Bf109E-1 Head armour

[Rodders 61]

Hi All,
I'm building the Airfix 48th scale Bf109E as a late BOB E-1 in September 1940 from an xtradecal sheet and in the kit instructions it says it has cockpit head armour. I've looked at pictures of E-1's but thy don't show head armour in the cockpit. Did the Luftwaffe retro-fit the head armour to earlier 109E-1's.
Thanks for any help,
Cheers,
Rodders.

 

[Wurger]

Yes, the later production Bf 109E-3s were equipped with pilot armour and many early production Bf 109E-1s and E-3s were retrofitted with the armour plate. By July 1940 some of the Bf 109Es operating over Britain had armored glass windshields as well as pilot armor.

Believing the caption ... Bf 109E-1 9./JG26 "Yellow 11" flown by Artur Beese crash landed near Calais 24th Aug 1940

and Bf 109E-3 of the 7./JG26 "White 13" flown by Walter Blume, Caffiers, France 1940

Bf 109E-3 of the 9./JG26 "Yellow 10" flown by Wilhelm Fronhofer August 1940

source: the net.

 

[Rodders 61]

Thank you Wurger that's a great help.
Cheers,
Rodders.

 

[Wurger]

My pleasure.

 

[woody_s]

There is a pic on Falcons site of a Jg53 E-1 bellied in in France with head armor and an E-7 spinner. I believe it's red or black 1.
Cheers,
Woody