|
Willy Messerschmitt's Bf 109 was the Luftwaffe's benchmark fighter
throughout World War II. It was the mount of the vast majority of the
German aces and scored more kills than any other Axis aircraft. Few
fighters of the period bettered the Bf 109's longevity, either. The
aircraft entered service in time to be blooded in Spain, and it
remained the backbone of the Luftwaffe fighter arm until the end of the
war. Even after 1945 it continued to serve with several air forces and
briefly went back to war in Israeli hands.
The aircraft rapidly gained
something of a reputation, which was carefully nurtured by Nazi
Germany's expert propagandists, and this lived on even after the
aircraft had begun to show its age, and while newer fighters on both
sides were clearly its betters. For its achievements up to 1940 alone,
the Bf 109 deserves to go down in history as one of the World's great
fighter aircraft, and if the same level of superiority over all
opposition eluded the Bf 109 from the Battle of Britain onwards, this
should not tarnish the fighter's reputation. Indeed, in the face of a
constantly changing air war, the Bf 109 proved adaptable enough to
accept new powerplants and weapons with a minimum of modification,
allowing the family of variants and sub-variants to grow rapidly, with
scarcely a break in production. This versatility was probably the key
to the aircraft's colossal success, and was due to straightforward
sensible design practice.
Messerschmitt Bf 109G
The
birth of the Bf 109 was the outcome of political feuding between Erhard
Milch and Willy Messerschmitt, which threatened extinction of the
private Bayerische Flugzeugwerke. The company's M-20 monoplane airliner
failed spectacularly, the prototype and two production aircraft
crashing and Deutsche Luft Hansa canceling all orders. This led the
company to the brink of financial ruin, but recovery was made possible
when Luft Hansa were forced to take delivery of the aircraft they had
ordered. As head of Luft Hansa Milch had accused Messerschmitt of
building unsafe aircraft and as Reich Commissioner for aviation, his
hostility ensured that the company would only receive small orders to
license build aircraft designed by others, and would not be asked to
design its own aircraft for the rearmament of the Luftwaffe.
This
situation finally changed after the company negotiated to supply a
Romanian cartel with a new transport aircraft in 1933. Infuriated by Messerschmitt's touting for overseas business, officials at the
Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM, or State Ministry of Aviation) drew
from Messerschmitt the retort that he had been obliged to seek business
elsewhere because of the lack of support from Berlin itself. Stung by
this accusation, the RLM awarded a contract which resulted in the
highly successful Bf 108 Taifun, and soon afterwards awarded fighter
development contracts to Arado, BFW, Focke-Wulf and Heinkel, it being
confidently expected that Messerschmitt's lack of experience in
high-speed aircraft design would mean that his contender would stand
little chance of success.
Employing features of his excellent Bf 108 Taifun four-seat tourer,
Messerschmitt's design emerged as a small angular low-wing cantilever
monoplane with retractable landing gear, leading-edge slats and
enclosed cockpit. These features, together with its all-metal, flush
riveted monocoque fuselage, made it the most modern of the contenders,
since the Heinkel had an open cockpit and no slats, the Arado an open
cockpit and fixed landing gear, and the Focke-Wulf a braced, unslatted
high wing. Such modernity was striking, and rather controversial,
drawing from Ernst Udet the comment that the aircraft would 'never make
a fighter'. It had been intended to use the new Junkers Jumo 210A
engine, but this was not available for the Bf 109 V1 prototype so an
imported Rolls-Royce Kestrel V of 695 hp (518 kW) was used, the
aircraft being rolled out and flown in September 1935. Though no one
was to know it at the time, this choice of powerplant would be echoed
years later, when the last Bf 109 variant, the Spanish 1109-M1L Buchon
(Pigeon), used another Rolls-Royce engine, this time the Merlin in
1953.
