Messerschmitt Bf 109 E3 (4101/DG200) [@ RAF Hendon]
Development of Willi Messerschmitt's
famous Bf 109 began in 1933, when the Reichsluftministerium (RLM) issued
a requirement for a new monoplane fighter. The prototype
Bf 109 V1 flew for the first time in September 1935; powered by a 695 hp
Rolls Royce Kestrel engine [photograph - right], as the 610 hp Junkers Jumo
210A that was intended for it was not yet available. The Bf 109A "Anton"
was the first version of the Bf 109. 22 aircraft were ordered and
delivered with the V4 as the A-series prototype. The Bf 109 V7, armed with two machine
guns and a single MG FF (20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon cannon), became the prototype
for the first series production model, the Bf 109 B
"Bruno"
powered by a 610hp Jumo 210 engine driving a two-bladed fixed-pitch propeller. Three of the Bf 109 prototypes were
evaluated in Spain in February and March 1937. Following on was the
Bf 109
B2, with a variable pitch propeller, which immediately proved superior to any other fighter engaged in the
civil war. It was the use of the Bf 109 in Spain that enabled the Luftwaffe to
develop the fighter tactics that would enable it to wreak havoc among its
opponents in the early years of World War II.
Werknummer 4101, "black 12" of 2/JG 51, based at Wissant near Calais was a casualty in the Battle of Britain. It was shot down in a dogfight with a Spitfire from 66 Squadron on 27th November 1940 and the pilot, Wolfgang Teumer, made a wheels-up landing at RAF Manston. The aircraft was taken to the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, for examination and fitted with a new fin and rudder, a new upper forward engine cowling and at least one new wing. It was also fitted with an oxygen system, painted dark green and dark earth with yellow under surfaces and given the serial DG200. 4101 made its "second" maiden flight on the 25th February 1941. The yellow nose was an attempt to make the identification of German aircraft easier for pilots during a dogfight. After the war 4101 was fully restored and since 1978 4101 as been on display at Hendon.
By the time that conflict began in September 1939, 1060 Bf 109s of various sub-species were in service with the Luftwaffe's fighter units. These included the short-lived Bf 109 C "Caesar", powered by a 700 PS Jumo 210G engine with direct fuel injection, and the Bf 109 D "Dora". Developed from the V10 and V13 prototypes, the Dora was the standard version of the Bf 109 in service with the Luftwaffe during the period just before WW2. Despite this, the type saw only limited service during the war, as all of the 235 Doras still in service at the beginning of the Polish campaign were rapidly taken out of service and replaced by the Bf 109E "Emil", except for some night-fighter units where the variant was used into early 1940. Several Bf 109 Ds were sold to Hungary and Switzerland.
Messerschmitt Bf 109 E3 (1190) [@ RAF Duxford]
The Bf 109 E variant became the mainstay of the Luftwaffe's fighter units throughout 1940. Now powered by the V12 cylinder Daimler-Benz DB601 engine which was larger (35.7 litres as opposed to 27 litres) than the Merlin but its performance was similar to that of the Merlin due to the use of a more highly developed supercharging system by Rolls-Royce. This engine used direct fuel-injection control, which gave it better mixture control, although the Merlin carburettor system gave useful charge cooling and a slight power gain. Under negative g forces the fuel-injection proved most useful against the gravity carburettor Merlin (which would cut out). As a result the Bf 109s had the advantage in dives but the Spitfire was more manoeuvrable in turns (without height loss ~ 696 feet (212 m) in radius for the Spitfire and ~ 885 feet (270 m) for the Bf 109) at medium to high speeds than the Bf 109 due to the Bf 109's higher wing loading (32 pounds per square foot for the Bf 109 against 22 pounds per square foot for the Spitfire).
Werknummer 1190 actually took part in the Battles of Britain and France, shooting down five aircraft before suffering an engine failure and crash landing in a Sussex field on the 30th September 1940.
The series extended to the E9, including models built as
fighters, fighter-bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Although a superb fighter
it, like most of its contemporaries, was under-gunned (a deficiency which was
not remedied until the introduction of the Bf 109 G) and had poor ground handling
characteristics. Perhaps its worst handicap, during the Battle of Britain, was
its limited fuel capacity. This meant limited range and endurance so, they could
only remain over the United Kingdom for a few minutes of combat before having to
break off the engagement and return to base. The Bf 109 E was as fast as the
Spitfire but not as manoeuvrable, faster than the
Hurricane and could out-climb
both.
RAF pilots who flew captured Bf 109s liked the engine and throttle response but
criticised the high speed handling characteristics, the poorer turning circle,
the greater force required on the control column at speed and the thick framing
of the cockpit glazing which they felt created blind-spots in the pilot's field
of vision.
Ten Bf 109 Es were converted for operational testing from Germany's planned aircraft carrier, the Graf Zeppelin, under the designation Bf 109 T0 "Trägerflugzeug". The modification included adding a tail-hook, catapult fittings, structural strengthening, manually folding wings and an increased wingspan. Since the landing gear track was a little wider than the Seafire/Spitfire, it might have proven more reliable for carrier landings. With the tests completed an order for 70 T1s, powered by the DB601N engine, was placed. After 7 T1s were built the carrier project was cancelled and the remaining 63 T1 were converted T2 (no carrier equipment). These fighters were deployed in Norway and assigned to I/JG.77 who operated from short runways. In addition to the fighters the carrier was to have operated Ju 87 C dive bombers.
