Messerschmitt BF109

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the Luftwaffe's standard fighter throughout World War II.



Early years
The Bf-109 was designed to meet a 1934 requirement for a small, lightweight fighter. The first prototype, Bf109V1, was powered by ironically an British engine, the Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine. This prototype was first flown in May 1935. The second prototype flew with a 610 Hp(455kW) Junkers Jumo 210 engine, in 1936. The first full production model was the 109B-1 with the Jumo Engine and armed with two 7.9mm machine guns. Deliveries of this version began in 1937. 45 of these early B versions were sent to the Condor Legion to fight in the Spanish Civil War. The Bf-109C was introduced soon after the B. Instead of two machine guns it had four and it too flew in Spain. The last of the early versions, the D, was essentially the same as the C. A couple of these saw a little action over Poland in 1939.

Low Counties and Battle of Britian
During the Invasion of Poland, the Bf-109E came into production. The E was a vastly different machine. it was powered by the Daimler-Benz DB 601A engine, developing 1175hp (876kW)and was able to reach speeds of 348mph (560 km/h) at 14,000ft (4440m. It was armed with 2 7.9mm machine guns and 2 20mm cannons, giving it a deadly punch. over 4000 E's were produced and equipped the Luftwaffe in large numbers in 1939. By the time the war started, it was the most powerful fighter aircraft in the world, rivaled by only the Supermarine Spitfire. It swept its polish, Dutch, and french opponents from the sky and by June 1940, was ready to battle against the British. In what was to become known as the Battle of Britain, it was flown expertly by the numerous aces of the German Air force but the Luftwaffe was destined to fail to gain air superiority over the British isles. The main problem with the Bf-109 was its range. It was not able to stay with the bombers over their targets and in turn, the bombers were easy prey for the Spitfires and Hurricanes.

The F: Pinnacle of development.
In July 1941, the Bf-109 got a complete redesign. The spinner was enlarged, the cowl changed into a more streamlined shape, the wingtips were rounded, it gained a retractable tail wheel and got rid of the bracing struts on the tailplane. This became the Bf-109F. The F-1 had an 1270hp (947kW) DB 601N engine and was armed with 2 7.9mm machine guns and one 15mm cannon firing out of the propeller hub. It had a top speed of 388mph (624 km/h) at 21,325ft (6,500m). The F-3 and 4 versions gained a 1,350hp (1007kW) engine and replaced the 15mm cannon with a 20mm one. Considered by many the greatest Bf-109, it flew in operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, where it destroyed over 4,000 Soviet planes in one month alone. It was also present in the African and Mediterranean theaters. Highly maneuverable and able to climb at an astonishing rate, it out flew many of the Allies planes when first introduced, including the Spitfire Mk V. 2,200 were produced.

The Gustav or G
The Bf-109G-2 was introduced in summer of 1942. it gained a more powerful engine, the DB 605, rated at 1,475hp (1100kW). the definitive version of the G was the G-6. this installed a 1,800hp (1342kW) engine. also new were two 13mm machine guns that replaced the earlier 7.9mm ones. There were over 23,000 built up till 1944, making it the most numerous fighter plane in existence. Unfortunately, by this point it had become increasingly heavy and as a consequence, lost most of its maneuverability. Flown against the Soviet air force in the East and the Americans and British in the West, most were armed with two removable 20mm guns under the wings. these had the effect of increasing the firepower and were put to good effect against the Bomber streams over France and Germany but it reduced roll rate and caused too much drag, leaving it outmatched in a one on one fight against the Allies new fighters like the P-47D and La-5FN.

The End
The last version of the Bf-109 to be produced in large numbers would be the K-4. minor changes were made, a new wing was introduced, the tail wheel was lengthened and a new canopy was put on the plane. A Methanol water boosted DB 605 was the new engine, rated at 2,000hp(1491kW), raising the top speed to 452mph (727 km/h) at 19,000ft (6000m). it was also armed with a new 30mm cannon that could bring down a bomber in as little as three hits. By this time though, the German industry couldn't keep up and only 750 were produced. flown by pilots with very little training, it was simply outmatched by the numerous Mustangs, Spitfires and Yaks.

Useage in CoD series

 * In the game Call of Duty: United Offensive the player takes control of numerous gun turrets on a B-17 during the first British mission. Once over the Netherlands, the player is attacked by a large formation of Bf-109E's. Many of the B-17s in the rest of the squadron are shot down, including yours.


 * In the game Call of Duty: Big Red One the player takes control of the ball gun turret on a B-24. Again you are attacked by numerous flights of Bf-109's and you are tasked with defending your bomber from being shot down.

Aircraft of World War 2, Stewart Wilson, 1998, Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd, ISBN 1 875671 35 8