Air Warriors Series 8 - Messerschmitt BF109

Описание: The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War and was still in service at the dawn of the jet age at the end of World War II in 1945. It was one of the most advanced fighters when it first appeared, with an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. It was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine. It was called the Me 109 by Allied aircrew and some German aces, even though this was not the official German designation.

It was designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser who worked at Bayerische Flugzeugwerke during the early to mid-1930s. It was conceived as an interceptor, although later models were developed to fulfill multiple tasks, serving as bomber escort, fighter-bomber, day-, night-, all-weather fighter, ground-attack aircraft, and reconnaissance aircraft. It was supplied to several states during World War II and served with several countries for many years after the war. The Bf 109 is the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 airframes produced from 1936 to April 1945. Some of the Bf 109 production took place in Nazi concentration camps through slave labor.

The Bf 109 was flown by the three top-scoring fighter aces of all time, who claimed 928 victories among them while flying with Jagdgeschwader 52, mainly on the Eastern Front. The highest-scoring, Erich Hartmann, was credited with 352 victories. The aircraft was also flown by Hans-Joachim Marseille, the highest-scoring ace in the North African Campaign who shot down 158 enemy aircraft (in about a third of the time). It was also flown by many aces from other countries fighting with Germany, notably the Finn Ilmari Juutilainen, the highest-scoring non-German ace. Pilots from Italy, Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Hungary also flew the Bf 109. Through constant development, the Bf 109 remained competitive with the latest Allied fighter aircraft until the end of the war.



History:

Willy Messerschmitt's famous Bf 109 series of single-seat fighter airplanes was produced in larger quantities than any other combat airplane in history except the Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik. The first prototype Bf 109 flew in September 1935, powered by a Rolls Royce Kestrel 695-hp engine because suitable German aircraft engines were not yet available-engine development had been hindered by the Versailles Treaty. Follow-on prototypes of the Bf 109 used several other engines until Messerschmitt and the Air Ministry settled on the Daimler-Benz DB 600 series inverted-V, liquid-cooled engine. (Note: The Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG, abbreviated Bf, is the company that built and flew the prototype Bf 109. The firm was renamed Messerschmitt AG in July 1938 but many official German publications continued to refer to the airplane as the 'Bf 109.')


The new fighter's first public demonstration took place at the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin, but the airplane's first real impact on the aviation world came during the international flying meet held in Zurich in the summer of 1937. Five Bf 109s took part and demonstrated outstanding climbing, diving, and maneuverability, along with exceptional speed. As these impressive demonstrations were taking place, the Luftwaffe was delivering twenty-four '109 fighters to Spain for the Condor Legion. By the time England declared war on Germany, German pilots had battle-tested the '109 in aerial combat and Messerschmitt AG was busily mass-producing the 'E' model.


Bf 109s saw heavy use on the Eastern Front after the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. In the West beginning in 1943, daylight raids by U. S. Army Air Forces heavy bombers steadily increased. The Luftwaffe pressed the '109 into service intercepting the massive bomber formations, battling heavy defensive crossfire and increasing opposition from escort fighters. In most air encounters over Europe, Allied pilots expected the 109s to appear for a fight.


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