On 21 August 21 1942, Oblt Hanns-Diether Hartwein would score his 16th and final abschuss, claimed as a I-180.

However his "Gelb 6" had received hits in the engine and he was forced to make an belly landing near the lake Udero in Soviet held territory.

In horror mebers of his staffel saw their Staffelkapitäns Meserschmitt hit a rock and burst into fire, unable to leave his buring fighter he perished in the flames.

Note the, for JG 5 typical camouflage pattern, adding Dark Green RLM 70 and Gray 75 on the fuselage and wings on top of its original "Desert camouflage" RLM 78/79.