Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6, WNr. 163306, "Rote 3"
History
Werknummer (factory serial number) 163306 was built at the Messerschmitt factory in Regensburg and completed on 11 May 1944. It was a Bf 109G-6, the most numerous variant of the famous "Gustav" series, powered by a Daimler-Benz DB 605A engine and armed with one 20 mm MG 151 cannon and two 13 mm MG 131 machine guns. The G-6 was developed to provide greater firepower against increasingly heavily defended Allied bomber formations.
After leaving the factory, the aircraft was assigned to Jagdgruppe West, a Luftwaffe fighter training unit. It carried the tactical marking "Red 3" and the radio code RQ+DS.
Crash in 1944
On the morning of 28 May 1944, the aircraft was being flown on a training mission by Feldwebel Ernst Pleins, a 24-year-old Luftwaffe pilot. During a series of practice takeoffs and landings, the aircraft encountered difficulties shortly after takeoff. At approximately 08:30–08:31, the fighter suddenly turned and crashed into nearby Lake Trzebuń(Jezioro Trzebuń) in what is now northwestern Poland. Pleins was killed in the accident. Contemporary accounts suggested that a piloting error during the takeoff sequence may have been responsible.
The aircraft sank into the lake and remained undisturbed on the bottom for more than half a century.
Recovery and Restoration
In 1999–2000, the wreck was located and recovered through the efforts of the Fundacja Polskie Orły, working with diving specialists. Despite decades underwater, substantial portions of the airframe survived. The remains were transported to Góraszka, where a lengthy restoration project began. Mechanics and aviation enthusiasts painstakingly reconstructed the aircraft using the recovered components and extensive historical research.
The partially restored aircraft was first shown publicly in 2000 and subsequently appeared at aviation events and temporary museum displays.
Arrival in Kraków
For several years the aircraft was exhibited periodically at the Polish Aviation Museum. After a period away from public display, it returned to Kraków in 2014 as a long-term deposit from the Polish Eagles Foundation. Since then, it has become one of the museum's most notable exhibits. At the time of its return, museum officials emphasized that it was the only original Bf 109 in Poland and one of only a small number surviving worldwide.