imalko
Chief Master Sergeant
I named this thread according with the title of the article to which you will find link at the end of this post, but what really fascinated me is the story about second Bf 109 told in this article, namely Bf 109G W.Nr. 610937. This particular airplane is now painted to represent an aircraft flown by Germany's leading ace, Erich Hartman and is on display in preserved condition (fluids drained) at the Captain Michael King Smith Evergreen Aviation Educational Institute in McMinnville, Oregon (picture bellow).
But to my surprise I learned that this very same Bf 109 was once used operationally by the Yugoslav Air Force in the 50s and that it was afterward in possession of the Aeronautical Museum in Belgrade. Now, I knew that there were two Bf 109s in our Museum, one on display (Bf 109G-2) and other in storage waiting for restoration (Bf 109G-10). I also heard that this other plane was sold to foreign buyer because Museum lacked funds for its restoration, but I had no idea what became of this airplane and who actually bought it. In this article you can find entire story how this plane came to the US but also about its very interesting history before that, for this particular Bf 109 was flown by Luftwaffe, but also postwar in Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, only to find its way to the United States.
So, here's the link to the full article. Enjoy...
A Tale of Two Me-109s
But to my surprise I learned that this very same Bf 109 was once used operationally by the Yugoslav Air Force in the 50s and that it was afterward in possession of the Aeronautical Museum in Belgrade. Now, I knew that there were two Bf 109s in our Museum, one on display (Bf 109G-2) and other in storage waiting for restoration (Bf 109G-10). I also heard that this other plane was sold to foreign buyer because Museum lacked funds for its restoration, but I had no idea what became of this airplane and who actually bought it. In this article you can find entire story how this plane came to the US but also about its very interesting history before that, for this particular Bf 109 was flown by Luftwaffe, but also postwar in Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, only to find its way to the United States.
So, here's the link to the full article. Enjoy...
A Tale of Two Me-109s
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