Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4

Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4   ‘Chevron and bars’,
Geschwaderkommodore Helmut Wick,
3./JG2, ‘Richthofen’, 28th November 1940

Joining the new Luftwaffe in 1935, on completion of his training Helmut Wick was posted to II./JG 134 flying the Arado Ar 68 biplane fighter, and was commissioned as a Leutnant on 1st September1938. At the beginning of 1939 he joined I./JG 53 with Messerschmitt Bf 109s, under the command of Werner Mölders; and on 30th August transferred to 3./JG 2, which during the Polish campaign served with the air defence of Berlin. On 22nd November he scored his, and the Geschwader’s, first victory, shooting down an Armée de l’Air Curtiss Hawk 75 near Strasbourg.
3./JG 2 moved to the Western front on 10th May, 1940, Wick joining it on 21st May. During the French campaign he scored 12 confirmed victories and also at the end of May claimed two Royal Navy Swordfish, for which there were no witnesses. He led 3.JG 2 from 23rd June, and was formally appointed Staffelkapitän on 1st August. By 26th August he had recorded 22 kills, and on 27th August was awarded the Ritterkreuz; on 4th September he was promoted to Hauptmann and took command of 6./JG 2.
With his score at 28 Wick was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 2 on 9th September. His shooting down of five RAF fighters in the Isle of Wight area on 5th October earned him the immediate award of the Eichenlaub, followed shortly by promotion to Major – at twenty-five the youngest in the Luftwaffe – and he was appointed Kommodore of JG 2 on 20th October. Having scored his 55th victory early on 28th November, he was on a Frei Jagd over the English Channel when he shot down his 56th victim, a Spitfire of 609 Squadron flown by Plt.Off. Paul Baiillon just off the Needles; Baillon had been wingman to Flt.Lt John Dundas, and Dundas immediately shot down Wick, who was seen to bale out in to the Channel. Wick’s wingman Hauptmann “Rudi” Pflanz then shot Dundas down, and though Pflanz circled the spot as long as possible his leader was never found.

Scale 1:144    Wingspan 2.71″ (69 mm)
Base size 4″ (100 mm) square (No. 2)
Weight not including base 0.75 ozs (22 grams)
Limited edition of 25 only