The Bf 109E-7s of the Luftwaffe’s I./JG 27 during the ferry flight from Sicily to Libya. Clearly visible beneath the airplane’s fuselage the belly tank employed for increase the range necessary for overfly in full safety conditions the Mediterranean from Southern Sicily to North Africa. On 21 June 1941 the I./JG 27, now under the Fliegerführer Afrika, is deployed at Ain-el-Gazala, Eastern Libya, with a strength of 34 Bf 109E-7/Trop. Victor Sierra

Sicily-Libya ferry flight

On a Sicilian airfield (Gela or Trapani-Milo) a mechanics perform the last check – note the engine running and the open bottom engine cowling - of a Messerschmitt Bf 109E-7 of the Luftwaffe’s I./JG 27 (I Gruppe/Jagdgeschwader 27) before the ferry flight to Libya. The aircraft, coming from the other theaters as the entire I./JG 27 and dispatched to North Africa, has already received the Desert camouflage and the new “African” unit’s emblem over the engine cowling and is equipped with the 300 litre (80 US gal) auxiliary drop tank for increase the range. Leaded by the Hauptmann Eduard Neumann as Gruppenkommandeur, on 25 March 1941 the I./JG 27 appear in Sicily, Gela airfield, under the command of the X. Fliegerkorps (10th Air Corps), with a strength of 39 Bf 109E-7 (35 serviceable). Victor Sierra

Last check before the ferry flight

Caption reads: Downed German Messerschmitt BF.109 hits the ground.Time taken: 1944. Author: Shagin 


Very lucky shot or fake?Any ideas or extra info? 
