Bf 109E-7 flown by Joachim Muncheberg of 7./Jg 26 in June 1941. 7th Squadron was deployed to Gela, Sicily in February 1941 with the 22 year old Muncheberg as it's leader. He had already scored 20 victories against the English during the Battle of Britain and in the post BoB battles over the English channel. Under Muncheberg's leadership, 7./Jg 26 would wreak havoc over Malta and later Tobruk with unprecedented efficiency - 52 victories for no losses in 6 months of combat in the MTO. 25 of those victories were scored by Muncheburg himself, with the other 27 kills being spread between 12 other pilots. Only one or two pilots of 7./Jg 26 returned to France in August scoreless.
Muncheburg would continue to successfully fight and lead. He was given command of II/Jg 51 in July, 1942 and transferred to the Eastern Front, claiming 33 soviet aircraft, including his 100th total on September 5th. In October 1942 he was promoted again and given command Jg 77 in the MTO. There he added another 24 victories, but he was killed in a combat collision with a Spitfire over Tunisia on March 23, 1943.
