# German fighters and training aircrafts



## gekho (May 24, 2012)

The design of German World War 2 planes commenced years before the conflict. When the armistice that puts an end to the First World War is signed in November 1918, the power of the German army and aviations is still considerable. The treaty of Versailles, signed June 28, 1919, will organize a total dismantling of the enemy military power. This treaty has clauses putting an end to the existence of the military aviation in Germany. All the aeronautical equipment must be delivered to the allied powers. There still remain some 20,000 military aircraft of which 2,400 bombers, fighters and recognition airplanes. 15,000 of them and at least 27,000 airplane engines will be thus "distributed". But, the treaty does not forbid the manufacturing of civil aircraft, probably because to this era, the German civil aviation is practically nonexistent. The German authorities will seize this opportunity to begin an expansion that will first result in the creation of the Lufthansa (civilian organization), and then the Luftwaffe (the German air force). Under peaceful cover, many flying clubs and piloting schools will see the light of day. There will be no longer any obstacles for the development and the formation of crews. In 1920, the Professor Hugo Junkers creates an aeronautical construction corporation. In 1922, Ernst Heinkel launches his business on the Baltic Sea shore. In 1924, Heinrich Focke and Georg Wulf are the founders of the Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau in Brême. Finally, Willy Messerschmitt assumes the direction of another aeronautical construction corporation. In 1926, the Deutsche Lufthansa is created, and we see the construction of large airfields and the improvement of equipment and flight instruments, to the point that the company will become, in the years that follow, the most effective airline company in Europe. 

The world-wide economical crisis of the thirties will allow Hitler and his nazi party to come into office, causing many upheavals. In 1934, the mandatory military service is reestablished and the Minister of the Defense becomes the Minister of the War. Hitler becomes the undisputed leader (Furher) of Germany, when Hindenburg dies in 1934. Hermann Goering, who supported Hitler for his whole career, becomes Minister of the Air. As early as 1934, truly aircraft are produced, like the Heinkel He 51, equipped with two 7,9 mm machine guns and capable of speed of 338 km/h (211 mph). At this point in time, the German Air force is comprised of 1888 airplanes and of some 20,000 officers and soldiers. In 1935, the production reaches 200 airplanes a month, and then 300 a month in 1936. In March 1936, the Bf 109 E and the Bf 110 fighters are born, as well as the Ju 88, Do 17, Ju 87 Stuka and He 111 bombers. France and England have no idea what is going on, and they are not preparing at the same pace – far from it. During the civil War in Spain, Hitler gladly assists Franco (both are fascist regimes leaders). This conflict allows the German to test their war equipment. At first, a small squadron of He 51B fighters and about twenty Ju 52 are sent in Spain under the name of "Legion Condor". During the summer of 1937, the Legion Condor receives Messerschmitt Bf 109Bfighters and Heinkel He 111 and Dornier Do 17 bombers, and goes into attack mode. These first air fights will be the occasion to create revolutionary tactics regarding formation and strategy. Orderly formations are athing of the past; here comes the "Rotte" (the pair), composed of two flying airplanes to a sufficient distance to protect themselves mutually (a tactic that is still used today). 

Alongside the Spanish civil War, a conflict in Europe is avoided by an agreement concluded between Chamberlain (Prime Minister of England) and Hitler in 1938. But the German military officers are not fool, for they know that a conflict of big breadth is inevitable. They will take advantage of the period that is given to them to increase the massive production of equipment, to the point that in summer 1939, the Luftwaffe may count on 3,750 superior airplanes that can pratically outclass any of their potential opponents in Europe, to the exception of the Supermarine Spitfire of the Royal Air Forces. In May 1939, Germany and Italy (which at the time has also fallen into fascist regime headed by Mussolini) sign a mutual assistance pact. On September first, 1939, the Third Reich divisions and military aircraft invade Poland, an ally of both France and the U.K. Hitler is unaware of the ultimatum of the Great Britain and France. On September 3 at five o'clock in the afternoon, the western democracies declare war to Fascist Germany.


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## gekho (May 24, 2012)

The Arado Ar 96 was the Luftwaffe's standard advanced trainer, and was a two-seat low-wing all-metal monoplane that first flew in 1938. It was designed to fill the gap between the biplanes used for basic training and the advanced monoplane fighters just entering service, in particular the Bf 109. The Ar 96 was designed by Watler Blume and was a clean low-wing monoplane off all-metal construction, using many light alloys. The instructor and pupil sat in tandem seats under a long glazed canopy. On the V1 prototype the wheels retracted outwards, but this meant that the gap between the wheels was quite small, and so on all production aircraft the wheels retracted inwards. The V1 was powered by an Argus As 10C inline engine and had the typical Arado tail, with the horizontal surfaces at the very rear and a tall fin and rudder just in front of them.

The V1 prototype underwent some trials at Rechlin during 1937, although it made its maiden flight in 1937. V3 and V4 were also at Rechlin in 1938, while V6 remained there until September 1940. A small batch of A-0 aircraft was produced during 1939, but these were felt to be under-powered. The main production version as the B-series, which used the more powerful Argus As 410A-1 inverted inline engine, and had a longer fuselage which allowed more fuel to be stored. A total of 11,546 aircraft were produced, although very few were built by Arado. Junkers' Ago subsidiary did most of the work until 1941, before being replaced by the Czech firm Avia. The Letov factory in Prague also began production of the Ar 97 in 1944.

The Arado Ar 96B was used by the A/B pilot training schools, and also by thirteen fighter training wings, the fighter replacement units and the officer cadet schools. 110 were used by the Royal Hungarian Air Force and four in Slovakia. The most dramatic moment in the aircraft's service career came on 28 April 1945 when Hanna Reitsch used an Ar 96 to fly Ritter von Greim, the new Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe out of the ruins of Berlin. An improved Ar 296 was planned but abandoned, while the Ar 396, which used fewer strategic materials, didn't arrive in time to serve with the Luftwaffe.


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## gekho (May 24, 2012)

Klemm L.25, later Klemm Kl 25 was a successful German light leisure, sports and training monoplane aircraft, developed in 1928. More than 600 aircraft were built, and manufacturing licenses were sold to the United Kingdom and the United States. With low cantilever wing, fixed landing gear, and two open cockpits,[1] the aircraft was developed by Hanns Klemm who used his previous design, the Klemm Kl 20, as a starting point. It first flew on a 20 hp (15 kW) Mercedes engine. About thirty different versions of the Kl 25 were made, and these were equipped with engines ranging from 32 to 70 kW (43 to 94 hp). The fuselage was covered with plywood. Depending on the model, the aircraft's weight was 620 to 720 kg (1,367 to 1,587 lb), and it had a 10.5 to 13 m (34 to 43 ft) wingspan. Take-off was achieved at only 50 km/h (31 mph) and the maximum speed was between 150 to 160 km/h (93 to 99 mph).

In relation to similar aircraft of the time, assembly was very easy, and this made it a very popular aircraft. According to the sales brochures, only 25% of the engine's power was needed to keep the aircraft flying, compared to biplanes of the period, which required 50% engine power. About 600 were built in Germany between 1929 and 1936, serving with various flight training organizations, on either wheels, skis, or floats. Fifteen were sold to Britain before the Second World War, being fitted with a variety of domestic engines, while twenty-eight more were built by British Klemm Aeroplane Company as the B.A. Swallow. Production in the United States was carried out by the Aeromarine-Klemm Company which enjoyed moderate success as well as developing models for the American market in isolation from the parent company, with approx. 120 built of all models.

Klemm L 25s took part in many competitions, among others in International Touring Aircraft Competitions (Europa Rundflug) in 1929 (best 4th place) and in 1930 (best 2nd and 3rd places, L 25E variant).[2]


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## gekho (May 25, 2012)

No-one can accuse the World War II German aircraft designers of conservatism and, while the majority of combat aircraft were of conventional design, there were many others which pushed the forefront of aeronautics. Unhampered by tradition, German designers sought fresh means to solve old problems, and in so doing provided the Allies in both East and West with a wealth of advanced research material following the end of hostilities. One of the most famous of the bizarre shapes which took to the air over Germany was the Dornier Do 335 Pfeil, a brave attempt to provide the Luftwaffe with a potent fighter-bomber, night-fighter and reconnaissance platform.

Prof Dr Claudius Dornier was the genius behind the famous company of Dornier-Werke GmbH, and he had established a long line of successful aircraft, notably in the field of flying-boats. For most of the late 1930s and World War II, Dornier was primarily concerned with the production of bombers for the Luftwaffe. Since the end of World War I, Claudius Dornier had been interested in the field of centreline thrust, whereby two engines shared the same thrust line (one pulling and one pushing). Benefits of this system were obvious over a conventional twin layout, with only the same frontal area as a single-engined aircraft, the wing left clean of engine nacelles and attendant structures, and no asymmetric pull if one engine cut out. However, problems did exist in the area of the drive shaft which drove the rear propeller. The unconventional tandem engine layout was patented by Claudius Dornier in 1937.

Dornier's extensive flying-boat experience gave him a wealth of knowledge in simple centreline thrust arrangements, where two engines were mounted back-to-back over the centreline of many of his designs. By the mid-1930s, he saw the possibility of using this concept to power a high-speed fighter, but first the rear engine extension shaft arrangement had to be proved. To that end Ulrich Hutter was commissioned to design a small testbed for the arrangement. Designated the Goppingen Go 9, and built by Schempp-Hirth, the testbed featured a pencil-slim fuselage contained a 80 hp (59.6 kW) Hirth HM 60R engine mounted at the centre of gravity beneath the shoulder-set wing. Stalky main undercarriage units retracted into the wing, while a nosewheel unit retracted forward into the extreme nose. Behind the wing a long and slender tail boom hid the drive shaft, which extended past a cruciform tail to a four-bladed wooden propeller.

Flying for the first time in 1940, the Go 9 proved that the rear pusher principle was both efficient and safe, which gave Dornier new impetus to his fighter designs taking shape on the drawing boards. However, the Technische Amt of the RLM decreed that Dornier abandon his work with fighters and return to the main job in hand of producing bombers and flying-boats, despite some initial interest in his radical designs. Nevertheless, in 1942 the Technische Amt issued a requirement for a high speed unarmed intruder aircraft, and Dornier submitted his Projekt 231 design, incorporating the tractor-pusher engine arrangement. After evaluation Dornier was awarded a development contract in the face of opposition from Arado and Junkers, and the designation Do 335 was assigned to Projekt 231.