When flown in competition with the Ar 80 V1, Fw 159 V1 and He 112 V1,
at the Travemunde trials, the Bf 109 V1 performed well despite minor
problems and, amid general surprise, was rewarded by a contract for 10
prototype development aircraft (although it was not in fact declared
the outright winner, 10 Heinkel aircraft also being ordered). One
problem experienced by the Bf 109 was the collapse of its narrow track
landing gear on arrival at the Rechlin test centre. At the time, most
put it down to bad luck, but the incident foreshadowed what was to be
one of the aircraft's greatest weaknesses throughout its life,
unforgiving ground handling characteristics that were to cause the loss
or damage of hundreds of production aircraft. Definitive evaluation
trials were held at Travemunde in November 1935, and these resulted in
final victory over the Heinkel He 112. Superior performance, a
spectacular display by Dr Ing Herman Wurster and a lower manufacturing
cost settled the issue and the Bf 109 was selected for production.
Three further prototypes (the Bf 109 V2 registered D-IUDE, Bf 109 V3
D-IHNY and Bf 109 V4 D-IOQY) were flown in 1936, powered by Jumo 210A
engines and with provision for two synchronized 7.92 mm (0.31 in) MG 17
machine-guns in the nose decking. However, rumours abounded that the
British Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire were to be armed with
four guns, so that by the time the Bf 109 V4 prototype flew a third
7.92 mm (0.31 in) MG 17 was planned to fire through the propeller hub.
The
proposed two-gun Bf 109A production version did not therefore
materialize, and the first pre-production Bf 109B-0 examples were flown
early in 1937, at the same time as the Bf 109 V5, Bf 109 V6 and Bf 109
V7 prototypes. Considerable operational experience was gained during
the Spanish Civil War by three Staffeln of Jagdgruppe 88, fighter
component of the 'volunteer' Legion Condor, which received the V3, V4
and V5 for combat evaluation, and which was equipped with production
examples of the Bf 109B-1, Bf 109B-2 and Bf 109C-1 versions as soon as
they became available, having complained that its initial equipment of
Heinkel He 51s simply could not cope against the Republicans'
Polikarpov I-16s. This experience assisted in the development of the
aircraft itself and in the development of air combat tactics in
general, for it was largely through men such as Werner Molders and
Adolf Galland who fought in Spain with the Bf 109, that basic air
fighting tactics were evolved which were to last well into the jet age.
The
next prototype, the Bf 109 V9, had two 20 mm MG FF cannons installed in
the wings. This machine served as prototype for the production Bf 109 C
series which were essentially similar to the BF 109 B series apart from
their armament. The pre-production Bf 109C-0 and the initial production
Bf 109C-1 both carried four 7.95 mm (0.31 in) MG 17 machine guns, and
the Bf 109C-2 subtype had a further MG 17 firing through the airscrew
hub. The experimental Bf 109C-4 had four MG 17 guns and a single 20 mm
MG FF cannon, but this version was not placed in service. In August
1938 twelve Bf 109C-2 fighters arrived in Spain to re-equip other parts
of Legion Condor.
While work was progressing on the improvement of the fighter's
armament, parallel experiments were being conducted with a view to
improving performance. An early 960 hp (705 kW) Daimler-Benz DB 600
engine was installed in a standard Bf 109 B series airframe to form the
Bf 109 V10. Two further prototypes, the Bf 109 V11 and Bf 109 V12, were
fitted with the production type Daimler-Benz DB 600A, resulting in a
substantial improvement in performance, a maximum speed of 323 mph (520
km/h) was attained and the service ceiling boosted to 31,170 ft (9500
m).
With this engine a new sub-type, the Bf 109D, entered production in
late 1937, the pre-production Bf 109D fighters employing converted Bf
109 B model airframes and carried an MG 17 machine gun in each wing as
first introduced on the Bf 109C. In addition, a single engine-mounted
MG FF cannon was carried. A small production batch of Bf 109D-1
fighters followed to equip one Gruppe, but the availability of the
redesigned DB 601 1,050 hp (783 kW) engine, incorporating direct fuel
injection and improved supercharging capacity, had led to abandonment
of further production of the DB 600 and, in consequence, the Bf 109D in
favour of the Bf 109E with the later engine, and ten of the Bf 109Ds
were sold to Switzerland and three to Hungary.
