Bf 109F-2 flown by Horst Budenhagen of 5./Jg 3 in the spring of 1941. All of II/Jg 3 spent April 1941 transitioning from the Emil to the brand new 109F. The returned to northern France in early May to continue combat operations along the English Channel.
This aircraft was photographed twice in it's lifetime, the first was in Germany shortly after delivery while the panel lines and rivets were being puttied by a ground crewman. The second instance was from St Pol Brias. France sometime in May or June. While the II/Jg 3 emblem, yellow cowl, and "Schluck-Specht 3" inscription are seen in both photos; the spinner was painted yellow at some point between then and the second photo. This 109F was the 3rd aircraft of Budenhagen's to be dubbed "Schluck-Specht" which is German slang for both "Gas-Guzzler" and "Booze-Hound" Being an F-2 model, the earlier camouflage colors of RLM 71 and 02 over 65 is possible and I used them here.