As design got underway, the RLM issued a new directive to redesign the Do 335 as a multi-purpose day fighter, night-fighter, fighter-bomber, Zerstorer and reconnaissance platform, which caused a delay in production of the prototype. By the autumn of 1943 the Do 335 was ready for flight.

Dornier's concept had emerged as a fearsome looking aircraft, appearing as purposeful as a fighter could. In the forward fuselage a Daimler-Benz DB 603 featured an annular-ring cowl, while exhaust stubs just aft of the trailing edge belied the position of the rear engine. Underneath the rear fuselage a large air scoop aspirated the second unit, which powered a three-bladed propeller mounted behind a cruciform tail. Under the centre-section of the wing were doors for a small weapons bay, capable of carrying a single 1,100 lbs (500 kg) or two 550 lbs (250 kg) bombs. The undercarriage was a tricycle arrangement, with the wide-track main units retracting inwards into the wing and the nosewheel retracting backwards (following a 90 degree rotation) into the area beneath the cockpit.


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## gekho (May 25, 2012)

The broad wing was set well back, and although the name Pfeil was used semi-officially, the service pilots who became acquainted with this extraordinary machine soon dubbed it Ameisenbär' (ant-eater), thanks to its long nose. A Dornier pilot was at the controls for the first flight from Oberpfaffenhofen, this taking place on 26 October 1943 with the Do 335 V1 first prototype (CP+UA). After initial Dornier trials, it moved to Rechlin to begin extensive official trials. Reports from Oberpfaffenhofen and Rechlin were favourable, with only slight longitudinal stability problems encountered. Most pilots were surprised at the speed, acceleration, turning circle and general handling of the type, and development continued smoothly. Further prototypes joined Dornier and Rechlin trials, introducing new improvements such as redesigned undercarriage doors and blisters in the canopy accommodating mirrors for improved rearward vision.

By the fifth prototype armament had been installed, this comprising two 15 mm MG 151 cannon in the upper fuselage decking and a single 30 mm MK 103 cannon firing through the forward propeller hub. Subsequent prototypes were used for further flight trials and engine tests, culminating in the Do 335 V9 built to pre-production standards. The first Do 335A-O pre-production aircraft (VG+PG) followed shortly in mid-1944, with full armament and ready to start operational evaluation. The Erprobungskommando 335 was established in September 1944 to conduct tactical development using many of the 10 Do 335A-0s built. Service trials began with the V9 with the Versuchsverband des Oberfehlshabers des Luftwaffe. By late autumn in 1944, the Do 335A-l full production model appeared at Oberpfaffenhofen, this introducing the definitive 1,800 hp (1342 kW) 12-cylinder DB 603E-1 engine and two underwing hardpoints capable of carrying fuel or 550 lbs (250 kg) bombs. Similar in airframe details to the Do 335A-1 was the Do 335A-4 (T9+ZH) unarmed reconnaissance version. Only one was completed, adapted from a Do 335A-0 with two Rb 50/18 cameras in the weapons bay and increased external fuel. Daimler-Benz DB 1,900 hp (1417 kW) DB 603G engines were to have been fitted with higher compression ratio and more powerful superchargers. The sole example was later tested at 1./Versuchsverband OKL.

Next in line of the Pfeil variants was the Do 335A-6 (prototype Do 335 V10), which was the night fighter variant. Armament remained unchanged from the fighter bomber, but FuG 220 Lichtenstein SN-2 or Fug 217J Neptune/FuG 218 Neptun V airborne intercept radar was to have been incorporated, the aerials being located forward of the wing (lateral beam port and vertical beam starboard). To operate the radar a second crewman was needed, and to accommodate him a cockpit was incorporated above and behind the pilot. Giving the Pfeil an even stranger appearance than before, the second cockpit also meant a considerable restructuring of the fuel system since fuel capacity was reduced to 600 litres. To augment this the weapons bay area was converted over to fuel storage. The negative effect on performance of the extra cockpit, aerials, weight and other modifications such as flame damping tubes over the exhaust ports was in the region of 10 percent, but production aircraft would have offset this partially by being fitted with DB 603E engines with MW-50 (water/methanol) boost instead of the DB 603A retained by the sole example. Production was scheduled to have been undertaken by Heinkel in Vienna, but this plan was overtaken by events and the tooling was never assembled. There was only one operational Do 335A-6, flown by Werner Baake in I./NJG 3 flying Do 335 V-10 (CP+UK) with FuG 220 Lichtenstein SN-2 radar. The final pair of Do 355A variants comprised the Do 335A-10 and Do 335A-12, both featuring the second cockpit for use as conversion trainers. The former was powered by the DB 603A engine (prototype Do 335 V11) and the latter by the DB 603E (prototype Do 335 V12). With full controls in the raised cockpit for the instructor, the two prototypes were both delivered without armament, but this was rectified in the pair of Do 335A-12 production aircraft.

After development of fighter-bomber, reconnaissance, trainer and night-fighter variants, the role of heavy Zerstörer was next to be developed, as a direct result of the worsening war situation. During the winter of 1944/45, the Do 335 V13 (RP+UP) emerged from the Oberpfaffenhofen factory as the Do 335B-1. This aircraft featured the replacement of the weapons bay by a fuel tank, and the replacement of the 15 mm cannon by 20 mm MG 151 cannon. More heavily armed was the Do 335 V14 (RP+UQ) which, intended for service as the Do 335B-2, featured the same armament and an added MK 103 30-mm cannon mounted in the wings.

In the event, these were the only B-series aircraft to be completed, although others (V15 to V20) were on the construction line at the termination of the project. These included more B-l and B-2 prototypes, and a pair of Do 335B-6 prototypes, these being night-fighters similar to the Do 335A-6 but with the heavy armament of the Do 335E-l. Other prototypes would have featured DE 603LA engines with a two-stage supercharger. The Do 335B-3 was to be powered by two 2,100 hp (1566 kW) Daimler-Benz DB 6O3LA engines. One other development deserves mention, the B-4, B-5 and B-8 models which featured a 14 ft 10 in (4.3 m) increase in wing span for greater altitude performance. The development of these new outer wing panels had been undertaken by Heinkel, but they remained on the drawing board. The last flight took place on 20 April 1945, when Hans-Werner Lerche took Do 335A-02 from Rechlin to Oberpfaffenhofen. Derivative designs included the Do 435 night-fighter, with side-by-side seating, cabin pressurisation and long-span wooden wings, the Do 535 mixed-powerplant fighter with the rear DB 603 replaced by a jet engine, and the Do 635 long-range reconnaissance platform which aimed to mate two Do 335 fuselages together with a new centre-section. When the Allies overran the Dornier factory at Oberpfaffenhofen in late April 1945, some 37 Pfeils had been completed, with about 70 others awaiting final assembly and the arrival of components.

As far as is known, the Pfeil never entered into combat, although US pilots reported seeing the strange aircraft in the sky during sorties over Germany, and the Erprobungskommando was forced to send aircraft into a sky which could not be guaranteed as being free of hostile aircraft. In its single-seat version it was one of the fastest piston-engined fighters ever built, with a claimed top speed of around 475 mph (765 km/h). Despite this high performance, it was the much slower two-seat night-fighter version which would probably have proved the most effective if the war had continued. Equipped with excellent radar and powerful weapons, and blessed with good visibility, combat persistence and performance, the night-fighter would have wreaked havoc against the RAF bomber streams. Flying the Pfeil was an experience, thanks to its high performance and unusual configuration. While the performance provided an exhilarating ride for the pilot, the configuration prompted some doubts. His main concern was the ejection seat, the Do 335 being only the second production type to feature this (after the Saab J21). Before firing the seat, explosive bolts which held the upper vertical tail surface and rear propeller were fired to clear a way for the egressing pilot. Despite the ejection seat, he had to jettison the canopy manually. As another safety feature, the lower vertical tail surface was jettisonable in case a wheels-up landing was attempted.

To conclude, the Pfeil proved to be a sound design with no major faults. If development had been allowed to continue at a steady pace, and had sufficient resources been made available, the teething problems which remained with the type could have been ironed out, and the Pfeil could have emerged as a warplane of major importance to the Luftwaffe. However, as the military situation facing Germany darkened during 1944/45, resources continued to be split between dozens of projects, and development of the Do 335 was rushed, to compensate for the dislocation wrought by allied bombing and the advance of the Allied armies, Development and production was also delayed by the state of German industry, which could not provide the necessary sub-contracted components such as propellers, engines and radios. The development effort was further diluted by unnecessary effort on unattainable advanced derivatives while the basic fighter-bomber was starved of both manpower and money.


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## Gnomey (May 25, 2012)

Good stuff!


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## vikingBerserker (May 25, 2012)

Another excellent thread!


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## Wayne Little (May 26, 2012)

Super stuff!


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## gekho (May 28, 2012)

The Heinkel He219 Uhu (Owl) was potentially one of the Luftwaffe's best and most effective night-fighters but suffered from the misjudgements of senior members of the government and the Luftwaffe (most notably Generalfeldmarschall Erhard Milch, Inspector General of the Luftwaffe, who took over from Ernst Udet when the latter committed suicide in November 1941) as did many other programmes, such as the Me262. Despite the aircraft being fast, manoeuvrable and having devastating firepower, proving itself the equal of Allied fighter-bombers such as the de Havilland Mosquito, Milch succeeded in having the programme abandoned in favour of the Junkers Ju388J and the Focke-Wulf Ta154. However, a number of aircraft were produced even after the secession of formal interest and production totalled around 288 aircraft, including prototypes. The Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) had been lukewarm about the project from the very beginning. It stemmed from a private venture by Ernst Heinkel AG, designated the P.1060 fighter-bomber and was proposed as a multi-purpose aircraft. The programme languished however until 1941, when night raids by the RAF were becoming such a problem that the RLM asked for it to be redesigned as a night-fighter. The all-metal shoulder-wing cantilever monoplane with a tailplane having considerable dihedral and ending in twin rudders and fins incorporated a number of novel features. The pilot and navigator who were seated back-to-back enjoyed excellent visibility from a cockpit that was placed at the very front end of the fuselage at the nose, well forward of the guns so that their flashes did not affect their eyesight. The crew were also equipped with ejector seats, the He219 being the world's first operational aircraft to carry such equipment and it was also the first aircraft that had tricycle landing gear (with a steerable nosewheel) to achieve operational status with the Luftwaffe.

