Corgi Aviation Archive Series Diecast Model

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2 (Trop) - 'Yellow 14', Hans Joachim Marseille, 3./JG 27, Luftwaffe, Quotaifiya, Egypt, September 30, 1942

1:72 Scale.  Length: 5".  Wingspan: 5.4"


Limited Edition of 1,000 Models Worldwide

Regarded by many of his contemporaries as the most naturally gifted fighter pilot ever to take to the air Hans Joachim Marseille would make the skies of North Africa his hunting ground and the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter his feared mount. Claiming 158 victories in 382 sorties flown, 151 of these were scored over the deserts of North Africa, making him the top scoring Luftwaffe ace in the Mediterranean theatre, gaining more aerial victories against Western Allied airmen than any other pilot. Tragically, as was the case with so many of the young men who fought during WWII, the ‘Star of Africa’ would not survive the conflict and indeed would not live to see his 23rd birthday.

On September 30, 1942, Marseille was leading his Squadron on a mission to support a flight of Stukas when his Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2 fighter developed engine problems. With the cockpit filling with noxious fumes and unable to see out of the canopy he relied on his wingman to guide him over friendly lines before he could attempt to bale out. Once over German held territory with the effects of smoke inhalation now causing disorientation, he turned the fighter on its back and rolled out of the cockpit. With the aircraft now adopting a nose down attitude, Marseille struck the tail of the Messerschmitt, probably killing him instantly and sending his lifeless body tumbling to the desert floor – the ‘Star of Africa’ had fallen.

The death of Hans Joachim Marseille was a terrible blow for the pilots of JG 27 and indeed the entire German nation, who had started to think that the charismatic Marseille was invincible in the air. Facing increasingly superior numbers of Allied fighters in North Africa and with Rommel and his Afrika Corps now very much on the retreat, the Luftwaffe would never regain superiority of these desert skies again and it would not be long before the fighters of Jagdgeschwader 27 were redeployed to Northern France.

Adolf Galland, himself one of the most celebrated Luftwaffe fighter aces of WWII, described Marseille as "An unrivalled virtuoso among the fighter pilots of World War 2. His achievements had previously been regarded as impossible and they were never excelled by anyone after his death.”

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German fighter aircraft used during World War II. First flown in 1935, it was one of the first modern fighters of the era with all-metal construction and retractable landing gear. Originally conceived as an interceptor, the Bf 109 was developed to fulfill multiple roles including bomber escort, fighter-bomber, all-weather fighter and ground-attack. Although it had weaknesses, including short range and challenging take-off and landing characteristics, the Bf 109 stayed competitive with Allied fighters until the end of the war. The Bf 109 was produced in greater numbers than any other fighter in history with 33,984 units built up to April 1945.


Corgi is a leading manufacturer of high quality, pre-built, die-cast model airplanes. Every model is crafted with meticulous attention to details, using specifications of the original aircraft. Corgi models are constructed with precision-made diecast metal and some plastic components.

This model of a Messerschmitt Bf 109 features: