The III. Gruppe of JG 26 "Schlageter" was by this time commanded by Hptm. Klaus Meitusch. A pilot that fought against his own low self-confidence as fighter pilot, especially as a "bad shot".

However his way of overcom this, was to never to turn down a mission and to close into his victims at point blank range to enable him to score. This enable him to add another USAAF B-17 4-engine bomber 10 km North of Hamburg on 25 June for his 42nd confirmed victory.

During this month while base on Nordholz, situated in the Northwestern part of Germany, some 100 km west of Hamburg. The III./JG 26 would during the month of July 1943 be tasked of intercepting the USAAF and their on going bomber offensive against the Reich.

During the month the Gruppe filed claims for no less than 25 Wiermots, 24 of them would later be confirmed by the RLM. This all for an own loss 10 Messerschmitts, four of them due to enemy action, losing two pilots killed, a wounded and another pilot filed as MIA.

One of the losses during this period was the personal machine of Lt. Ernst Todt, that on 29 July was lost in combat with 4-engine bombers. However this day it was flown by another member of the staff flight, Lt. Dieter Völmle, who was hit by a B-17 return fire 20 km NE of Kiel. As the machine was badly damaged he manage to safe himself by parachute, while the Bf 109 G-6 crashed near Goedersdorf.

Not much is know about Ernst Todt, others than he joined the 7./JG 26 in March after training for the Eastern Front in Jagdgruppe Ost. Later in August 1943 he was appointed as the Adjutant in the III Gruppe.

He was to lose his live on 19 September 1943 after air combat with No 41 Sqn Spitfires. With a damaged aircraft he crashed landed violently at Poperinge and would die minutes later in the ambulance. Only a minute later however his Kommandeur Klaus Mietusch managed to downed the victories Spitfire pilot for his 46th abshusse.

The pilot Dieter Völmle however must have had nine lives, surviving being shot down on 29 July 1943, then on 18 July 1944, a third time on 28 August he was forced to leave his Bf 109 "Black 9" after engine failure, finally on 4 December his Bf 109 K-4 "Black 8" was hit by AA fire, however wounded he managed to make a force landing near Zülpich

After taking some two weeks off making new aircraft profiles I´m back in business making this Bf 109 G-6 today Sunday. Please note that this profile would be included in another Luftwaffe Fighter Aircraft book, Profile Book No 18.