The first prototype was flown on 15 November 1942, powered by two 1,750hp Daimler-Benz DB 603A engines, with armament trials following at Peenemünde in December. The aircraft was originally armed with two 20mm MG151 cannons in a ventral tray and a moveable 13mm (0.51in) MG131 machinegun in the rear cockpit. In February 1943, the aircraft was fitted with four 30mm MK108 cannon in place of the MG151s, but this showed a tendency to part company with the fuselage when all four were fired. The second prototype meanwhile, flown in December 1942, carried four MG151 cannon in a ventral tray and two similar weapons, one in each wing root. On 8 January 1943, the He219 V2 was flown in competition with the Ju188 but the test proved somewhat inconclusive so they were followed on 25 March 1943 by more extensive trials. The aircraft, flown by Major Werner Strieb, competed against a Junkers Ju188S flown by Oberst Viktor von Lossberg and a Dornier 217, which retired early. The He219 V2 acquitted itself well in the trials, so much so that the 'off the drawing board' order for 100 was increased to 300. Additional prototypes were constructed to run in the development programme, including a fourth which was equipped with the FuG220 Lichtenstein SN-2 radar, while production got underway at Rostock, Vienna-Schwechat as well as Mielec and Buczin (both of which were in Poland). From April 1943, a small number of He219A-0 preproduction aircraft were flying with 1 / NJG1 at Venlo in Holland and on the night of 11/12 June 1943, Major Streib shot down five Avro Lancasters in a single sortie. The first six operation sorties resulted in claims of some twenty British aircraft being downed, including six Mosquitoes. In December 1943, Milch suggested that the entire He219 programme be discontinued in favour of the Ju88G. Milch's main objection was that the He219 would be disrupting production lines at a critical time and that the performance of the Junkers was sufficient to take on bombers such as the Lancaster and Halifax. The major flaw in this argument was that the British had begun to use Mosquitoes to escort their night bombers and the Junkers was incapable of combating this superb British fighter-bomber. He initially put forward three proposals that firstly, that Heinkel should abandon the He219 altogether in favour of the Junkers Ju88G and Dornier Do335; secondly that He219 production was reduced in favour of the Ju88G; and thirdly production of the He219 should go ahead as planned. Despite the third option being followed for a time, Milch eventually got his way and the programme was cancelled in May 1944, despite the aircraft being universally popular with air and ground crews alike. A number of variants were produced however and deliveries were made to several units, principally 1 / NJG1 and NJGr10. The He219A-1 reconnaissance bomber was abandoned early in the development stages, so the first variant to roll off the production line was the He219A-2/R1 night-fighter, equipped with two MK108 cannons in the ventral tray and two MG151/20 cannon in the wing roots, while a Schräge Musik installation with two MK108 cannon installed behind the cockpit firing obliquely up and forwards was fitted retrospectively.

The first major production version however, was the He219A-5 series, with the A-5/R1 being similar to the A-2/R1 except for the fitting of an eighty-six Imp gal (390-litre) fuel tank at the rear of each nacelle adding some 400 miles (645km) to the range. A variety of other sub-variants were produced however, including the He219A-5/R2 with 1,800hp DB 603Aa engines and the He219A-5/R4 that had a third crew member and a stepped cockpit with a 13mm (0.51in) MG131 machinegun in a trainable mount. The need to find a counter to the RAF's Mosquito's led to the development of the He219A-6 series, which was introduced in early 1944. This was basically a stripped down version of the He219A-2/R1 equipped with 1,750hp DB 603L engines and armed with four 20mm MG151/20 cannons, a similar aircraft but one that was armed with only two MG151/20 cannon was built under the designation He219B-2. The final production version consisted of the A-7 series, which introduced larger supercharger intakes for the DB 603G engines but were otherwise similar to the A-5 series and all carried the then-standard Schräge Musik installation. The A-7/R1 had, in addition, two MK108 cannon in the wing roots, along with two MG151/20 and Mk103 cannon in the ventral tray, while the A-7/R2 had two MK108 cannon instead of the MK103s in the ventral tray and the A-7/R3 had MG151/20 cannon in the wing roots rather than MK108s. The A-7/R4 carried tail warning radar but only four MG151/20 cannon. The six He219A-7/R5 aircraft were powered by 1,900hp Junkers Jumo 213E engines but were otherwise identical to the He219A-7/R3. A single He219A-7/R6 was produced, equipped with 2,500hp Junkers Jumo 222A/B engines, as was a single three-crew He219B-1 which was to use the same powerplant but instead used DB 603Aa engines. Finally, a He319 version was proposed as a night fighter being basically the same as the He219 but with a single fin and rudder. The design was abandoned in November 1942 in favour of the He419. The He419A-0 was basically the He219A-5 fitted with a new, enlarged wing and DB 603G engines. This aircraft was followed by six He419B-1/R1 aircraft, which had exhaust-driven turbochargers and an increased wing area of some 635sq.ft (59m.sq). The standard armament was four MK108 and two MG151/20 cannons while the B-1/R2 was projected as having four MG212 weapons and the B-1/R3 having four MK103 cannons.


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## gekho (May 28, 2012)

In 1934, the Klemm Leichtflugzeugbau set up a new factory at Halle, for production of all-metal aircraft (as opposed to Klemms normal light aircraft) and transferred the development of a new twin-engined transport, the Klemm Kl 104 to the Halle factory, the type being redesignated Fh 104. Klemm transferred control of the factory to Fritz Siebel in 1937, the year the Fh 104 prototype first flew. It had a metal fuselage, plywood covered wings and a hydraulic undercarriage that retracted into the lower part of the engine nacelles. It became known as the 'Hallore' after the name given to those born in that city. Fh 104s' won long distance flying competitions in 1938 and an example flew 40,000 km around Africa in 1939. It won the principal award in the 1938 Littorio Rally. During World War II the aircraft was used as a personal transport aircraft by some senior Wehrmacht officers and officials including Adolf Galland, Albert Kesselring and Ernst Udet. At least 15 aircraft appeared on the pre-war German civil register. The larger Siebel Si 204 was based on it.


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## herman1rg (May 28, 2012)

Great info as ever


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## michaelmaltby (May 28, 2012)

Great stuff as always.

Thanks,

MM


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## Wayne Little (May 29, 2012)

yep, keep it rolling along...


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## gekho (May 29, 2012)

Quirky though it was, there can be little doubt that if the Me163 Komet had been available to the Luftwaffe in reasonable numbers a year earlier, the Allied bombing campaign would have suffered even greater casualties in men and material than it did in actuality. With an extra year of development time behind it, it is very likely that the problems the Me163 had, particularly those concerning its unstable fuel mixture, would have been fixed but the entire programme was then at the cutting edge of technology and time was a luxury that Germany didn't have. Research into the use of rocket propulsion in aircraft had been going on in Germany since the 1920s, with Dr Alexander Lippisch developing the DFS194 glider, which would form the basis of the Me163. Lippisch had built his first tailless glider, known a Storch (Stork) in 1926 and flown it the following year. The glider was progressively developed and eventually fitted with an 8hp engine coupled with a pusher propeller, becoming the Storch V, making its first powered flight on 17 September 1929. Lippisch was always keen on the delta-wing configuration and turned his attention to designing a glider in this form, having obtained some private financial backing. The glider, known as the Delta I, began flying in the summer of 1930 and was later fitted with a 30hp engine to fly at speed of up to 90mph (145kph) in early 1931. It has been said that the Horton brothers were inspired to work on tailless aircraft after seeing a flight of Delta I but official reaction was quite the opposite – the aircraft had no tail so no airworthiness certificate was issued. By 1932, Lippisch was working with both Focke-Wulf and collaborating with Fieseler on Delta III and the following year saw him move to DFS at Darmstadt where work continued on both the Delta III and IV. After both aircraft had crashed in the same fortnight, an order came from RLM banning further work on tailless designs. This was eventually removed, due to Dr W Georgii (the then Director of DFS) and work continued on modifying the design to the Delta IVa so it became the Delta IVb and received the RLM designation DFS39. The reconstructed aircraft had a modified wing platform, twin vertical surfaces instead of a wingtip anhedral and a 75hp engine driving a tractor propeller. In this form it received an airworthiness certificate as a two-seat sports aeroplane and in 1937, an RLM order came for a second DFS39 which was to be powered, as it eventually turned out, by a top secret rocket motor.

This was the beginning of Project X where DFS was to build the wing and Ernst Heinkel AG were to build the remainder of the airframe as they had the full spectrum of manufacturing facilities and had already started developing their own rocket aircraft, the He176. Although the RLM had already selected the DFS39 for conversion to rocket power and stipulated a modest 217mph (350kph) top speed, Lippisch started design work on the DFS 40 and DFS194, both intended to have conventional propulsion for research work. Using models and wind tunnel tests at AVA, Göttingen, Lippisch concluded that the DFS39's wingtip rudders would be a source of flutter from the sweptback wing and that future designs would require a central fin and rudder arrangement for improved control. Such an arrangement was needed (as in the case of the Horten designs) to balance the effect of the fuselage nose which protruded beyond the wing contour. The division of the production arrangements as well as the tight security surrounding the project hampered the progress of the project but Lippisch was able to have the work transferred from Heinkel and DFS into a single unit based at Messerschmitt AG, Augsburg where he and his team formed Section L on 20 January 1939 and immediately began work to adapt the more promising DFS194 airframe to take the 882lbs (400kg) thrust Walter rocket motor. This unit had already flown in the experimental He176 but the programme proved unsatisfactory. On the other hand, during tests the DFS194 managed to reach a top speed of 342mph (550kph) leading to the programme gaining momentum and Messerschmitt receiving an order for six prototypes, designated the Me163A.