By
the beginning of World War II in September 1939, the Luftwaffe had
standardized its fighter Geschwader on the Bf 109. The Bf 109D series,
although produced in fairly large numbers and still in service, was
already giving place to the Bf 109E (widely known as the 'Emil'). Ten
pre-production Bf 109E-0s appeared late in 1938 with two nose-mounted
7.92 mm (0.31 in) MG 17 machine-guns and two in the wings, and powered
by the 1,100 hp (821 kW) DB 601A engine, which promised to solve the
reliability and other problems of the DB 600 which was to have been
used by the 'Dora'.
Production Bf 109E-1s started leaving the Augsburg factory at the
beginning of 1939 with alternative provision for two 20 mm MG FF cannon
in place of the wing machine-guns, although late delivery of the new
engine meant that the first few Es to come off the line were put into
storage to await their engines! Maximum speed was 570 km/h (354 mph) at
3750 m (12,305 ft) and service ceiling 11000 m (36,090 ft), performance
figures which helped the Bf 109E to eclipse all of its opponents in the
first eight months of the war. A sub-variant, the Bf 109E-1/B,
introduced soon after, was a fighter-bomber capable of carrying a
250-kg (551 lbs) bomb under the fuselage.
Adolf Galland's Messerschmitt Bf 109E of JG.26 Schlageter Kdz. France
1940
Production of the Emil was shifted from Augsburg to Regensburg in 1939
(to make way for the Bf 110 twin-engined fighter) as a massive
subcontract programme was undertaken by Ago, Arado, Erla and WNF, 1,540
aircraft being delivered that year. Despite deliveries of 10 Jumo-engined
Bf 109Cs, and thirty Bf 109Es to Switzerland, Bf 109E deliveries were
almost too fast for the aircraft to be absorbed by the newly forming
Jagdgruppen. Nevertheless, on the eve of the invasion of Poland the
Jagdverband comprised 12 Gruppen flying 850 Bf 109E-1s and Bf 109E-1/Bs
and one with Ar 68s. Some 235 Bf 109D-1s were still serving with the
Zerstörergeschwader. A handful of Bf 109Bs were on charge with II/ZG 1,
while I/JG 21 had a few Bf 109Cs on charge. Five Bf 109 Gruppen
actually participated in the invasion of Poland, with just over 200
aircraft. 67 Bf 109s were lost, most, but by no means all, to ground
fire. The first occasion on which Bf 109s fought the RAF was during the
daylight raid by 24 unescorted Vickers Wellingtons on Wilhelmshaven on
18 December 1939, 12 of the bombers being destroyed for the loss of two
Bf 109Es of JG 77.
In
1940 production of the Emil increased to 1,868 aircraft, the D-series
being almost entirely discarded from front-line use. Principal
sub-variants produced that year were the Bf 109E-2, Bf 109E-3 (with two
7.92 mm MG 17s in the nose and two in the wings, plus an MG FF/M firing
through the propeller shaft) and the Bf 109E-4 (with two nose MG 17s
and two wing MG FF cannon). All these versions saw widespread action
during the Blitzkrieg against France and the Low Countries (with
sixteen Gruppen), and in the great daylight battles over southern
England during the Battle of Britain. When employed in the 'free chase'
tactic they proved deadly, the combination of experienced pilots and
fast Bf 109 proving generally superior to the mostly novice RAF pilots
in their Hurricanes.
The Bf 109s initially bettered even the Spitfire,
except in what became, in the Battle of Britain at least, the
all-important arena of turn performance. The Bf 109E, though suffering
heavy attrition, wreaked havoc on the RAF's fighters, but simple
arithmetic was against it. The Bf 109 had insufficient fuel to stay and
fight for more than a few minutes, and damaged aircraft inevitably
failed to make it home, while downed pilots became prisoners of war.
Similarly damaged RAF aircraft and downed RAF pilots were usually
airborne again within hours. Moreover, as is now well known, the
capabilities of the Bf 109E were frequently squandered when the
aircraft were too often tied to close escort of bomber formations, a
role in which the Bf l09Es were deprived of their greatest assets,
speed and manoeuvrability. At the same time, the enemy was not slow to
learn from his mistakes, and RAF fighter pilots rapidly ditched the
cumbersome pre-war tactics which had led to so many losses.
