Country of origin:

Germany

Description:

Single-seat fighter/bomber

Power Plant:

[Bf 109G]

One 1,100 kw (1,475 p) Daimler Benz DB 605 A-1 12-cylinder VEE liquid-cooled engine

Specifications:

Armament:

Two 13 mm MG 131 machine guns mounted above the engine cowling with 300 rounds per gun; one engine mounted 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon with 150 rounds

History:

The Messerschmitt Bf 109, the most important Luftwaffe fighter of World War II, was produced in larger numbers than any other fighter aircraft ever built, some 33,000 odd being completed. Designed by Professor Willi Messerschmitt, and manufactured by the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG, the forerunner of the Messerschmitt AG, the ‘109’, as it was affectionately called, accounted for more than 60 percent of all single-seat fighter production in Germany during the years from 1936 to 1945, and at the beginning of the war it was conceded that the type was superior to the fighters of all other powers, other than the Supermarine Spitfire.  At the commencement of hostilities in 1939, the majority of the Luftwaffe’s fighter squadrons were equipped with the Bf 109E.

The prototype of the series, the Bf 109 V1, powered by a Rolls Royce Kestrel V engine of 518 kw (695 hp), was flown for the first time in September 1935, being followed by the second prototype, the Bf 109A V2, powered by a 455 kw (610 hp) Junkers Jumo 210A engine, in January 1936. The V3 flew in June 1936 and was the first aircraft fitted with armament, two MG 17 7.9 mm machine guns. The 109A V13 had a special variant of the DB 601 engine and set a world speed record of 611 km/h (379 mph). As with all fighter aircraft of the time, development continued throughout its production life.

First production model was the Bf 109B-1, which entered production at Augsberg, Germany in 1937. One of the earliest production models, the Bf 109B-2, was taken to Spain to fight with the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War, where it met the Polikarpov I-16 series, and these were later replaced by the Bf 109C-1. The history of the ‘109’ in war-time is well known and documented, particularly in the Battle of Britain. Suffice it to say that, like the Spitfire, it is certainly one of the immortals in aviation history. The Bf 109C-1 had a fuel injected Jumo 210Ga engine, and the Bf 109D introduced the 716 kw (960 hp) DB 600 engine but this engine proved to be unreliable. The Bf 109E series introduced the DB 601 engine, two 7.9 mm (0.31 in) machine guns and two 20 mm cannon.

Production and development continued through the 109E, 109F, 109G, 109H and 109K series. The 109-K entered service in September 1944 and the K6 model was a bomber destroyer which had a 30 mm cannon. The K14 had the DB 605L engine, two-stage supercharging and a max speed of 728 km/h (452 mph) at 6,000 m (19,700 ft). The 109G series was built in larger numbers than any other model and was known as the Gustav, the most important sub-series being the 109G-6 with the Daimler Benz DB-605 engine.

Many German pilots became aces flying the Bf 109 series. Lt Hans Joachim Marseille was credited with seven victories during the Battle of Britain and later, in 1941, went to North Africa where he built up his tally. The tropical version of the Bf 109F4 possessed clear superiority over the Hurricane and Tomahawk flown by British, South African and Australian pilots. Eventually Marseille was credited with 158 victories before, on 30 September 1942, his aircraft suffered an engine fire and he was killed in the subsequent attempt to bail out.

Australian units flew against the Bf 109, these units including No 3 Squadron, which operated Gauntlets, Gladiators, Hurricanes, Tomahawks and Kittyhawks, this unit operating in Egypt, the Western Desert, Lebanon, Tunisia, Sicily and Italy. No 450 Squadron operated in Egypt, Tunisia, Sicily and Italy with Hurricanes and Kittyhawks; and No 451 Squadron operated in Egypt and Syria.

Another pilot flying the Bf 109 was the greatest fighter ace of all time, Erich Hartmann of JG 52 who, during his service, achieved 352 victories, 346 of these being on the Eastern Front. He survived the war and went on to become instrumental in the organisation of a new German Air Force, eventually retiring. Unlike the allies, Luftwaffe personnel were kept in combat continually and it is interesting to note, of the top 20 German aces, 13 survived the war.

During the Battle of Britain it was found necessary to use the Bf 109 in the fighter/bomber role, 109E-4/B models being fitted with bomb racks and carrying one SC250 (250 kg / 550 lb) or four SC 50 (50 kg / 110 lb) bombs or one Flamm 250 (250 kg / 550 lb) incendiary bomb, and these were operated over London. One variant was the Bf 109T, a fully navalised model modified for deck landing operations, which was intended to operate from the aircraft carrier “Graf Zeppelin”, the hull of which was laid down in 1938 but was never completed. Fieseler commenced a batch of 60 T-1s but when the carrier was cancelled the naval gear was removed and they were completed as fighter/bombers.

Greatest monthly number of Bf 109s delivered was in September 1944 when 1,605 were delivered. During 1944 alone 14,212 were delivered. However, although units were not short of aircraft at this time, fuel for the aircraft was in short supply. The Bf 109H was a high-altitude variant of the 109 G-5 with a pressurized cockpit and wingspan increased to 13.25 m (43 ft 6 in).

