Bf 109G-6 "The Black Devil," Hauptmann Erich "Bubi" Hartmann, JG 52 Print
Images are reduced fidelity for copyright protection.
“Kid” to his squadron mates and “Black Devil” to his Russian adversaries, the most successful fighter ace in history was Germany’s Erich Hartmann. Flying his first operational sortie on 14 Oct 42, “Bubi” flew all his 1,404 combat sorties in Bf109’s, downed 352 enemy aircraft and crash landed his Messer 16 times for mechanical failure or damage from his exploding targets… he was particularly vulnerable to the latter due to his technique of closing to very close range before opening fire.
Virtually his entire career was spent with JG 52 on the Eastern Front, but this print depicts the Bf 109G-6 he flew during his two-week command of JG 53. During his time with the “Pik As” (Aces of Spades) he scored a single victory.
Bubi’s Gustav is depicted with a field applied winter camouflage of overall white with black/grey lines to break up the aircraft’s outline. Hartmann’s traditional black tulip (which earned him the “Black Devil” moniker) adorns the plane’s nose; the highly visible graphic was so widely recognized, adversaries were reluctant to engage the plane so Hartmann often had junior pilots fly “his” plane.
The plane carries a confusing graphic below the cockpit… at first glance, it may be dismissed as the “Karaya” bleeding heart worn by JG 52, but it is in fact a simple heart with Hartmann’s wife’s nickname, “Usch” written inside it.
Hartmann flew this plane in the Hungarian theater – hence the large yellow “V” under the port wing during the Luftwaffe’s 1945 retreat back into Germany. She is a "tall tail" Gustav (modified to counter the increased torque of later production engines) with a "Erla Haube" high visibility single piece canopy.
This print can be customized with different configurations. Please contact us if you are interested in a personalized version.
Images are reduced fidelity for copyright protection.
“Kid” to his squadron mates and “Black Devil” to his Russian adversaries, the most successful fighter ace in history was Germany’s Erich Hartmann. Flying his first operational sortie on 14 Oct 42, “Bubi” flew all his 1,404 combat sorties in Bf109’s, downed 352 enemy aircraft and crash landed his Messer 16 times for mechanical failure or damage from his exploding targets… he was particularly vulnerable to the latter due to his technique of closing to very close range before opening fire.
Virtually his entire career was spent with JG 52 on the Eastern Front, but this print depicts the Bf 109G-6 he flew during his two-week command of JG 53. During his time with the “Pik As” (Aces of Spades) he scored a single victory.
Bubi’s Gustav is depicted with a field applied winter camouflage of overall white with black/grey lines to break up the aircraft’s outline. Hartmann’s traditional black tulip (which earned him the “Black Devil” moniker) adorns the plane’s nose; the highly visible graphic was so widely recognized, adversaries were reluctant to engage the plane so Hartmann often had junior pilots fly “his” plane.
The plane carries a confusing graphic below the cockpit… at first glance, it may be dismissed as the “Karaya” bleeding heart worn by JG 52, but it is in fact a simple heart with Hartmann’s wife’s nickname, “Usch” written inside it.
Hartmann flew this plane in the Hungarian theater – hence the large yellow “V” under the port wing during the Luftwaffe’s 1945 retreat back into Germany. She is a "tall tail" Gustav (modified to counter the increased torque of later production engines) with a "Erla Haube" high visibility single piece canopy.
This print can be customized with different configurations. Please contact us if you are interested in a personalized version.