This is a model of a fighter that flew against American heavy bombers over Sicily and southern Italy in the summer of 1943. Bf 109G-6s were often modified with Rustsatze field conversion kits. The most frequently used ones were the R-3 long-range kit that added a ventral fuel drop tank, and the R-6 heavy fighter kit that added cannons housed in gondolas beneath the plane's wings. Installation of the R-6 kit further degraded the plane's handling, but the addition of the cannons provided enormous firepower for use against enemy heavy bombers. Fighters outfitted in this manner were referred to as cannon boats by Luftwaffe pilots. The R-6 conversion was the most numerous variant of the G-6 on the Western front in 1943. But by early 1944 it was out of favor because it made planes easy prey for the increasing numbers of modern fighters escorting American day bombers. Still, the Bf 109 was the Luftwaffe's primary fighter through the end of WWII, it scored more kills than any plane in history, and over 31,000 were bu |