Unfortunately for the RAF, it was less easy to switch from the
small-calibre light machine-gun armament used on most RAF fighters, and
which proved ineffective against most targets, unless the pilot could
get close enough to score multiple-hits. Nevertheless, by the end of
the Battle, the Luftwaffe had lost 610 Bf 109s (of an overall total of
1,792 aircraft destroyed on operations) while the RAF's 1,172 losses
included 403 Spitfires, 631 Hurricanes, 115 Blenheims and 23 Defiants.
These figures obscure the fact that RAF losses were falling, while Bf
109 attrition was reaching worrying levels. Later in the Battle of
Britain the Bf 109E was also employed as a fighter-bomber (the Bf
109E-4/B), proving particularly difficult to intercept. Jabo versions
of the Emil were later used with great success in other theatres, one
such aircraft successfully sinking the British cruiser HMS Fiji during
the invasion of Crete in 1941. Other variants, which appeared soon
after the Battle of Britain, included the Bf 109E-5 and Bf 109E-6
reconnaissance fighters, the latter with Daimler-Benz DB 601N engines,
the Bf 109E-7 with provision for belly drop tank, and the Bf 109E-7/Z
with GM-1 nitrous oxide engine boost.
Early in 1941 the Emil was beginning to appear in the Mediterranean
theatre, with tropicalised versions of the above sub- variants serving
with JG 27 in North Africa. Here the combination of experienced pilots
with Bf 109Es were able to repeat their success against the RAF, though
scoring mainly against ageing Hurricanes and Kittyhawks. By the time
Germany opened its great attack on the Soviet Union in June 1941, the
Bf 109F series was beginning to join the frontline fighter squadrons,
although the Emil provided one third of the fighter strength for the
initial assault and continued to serve for a long time yet, especially
in the ground attack role.
Powered by the 1,300 (969 kW) DB 601E, the Bf 109F was generally
regarded as the most attractive of the entire Bf 109 family, and its
design represented almost a textbook exercise in drag reduction. It
introduced extended and rounded wingtips and an enlarged spinner, while
Frise ailerons and plain flaps replaced the Emil's slotted flaps. A
fully retractable tailwheel superseded the earlier fixed type, and a
cantilever tailplane, without bracing struts, was introduced. In the
matter of gun armament, however, the Bf 109F was widely criticised, for
it deleted the wing-mounted 20 mm Rheinmetall-Borsig (Oerlikon licence)
MG FF cannons in favour of a higher-velocity 15 mm Mauser MG 151/15
cannons firing through the propeller hub with two 7.92 mm (0.31 in) MG
17s above the nose. While this tended to satisfy the German Experten
(aces) as benefiting the aircraft's performance, it was pointed out
that the majority of Luftwaffe fighter pilots needed a heavier armament
with which to achieve a 'kill'.
Pre-production Bf 109F-0s were evaluated by the Luftwaffe during the
second half of 1940, and Bf 109F-1s were delivered early the following
year. Both initial variants had an engine-mounted 20 mm
Rheinmetall-Borsig MG FF due to shortages of the 15 mm Mauser MG 151/15
cannon. A number of accidents indicated that removal of the tailplane
struts left the entire tail unit vulnerable to sympathetic vibration at
certain oscillating frequencies of the engine, and strengthening
modifications were quickly put in hand. With these in place the Bf 109F
proved superior in performance and agility to the Emil, and many pilots
preferred its handling characteristics. Thereafter, the increasing
weight and engine power which accompanied the essential stream of
modifications steadily degraded the Bf 109's handling characteristics.
After the Bf 109F-2 (with 15 mm MG 151 finally replacing the 20 mm
Rheinmetall-Borsig MG FF) came the principal version, the Bf 109F-3,
early in 1942 with a top speed of 390 mph (628 km/h) at 21,980 ft (6700
m).
Bf
109Fs had joined the Geschwaderstab and III Gruppe of Adolf Galland's
JG 26 'Schlageter' early in 1941 on the Channel coast, and during the
early stages of Operation Barbarossa in the East this version equipped
Major Gunther Lutzow's JG 3 'Udet', Werner Molders' JG 51, Major
Gunther von Maltzahn's JG 53 'Pik As' and Major Johannes Trautloft's JG
54. The superiority of the new fighter (even over the Spitfire Mk V in
the West) quickly became apparent as the German fighter pilots' victory
tallies soared.
