IL2

Messerschmitt Bf-110C Zerstörer NJG3.7 (D5+ER) Lüneburg 1942 00

Profile 00: Messerschmitt Bf-110C 'D5+ER' of 7./NJG3, 1942. On this overall black aircraft, the red areas of the shark's mouth and its outline remained in red but, curiously, the teeth had been overpainted with matt black, although no such attention had been given to the national insignia which retained their bright white areas. The row of flags beneath the cockpit are those of the countries against which the pilot fought or in which he was stationed and represent, from the front, Belgium, France, UK, Holland, Greece, Iraq, Yugoslavia, Norway and Denmark. Note, however, that the flag of the United Kingdom is inaccurate in detail and also that the red and the blue have been reversed.

Messerschmitt Bf-110C Zerstörer NJG3.7 (D5+ER) Lüneburg 1942 01-02

Photo’s 01-02: Another shark's mouth aircraft was this Bf-110C coded D5+ER of 7./NJG 3 which was detached from the rest of III. Gruppe at Stade and throughout 1942 was based at Lüneburg. This Staffel was formed in November 1941 by redesignating 4./ZG76 which, for a short while in May 1941, had operated in lraq. The association with II./ZG76 and Iraq has been maintained on this machine which has retained the shark's mouth decoration which originated with II./ZG76 and includes the flag of Iraq in the row of flags painted beneath the canopy. Other points of interest on this machine include the white individual aircraft letter 'E' in the Staffel colour on the leading edge of both wings inboard of the engine nacelles, and the white teeth of the shark's mouth which have been overpainted with black night camouflage.