Unquestionably one of the greatest single-seat fighters ever produced, the Bf 109 served the Luftwaffe both before and throughout World War Two. Built in greater numbers than any other fighter in history, the sleek monoplane proved itself at least the equal of the Supermarine Spitfire in terms of its potential for development. Whereas many of its contemporaries – such as the Hawker Hurricane – were more or less outdated by D-Day, later versions of the German machine remained competitive until the end of the war.
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| Bf 109 |
Although the later Focke-Wulf Fw 190 is generally regarded as the better overall combat aircraft, it was the Messerschmitt that formed the backbone of the Luftwaffe’s fighter force. Its merits were numerous – it was small and agile, superb in both the climb and the dive, a stable gun platform, and could be easily adapted for carrying small bombs for ground attack operations.
The aircraft’s origins date back to the early 1930s, at which time it was being designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser. After a development contract was awarded, design work on Messerschmitt Project Number P.1034 officially began in March 1934. A basic mock-up was completed in May, and a more detailed version was ready in January 1935.
For the time, the Bf 109 was a remarkably futuristic aircraft. Featuring all-metal monocoque construction, an enclosed canopy, retractable undercarriage and a liquid-cooled, inverted V12 engine, it looked dramatically different to the frontline biplane fighters of the day. Given that Germany was restricted from producing military aircraft after World War One, it was assigned the civil registration D-IABI, and made its first flight in the hands of Hans-Dietrich ‘Bubi’ Knoetzsch at Haunstetten on May 29, 1935.
After four months of testing, it was delivered to the Luftwaffe’s flight centre at Rechlin to take part in a design competition. Here, with the help of its rapid speed and aerobatic qualities, it saw off rivals from Focke-Wulf, Arado and Heinkel. On receiving word that the British had ordered 310 Spitfires, Germany began to build up the numbers of the first incarnation of its fighter as quickly as possible. The machine made its public debut at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.
Combat honours
The ’109 first saw action in the last phase of the Spanish Civil War with the Condor Legion (see panel), a group of volunteer pilots from the German air force and army. With this essential experience in hand, Messerschmitt was able to quickly update and improve its creation. By the time World War Two broke out, the ’109 was Germany’s principal fighter and a key instrument in its initially devastating Blitzkrieg strategy – a quickfire combination of ground and air attacks designed to break through enemy lines at rapid pace.
With the Luftwaffe now operating the much-feared Bf 109E variant, most of which had more powerful engines and armament, the fighter gained almost total air superiority in the early stages of the war in Europe. Next came the Battle of Britain in 1940. Here, German fighter pilots were handicapped by the limited range of their mounts – it had only ever been designed as a short-range interceptor.
Once over Britain, the Messerschmitt pilots had little time to spare before they had to return to their bases. Despite this, the Spitfires and Hurricanes of the RAF found the little fighters extremely difficult to deal with. Neither British fighter could match the fuel injected ’109 in the dive, or could pack quite such a fearsome punch from their guns.
Later versions
Germany continued to develop the Bf 109 right through the war. Even with the introduction of the formidable Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in 1941, new and improved versions of the Messerschmitt continued to appear. The F or ‘Friedrich’ variant had a complete redesign of the wings and cooling system, and improved aerodynamics. All armament was now concentrated in the forward fuselage with two synchronized machine guns placed above and a single cannon behind the engine.
In the right hands, the ’109 was the deadliest of opponents, with numerous German ‘experten’ (aces) racking up astonishing numbers of ‘kills’. The highest of all was Erich Hartmann, who finished the war with 352 claims.
The ’F is frequently thought of as the highest benchmark in the fighter’s development, but it too was succeeded by the ‘Gustav’ powerful 1,455hp (1,085kW) DB605 engine, many different modifications were used in order to make the most of the design’s exceptional handling and versatility.
Germany’s final production version was the ’K, which featured an even more powerful version of the engine, and various other aerodynamic and internal improvements. Arriving too late in the war to make a significant impact, the K-4 could reach 440mph (710km/h) at 24,610ft (7,500m), making it the fastest Bf 109 of the conflict.
The end of hostilities naturally brought an end to its development in German hands, although versions continued to be licence-built in Spain and Czechoslovakia. Of these, the best known was the re-engined Spanish Hispano HA-1109 and HA-1112 Buchón, several of which still survive in airworthy condition, along with a few original Bf 109s.
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