The
'Friedrick' underwent progressive improvement and development: the Bf
109F-4 had an MG 151 rebarrelled to 20-mm, while also introducing
morale-boosting windscreen and cockpit armour, and the larger F2Z
supercharger, the Bf 109F-4/R1 could be fitted with a Rustsatz (field
conversion kit) comprising two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons in underwing
packs for the bomber-destroyer role, the Bf 109F-4/B fighter-bomber was
capable of carrying up to 1,102 lbs (500 kg) of bombs, and the Bf
109F-5 and Bf 109F-6 reconnaissance fighters were introduced later in
1942. It was principally in the tropicalised Bf 109F-4 that the
22-year-old Oberleutnant Hans-Joachim Marseille became the
highest-scoring Luftwaffe fighter pilot in the West with 158 air
victories, although he died bailing out from a Bf 109G-2 on 30
September 1942 in North Africa.
The
Bf 109G (dubbed the 'Gustav' by German pilots) was introduced into
service in the late summer of 1942 and came to be built in larger
numbers than any other version, serving with more units, although its
characteristics were such that it rapidly came to be regarded as
Germany's second fighter, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 equipping the most
important units. The emergence of the Spitfire Mk IX and P-51D had
finally shown the Bf 109 to be on the verge of obsolescence, and to
counter this, Messerschmitt finally sacrificed handling and
manoeuvrability for outright performance. The Gustav was thus powered
by the much heavier 1,475 hp (1100 kW) DB 605A, although pre-production
Bf 109G-0s retained the DB 601E.
Basic armament remained two
nose-mounted 7.92 mm (0.31 in) MG 17s and hub-firing 20 mm MG 151/20
cannon. The Bf 109G-1, with pressure cabin, was powered by the DB
605A-1 with GM-1 power boosting, and the tropical version, the Bf
109G-1/Trop, carried 13 mm (0.51 in) MG 131s in place of the MG 17s,
necessitating larger breech blocks and giving rise to the nickname' Beule' (bump) on account of the raised fairings forward of the
windscreen. The Bf 109G-2 dispensed with the pressure cabin and the Bf
109G-2/R1 was a fighter-bomber; the Bf 109G-3 was similar to the Bf
109G-1 but with FuG 16Z radio, and the Bf 109G-4 was an unpressurised
version of the Bf 109G-3.
The Bf 109G-5 introduced the DB 6O5D engine
with MW-50 water-methanol power boosting (making possible a maximum
power of 1,800 hp/1343 kW for combat bursts), while the Bf 109G-5/R2
featured a taller rudder and lengthened tailwheel leg in an effort to
counter the aircraft's swing on take-off. Ever since the introduction
of the Bf 109F had removed wing-mounted guns from the 109, a
controversy had raged over how a fighter should be armed. In the hands
of an expert the Bf 109F's three guns were adequate against fighter
targets, but the quality of Luftwaffe gunnery training had steadily
declined (young pilots being expected to learn most of their skills on
the job) and the Bf 109's most important targets had become heavily
armoured Russian Shturmoviks and large American bombers, making three
relatively slow-firing guns clearly inadequate. Therefore the Bf 109G-5
introduced a basic armament of a single hub-flring 30 mm MK 108 cannon,
and two nose-mounted MG 131s, whose larger breech blocks were covered
by the distinctive 'beulen'.
A Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6/R6 of II Staffel/JG 53 Jagdgeschwader -
Eastern Front 1943
Most important of all the 'Gustavs' was the Bf l09G-6 which, in various
sub-variants, was powered by AM, AS, ASH, ASD or ASM versions of the DE
605 engine; with provision for two underwing 20 mm MG 151/20 guns.
