Back Messerschmitt Bf 109 Afrikaans Messerschmitt Bf 109 AN مسرشميت بي اف 109 Arabic Messerschmitt Bf 109 Azerbaijani Месершмит Bf 109 Bulgarian Messerschmitt Bf 109 Breton Messerschmitt Bf 109 BS Messerschmitt Bf 109 Catalan Messerschmitt Bf 109 Czech Messerschmitt Bf 109 Danish
| Bf 109 | |
|---|---|
 A Bf 109G-6 of JG 27 "Afrika" in flight, 1943 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW) Messerschmitt AG |
| Designer | |
| Primary users | Luftwaffe |
| Number built | 34,248[1] +603 Avia S-199 +239 HA-1112 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | February 1937 |
| First flight | 29 May 1935[2] |
| Retired | 9 May 1945, Luftwaffe 27 December 1965, Spanish Air Force |
| Variants | Avia S-99/S-199 Hispano Aviación HA-1112 |
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a monoplane fighter aircraft that was designed and initially produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Together with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the Bf 109 formed the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force during the Second World War.[3] It was commonly called the Me 109 by Allied aircrew and some German aces, even though this was not the official German designation.[4]
The Bf 109 was designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser, who worked at BFW during the early to mid-1930s.[5] It was conceived as an interceptor. However, later models were developed to fulfill multiple tasks, serving as bomber escort, fighter-bomber, day-, night-, all-weather fighter, ground-attack aircraft, and aerial reconnaissance aircraft. It was one of the most advanced fighters when the fighter first appeared, being furnished with an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, retractable landing gear, and powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine.[5] First flown on 29 May 1935, the Bf 109 entered operational service during 1937; it was first used in combat during the Spanish Civil War.
During the Second World War, the Bf 109 was supplied to several states and was present in quantity on virtually every front in the western hemisphere; the fighter was still in service at the end of the conflict in 1945.[3] It continued to be operated by several countries for many years after the conflict. The Bf 109 is the most produced fighter aircraft in history, a total of 34,248 airframes having been produced between 1936 and April 1945.[1][3] 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. He scored 58 of his 94 confirmed victories with the Bf 109. Pilots from Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovakia and Italy also flew the fighter. Through constant development, the Bf 109 remained competitive with the latest Allied fighter aircraft until the end of the war.[6]
- ^ a b U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey, Aircraft Division Industry Report, Exhibit I – German Airplane Programs vs Actual Production.
- ^ Forsgren 2017, p. 41.
- ^ a b c Nowarra 1993, p. 189.
- ^ Wagner & Nowarra 1971, p. 229.
- ^ a b Green 1980, pp. 7, 13.
- ^ Radinger & Otto 1999, pp. 35–37.