Messerschmitt Bf 109

Country of Origin: na Germany | Type: Single seat fighter-bomber

Introduction

The most important Germany fighter of World War Two, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 rivalled Allied aircraft such as the Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire and the North American P-51 Mustang. The Bf 109 was used on every front and built in quantities equalled only by the Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik. It was regarded as superior to any other fighter in 1938-40, with the exception of the Supermarine Spitfire.

Prototypes & Development

The 109 was designed to meet a 1934 requirement. It was light and small, a feature was its Handley Page wing leading edge slats. The prototype Bf 109V1 was powered by a 695hp (518kW) Rolls Royce Kestrel V engine and first flew on 28th May 1935. The second prototype followed in January 1936 with a 610hp (455kW) Junkers Jumo 210A. Both carried civil registrations. The 109V1 had meanwhile been involved in competitive testing against the Heinkel He 112, Arado Ar 80 and Focke-Wulf Fw 159. Further development was ordered resulting in various Jumo powered prototypes with variations in armament. The first full production model was the 109B-1 with Jumo 210Da, deliveries beginning in early 1937. The B-2 differed mainly in having a variable instead of fixed pitch propeller. Three prototypes were sent to Spain for operational evaluation in late 1936, joined by 45 109Bs from March 1937, successfully flying for the Condor Legion in the Civil War.

Bf 109E

By the outbreak of war in 1939, about 300 early model 109s were in Luftwaffe service, but were quickly replaced by the Bf 109E, produced in large quantities and the prime Luftwaffe fighter for the first two years of the Second World War. The Emil participated in the Polish, Low Countries, Norwegian and French Campaigns and most famously, the Battle of Britain. It was subsequently widely used in the Balkans (where it flew against Yugoslav 109Es), North Africa and the opening phases of the Soviet Union invasion. The Luftwaffe had just over 1,000 Bf 109s of all models in service in September 1939 of which more than two-thirds were Emils. Variants of the Emil included the E-1 (early examples having four machine guns), the E-3 (from late 1939, some with an additional cannon firing through the propeller hub), the E-4 (four guns, improved cannon) and the E-5/6 reconnaissance fighters with reduced armament.

Pinnacle of Design

Developed to take advantage of the extra power offered by the DB 601N and E engines, the Bf 109F introduced considerable aerodynamic refinement over the earlier models including a redesigned and smoother engine cowl with enlarged spinner, rounded wing tips, smaller rudder, retractable tailwheel and deletion of the tailplane bracing struts. Fixed armament was reduced to a single 15 or 20mm cannon firing through the propeller hubs and two 7.9mm machine guns in upper cowl. The ailerons and flaps were also modified. The result was arguably the pinnacle of Bf 109 development, future more powerful and heavier versions diminishing the aircraft's handling to a marked degree.

Bulk Production

The majority of total production of the Bf 109 was the G-series of aircraft. Based around the installation of the larger capacity, heavier and more powerful DB 605A engine, combined with the 109F airframe. Provision was made for cockpit pressurisation (most versions lacked this) and the Gustav was madd produced, and accounted for two-thirds of all 109 production. There were several subvariants, each with different engine configurations (usually methanol-water boost or nitrous-oxide boost), or differing armament configurations which were supplied by terms of kits to create reconnaissance, fighter-bomber and tropicalised versions of the aircraft. The trouble with the modifications were that they slowed the aircraft down and decreased performance including the handling features.

Further Developments

Other developments of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 included the G-series, later models of which were more powerful, and had a so-called 'Galland' hood for better pilot visibility, the H-series, which were high altitude versions with widened wing span, and widened undercarriage, and the K-series which were the last to enter service before Germany's surrendur during 1945. The emphasis of the K-series was to standardise the many kit modified variants and introduced a basic standard airframe and engine development. Right at the end of the line, the K-series were produced in smaller numbers than the major production variants. Had the Second World War prolonged further, the K-series would have made its mark.

Specification

Dimensions

Powerplant

Weights

Armament

Performance

Production

Production of the aircraft totalled around 35,000, including:

Operators

Three-view Schematic

To view the schematic, click on the image below:

Specification view of a Bf 109