The first prototype was flown as a glider, towed behind a Bf110, to test its flying characteristics (which were good – a few problems being easily sorted out). In the summer of 1941, two prototypes were taken to Peenemünde for powered trials using the new Walter HWK RII-203b rocket motor that gave out 1,653lbs (750kg) of thrust, propelling the Me163 to 550mph (885kph). As only a small amount of fuel could be carried, there was a risk that the aircraft would run out of fuel before higher speeds could be obtained but on one occasion, test pilot Heini Dittmar was towed to a height of 13,125ft (4,000m) and after casting off, accelerated to a speed of 623.85mph (1,003.9kph) before suffering a loss of stability due to compressability effects. Such a phenomenon became well known in later years as aircraft approached the speed of sound, as it was Dittmar managed to control the situation and a redesign of the wing was undertaken to combat the problem. There was in fact a greater danger posed by the instability of the fuel which consisted of hydrogen peroxide (80%) with oxyquinoline or phosphate (T-Stoff) and an aqueous solution of calcium permanganate (Z-Stoff). An inbalance in this fuel mixture could lead to instability in the combustion chamber and lead to an explosion – which occasionally did happen. A replacement for Z-Stoff using a different catalyst was developed (30% hydrazine hydrate solution in methanol) called C-Stoff, for use in the Walter RII-211, which in its production form equipped the Me163B and was designated the HWK 109-509A. Since the aircraft had to be as light as possible to take advantage of its limited fuel load, the weight penalty involved with a retractable landing gear was unacceptable and so the aircraft took off using a two-wheel dolly (that was jettisoned on take-off) and landed using a retractable skid beneath the forward fuselage plus the rear landing wheel. The method caused problems however as take-offs had to be directly into the wind and if a concrete runway was being used and a crosswind was present, the aircraft would not stay straight below the speed at which the rudder became operational. A subsequent modification partially fixed this.

On the back of the six prototypes, a batch of ten Me163A-0 aircraft was built by Wolf Hirth, the sailplane company, and the aircraft were used as training gliders. Considerable redesign had to take place however, before the production version (Me163B Komet) flew. Six prototypes and seventy production models were ordered, but there was trouble with the rocket motor which held up the programme and fuel consumption was almost double the calculated figure. Production was then subcontracted to a number of component manufacturers and the aircraft were assembled in the Black Forest by Klemm Technik GmbH, although again, there were many problems as the component manufacturers were unused to the close tolerance work that was required. Initial deliveries of the Me163B-1a began in May 1944 and the aircraft made it combat debut on 28 July 1944 when five Me163s from 1/JG400 attacked a formation of B-17s near Merseburg. They failed to bring any bombers down but the difficulties can be appreciated in taking into account that the fighters would be closing on the bombers at around 559mph (900kph) and the bombers themselves would be moving at 250mph (402kph), the combined closing speed allowing only a three second burst from the slow firing MK108 cannon. An alternate weapon therefore had to be found. In fact the SG500 Jagdfaust, which consisted of five vertically mounted firing tubes mounted in each wing root, each containing a 50mm shell. The system fired a salvo when a shadow passed over a light-sensitive cell and so the Me163 just had to fly at high speed underneath a target for the system to be activated. The system was fitted to twelve Me163Bs but was never issued for operations, although it did manage to destroy a B-17 on one occasion.

To help convert a number of the dwindling supply of pilots to the Me163, a tandem trainer was developed, designated Me163S, with various internal components including ammunition and T-Stoff tanks removed to make way for the extra seat. It was flown as a glider but only a few were converted. Production of the Me163B-1a ceased in February 1945 after almost 400 aircraft were built. Projected developments included the Me163C and Me163D, the former being a development of the Me163 with an auxiliary cruising chamber to enhance endurance, a new centre section and a streamlined fuselage with a blister canopy. Three Me163C-1a aircraft were built but only one was flown. The Me163D was a further refinement with a retractable, tricycle landing gear. One prototype was built and since Junkers had been responsible for its development and series production, it was known as the Ju248 before reverting to a Messerschmitt designation. It did not enter production and the prototype was captured by the Soviets who fitted it with straight wings and modified tail surfaces and flew it in 1946 under the designation I-270(ZH). Lastly, there was a license built version of the Me163B, the Mitsubishi Ki-200 (J8M1) which was to be built in Japan with Mitsubishi and Yokosuka building the HWK 509A rocket motor. Loss of the aircraft on a ship bound for Japan left the Japanese with only an instruction manual and it is to their credit that they began design of an airframe based on the Me163B. The first aircraft flew in July 1945 but crashed after its motor failed. Several others were built but the programme was terminated by the end of the war.

Source: Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet


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## gekho (May 29, 2012)

On 2 October 1933 the Gotha aircraft company was re-established. The first aircraft manufactured was the Gotha Go 145,[2] a two-seat biplane designed by Albert Kalkert made out of wood with a fabric covering. The Go 145 featured fixed landing gear and was powered by an Argus As 10C air-cooled engine fitted with a two-blade fixed-pitch propeller. The first prototype took to the air in February 1934, and was followed by a production model, the Gotha Go 145A, with controls in both cockpits for trainee and instructor. In 1935, the Go 145 started service with Luftwaffe training units. The aircraft proved a successful design and production of the Go 145 was taken up by other companies, including AGO, Focke-Wulf and BFW. Licensed versions were also manufactured in Spain and Turkey. The Spanish version, called the CASA 1145-L actually remained in service until long after World War II.

Without prototypes 1,182 Go 145 were built in Germany for Luftwaffe service and an unknown number of license-produced Go 145. Further development of the aircraft continued, the Gotha Go 145B was fitted with an enclosed cockpit and wheel spats (an aerodynamic wheel housing on fixed-gear). The Go 145C was developed for gunnery training and was fitted with a single 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine gun for the rear seat, after removal of flight controls for the rear seat. By 1942, the Russians began using obsolete aircraft such as the Polikarpov Po-2 to conduct night harassment missions against the Germans. Noting the success of the raids, the Germans began conducting their own night harassment missions with obsolete aircraft on the Eastern Front. In December 1942, the first Störkampfstaffeln (harassment squadron) was established and equipped with Gotha Go 145 and Arado Ar 66. The night harassment units were successful and by October 1943 there were six night harassment squadrons equipped with Gotha Go 145.

Also in October 1943, the Störkampfstaffeln were redesignated Nachtschlachtgruppe (NSGr) (night ground attack group, literally night battle group). In March 1945 Nachtschlachtgruppe 5 had 69 Gotha Go 145’s on strength of which 52 were serviceable while Nachtschlachtgruppe 3 in the Courland Pocket had 18 Gotha Go 145’s on strength of which 16 were serviceable. When the war in Europe ended on 8 May 1945 the Gotha Go 145 equipped the majority of the Nachtschlachtgruppe.


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## gekho (May 30, 2012)

The Me 410 Hornisse was developed in 1942 to replace the Me 210 and was essentially similar to the late-production examples of this latter aircraft. In addition to embodying in its design all the modifications incorporated into the Me 210 - including the new cockpit canopy, lengthened fuselage and wing leading-edge slots - it introduced Daimler-Benz DB 603A engines. Initial tests were carried out with aircraft converted from Me 210As and these were followed by a true Me 410 prototype which flew for the first time at the end of 1942.

Demonstrating far more attractive characteristics than those of its forerunner, the Me 410 was ordered into production and some 1,100 were built before construction came to an end in September 1944. Versions included the Me 410A-1 high-performance light bomber; A-1/U-2 fighter conversion of the A-1; A-2 destroyer; and A-3 photo-reconnaissance aircraft; similar B-1, B-2 and B-3 versions; B-5 torpedo bomber; and B-6 anti-shipping strike aircraft. A number of variants of the foregoing were built, but several projected versions failed to enter production.


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## gekho (May 30, 2012)

The Klemm Kl 105 was a two-seat sport aircraft developed in Germany in 1938. It was a low-wing cantilever monoplane of conventional design with fixed, tailskid undercarriage, and side-by-side seating for two within an enclosed cockpit. Construction throughout was of wood, with the fuselage built using a new semi-monocoque technique which Klemm patented. Plans to produce the design in series were abandoned with the outbreak of the Second World War.


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## gekho (May 30, 2012)

Austria ordered 45 CR.32bis aircraft in 1936, and used them to equip Jagdgeschwader II at Weiner Neustadt. After the Anschluss with Germany of March 1938 the CR.32s were taken over by the Luftwaffe, and Jagdgeschwader II became I.Gruppe/ Jagdgeschwader 138. This was a short-lived experiment, and the surviving 36 aircraft were soon sold to Hungary.


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## gekho (May 31, 2012)

The Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann was a biplane primary trainer that played an important role in the growth of the Luftwaffe, before seeing limited active service as a night harassment aircraft late in the Second World War. The Bücker Flugzeugbau was founded in 1932 by Carl Clemens Bücker, with the Swede Anders J. Andersson as its chief designer. The Bü 131 was the new company's first product, and was an immediate success. The Bü 131 was a conventional single bay biplane, carrying two people in tandem open cockpits. The wings had a fabric covered wooden framework. All of the wings carried ailerons, making the aircraft very manoeuvrable. Both upper and lower wings had dihedral and eleven degrees of sweepback. The upper and lower wings were interchangeable, making it easier to repair damaged aircraft. The fuselage was made with a steel-tube fuselage, fabric covered for most of its length but using light alloy around the engine and cockpits. The prototype was powered by an 80hp Hirth HM 60R inline engine.

The aircraft made its maiden flight on 27 April 1934, and in the same year entered production as the Bü 131A Jungmann. Early aircraft went to the Deutscher Luftsportverband (German Air Sports Union), a civilian organisation that was used to train further Luftwaffe pilots. Direct deliveries to the Luftwaffe began in 1935, and the aircraft was used as the standard basic trainer until it was replaced with the Bücker Bü 181 Bestmann. The total number of aircraft produced is unknown, but probably ran to at least 3,000 before production was phased out in 1940-41. The Jungmann did see some limited front line service when a number of aircraft were allocated to night harassment units operating on the Eastern Front. These aircraft were modified to carry 2.2lb and 4.4lb bombs and were used to keep up a constant stream of minor attacks on the Russian front lines.