Numerous Rustsätze kits were produced to increase armament, including
those to produce the Bf 109G-6/R1 fighter-bomber with a bomb load of up
to 1,102 lbs (500 kg). Most aimed at improving the Bf 109's capability
as a bomber-destroyer however, as the Defence of the Reich role
steadily assumed greater importance. The Bf 109G-6/R2 bomber-destroyer
had two 21 cm (8.27 in) WGr 210 'Dodel' rockets replacing the underwing
cannon, while the Bf 109G-6/U4 (with an Umrust-Bausatz or factory
conversion set) was armed with two 30 mm MK 108 underwing cannon, and
the Bf 109G-6/U4N night-fighter carried radar. Tropicalised versions of
most of these were also produced.
The Bf 109G-7 was not built, but the
Bf 109G-8 reconnaissance fighter formed part of the equipment of Nahaufklärungsgruppe 13 late in 1943 on the Channel coast. Fastest of
all 'Gustavs' was the Bf 109G-10 with the DB 605D with MW-50 boost and
bulged cockpit canopy (known as the 'Galland hood'), and a top speed of
429 mph (690 km/h) at 24,280 ft (7400 m); the Bf 109G-10/R2 and R6
possessed the revised tail and tailwheel assembly of the Bf 109G-5/R2
and were equipped with FuG 25a IFF equipment; the Bf 109G-10/U4 had
provision for a belly gun pack containing two MK 108 30 mm guns, but
this could be replaced by a non-jettisonable fuel tank known as the
Inner Behalter. The Bf l09G-12 was a two-seat trainer, field-modified
from the Bf 109G-1 to provide conversion training on the
Schulejagdgeschwader, notably JG 101, 102, 104, 106, 107 and 108 in
1944. Last operational version was the 'universal' Bf 109G-14 with
lightened fixed armament but with provision for external guns, WfrGr
210 rockets or bombs. The Bf 109G-16 heavily armoured ground-attack
fighter-bomber entered production before Germany's surrender but did
not see operational service.
The Gustav formed the backbone of the
Luftwaffe's last mass operation, the ill-fated Operation Bodenplatte, a
mass attack against allied airfields in France, Belgium and Holland
aimed at destroying troublesome USAAF and RAF fighter bombers on the
ground. Unfortunately, the Luftwaffe fighters suffered heavy losses
while inflicting little damage, while destroying General der
Jagdflieger Adolf Galland's preferred plan ('Big Blow') which was
conceived as a mass operation (with 1500-2000 fighters) to destroy 500+
US bombers, whose crews would be irreplaceable. Galland believed that
allied fighter bombers would be quickly replaced, and that while pilots
in Bodenplatte would inevitably fall into Allied hands, many pilots
shot down in 'Big Blow' would parachute safely into Gennan territory.
Development of the Bf 109H high-altitude fighter started in 1943, being
a progression from the F-series with increased wing span and the GM-l
boosted DB 601E. Maximum speed was 466 mph (750 km/h) at 33,135 ft
(10100 m). Pre-production aircraft were evaluated operationally in
France and a few sorties were flown by production Bf 109H-1s, but wing
flutter problems caused the H-series to be abandoned, although projects
included the Bf 109H-2 with Jumo 213E, and the Bf 109H-5 with DB 605
engines.
Last main operational version of the Bf 109 was the K-series, developed
directly from the Gustav; indeed the Bf 109K-0 pre-production aircraft
were converted G-series airframes. The Bf 109K-2 and Bf 109K-4
(pressurised) were powered by MW-50 boosted 2,000 hp (1492 kW) DB 605
ASCM/DCM engines and armed with one 30 mm MK 103 or MK 108 cannon and
two 15 mm (0.59 in) MG 151 heavy machine-guns, and the Bf 109K-6 had
provision for two underwing 30 mm MK 103s. Only two Bf 109K-14s (DB
605L with MW-50 and a top speed of 450 mph; 725 km/h) saw action before
the end of the war, being delivered to Major Wilhelm Batz's Gruppenstab,
II./JG 52, in April 1945.
A Messerschmitt Bf 109K-4 of II Gruppe Jagdgeschwader 3 - Pasewalk
Germany 1945
With the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 reaching full operational status only after
two years of war, the Bf 109 provided the backbone of the Luftwaffe's
fighter arm throughout World War II, with more than 30,000 examples
produced (because of confusion caused by bombing of factories, an
accurate production total could not be arrived at, but only the Russian
Ilyushin Il-2 had a higher figure, with 36,163 models built), it was
natural that experiments and projects abounded.
