I currently work for the Planes of Fame museum in Chino. As you know it has the only "un-restored" G-10/U4 in the world, W.Nr. 611984. Though the data tags were stolen off the aircraft some time ago, the information from the ORIGINAL tags was recorded...but...the info shows it as having multiple manufactures.
The first data tag had the following info:
Gerat-Nr. 8-109.G6
Werk-Nr. 611943
Hersteller mcu
There is one piece of that data tag remaining, and it shows that the style of that tag is the same as the G-10 main tag.
The second tag was a very odd one. The problem is that when the info was recored, it was TRANSLATED into English...so the original German wording is gone. It translated into the following:
Bf109G-10/U4
Augsburg 1943
W.Nr. 611943
Modified 12/44
This 2nd was was larger, and corresponds to the same size/shape as the Änderungsstufe tag.
The problem is NO ONE remembers what that tag looked like. For all we know the second tag could have been missing LONG before, and someone made up a plate to replace the 2nd one. So it may have been some sort of ID plate added by the US.
Also, the first tag was covered by the upper engine cowl as seen in the below photo.
www.me-109.com
What I do know, is that 100% the info from the first tag is 100% correct.
As I have never see photos of a G-10 with a covered data tag, it lends to believe that the first tag was in-fact a G6 tag, as the normal bulges would not have covered this area. The problem is why WNF, which was making new-build G-10's, and G-10's from stock G-14 fuselages, be upgrading a G-6 that was originally built at Erla in 1943?
I understand the G-14 fuselages being used as they were already in the process of being made...but as this werk number block was so close to the end of WNF production, something does not make sense...
Any thoughts on this?
Mike
The second part of special serie “Luftwaffe over Czech territory 1945”. One of the main producers of Messerschmitt 109, Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke and its branch plant Diana located in railway tunnels near Tišnov produced and delivered the famous fighter Bf 109 in G-10/U4 variant nearly until last days of WWII. The new title describes mentioned variant from technical point of view, it brings information about production system in Diana plant, about test flights in Protektorat area and about service by combat units including actions over Czech and Slovak territory. The text part is accompanied by photos and by color profiles of planes from ex-II./JG 51, II./JG 52, ex-I./JG 53, Hungarian 101.vadaszezred and Jagdstaffel ROA, 6 of them are described in detailed 4view drawings.