate with the fighters. The welcome from the Italian pilots was very warm and they were very interested to see the latest variant of Me 109. Location: Rhodes Island. The German airmen got on very well with their Italian comrades. There is a warm camaraderie. German and Italian air force soldiers are seen chatting next to a Messerschmitt Bf 109..."
