Bf 109E-3a "Стрела" White 6
White 6, 3/6 orlyak, Bulgarian VnVV

Airfix's 1/72 Bf 109E7 kit built as a Royal Bulgarian Air Force (VnVV) Bf 109E3a "Стрела" representing White 6 from 682 yato, 3/6 orlyak with a devil's head insignia on the cowling - the Devil is a popular character in Bulgarian folklore, and I quite like the traditional depiction here. This aircraft was supposedly flown by kapitan (Captain) Krastyo Atanasov between Summer 1941 - Summer 1942 patrolling the Black Sea coast against Soviet submarines.

Bulgarian Bf 109 E-3a were essentially stock E-4 that did not have the pilot armored headrest fitted. Ten brand new ones from the WNF factory were acquired in Spring 1940, another nine ex-Luftwaffe various Emil models factory refurbished to standard E-4 followed next Spring 1941.

Used an Eduard PE set for the cockpit and a brass armament set from Master for the gun barrels. Added aerial mast antennas from thin elastic strand and thin wire. Painted with mix of Hataka and Mr. Hobby acrylics per the color profile in MPM's "Bulgarian Figher Colors 1919 - 1948, Volume I".

I used the closest given matches of RLM62 Green and RLM70 Dark Green upper, and RLM65 Hellblau lower surfaces. These came from Hataka's Red Line "Legion Condor" set and were overall excellent paints. Fair warning, though - the RLM65/78 in the set is very saturated and more suitable for the Luftwaffe desert camos. It took me a painstaking masking and repainting of the undersides with the paint lightened with Mr. Color acrylic white in a 1:5 after the kit was already done to fix the problem.

In the Spring of 1941, all Bulgarian Emils received the new national insignia, the St. Andrews' Cross, and Axis quick recognition markings in RLM04 Gelb/Yellow. The national markings, N6 tactical numbers and the devils' head decals are from Kora Models set "Bulgarian Eagles, Part II". I used the kit decal sheet for the numerous stencils. Both were excellent and Kora's decals in particular were very crisp, thin and settled down without any issues.

One of the most experienced flyers in the 3/6 orlyakbut already ageing, Kap. Atanasov was transferred to the Advanced Fighter School at Dolna Mitropolya in 1942. He would become a legend on March 30th, 1944, when he took a flight of four Avia B.135s advanced trainers against 130 USAAF bombers over Sofia, and almost certainly downed a B-24 together with his wingman Yordan Ferdinandov. Severely reprimanded for his action and never given credit for the downed B-24, Kap. Atanasov would nonetheless be granted transfer back as CO to his old combat unit 3/6 orylak and participated in the battles against the 15th USAAF in August 1944, being credited with 4 shared victories in 13 aerial combats, finally flying against the Germans after September 1944, and ending the war as the oldest active Bulgarian fighter pilot at 40 years of age. He passed peacefully in 1974.

White 6 suffered several flying accidents between 1942 - 1943 and was finally written off in late 1944. There is no track of her combat record.