Third Party Press

Late war Messerschmitt Bf-109 tail cut off

CanadianAR

Canadian Grizzly Eh
Staff member
I picked up a tan one of these last year at SOS. I must have done well as a lot of people have tried to buy it. I’ve been researching them and saving photos of downed planes with these removed some vet photos with their prize. Anyways I had the itch, and knew of this one tucked away but available from a friends friend.

Anyways, it’s a late G type of more likely Bf-109K wooden stabilizer section. Late G series planes got a redesigned tail that was larger and made of wood. They are well documented. It’s a thin laminated wood, with bonded gussets or transom or what have you. It’s a nice medium grey, with the edges of some camo splotches. The camo is a dark green. Again a well documented late war pattern.

The story with this piece, is just a story. It doesn’t add any value so I believe it at face value. It’s not even a cool story from a combat perspective. The picker would found this wouldn’t give up the name of the vet for obvious reasons. Anyways I digress. Story is the guy was a forward air pilot flying in supplies to areas reached by troops but not supply chains. At the edge of an airfield he landed at were some fighters parked amongst the trees. He removed this from one of them. Apparently they were near new. Neat but just a story.


22BF701F-0EB4-4E32-9FEA-B119623F0DDA.jpg7C27EC9E-045A-4432-BB3B-1FFD90EFA19A.jpgAA797670-4FEE-4711-9756-79EE31303CDA.jpg1400CB7F-B57F-4420-94D9-CE368993CF9F.jpg5A3E20A4-E8FC-4F25-8E0F-7753F8EA2CB6.jpg60B57F20-763F-469D-88F7-BC0608841C86.jpg
 
I see a pattern forming here Andrew. Very nice btw, that’s interesting info regarding the switch to wood.

It would be dumb to further invest in guns here in my opinion. I have a lot of nice ones and I’m not bailing on them, but adding more isn’t prudent sadly. But luckily I like a lot of different stuff lol
 
It would be dumb to further invest in guns here in my opinion. I have a lot of nice ones and I’m not bailing on them, but adding more isn’t prudent sadly. But luckily I like a lot of different stuff lol

I'm sorry to hear that Andrew. Is most of your WWII items safe though? Such as your K98k rifles, G43, etc?

Nice piece for your collection too, still hope to see all of you at the SOS show in July.
 
I'm sorry to hear that Andrew. Is most of your WWII items safe though? Such as your K98k rifles, G43, etc?

Nice piece for your collection too, still hope to see all of you at the SOS show in July.
Who knows? K43 will be targeted eventually just as it’s a mag fed semi. I don’t want to dwell on that stuff in this thread though!

Sos is also unlikely :(
 
Who knows? K43 will be targeted eventually just as it’s a mag fed semi. I don’t want to dwell on that stuff in this thread though!

Sos is also unlikely :(

Don't blame you for that! If you can't attend the show this year buddy. I will try to be on the look out for nice BF-109 items for your collection at the show Andrew. I will at least get you some contact info.

Now I do have a buddy that has some aircraft items in his collection from KY. I will be seeing him here in a few weeks at the ogca show. The last show he had a tail fin of a Japanese Zero on display.

If your interested I will put him in touch with you, he may have some cool stuff for you!
 
You got a good one Andrew that is very cool! This is the KM of 109s, it’s likely a K4 or maybe a K6 which would be like an SwjXE in 98k terms! The late Focke Wulfs also went to wooden vertical stabilizers, and even some of the late jets were largely wood, really neat history there, congrats on the addition!
 
It would be dumb to further invest in guns here in my opinion. I have a lot of nice ones and I’m not bailing on them, but adding more isn’t prudent sadly. But luckily I like a lot of different stuff lol

I'm feeling the same way. Letting go of C&R and replacing with antique or blades (or medals, helmets, uniforms, books, steins, pipes, :facepalm:).
Very nice pieces btw.
 
I picked up a tan one of these last year at SOS. I must have done well as a lot of people have tried to buy it. I’ve been researching them and saving photos of downed planes with these removed some vet photos with their prize. Anyways I had the itch, and knew of this one tucked away but available from a friends friend.

Anyways, it’s a late G type of more likely Bf-109K wooden stabilizer section. Late G series planes got a redesigned tail that was larger and made of wood. They are well documented. It’s a thin laminated wood, with bonded gussets or transom or what have you. It’s a nice medium grey, with the edges of some camo splotches. The camo is a dark green. Again a well documented late war pattern.

The story with this piece, is just a story. It doesn’t add any value so I believe it at face value. It’s not even a cool story from a combat perspective. The picker would found this wouldn’t give up the name of the vet for obvious reasons. Anyways I digress. Story is the guy was a forward air pilot flying in supplies to areas reached by troops but not supply chains. At the edge of an airfield he landed at were some fighters parked amongst the trees. He removed this from one of them. Apparently they were near new. Neat but just a story.


View attachment 260594View attachment 260595View attachment 260596View attachment 260597View attachment 260598View attachment 260599


“Anyways, it’s a late G type of more likely Bf-109K wooden stabilizer section.”

It’s a shame the k model came too late to have any real impact. That k variant finally had use of all that displacement and could finally run good manifold pressure with their poor octane fuel. I don’t know of any surviving k models, that’s is an important piece of airplane you have there.
 
Andrew here is a photo of your K4.

Good find Damien! That’s a sweet photo.

I have found quite a few photos of F/G types downed in the desert like my first one. But I have only started searching up later ones.

Maybe I’ll add some to the other thread
 
Last edited:
That’s a great find Damian, as unlikely as it is, they only made so many K models so the chances are pretty good really, better than a raffle at a TX high school game actually. Your section is a left side judging by the clearance cut around the mass balance.
 
Yea, it’s a left side. You think that’s the one? I think from the size of period photos it would be tough to ever get a good look at the details in that area.
 
Probably not, and given the modular construction and assembly of these the tails seem to be very consistent as far as the camoflauge patterns, being painted one after the other. There are pictures of racks of tails at sub assembly locations in forests where each tail shows the exact same pattern so that couldn’t be definitive either.
 
This was thoughts as well, that it’s nearly impossible. Also it looks like mine had the edges cleaned probably post war or removal. Which seems to be very very common on the wooden pieces. My desert one looks like the guy used a bayonet, and brute force and was never touched up despite being jagged AF. But the wooden ones I can see being a hassle with torn edges
 
Captured Me-109 vertical stabs never installed:
 

Attachments

  • Bf-109VertStabScan.pdf
    185.5 KB · Views: 18

Military Rifle Journal
Back
Top