The Jungmann was exported to eight European countries, starting in 1935. Spain received more than 100 German built aircraft, and then began licence built construction of the aircraft as the C.A.S.A. 1.131. The first 200 of these aircraft used imported Hirth engines, but these were then replaced by the Spanish ENMA Tigra G-IVA engine. The Swiss also began licensed production, at the Dornier-Werke. Bulgaria, Hungary, Sweden, Finland, France, Holland, Poland, Portugal and Romania also purchased the type. Outside Europe the aircraft sold in South Africa, Brazil, Uruguay and Chile. The largest export market was Japan, where both the Army and Navy ordered the aircraft into production, as the Ki-86A and K9W1 respectively (see below). The Bü 131 was also developed into the single seat Bü 133 Jungmeister aerobatic trainer.


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## gekho (May 31, 2012)

The Macchi C.205 (also known as MC.205, "MC" standing for "Macchi Castoldi") Veltro (Italian: Greyhound) was an Italian World War II fighter aircraft built by the Aeronautica Macchi. Along with the Reggiane Re.2005 and Fiat G.55, the Macchi C.205 was one of the three "Serie 5" Italian fighters built around the powerful Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. The C.205 was a development of the earlier C.202 Folgore. With a top speed of some 400 mph and equipped with a pair of 20 mm cannon as well as 12.7 mm Breda machine guns, the Macchi C.205 Veltro was highly respected by Allied and Luftwaffe pilots alike. Regarded as the best Italian aircraft of World War II , in action it proved to be extremely effective, destroying a large number of Allied bombers and capable of successfully clashing on equal terms with such renowned fighters as the North American P-51D Mustang, a capability which encouraged the Luftwaffe to use a number of these aircraft to equip one Gruppe.

Macchi had used a licence-built DB 601 engine in the C.202, an engine which was closely comparable in size to the later, more powerful DB 605. This meant that the C.202 airframe could be easily adapted for the DB 605. The C.205V Veltro first flew on 19 April 1942, and was considered a stop-gap measure with the definitive variant being the 205N Orione (N stood for "new"). In testing, the Fiat G.55 Centauro and Re.2005 Sagittario proved to be better performers at high altitude due to their larger wing area. In fact, the Veltro used the same wing as the earlier Folgore but its weight had increased from 2,350 kg (5,180 lb) to 3,408 kg (7,515 lb) and the wing loading from 142 kg/m² (29 lb/ft²) to 203 kg/m² (41 lb/ft²). The Veltro's performance was similar to German designs with their higher wing loading, and was at its best at medium altitudes where it could reach 642 km/h (399 mph). The C.205 Veltro was placed in production until the G.55 and the Re.2005 could become available.The M.C.205V was good enough to be used by the Luftwaffe, equipping a single fighter Gruppe, and was the best Italian fighter aircraft designed during the Second World War to be produced in any numbers.


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## gekho (May 31, 2012)

The Fiat G.55 Centauro (centaur) was and all metal low wing monoplane single seat fighter designed by Giuseppe Gabrielli, and represented a great improvement by comparison with the previous Fiat monoplane fighter to go into production, The G.50 Freccia. Great care was taken to blend an aerodynamically advanced airframe with a structure which was robust and would lend itself to mass production. Its configuration included a fully retractable landing gear and a raised cockpit providing an excellent view. Fast and manoeuvrable, the type proved popular with its pilots. The first of three prototypes was flown on 30 April 1942. The third (MM 493) was the only to carry armament, comprising one engine mounted cannon and four fuselage mounted machine guns. It was evaluated under operational conditions from March 1943, but by then the Italian air ministry had already decided on mass production of the G.55. However, only 16 G.55/0 pre-production and 15 G.55/I initial production aircraft had been delivered to the Regia Aeronautica by September 1943, production thereafter being for the Fascist air arm flying alongside the Luftwaffe. Before wartime production ended 274 more were completed and a further 37 were abandoned at an advanced construction stage.

Before the armistice of September 1943, G.55s had participated in the defence of Rome with the 353 Squadriglia of the Regia Aeronautica. The post armistice operations were mainly with the Fascist air arm's Squadriglia 'Montefusco' based at Veneria Reale, then with the three Squadriglie which formed the 2nd Gruppo Caccia Terrestre, but losses were heavy, as a result mainly of Allied attacks on the airfields. While the war was still in progress, Fiat flew two prototypes of the G.56, which developed from the G.55 to accept the more powerful Daimler Benz DB 603A engine. Built during the spring of 1944 they incorporated minor structural changes and had the fuselage mounted machine guns deleted. The first prototype survived the war and was used subsequently by Fiat as a testbed.

Fiat reinstalled the G.55 assembly line after the war, using wartime manufactured assemblies and components to produce the G.55A single seat fighter/advanced trainer of which the prototype was first flown on 5 September 1946. If differed from the G.55 only in instrumentation and armament. The armament comprised of either two wing mounted plus two fuselage mounted 12.7 mm (0.50 in) machine guns, or two 20 mm Hispano-Suiza cannon plus two fuselage mounted 12.7 mm (0.50 in) machine guns. The Italian Aeronautica Militaire procured 19 G.55As and 30 were supplied to Argentina, which returned 17 in 1948 for resale to Egypt, these being armed with four 12.7 mm (0.50 in) Breda-SAFAT machine guns. A two seat advanced trainer variant of the G.55 had been flown in prototype form on 12 February 1946 under the designation G.55B. The Italian Aeronautica Militaire aquired 10 of these, and 15 were sold to Argentina in 1948. 

Source: Fiat G.55 I Centauro


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## Wayne Little (Jun 1, 2012)




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## gekho (Jun 1, 2012)

In 1941, with Germany under increased night-time attack by the bombers of RAF Bomber Command, and with shortages of the Messerschmitt Bf 110 and the preferred Junkers Ju 88C night fighters, it was decided to supplement the night-fighter force with a version of the Do 217E, despite its much greater size and weight. This aircraft, the Do 217J, was fitted with a new "solid" nose, similar to that used by Dornier in night fighter versions of the Do 17 and Do 215, with four forward firing 2 cm MG FF cannon and four 7.92 mm machine guns. By October 1940, the production of heavy night fighters, and night fighters such as the Do 217 and Ju 88, had been discussed comprehensively and by 5 November 1941 these discussions had been concluded. On 23 November the Technische Amt (T.A) had ordered the Dornier bomber fleet to be withdrawn in accordance with a decision made earlier that year on 23 May. Dornier designated the subject of their new project the "Do 217Z", later renamed the Do 217J. The Japanese Imperial Navy and Japanese Army Air Force had also taken an interest in license building the type in the summer 1942, demonstrating the types potential. The Luftwaffe had no intention of delivering the Do 217 to Japan. Owing to this none were ever exported. The Dornier encountered many problems in procuring the BMW 801 engines required for the night fighter versions. Junkers had also struggled with BMW deliveries, its Ju 88C variants were to be powered by the BMW as the initial Jumo 211B/F engine plan had been abandoned. The Do 217s competitor, the Ju 88C, had only four fixed guns, whereas the Dornier could hold eight. In most cases, the Ju 88C carried only one 2 cm MG FF and three 7.92 mm MG 17s.

In January 1941 Junkers concentrated on the C variant designs. It planned on producing 60 C-4s and 374 C-6s powered by Jumo 211s. It later transpired to Dornier that Junkers also wanted the BMW 801 to power the C-6. The power plants would also be supplemented with GM-1 nitrous oxide injection engine performance boosters for greater performance or alternatively, using the new, more powerful Jumo 213. The Ju 88s weaponry was improved by the addition of one or two MG FFs in the fuselage. Both the Do 217 and Ju 88 used the FuG 202 Lichtenstein B/C sets, but later Ju 88s were given FuG 212 Lichtenstein C-1s and later FuG 220s. The equipment of the Dornier did not change. Against this competition Dornier needed to improve the types abilities as a night fighter. The first problem Dornier attempted to overcome was long and short range capabilities. A modified E-1, (Wrk Nr. 42) was used to test the equipment for the forthcoming Do 217J. During testing the characteristics of the various types fire extinguisher hardware were carried out. Performance trials were carried out in January 1942 using a E-2, Wrk Nr. 1122 which was put through its paces at the Löwenthal testing facility. Dornier intended the prototype to ready by February 1942. The machine, Wrk Nr. 1134, was a modified E-2 and equipped with FuG 202 and a Spanner-Anlage Infrared gun sight. These systems enabled the Dornier to detect the heat signature of enemy aircraft. Heat seeking detection at limited range making the Dornier a good proposition for the Defense of the Reich campaign. Testing was set back as the prototype crashed owing to engine failure. The continuing slow development of the IR equipment precluded its use in the J-1. Work on the IR program was sped up until late 1943. Modified IR equipment appeared in 1945 and was installed in the Ju 88 G-6.

