The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the main, frontline, fighter aircraft used by the Luftwaffe in World War II. It performed its first flight as a prototype in September 1935 and first saw combat action in early 1938 as part of the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War. It was also the most massively produced German fighter of WWII, with more than 33,000 aircraft being produced, while the Bf 109E and the Bf 109G were the main versions used by the Germans on every front.
Being the backbone of the Luftwaffe fighter aircraft force, it was was flown by the top aces of the World War II, like Erich Hartmann, Gerdhard Barkhorn, and Adolf Galland. Although its production stopped at the end of the war, it would continue to be in service with foreign nations air forces. Even Israel would make use of this fighter during their war of independence in 1949.
Despite its speed and reliability, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was not as maneuverable as the British Supermarine Spitfire Mk. X version, which had played a key role in the British victory in the Battle of Britain for air supremacy of the skies over England. With the emergence of the American P-51 Mustang, it would come to the brink of obsolescence as it would partially be replaced and fully complemented with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, which was faster and even more maneuverable.
Technical Description
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a single-seat, single-engine monoplane of all-metal construction. It featured cantilever low wing, which had a slight dihedral angle. It had retractable landing gear, with the wheels folding up outwardly into wing. The cockpit was cramped and narrow. The 1,200-HP engine was set up in the nose or forward portion of fuselage, in front of the pilot.
Specifications (Bf 109E)
Type: fighter
Technical Features: Single-Seat, single-engine monoplane.
Length: 8.74 m (28 ft, 8 in)
Wingspan: 9.86 m (32 ft, 4 in)
Wing Area: 16.16 sq. meters (174 sq. ft)
Height: 3.40 m (11 ft, 2 in)
Power Plant: 1,200 HP, Daimler-Benz DB-601N, inverted 'V', 12 cylinder, liquid-cooled engine.
Maximum Speed: 578 km/h (359 mph)
Armament: one 20mm cannon, mounted in engine hub; four 7.92mm MG-17 machine guns, mounted in nose and wings.
Three Bf 109Gs of Jagdgeschwader 27. flying over the Mediterranean off the coast of southern Italy.
Below, the Messerschmitt Bf 109B used by the Condor Legion in Spain.
One Bf 109F parked on a military base on the Eastern Front.
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| Above, a color picture of a Messerschmitt Bf 109C taken after the war. |
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| A Messerschmitt Bf 109E on bombing mission to Stalingrad in the Summer of 1942. |