Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 IV./JG27 Red 13+~ flown by Ofw. Heinrich Bartels, Kalamaki, Greece, September 1943

      Heinrich Bartels was born on 13 July 1918 at Linz in Austria. From early summer 1941, Bartels served with Ergänzungsstaffel/JG 26 on the Channel front. He recorded his first victory on 19 August, when he shot down a RAF Spitfire fighter. He claimed a second Spitfire shot down on 27 August. Bartels was transferred to 11./JG 1 on 27 January 1942. On 10 March, 11./JG 1 was redesignated 8./JG 5. Bartels was to become one of the most successful pilots of 8./JG 5. This unit was under the command of Hauptmann Hermann Segatz (40 victories, DK-G) and was based on the Northern or Polar front. Bartels recorded 47 Russian aircraft shot down in 100 missions in this theatre, including 21 victories in September alone.

Heinrich Bartels of 8./JG 5 after 100th combat mission on 11 September 1942. His Bf 109 F "Black 13" was named Hella.
      On 13 November 1942 he was awarded the Ritterkreuz for 46 victories. In the spring of 1943, Bartels was transferred to JG 27 based in the Mediterranean theatre. Oberfeldwebel Bartels was assigned to 11./JG 27. He had 49 victories to his credit at this time. Bartels gained 14 victories  in October 1943, including three USAAF P-38 twin-engine fighters shot down on 8 October (54-56) and five victories, including a further three P-38s, shot down on 25 October (57-61). By the end of 1943, Bartels score stood at 73, including four victories on 15 November (67-70), all P-38 fighters shot down on one mission over Greece. Bartels operated on Reichsverteidigung duties in April and May 1944. He claimed 12 victories, including three victories in a day on two occasions, before deploying to the Invasion front. Here, in five missions, he recorded 11 victories. For these achievements, Bartels was nominated for the Eichenlaub. By 23 December 1944, Bartels’ victory count had increased to 98.
Fw. Heinrich Bartels is showing his 70th victory bar on the rudder of his Bf 109 G-6, "Red 13", WNr. 27 169, at Kalamaki airfield in Greece on 17 November, 1943.

    At this time he was serving with 15./JG 27 formed on 12 June 1944. On 23 December, he took off at 11:00 with his flight. His wingman was Oberfähnrich Rolf Brand. Gaining altitude they flew to the Köln – Bonn area. Over Bonn, at 7500 metres, they saw fuel tanks dropping in front of their noses. Those drop tanks came from P-47 fighters of the USAAF 56th Fighter Group "Red Noses" in pursuit of the aircraft flown by Heinz Rossinger (3 v.). Bartels promptly shot down one of the American fighters on Rossinger's tail. It was his 99th and last victory. Heinrich Bartels failed to return. 24 years later, on 26 January 1968, Bartels’ Bf 109 G-10 (W.Nr. 130 359) “Yellow 13” was found at Villip near Bad Godesberg. In the cockpit was the intact parachute...
    Heinrich Bartels flew about 500 combat missions and shot down 99 enemy aircraft: 49 on the Eastern front with JG 5 and 50 with JG 27 in the Mediterranean and in defence of Germany. His score included nine P-47s eleven P-51sand fourteen P-38s!