Delays of BMW 801 engine deliveries forced the project to be temporarily abandoned. In November 1941 the directive for the design team had been a J-1 with a Spanner IR system, and a J-2 with Lichtenstein radar. In 1942 the directive changed slightly, and the J-2 was to be fitted with AI radar. Specifically, the Dornier was to be armed with four MG FF fuselage mounted cannon and machine guns for bomber assault, and one MG 131 each in the B-Stand and C-Stand positions for defence from RAF night fighters. Curiously, the night fighter version was ordered to be able to carry eight 50 kg bombs so the type could act as a night fighter and intruder over enemy territory. The electronic equipment to be installed was listed as the FuG X, 16, 25 Peil G V air-to-ground communications and blind landing devices. The FuB1.1 was also listed as a potential piece, and if possible a FuG 101 radio equipment was to be fitted as standard. It was intended to equip J-1 with the Lichtenstein FuG 202, which had an effective range of 4,000 metre, with three tubes. The weight of the of equipment would reduce the performance of the J-1 by 30 – 40 km/h so in January 1942, Dornier opted to install the IR spanner equipment instead of the Lichtensten. A rear braking system had also been in the original plan, but it was deemed unnecessary. The design was declared ready on 5 January 1942 and first flew later that month. The prototype was delivered to the Tarnewitz test facility where gunnery trials took place with MG FF and MG 17 weapons. Satisfied with the performance, series production began in March 1942.

he operational Dornier night fighter, redesignated J-1, before entering operations was powered by BMW 801L engines. It was fitted with a revised crew compartment housing a crew of three, with a solid nose housing four fixed 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns, with four 20 mm MG FF/M cannon in the forward part of the ventral gondola. It retained the MG 131s in a dorsal turret and ventral position of the bomber, and could carry eight 50 kilograms (110 lb) bombs in the rear bomb-bay, with a fuel tank in the forward bomb-bay.[82][83]

Production had commenced in March 1942, during which eight J-1s were built. In April, 13 followed and 55 were built in May. Despite this start production declined in June and this trend continued until November 1942, when only four were built. Dornier had been ordered to withdraw Dornier airframes for unspecified reasons. Owing to this, by 31 December 1942, only 130 J-1s had been completed.[84] Dornier kept a production run of 19 aircraft for evaluating equipment. These were to be used when Josef Kammhuber, General of the Night fighters demanded the J-1 to have a modified fuselages made available for upward firing cannon installed within the dorsal areas of the fuselage, above the wing roots. This armament configuration was called Schräge Musik ("slanted" or "oblique" Music). A prototype was given four MG 151s in place of its MG FFs and named J-1/U1. The prototype was modified in September 1942 and sent to the Tarnwitz Experimental Establishment on 14 October for tests on gunnery performance. The guns delivered 125,000 rounds during tests without problems. The concept was available for adoption, although Dornier had some reservations about the slow firing pattern of the MG 151/20. The Dornier appeared to be a very effective night fighter with significant hitting power. However it attracted strong criticism from the Luftwaffe. The first J-1 was delivered to 4./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 in March 1942. The crew complained it was too heavy, criticised its take off and landing characteristics. The pilot complained it had "too little performance reserve". The aircraft's high service loading and its poor manoeuvrability in aerial combat did not enhance its performance reputation. Part of the types performance issues lay with the fact the MG 131 defensive guns and bomb release mechanisms had remained, and been built into the J-1 to allow for its use as a bomber. With eight machine guns mounted in the fuselage and the supporting ammunition, the weight was increased and outweighed the Do 217E by 750 kg.

The J-2 night-fighter version of Do-217J was fitted with FuG 202 Lichtenstein radar in nose, and having the rear bomb-bay plated over. The MG FF/M of the J-1 were replaced by 20-mm MG 151 cannon. The J-1 was withdrawn from intruder duty following an order stopping night intruder raids against England,[82] while the J-2 proved disappointing as a night fighter, showing poor performance and manoeuvrability,[66][85] although they were used for early trials of the Schräge Musik arrangement of upward firing cannon, three Js being used for tests in July 1942.[86] No J-2 was ever built. There was little difference in design between the J-1 and J-2, save for the FuG 202 Lichtenstein C1 radar fitted to the later. The first C-1 had been used in the Dornier Do 17 Z-10. Production of the C-1 began in full only after the Do 217J production had ceased. FuG 202 Lichtenstein radar continued to be used in Dorniers, although historian Manfred Griehl points out this was only according to the manuals. Complaints were made by crews about the performance of the Dornier in comparison to other German types. On 12 May 1942 Erhard Milch ordered that Dornier cease all night fighter design. It was decided that the Ju 88 series only (Ju 88C-6) would continue to be developed and serve as a heavy night fighter. Strangely, the order was not passed onto the Dornier design team who continued to produce the N variant.


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## gekho (Jun 1, 2012)

The end of the J series did not mean the end of the Dornier night fighter. One of the few German fighter pilots to side with the type against its critics was Hauptmann Rudolf Schoenert of III./Nachtjagdgeschwader 3. Schoenert suggested to his Commanding officer, in July 1942, that trials be made of weapons slanting upwards at an angle of 70° (later known as Schräge Musik) in the fuselage in the hope of increasing the efficiency of his Do 217. This entailed mounting four to six MG 151/20 guns in the centre of the fuselage. At Technisches Amt, two Do 217s, one with four and the other with six MG/151/20 cannon were ready for inspection on 5 August 1942 and testing in September. The idea of the upward firing cannon had originally come from an engineer, Dr. Poppendieck, in June 1942. Nevertheless Schoenert built on it, and with the introduction of the IR spanner and headlight, the bomber could approach from below a British bomber and avoid exposure to its powerful powered turrets guarding its tail, nose and upper fuselage by attacking from behind or head-on. Unlike the B-17 Flying Fortress, the British bombers did not have a Ball turret, and the new Dornier design attempted to take advantage. It was decided, due to cost, to limit the upward-firing armament to four guns. Other tactical improvements involved fitting a semi-rigid brake parachute on October 1942, allowing the Dornier to adjust to the speed of the bomber before firing on its target. The prototypes J-1/U2 and J-1/U4 were tested under these conditions.

These designs were to be carried forward into the new variant, the Dornier Do 217N. The BMW 801 that powered the Do 217J proved underpowered, so a night-fighter using the more powerful DB 603 A-1 engines was produced, with the first prototype flying on 31 July 1942. While it had much improved performance, it was still unpopular due to its poor agility and climb rate, and was prone to engine problems. Ten pre-production series N variants were designated as test beds. Trials began in the summer of 1942. On 16 August the second prototype Do 217, N V2, entered trials,. The N V1 and N V2 were the main testbeds, and the DB 603 A-1s they were powered by were tested at high altitude. On 11 October 1942 the N V1 crashed after Stalling with its landing gear down and crashing into Müritz Lake, killing the crew. On 21 December 1942, 100-hour engine endurance trials began at Rechlin with the DB engines. The pistons became useless after 91 hours. Testing of DB 603 A-2 inline engines was carried out between 28 April and 8 May 1943, but the programme was beset by continual breakdowns and the project was abandoned. There was no further record of the N variant prototypes after 20 June 1943. In April 1943, the four MG FF guns had started but were not completed until the late summer. The third prototype, N-1/U was fitted with MG 151/20 and unspecified aerodynamic refinements. The machine was used in high-altitude de-icing tests, and the aircraft was tested with Lichtenstein BCR and Bernhardine radar. In August ten of these aircraft were constructed, and between 27 and 31 August, they were fitted with their Schräge Musik at Tarnewitz and Wismar Testing Facilities. The tenth N variant, designated N-0, underwent radio trials. The machine was tested with the Peil G VI/APZ 6, a later and more sophisticated variant automatic direction-finding equipment. On 2 December further tactical trials were carried out with infrared target-illuminating equipment. These trials were carried out with DB 601 powered J-1s.

After testing was satisfied the two variants, the N-1 and N-2, which had two sub-variants, were fitted with FuG 202. The N-1 variants were given two sub-variants which were to follow the design of the E-2/E-4 and the J-1/J-2 with emphasis on range and endurance. Extra fuel tanks were added to the empty bomb bay. For operations over water the heavy night fighters were fitted with lifeboats and radio transmitters. The FuG X with TZG 10 and FuG 16. IFF equipment was the FuG 25s. The N also had the FuG 101 radio altimeter, blind flying equipment FuB1 2 and PeilG V. AI search radar was the FuG 202. The no longer needed bomb release gear remained, bringing the aircraft up to 15,000 kilograms (33,000 lb) on take-off, so it was barely able to reach 7,400 metres (24,300 ft). Fuel consumption lightened the load, and the Dornier could reach a maximum operational ceiling of 8,400 metres (27,600 ft). The speed of the N was a maximum of 500 kilometres per hour (270 kn) at 6,000 metres (20,000 ft). The N-2 was much improved, as it was much lighter and refined.

Overall the N-1 was an initial production of the J-1 version. Powered by a DB 603 it had similar armament to Do 217 J-2, retaining defensive armament. Entered service in April 1943. Some modified with dorsal and ventral guns replaced by wooden fairings as Do 217 N-1/U1, conversion with Schräge Musik arrangement of four upward-firing 20 mm MG 151s as Do 217 N-1/U3. About 240 built. The Do 217 N-2 was a new build equivalent of Do 217 N-1/U1; some were fitted with two or four cannon in Schräge Musik installation. About 95 were built[91] until it was retired from front line use in mid 1944. The N-2 was originally not to have the Schräge Musik armament configuration or a brake parachute, but it was then decided to fit the armament set for tactical reasons. A semi-rigid brake parachute was also installed for unspecified reasons. The N-2 prototype was a converted E-1, serial 0174, code PE+AW. Communications were improved on the FuG 16 ZY and FuG 214. The B and C cupolas were removed and the positions fared over with Plexiglas and wood. The MG FF guns were replaced by MG 151/20 cannon. The MG 17s in the nose were to be abandoned with more powerful armament, but this was never carried out. To kill the excess weight that had plagued earlier types, the bomb bay, its doors, and the bomb release gear were removed, and changes were made to the control panels. The gaps were replaced by lighter wood parts which reduced weight, allowing heavier armour protection for the crew. The N variant was the most heavily armoured Dornier variant.[93] The improvements enabled a top speed of 525 kilometres per hour (283 kn) (an increase of 25 kilometres per hour (13 kn)) and a reduction from 15,000 kilograms (33,000 lb) to 12,500 kilograms (28,000 lb), which increased ceiling height to 9,500 metres (31,200 ft).

Source: Dornier Do 217 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## gekho (Jun 1, 2012)

This four-seat low-wing cabin monoplane was designed by the talented Willy Messerschmitt in response to a 1933 German Air Ministry requirement for an aircraft to participate in the Challenge de Tourisme Internationale air race of 1934. A very advanced design for its time, the Messerschmitt M37, as it was first known, was the first aircraft of its size to use all-metal stressed skin construction. Soon given the official designation Bf 108, the experience gained by Messerschmitt in developing this aircraft led to the most important German fighter of World War II, the Messerschmitt 109. The relationship between the two types is immediately obvious, especially in flight. First flight tests of the Bf 108 in spring 1934 proved very satisfactory and the aircraft quickly established a reputation for pleasant handling and easy maintenance. In 1935 the German woman pilot, Elly Beinhorn, flew a circular trip from Germany to Istanbul and back to Berlin, a total of 2,230 miles (3,568km) in one day. She not only established a name for herself, but she also gave the aircraft its name "Taifun" (Typhoon). Following various race wins in 1938, a modified example set an international altitude class record of 29,766 feet (9,075m) in July 1939. By the outbreak of World War II, the Bf 108 was in widespread service with the Luftwaffe as a communications and ferry aircraft. By 1942 over 500 had been produced before production was transferred to SNCA du Nord factory in France. Altogether 885 Bf 108s had been produced by the end of the war.