A Bf 109E-4 (Werk Nr 1653) from Luftwaffe unit 3/JG51 belly-landed at Monks, Horton Park, in 1940 when flown by Fw Wilhelm Erdniss, this aircraft subsequently finding its way to New Zealand.  It, and the Australian Bf 109E-4 (Werk Nr 0750), were imported to this region and used as exhibits in War-Bond drives during the war but, unfortunately, after the war were broken up for scrap. Werk Nr 0750 was flown by Unteroffizier Heinz Grabow of 3/JG3 and was shot down on 5 September 1940 in Kent, UK.

A Bf 109G-6 (sometimes referred to as a G-10 and a G-14 – Werk Nr 163824) also made its way to Australia and was one of a number of enemy aircraft held by the RAAF at the end of the war for display in the Australian War Memorial. This aircraft was damaged in a collision on the ground on 12 August 1944, and was damaged again after it was repaired. It was refurbished by Ludwig Hansen & Co of Munster, Germany in December 1944. The starboard wing and stern frame were replaced at some stage, and it had a DB 605AS engine installed. Its sister ships on the production line served with 1/JG5 and were lost in action but the wartime records of this aircraft are not available. There is damage behind the pilot’s seat from shrapnel or a bullet and other repairs indicate it could have seen combat.

Captured by the RAF, in 1946 it was allocated to the RAF Maintenance Unit at Brize Norton and soon after was sent to Australia. It remained in storage at Laverton for eight years and was then placed in storage at Tocumwal, NSW until transferred to the AWM in 1955.  In 1963 the AWM decided not to retain the aircraft and it was sold to an instructor at the Illawarra Flying School at Bankstown, NSW, later finding its way into the collection of the late Sid Marshall at Bankstown. After Mr Marshall’s demise, along with two P-51D Mustangs, in 1979, was sold to a British collector but was impounded by Australian Customs when an attempt was made to export the aircraft. It was then stored at RAAF Regents Park, NSW until returned to the AWM. After a period of display at the RAAF Museum at Point Cook in the 1970s, it found its way back into the collection of the AWM and was placed on display along with a Messerschmitt Me 163 and an Me 262.

In 1999 three more Bf 109s arrived in Australia. These three wrecks were located at their crash sites in Russia, salvaged and brought to Australia for restoration. Registration VH-EIN was reserved for a Bf 109G-2 (c/n 004800 – Wk Nr 14798) and VH-BFG was reserved for a Bf 109 G-6 (Serial 6-109-591 – Wk Nr 410077). This latter aircraft of IV/JG54 was flown by Oberleutnant Josef Groene on a mission covering retreating German troops in 1944 when hit by anti-aircraft fire and belly landed on the ice covering Lake Swiblo. The aircraft later sank and was recovered by a small Moscow company, Retrotechnika, in 1990 and sold to an owner in Georgia, USA.

Later it went to Canada and in 1999 was sold to David Prewett in Melbourne, VIC. Two DB 605 engines were located and some restoration work took place. However, it was later exported to the United States where work commenced on further restoration at the Midwest Aero hangar at Danville, Illinois. In July 2018 Bf 109 VH-EIN was cancelled from the civil aircraft register.

In recent years further wrecks have been recovered from crash sites in the old Soviet Union and have been undergoing restoration for museums or to airworthiness, mostly in the United States. A Bf 109E-3 (Wk Nr 1342) was obtained by the Alpine Deer Group Ltd of Wanaka, NZ and restoration commenced in England but, prior to completion of its restoration, it was sold in the United Kingdom, where registration G-BYDS was allotted.

Some 67 Bf 109s are known to survive, 33 being German built aircraft, three Avia (Czech) built, and the remainder post-war Spanish built. However, the number has increased slowly as more wrecks have been recovered from crash sites in Eastern Europe. Most survivors in museums are genuine German built aircraft with Daimler Benz engines. However, the type soldiered on in Spanish service into the 1960s powered by the Rolls Royce Merlin engine. A number of these were obtained for the movie The Battle of Britain and most flying survivors are Spanish built aircraft with Merlin engines.

One ‘109’ captured by Australian forces during World War II, and made airworthy as “Black 6”, was flown by pilots of No 3 Squadron RAAF in the western desert. It was later conveyed to the United Kingdom where it was again made airworthy and flown at Duxford but, following a crash landing in 1998, was grounded, restored, and placed on display at the RAF Museum at Hendon. Because of the shortage of suitable Daimler Benz engines, not many ‘109’s are expected to fly with this engine in the future.

Two ‘109’s have visited airshows at Wanaka in New Zealand over the years. At Easter 1992 a Spanish built HA-1112 MIL (C.4K-107 – G-BOML – ex N170BG) with a Merlin engine visited for the period of the airshow; and at Easter 1996 another example (HA-1112 MIL C.4K-40 – c/n 213 wk nr 151591), partly Czech built and partly Spanish built, but fitted with a Daimler Benz DB 605D engine to bring it up to Bf 109G-10 specifications, was displayed during the show as ZK-CIX. It is airworthy with the Messerschmitt Foundation at Manching, Germany as DD-FEHD.

Work is progressing on a number of others around the world, with two Bf-109Es, amongst others, being airworthy. A Bf 109G-2 serial 14798 ‘GJ +OP’ from 8/JG-5 Black 10 is reported to be in NSW undergoing restoration to airworthiness. Another Bf 109G, which was imported to Australlia, is reported to have been taken to New Zealand for private restoration.