For
example, among the more bizarre trials were those conducted on Bf 109Es
to carry a parachutist in an over-wing 'paracapsule'. Another (in the
Starr-Schlepp programme) involved the mounting of a Bf 109E on a DFS
230 troop-carrying glider as a means of delivering airborne forces;
this experiment was followed later in the war by the well-known
Beethoven- Gerät composite weapon system involving the use of Bf 109s
and Fw 190s mounted atop unmanned Junkers Ju 88s loaded with
explosives. A number of radical operational tactics were pioneered by
Bf 109 units, including the aerial bombing of American bomber
formations with 551 lbs (250 kg) bombs dropped from Bf 109Gs (pioneered
by JG 1 in 1943), and the use by JG 300 of day fighters for freelance
night combat against night-bombers, known as Wilde Sau tactics.
A
development of the Emil was the Bf 109T (T - indicating Träger)
carrier-borne fighter, intended for deployment aboard the German
carrier Graf Zeppelin. Featuring folding long-span wings, arrester hook
and catapult spools, 10 pre-production Bf 109T-0s and 60 Bf 109T-1s
were produced between 1939 and 1941, but when the carrier's
construction was finally abandoned most of these aircraft were
delivered to the Luftwaffe for land-based operation.
Perhaps the most ambitious of all projects was the Bf 109Z Zwilling,
involving the union of two Bf 109F airframes and outer wing panels by
means of new wing and tail sections; the pilot was to have been
accommodated in the port fuselage and two versions were proposed, a
Zerstorer with five 30 mm guns and a fighter-bomber with a 2,205 lbs
(1000 kg) bombload. A prototype was built but this was never flown.
Bf
109s were supplied to numerous foreign air forces from 1939 onwards,
and considerable licence-production of the 'Gustav' was undertaken by
Avia at Prague and JAR at Brasov in Romania. The most successful of the
foreign air arms with Bf 109s was the Finnish air force, its
highest-scoring pilot, Lentomestari Eino Juutilainen, achieving 94
victories, of which 59 were scored in 'Gustavs'; he was the
highest-scoring non-German/Austrian fighter pilot of all time and his
aircraft were never once hit in combat.
Spain undertook licence-assembly of the Bf
109 during and after World War II using the Hispano-Suiza 12-Z-89 and
12-Z-17 engines in German supplied airframes, and later the Rolls-Royce
Merlin; these aircraft, termed Hispano HAS 1109-J1L, HA 1110-K1L
(two-seater) and HA 1112-K1L, remained in service until the 1960s.
Other post-war use of the Bf 109 included a number of C-199 Mezec or
'Mule' (Czech-built Jumo 211F-powered 'Gustavs') flown by Israel
against the Egyptian air force in 1948. The Bf 109 was widely supplied
to German satellite states in World War II, and was also used by
neutral countries such as Spain and Switzerland.
Total production is estimated at 35,000, making it one of the most
numerous aircraft types of the war.
Nicknames: Augsburg
Eagle; Buchon "Pounter Pigeon" (HA-1112); Mezec "Mule"
(Avia S-199); Anton (A-Model); Bertha (B-Model);
Clara (C-Model); Dora (D-Model); Emil (E-Model);
Fritz (F-Model); Gustav (G-Model); Beule/Bump
(Bf-109G-1 Trop); Toni (T-Model).
Specifications (Bf-109G-6):
Engine: 1800-hp Daimler-Benz DB-605 inverted V-12 piston engine
Weight: Empty 5,893 lbs., Max Takeoff 6,945 lbs.
Wing Span: 32ft. 6.5in.
Length: 29ft. 7in.
Height: 11ft. 2in.
Performance:
Maximum Speed at at 23,000 ft: 385mph
Ceiling: 38,500 ft
Range: 450 miles
Armament:
Two 13mm (0.51-inch) MG131 machine guns
Three 20mm MG151 cannon
Number Built: ~35,000 |