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## gekho (Jun 2, 2012)

The Fiat G.50 Freccia ("Arrow") was a World War II Italian fighter aircraft. First flown in February 1937, the G.50 was Italy’s first single-seat, all-metal monoplane with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear to go into production. Pilots disliked the sliding cockpit canopy, which was not easy to open quickly and interfered with vision, so in later production series, an open cockpit was adopted. In early 1938, the Freccias served in the Regia Aeronautica including with the Aviazione Legionaria in Spain, where they proved to be fast and, typical of most Italian designs, very manoeuvrable, however, the aircraft had inadequate armament (two Breda-SAFAT 12.7 mm machine guns). The Fiat G.50 was also used in small numbers by the Croatian Air Force and 35 were flown to Finland where they served with distinction.


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## gekho (Jun 2, 2012)

The Bücker Bü 181 Bestmann was a two-man basic trainer produced in vast numbers for the Luftwaffe, as well as in Sweden, Holland, Czechoslovakia and Egypt. Bücker had produced two very successful biplane trainers - the two-seat Bü 131 Jungmann and the single seat Bü 133 Jungmeister. The company then began to develop a series of monoplanes, but only the fourth and final of these would become a major success. First was the Bü 134, a high-wing monoplane with folding wings, one of which was produced. This was followed by the Bü 180 Student, a low-wing two seat aircraft of mixed construction, with the crew sitting in tandem cockpits. This aircraft was designed as a civil touring aircraft, and around twenty were built. Next came the Bü 182 Kornett, which made its maiden flight late in 1938. This was a single seat advanced trainer, using the same construction methods as the Bü 180. Four prototypes were produced, but the German air ministry wasn't interested in the design and no production followed.

The fourth and final aircraft was the Bü 181 Bestmann. This was designed as a two-seat sports and touring aircraft. It had the same basic configuration as the Bü 180, but this time its two crew were carried side-by-side in an enclosed cockpit. The first Bestmann made its maiden flight in February 1939. The Bü 181 used mixed construction. The front part of the fuselage was built with a chrome molybdenum steel tube structure covered with metal panels. The rear fuselage was a wooden monocoque. The wings and tail had a wooden framework, with plywood covering on the wings and the fixed part of the tail, and fabric covering for the tail control surfaces. The main undercarriage was retractable. Inside the cockpit there were dual controls, space for seat type parachutes and a large baggage compartment. After tests with the Luftwaffe the Bü 181 was accepted as the standard basic trainer and deliveries of the Bü 181A began late in 1940. Several thousand aircraft were produced in Germany, although the production figures for Bücker aircraft were lost at the end of the war. Two versions were produced for the Luftwaffe - the Bü 181A and slightly modified Bü 181D.

During the war the aircraft was produced by Fokker in Amsterdam, where 708 aircraft were built. Production also began at the Zlin factor in Czechoslovakia, but very few aircraft were produced there before the Germans were forced to retreat from the area. Production continued at Zlin after the war, and the Czech aircraft were designated as the C.6 and C.106 (presumably indicating war-time and post-war production). The Jungmann was also produced under licence in Sweden between 1944 and 1946, and in Egypt in the 1950s. The Bestmann served as the main basic trainer for the Luftwaffe. As large numbers of aircraft appeared it was also used as a communications aircraft, a glider tug and even as an anti-tank aircraft. This final use came in 1945 and saw panzerfaust anti-tank rockets mounted under the wings. The Bü 181 was not a success as an anti-tank aircraft, and most used in this way were shot down.


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## gekho (Jun 2, 2012)

In the pre-nuclear, pre-terrorist days of warfare, when many battling nations were technological equals, overwhelming mass was an irresistible determiner of outcome. For a single nation to twice take on the modern world within a 20-year period, there must be a high level of self-delusion, if not madness, in the highest ranks of government, especially when it was still staggering from the effects of losing the first try. None-the-less, Nazi Germany did exactly that, and no amount of technological ingenuity could alter that fact, as the history of the Messerschmitt Me 262, the first turbojet to be used in combat, dramatically illustrates. Had the aircraft been introduced in large numbers in 1939, it is conceivable that the "Battle of Britain" might have ended as Hitler envisioned, while the United States, had it become involved, would have had to fight an aerial war from across the Atlantic, and every pub in England would today be known as "die Bierstube." Perhaps. In fact, the Me 262 began as a preliminary design in 1939, without the engines needed to make it fly. Thus, the first prototype flew in 1941 with a 700hp Jumo 210G piston engine, and not the planned BMW 003 turbojet engines.

The early prototypes were fitted with conventional tail wheels. However, this configuration made takeoffs highly dangerous, so a fully retractable tricycle landing gear modification became the standard. The Me 262A-1a "Schwalbe" ("Swallow") was the first production model of the Me 262. It was produced with four Mk 108 30mm cannon mounted in the nose, in its role as an interceptor, a role that it performed with great promise except for several limiting factors: First, it came into the battle far too late, when the Allied air forces had reached formidable capacity; secondly, its engines were a constant source of trouble, frequently failing after no more than 12 hours; third, it was utilized inappropriately for far too long, after Hitler decided that the machine should be used in a bombing capacity, to "punish" the Allies. That version, the Me 262A-2a "Sturmvogel" ("Stormbird") was reconfigured to carry two 550lb bombs, still retaining the four cannon. A further refinement, Me 262A-2a/U1 had two of the cannon removed to provide space for a bomb-aiming device, and Me 262A-2/U2 carried a prone bombardier in the nose section. Thus, for much of the aircraft's brief combat life, it was used against the wrong type of targets, with even less effect than if it had been used as an interceptor.


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## gekho (Jun 2, 2012)

In addition to bomber, ground attack and night fighter variants, the Me 262 was also produced as a tandem two-seat trainer, the Me 262B-1a. Four 262A-1as were modified to carry a single 50mm Mk 214 cannon which extended almost 7 feet beyond the nose of the plane, but the blinding flash from the barrel limited the effectiveness of the device. In any case, it didn't matter. There were 1,433 Me 262s built, with nearly 500 more destroyed by bombing raids before they were completed. Of that total, fewer than 300 were actually used in combat. Using equipment and components manufactured during the occupation of Czechoslovakia, some Me 262s were produced by Avia, in Czechoslovakia after the war, under the designation S.92.

In its brightest moments, when it was used as intended, the Me 262 was the equivalent of sending the "Three Musketeers" against Sitting Bull at Little Big Horn. In one battle, for instance, 37 of the 262s were scrambled against an Allied raid that consisted of 1,221 bombers and 632 fighter escorts! In their most effective performance, they cost the Allies a one percent loss. Despite the fact that the Me 262 is one of the most rare and esoteric aircraft of World War II, at least one group has endeavored to build brand new copies of this interesting airplane, updated to modern safety standards, and powered by more modern jet engines. The distinctive profile of the Me 262 has recently graced the skies again, this time in peaceful reflection rather than with hostile intent. 

Source: Warbird Alley: Messerschmitt Me 262


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## gekho (Jun 4, 2012)

The Focke-Wulf Fw 56 Stösser (Falcon) was an advanced training aircraft that was used at German fighter pilot schools throughout the Second World War. The Fw 56 was designed during 1933 in response to an Air Ministry requirement for an advanced trainer. It was a parasol wing monoplane with a fixed undercarriage, and built around a steel-tube fuselage with metal and fabric covering. The first prototype made its maiden flight in November 1933. It had a wing built with a wooden structure and covered with plywood and fabric. Tests revealed problems with the undercarriage, and so the landing gear was replaced on V2, the second prototype. This also had an all-metal wing. V3 followed in February 1934, with the original wooden wing and a modified undercarriage. The prototypes were followed by three A-0 series pre-production series, two armed with two 7.92mm machine guns and three 22lb practices bombs while the third carried a single gun.

In the summer of 1935 the Fw 56 competed against the Arado Ar 76 and Heinkel He 74 to win a production contract as a home defence fighter and advanced trainer. The Fw 56 won the competition, and was ordered into production in the advanced trainer role. During 1935 the Fw 56 was also used by Ernst Udet to test out dive bombing. It was a sturdy aircraft with clean lines that gave it a high diving speed and allowed it to survive the pull-out. Udet had seen a demonstration of dive bombing by a Curtiss Helldiver in the United States, and carried out the 1935 tests with the Fw 56 in person. In the next year, as head of the RLM's technical department, Udet was able to put his support for the dive-bomber into practice. Between 1934 and 1940 around 1,000 Fw 56A-1a were produced, able to carry one or two 7.9mm machine guns. The aircraft was used at the Luftwaffe's fighter-pilot training schools through the Second World War, as well as serving in the Austrian and Hungarian Air Forces and for experiments in towing gliders and to help develop the idea of the 'piggy back' mistal concept, acting as the upper part of a Fw 56/ DFS 230 combination.


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## gekho (Jun 4, 2012)

The Messerschmitt Bf 110 was an aircraft of very mixed fortunes. It has often been criticized for its failure during the Battle of Britain, while its successes in other fields have been largely ignored. Yet, this aircraft that did not match up to Luftwaffe expectations, managed to serve Germany throughout the Second World War in long-range escort fighter, fighter-bomber, reconnaissance, ground attack and night fighter roles. The long-range multi-seat escort fighter is possibly the most difficult of combat aircraft to design. Certainly no entirely successful machine in this category emerged from the Second World War, and when Professor Willy Messerschmitt began design studies for such a warplane towards the end of 1934, at the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke at Augsburg, his problems would have seemed insurmountable had he possessed a full knowledge of interceptor fighter development trends abroad. Such a machine as was required by Marshal Goering, to equip the elite zerstorer formations, that he envisaged had to be capable of penetrating deep into enemy territory, possessing sufficient range to accompany bomber formations. The fuel tankage necessary presented a serious weight penalty, and called for the use of two engines if the zerstorer was to achieve a performance approaching that of the lighter interceptor fighter by which it would be opposed. Yet it had to be manaoeuvrable, if it was to successfully fend off the enemy's single-seaters.

