 Aircraft Aces 3
Heinz Ewald, Walter Wolfrum, Werner Hohenberg
By Marek J. Murawski and Peter Neuwerth
Kagero Publications, ©2004
ISBN 83-89088-52-5
Softbound, 28 Pages
Available from Squadron for $13.96
The next installment in the Kagero Aircraft Aces series is here, and
for those that like Bf 109s, this will be a nice one. The three aces
covered in this title are Heinz Ewald, Walter Wolfrum, and Werner Hohenberg.
Starting at the back first, Werner Hohenberg entered flight school in
1940 and finally found his way to the front in 1942 with 8./JG 52. In
July 1943, Hohenberg was seriously wounded in his Bf 109G-4, and he remained
in a hospital until November 1944, when he returned to combat with JG
2 on the Western Front. On January 1, 1945, Hohenberg was shot down in
his Fw 190D-9 while participating in Bodenplatte. His bellied-in Fw 190D-9
is probably one of the best-known aircraft from that last gasp of the
Luftwaffe, as it was amply photographed. It is this plane that is provided
on the decal sheet, marked with a chevron and double vertical lines in
front of the cross and a white 41 on the rudder, oversprayed with green.
Walter Wolfrum entered flight training in 1941, and entered combat
in January 1943 with 5./JG 52. It was several months before he scored
his first victory, a Yak-1 shot down on May 25, 1943. By March 26, 1944,
Wolfrum's score reached 50. His personal plane, Black 15, carried the
name "Quex" under the canopy, which was the nickname of his
girlfriend. The plane also had a red spinner with a white spiral, contrary
to Luftwaffe tradition. Wolfrum ended the war with 137 victories and
went on to have an active post-war flying life, winning the title of
Aerobatics Champion in 1962 and Vice-Champion in 1961, 1963, and 1966.
The decal sheet provides markings for Wolfrum's Black 15.
The final ace in this book is Heinz Ewald, who, like Wolfrum, started
flight school in 1941 and went to the Eastern Front with 5./JG 52 in
1943. Unlike Wolfrum, though, Ewald quickly racked up his score, which
his squadron mates identified with his having "pig's luck," earning
Ewald his nickname of "Esau." Ewald's prowess caught the eye
of II./JG 52's commander, Gerhard Barkhorn, who quickly transferred Ewald
to the Stab and assigned him to be his wingman. By the end of the war,
Ewald had 84 victories. The decal sheet provides markings for three of
Ewald's Bf 109s: two Bf 109G-6s and one Bf 109G-10. All have Ewald's
personal 'Esau' marking consisting of a letter E and a graphic of a pig
(E + Sau, the German word for pig). The first Bf 109G-6 is marked < +
-, with yellow Eastern Front theater markings. The second Bf 109G-6 is
yellow 11 + -, from Ewald's time in Romania in June 1944. The final Bf
109G-10 is white 3 + -, with a simple white outline of a pig. These three
would make for an interesting collection of Messerschmitts. The decal
sheet included with the book is well printed, with all three major scales
covered.
The Kagero Aircraft Aces series is a great concept and I hope they
continue the line and expand it to include countries other than Germany,
and wars other than WW2. My thanks to Squadron
Mail Order for the review
sample.
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