Image ©Les Butler

Bf 109 E-4/N : WNr 1190 : Unteroffizier Horst Perez (POW), Eastbourne, England, Sept 30th 1940

Depicting five confirmed victory claims of it's previous owner, Hptm. Karl Ebbighausen, who was KIA 16.08.40

There seems to be some confusion surrounding the E variant of this aircraft. Some consider it to be an E-3 because it had an E-3 round-top canopy and, but for the lack of a nose cannon, E-3 armament. This ignores the fact that it possessed a DB601N powerplant, as indicated by the 100 in the fuel octane triangle - the DB601Aa of the E-3 required 87 octane fuel. The lack of nose cannon indicates a partial conversion to an E-4; had this aircraft returned to base the conversion would no doubt have been completed - the canopy replaced with the new, squarer-type, and the MG FF wing cannon replaced with the improved MG FF/M's. In my opinion, the powerplant overrides other factors when determining E variants, and as an E-3 with a DB601N never retained an E-3 designation, the E-4/N is correct - the N suffix signifying the DB601N. E-3's with modified canopy and armament, which retained the DB601Aa, became standard E-4's.- Les Butler.

Victory Bars represent Ebbighausen's five confirmed kills: two Dutch - a Fokker T5 and a Fokker G1 on 13.05.40: One French - a Morane 406 on 18.05.40 and two British - a Spitfire on 24.05.40 and a Battle on 14.06.40. Two further claims were made after these dates for which confirmation is unknown.