The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a single-seat fighter low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction with retractable landing gear. Operated in various versions from 1937 until 1945, it is among the most famous aircraft in aviation history.
In early 1934, the Reich Air Ministry (RLM) announced a competition for a single-seat fighter aircraft. The airframe presented by BFW was an all-metal low-wing monoplane of high manoeuvrability and speed, equipped with slotted flaps and automatic slats. Construction of prototypes began at the end of 1934. After successful prototype tests in 1935 and 1936, the new aircraft was directed to production. In February 1937, the first serial examples in the Bf 109B version left the assembly lines in Augsburg. That same year, the Messerschmitt received its baptism of fire in Spain.
After the Bf 109B, in the spring of 1938 the Bf 109C entered production with armament strengthened to 4 machine guns and a Jumo 210G engine with direct fuel injection into the cylinders, followed by the next version designated Bf 109D. From September 1939, the Bf 109 in various versions was the primary fighter aircraft of the Luftwaffe, used on all fronts in Europe and Africa.
Work continued on improving the aircraft’s performance. A new, more powerful DB 601 engine with direct fuel injection into the cylinders offered such an opportunity. Installing the new powerplant required redesigning and enlarging the engine cooling system (glycol and oil). This changed the aircraft’s silhouette to a more streamlined one, and the armament was also strengthened on this occasion. In this way, the new version of the fighter named Bf 109E appeared, with production beginning in early 1939.
After the outbreak of war, further modernisation of the aircraft was undertaken. It turned out that further improvement had to follow the path of far-reaching refinement of the airframe’s aerodynamic shapes. This also entailed changes to the fuselage, tail assembly, and wings. This resulted in the appearance of the new Bf 109F fighter in the autumn of 1940.
In mid-1941, the Daimler-Benz works developed a new engine designated DB 605. It was structurally based on earlier engines from this company. The creation of this powerplant allowed for another modification of the Bf 109 aircraft. In October 1941, at the Messerschmitt A.G. works in Augsburg, construction of a pre-production series of new airframes began, still fitted with DB 601 engines. The following year, tests of aircraft with DB 605 engines commenced. The version powered by this engine was designated Bf 109G. During test flights, it turned out that the new aircraft had many defects – including problems with the oil system, and the aircraft was difficult to fly. After minimising these issues, serial production began. The “Gustav” was produced in various sub-variants. Each could be modified by installing equipment kits that adapted the airframe to various combat tasks.
The most widely produced sub-variant of the Bf 109G was the Bf 109G-6. Production of this series began in the spring of 1943 and ended in the autumn of the following year. The Bf 109G-6 version generally differed from its predecessors by a reinforced structure and the installation of heavier armament, allowing more effective engagement of American bombers.
Besides the German Luftwaffe, Messerschmitt Bf 109G fighters also flew in the colours of the air forces of Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Finland, Italy, Romania, Spain, Slovakia, and also Switzerland.
The Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 “red three” displayed at the Polish Aviation Museum has factory number 163306. It left the Messerschmitt Werke in Regensburg on 11 May 1944 and was assigned to the training unit Jagdgruppe West. On 28 May 1944, in the early morning hours, Feldwebel Ernst Pleins took off in this aircraft for a training flight. At 8:30 AM, just after one of the training take-offs, the aircraft crashed into the nearby Lake Trzebun. The pilot was killed instantly. Through the efforts of the “Polish Eagles” Foundation, the wreck was recovered in 2000 and subsequently restored.
| Wingspan | 9.92 m |
| Length | 9.02 m |
| Takeoff weight | 3200 kg |
| Maximum speed | 630 km/h- |
| Ceiling | 12100 m |
| Range | 650 km |
| Armament | 1 MG 151 cannon cal. 20 mm, 2 synchronized MG 131 machine guns cal. 13.1 mm |
| Engine | 12-cylinder V-type Daimler-Benz DB605, 1475 hp (1100 kW) |
