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WW2 Messerschmitt Bf 109 German Luftwaffe fighter
On 28th May 1935 Willy Messerschmitt Bf 109 prototype flew for the first time. It was a single-seat monoplane fighter. It was powered by a British 695-hp Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine. The second prototype was fitted with German 610-hp Junkers Jumo 210A engine. In 1937 the JG132 ' Von Richthofen' squadron received their first Bf 109B-1 Messerschmitt fighter. They excelled themselves during the Spanish Civil War where their pilots gained vital experience before World War 2. Messerschmitt Bf 109 B, C, D and E versions took part in the Spanish Civil War. The German Luftwaffe had more than 1,000 Bf 109s in operational service by the time World War Two started in 1939. During the September 1939 German invasion of Poland the Luftwaffe had 850 Bf-109Es and 235 Bf-109Ds. During the “Blitzkrieg Lightning War" about 200 Bf-109s took part 67 were shot down, mostly to ground fire.
All their Jagdgeswader fighter squadronswere equipped with Bf 109 E (Emil) planes by the start of the Battle of Britain in July to September 1940. Luckily for the RAF in November 1939 a confused Luftwaffe pilot set a Messerschmitt Bf-109E Emil down on the wrong side of the French border. The aircraft was flown back to England where it was tested and put through mock dogfights with British fighters. The evaluation concluded that the Messerschmitt Bf-109E Emil was superior to the Hawker Hurricane in almost all respects but a match for the three-bladed Rotol Supermarine Spitfire Mark I except at high altitude where the Spitfire had an advantage. This particular Messerschmitt is now in the RAF Museum at Hendon.
It is estimated that over 35,000 Messerschmitt fighters have been produced. It had a maximum Speed at 23,000 ft of 385mph, with a ceiling of 38,500 ft. Its normal range was 450 miles. The Messerschmitt Bf-109E-1 was armed with four MG-17 7.9-millimeter machine guns, with two in the cowling and two in the wings. It became the main fighter of the German Luftwaffe for the first few years of World War Two. The Messerschmitts Bf 109 scored more kills than any other aircraft during WW2. The most successful ace during this period was Maj. Erich Hartmann with 352 kills flying a Messerschmitts Bf 109. This is still a world record for one pilot.
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 a more reliable engine which had direct injection fuel system. This meant that it had no problems with negative G-forces. The fighter also had better climbing rates. Most of the 1172 planes belonging to RAF's Fighter Command shot down during the Battle of Britain were victims of the Messerschmitts Bf 109 E. During the same Battle the German Luftwaffe loses were slightly higher. They had 1792 planes shot down, of which 610 were Messerschmitts Bf 109 E-type. The "Bf-109E-3" variant replaced the MG-17 wing guns to MG-FF 20 millimeter cannons with 60 RPG. The bigger weapons dictated fit of a blister in the lower wing. The pilot could choose to fire one or both cannons.
During the Battle of Britain the Messerschmitts Bf-109s were ordered to operate as bomber escorts. This forced them into a defensive posture, which put them at a disadvantage relative to Hurricanes and Spitfires. The limited range was also another problem as it could not stay over the battle area for very long. If a German pilot had to bail out he would spend the rest of the war as a POW. British pilots who had to bail out returned to battle the next day.
Bf-109E-4 variant but the MG-FF wing cannon were updated to MG-FF/M cannon with a "softened" recoil mechanism to allow it to fire devastating high-explosive "mine" shells. The softened recoil mechanism also resulted in a higher rate of fire.The Messerschmitt Bf 109 F (Fredrik) was the next upgrade version of the plane during 1941 - 42. Only the rear fuselage had not been altered. It was a totally new plane. The Messerschmitt Bf 109 G was introduced during late summer of 1942 and was the backbone of the Luftwaffe to the end of the war.
WW2 Aircraft There are many International Air Tattoos and air shows like the one at Fairford Air Base, Duxford, Farnborough, Biggin Hill, Cosford, Eastbourne AirShow, Abingdon UK air show, Boscombe Down UK air shows, Greenham Common, Mildenhall air fete where you can have fun with all the family looking at static aviation displays as well as the acrobatics in the air. You can see many of these planes, Supermarine spitfire, tornado, battle of Britain fighters, warbirds, vulcan,, Lancaster, lightning, mosquito, Eurofighter, VC10, DC10 Shackleton, jaguar, typhoon, sabre, super sabre, delta dart, talon, phantom, falcon, thunderbirds, eagle. Learjet, lockheed, Douglas, McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle, McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II USMC, Vought F4U-5NL Nite-Corsair, McDonnell Douglas A-4F Skyhawk USMC, Lockheed HC-130H Hercules, Lockheed P-38J Lightning, Curtiss P-40E Warhawk. North American P-51D Mustang, Republic P-47B/D Thunderbolt Razorback, Bell P-39D Airacobra , Northrop P-61B Black widow, Martin B-26B/C Marauder, North American B-25B/C Mitchell, B-24J Liberator, Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, Boeing B-29 Superfortress, Zero, Hawker Hurricane, Junkers Ju 52, Messerschmitt Me 110C, Messerschmitt Bf 109E, Focke Wulf Fw 190A, Panavia Tornado RAF, Grumman A-6A Intruder, Grumman F-14A Tomcat, Douglas F-18A Hornet USN, Lockheed S-3B Viking, Grumman E-2C Hawkeye, Lockheed C-130H Hercules, Lockheed C-5A/B Galaxy to name but a few
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