Osprey's latest offering relates the activities of the Luftwaffe's Bf 109-equipped 'Jabo' (Jagdbomber, or fighter-bomber) force on the Channel Front in 1940-42. The variant initially intended for 'Jabo' use was the Bf 109 E-4/B that came into service in the summer of 1940, just in time for the start of the Battle of Britain. While all Bf 109s had limited range and endurance on internal fuel, the Bf 109 E-7/B, which could carry a 300-litre drop tank or a bomb rack below the fuselage, was better equipped for the fighter-bomber role. By the third week of July 1940, the 'Jabo' Messerschmitts were having their first successes against Allied convoys in the Channel. While the Ju 87-equipped units had serious problems when met by RAF fighters, The Bf 109 E 'Jabos' were better able to defend themselves as well as making precision strikes on ground targets.
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