The Messerschmitt shown above at RAF Elvington (York Air Museum) is a replica of a 109 G6, flown by Major Anton Hackl of JG.11. The markings are of a Gruppenkommanduer of Gruppe III of JG.11. Anton Hackl was one of the most successful German fighter pilots of the WW2, with a final total of 192 victories (including 32 four-engined bombers) and a further 24 unconfirmed victories during his 1000 missions.
The best of all Bf 109 variants, the Bf
109 F "Friedrich" and powered by the Daimler-Benz
DB601E engine, began to
reach Luftwaffe units in France in May 1941 and was superior in most respects to
the principal RAF fighter of the time, the Spitfire V.
The Bf 109 F differed from the Bf 109 E in having a generally cleaned up
airframe, redesigned engine cowling, wing, radiators and tail assembly.
It was proposed to join together two Bf 109 F airframes by means of a new wing and tail section. Designated the Bf 109Z "Zwilling" two variants were proposed, one being an interceptor armed with five 30 mm cannons and the other a fighter-bomber with a 1,000 kg bomb load. Only one Bf 109Z was built but it never flew since it was destroyed in a hanger by an Allied bombing raid.
The Bf 109 F was succeeded by the Bf 109 G "Gustav" (nicked named the "The Bulge"/"Die Beule" due to the notorious bulges in the cowling to allow for the additional cooling of the engine which appeared late in 1942. Pre-production Bf 109 G0 aircraft retained the DB 601E of the F series, but the first production model, the Bf 109 G1, had the new more powerful Daimler-Benz DB 605A engine (photograph - right). The promised higher speeds were obtained but manoeuvrability and handling were adversely affected. The G1, G3 and G5 had provision for pressurized cockpits and were fitted with the GM1 emergency power- boost system, which was lacking in the G2 and G4. Various armament combinations were employed and later aircraft were fitted with wooden tail units. The fastest G model, the Bf 109 G10, without wing armament and with MW 50 power- boost equipment, reached a maximum speed of 687 km/h (42 5 mph) at 7400m (24,278ft), climbed to 6100m (20,000ft) in six minutes and had an endurance of 55 minutes.
Messerschmitt Bf 109 G2 (10639/RN228) [@ RAF Hendon]
The Bf109 G series will be forever linked with the daylight bomber-killing missions in defence of the Reich. German fighter pilots found themselves facing heavily armed American B17 Fortress and B24 Liberator bombers and later long range P38 Lightning, P47 Thunderbolt and P51 Mustang fighters. Ground down by the overwhelming odds few survived the war.
Werknummer 10639 was built in Liepzig late in 1942 and served in the Desert War. However, shortly into its operational life it was found damaged and abandoned at Gambut, Tobruk. Shipped back to England for evaluation and testing as RN228 in RAF camouflage, it spent time with both 1426 Enemy Aircraft Flight at Collyweston and the Central Fighter Establishment at Tangmere. Following the end of the war it was stored for many years until a serious attempt of restoration started in 1972. Nearly twenty years later, it flew again with the agreement that it would be flown for a limited period by the Imperial War Museum at Duxford before going on show at the RAF Museum. Following a forced landing at the Duxford Autumn Air Show on 12th October 1997, 10639 was restored at Duxford and arrived at Hendon during 2002.
Messerschmitt Bf 109 G2 (10639) [@ RAF Hendon]
Developed from the Bf 109F series, the Bf 109 H was intended to be a high-altitude fighter. A small number of H1s were built and they were used in France. H2 and H5 developments were also planned but the entire H series was scrapped because of wing flutter problems.
The last operational versions were the Bf 109 K4 and Bf 109 K6, which both had DB 605D engines with MW 50 power boost. The Bf 109 K4 had two 15 mm (0.58 in) MG 151 guns semi-externally mounted above the engine cowling and a 20 mm (0.79 in) MK 108 or 30 mm (1.19in) Mk 103 firing through the propeller hub. The Bf 109 K6 had the cowling-mounted MG 151s replaced by 12.7 mm (0.50 in) MG 131 machine guns and had two 30 mm (1.19 in) MK 103 cannon in under wing gondolas. In fact most of the Bf 109 K "Kurfürst" series saw action during WW2. The operational service of the K series began in October 1944 but only the K4 saw action in large numbers, approximately 1,700 being delivered before the end of WW2. The K4 was the fastest Bf 109 of WW2 reaching 445 mph at 7,500 m altitude. The last variant was the Bf 109 K14, with a DB 605L engine, but only two examples saw service with JG 52.
The Bf 109 G was built in both Spain (as the Hispano Ha1109) and Czechoslovakia (as the Avia 5-199). Some of the Czech-built aircraft were acquired by Israel in 1948. Overall, Bf 109 production reached an approximate total of 35,000 aircraft.
