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Yes, they were on some other Luftwaffe aircraft, but very rare on Bf109s. Maybe the groundcrew thought their pilot was accident prone .....
Exactly. If you don't think it helps, try getting out of a cockpit that doesn't have one. I have egressed aircraft with and without the foothold lines and I can tell you they are a huge help. I missed a foothold on a T-34 that didn't have one and was lucky to catch my balance when my foot hit the wing, otherwise I would have either dented the wing going sideways, or injuring myself on the ground.Makes sense now really, say your standing up in the cockpit looking down. The curvature of the fuselage would make it difficult to see the foot holds. So they put them there to guide your foot to the hole.
Makes sense now really, say your standing up in the cockpit looking down. The curvature of the fuselage would make it difficult to see the foot holds. So they put them there to guide your foot to the hole. I would'nt like to fall out of the He219, that looks like a nice ankle breaking distance to the floor.