Messerschmitt possessed no previous experience with twin-engined military aircraft when he commenced work on the Bf 110. Indeed, his first warplane, the single-seat Bf 109 , had been conceived only the previous summer. At the time, the most powerful aero engine of national design available was the Junkers Jumo 210A of 610 hp. It was obvious from the outset that a pair of such engines would be inadequate to provide the power needed for the relatively large and heavy fighter envisaged. However, the Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft was actively engaged in developing a new twelve-cylinder liquid-cooled inverted-vee engine, the DB 600 , which held promise of 1,000 hp, and on the premise that such engines would be available for his prototypes—Messerschmitt began the design of the Bf 110. Designed to a 1934 requirement for a long range escort fighter, the first prototype Bf 110 made its initial flight on May 12, 1936. A key factor in the design was the use of two Daimler-Benz DB 600 engines—subsequent difficulty in obtaining enough of these to power development aircraft meant that the Bf 110 could not be tested during the Spanish Civil War. Nevertheless, one aircraft was tested at the Rechlin evaluation center in 1937, and proved to be very fast, although not as manoeuvrable as hoped. Despite obvious shortcomings, the Bf 110 entered service in 1939 as the Bf 110C—powered by two 1100 hp DB 601A engines. Production was set up on a massive scale, and by the end of the year, some 500 Bf 110s were flying operationally.


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## gekho (Jun 4, 2012)

By the time Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, ten Luftwaffe Gruppen had been equipped with the heavy fighter. Owing to the limited aerial opposition, the Bf 110C was largely employed in the ground-support role, and after the fall of Poland, little was heard of this much-vaunted machine until, on December 14, 1939, it was encountered by a formation of twelve Wellingtons over the Heligoland Bight. But it was not until it was to come up against RAF fighters in 1940, that the Bf 110C was to receive its first real trial in combat and to be found wanting. As a long-range escort fighter, the Bf 110C received a disastrous mauling at the hands of the more nimble Hurricane and Spitfire during the Battle of Britain. Rather than protecting the bombers under escort, the Bf 110C formations usually found that they were hard put to defend themselves, and the farcical situation developed in which single-seat Bf 109E fighters were having to afford protection to the escort fighters. The complete failure of the Bf 110C in the role for which it had been conceived, led to its eventual withdrawal from the Channel coast but did not result in any reduction in its production priority.

Against Polish PZL fighters and other European countries, the aircraft fared well. Although the Bf 110s had failed in their primary task, production continued at a high rate, and by 1945 no fewer than 6,150 had been built, ranging from Bf 110As to Gs. As later models became available, the early Bf 110Cs and Ds were transferred to the Middle East and Eastern Front. Both the C- and D-models had almost disappeared from the European theatre by the summer of 1941, although they were being used extensively on the Russian front and in the Middle East. Production during 1940 had risen to 1,083 machines, but with the impending introduction of the Me 210, only 784 machines were produced in the following year. By the end of 1942, in which year 580 Bf 110s were produced, production of this aircraft had again been stepped up as, on April 17, production of the Me 210 was canceled after numerous accidents, thus leaving a serious gap in the Luftwaffe's fighter and fighter bomber production program. To fill the gap, an improved version of the Bf 110 was introduced, the G-series with the DB 605 engine which provided 1,475 hp for take-off and 1,355 hp @ 18,700 feet. The pre-production Bf 110G-0 fighter-bomber was delivered for service evaluation late in 1942, and from early in 1943, G-series machines were encountered in increasing numbers. Apart from its engines the first production model, the Bf 110G-1, was similar to earlier fighter-bomber variants, and the G-2 differed principally in the armament installed: two or four 20-mm. MG 151 cannon and four 7.9-mm. MG 17 in the nose plus two 7.9-mm. MG 81 in the rear cockpit.


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## gekho (Jun 4, 2012)

The Bf 110Es were capable of carrying a respectable bomb load of 4,410 lb (2,000 kg) as fighter-bombers, while straight fighter and reconnaissance versions were also built. These, and later versions, were operated with a fair degree of success in many war zones. The Bf 110F was basically similar to the E, but two new variants were produced—the 110F-2 carrying rocket projectiles, and the F-4 with two 30 mm cannon, and an extra crew member for night fighting. The last version, the Bf 110G, was intended for use originally as a fighter-bomber but, in view of the success of the F-4, and the increasingly heavy attacks on Germany by Allied bombers, was employed mostly as a night fighter.

From time to time, Bf 110G night fighters were used on day operations. They were first employed as close escort to the Scharnhorst, and the Gneisenau off the Dutch coast and Heligoland Bight, and in the summer of 1943, they fought American day-bomber formations, whenever the latter flew unescorted. The Bf 110G groups sustained heavy losses during these actions owing to their pilots, trained in night-fighting tactics, going in close before attacking and being met by the heavy defensive fire of the bombers. They were no match for the Thunderbolts escorting American B-17 and B-24 bombers over Berlin. It was in a Bf 110 that Rudolf Hess, Deputy Fuhrer of Germany, flew solo to Scotland on the night of May 10, 1941, in the hope of negotiating peace terms with Britain, without Hitler's knowledge. 

Source: Messerschmitt Bf 110 - Germany


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## Gnomey (Jun 4, 2012)

Good shots!


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## vikingBerserker (Jun 4, 2012)

I agree!


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## gekho (Jun 5, 2012)

The Weihe was first flown in 1935 as an advanced training, light transport and communications aircraft for the Luftwaffe, powered by two 179kW Argus As.10G engines. However before the outbreak of World War II Deutsche Luft-Hansa received eight as six-passenger commercial transports. Armament in the military training version comprised a gunner's turret in the nose (which could be replaced by a metal cone for blind-flying instruction) and an aft gun position. The turret had space for an instructor and pupil for machine-gun and bomb-aiming training. Two seats side-by-side were provided in the cockpit for flying training, while a bomb trap with sights in a further compartment was provided for bombing instruction.


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## gekho (Jun 5, 2012)

In early 1938, continued German confidence in the Bf110 heavy fighter / bomber destroyer concept led the RLM to issue a specification calling for the design of an eventual successor, which covered a twin-engined multi-purpose fighter with remote-controlled armament. As well as asking Messerschmitt, who eventually produced the Me210, there was also the Ago Ao225 and Arado Ar240. The Ao225 was a very advanced design, with a large centrally-mounted engine driving both airscrews via extension shafts, but was dropped due to its advanced nature and the financial troubles the company were in. The Me210 first flew on 2 September 1939, the day after Germany invaded Poland. It was powered by two 1,050hp Daimler-Benz DB 601A engines but proved to be very unsatisfactory, having very poor handling and serious instability. The initial prototypes had twin fins and rudders but these were removed and replaced by a large single vertical surface on the first and third prototypes, while the second prototype retained the twin rudder arrangement for comparative testing. The second prototype crashed on 5 September while the others continued flying on 23 September 1939. Some improvement was apparent, but in spite of these and other improvements being carried out (such as a new cockpit canopy), the two prototypes continued to suffer from poor handling characteristics, including spinning and stalling. It is difficult to understand therefore, why the aircraft was allowed to reach the production stage but it did and by mid-1940 the first batch of airframes was ready for final assembly. The first fifteen Me210 Hornisse (Hornet) aircraft were earmarked as test aircraft and on 5 September 1940 (exactly a year from when the second prototype crashed) the programme suffered the first of several crashes when one of the prototypes broke up during dive testing – luckily the pilot managed to escape. The problems were such that the eight pre-production Me210A-0 and thirteen production Me210A-1 aircraft were added to the testing programme. As a result of this extensive testing and evaluation programme, little actual improvement in the handling characteristics of the aircraft occurred and it was evident that only some major design changes would correct the faults. At this stage, such a move would cause unacceptable delays to the production programme so deliveries began and sixty-four aircraft were supplied during 1941 in two variants. The first was the Me210A-1 destroyer-bomber that was armed with two 20mm MG151/20 cannon and two 7.92mm (0.31in) MG17 machineguns and the second was the Me210A-2 fighter-bomber that could carry a maximum bombload of 4,409lbs (2,000kg). The first active use of the Me210 was by II / ZG1 on the Eastern Front in late 1941 but the unit could rarely muster more than a third of its aircraft for operations. Active operations over the British Isles began in September 1942 from 16 Staffel / KG6 based at Soesterberg in Holland, while a number were delivered to III / ZG1 and 2(F) / 122 at Trapani on Sicily and 10 / ZG26 in Tunisia.

However, on 14 April 1942 after about 200 Me210 aircraft had been delivered (including two Me210B-0 preproduction and Me210B-1 production reconnaissance aircraft), the decision was taken to resume the manufacture of the Bf110 to buy time for the faults affecting the Me210 to be ironed out. This however meant the loss of some 600 aircraft to the German war effort and over 30 million RM to Messerschmitt.

Messerschmitt proposed a new high-altitude development with more powerful engines and a pressurised cockpit, the Me310. The aircraft was to be powered by 1,750hp Daimler-Benz DB 603A engines driving four-blade airscrews and a span of 59ft 0.75in (18 metres) with a maximum speed of 419mph (675kph) at 36,091ft (11,000m). It was eventually abandoned as the stability problems affecting the Me210 were eventually solved by the inclusion of automatic wing leading-edge slots and the redesign of the rear fuselage, stretching it by 3ft 1.5in (0.95m) and making it deeper.

The proposed improvements were submitted with the recommendation that the aircraft be equipped with the 1,750hp Daimler-Benz DB 603A engine to provide better performance. RLM accepted the solution as it would utilise a number of unfinished airframes and so Messerschmitt was given the go-ahead with the designation of Me410 being given to the substantially redesigned aircraft. As a side note, an export version of the Me210 existed, the C series, which was built in Hungary by the Danube Aircraft Factory. Messerschmitt had already supplied jigs and tools and the new factory built when the Germans halted their own production programme; however the Hungarians decided to proceed as one of the Me210A-0s had been fitted with the 1,465hp DB 605B engines, being built under license by Manfred Weiss. The Me210C had the wing slots and the new rear fuselage and production deliveries were spit with one third going to the Royal Hungarian Air Force and two-thirds to the Luftwaffe. Production was slow to get going but by early 1944 the first Hungarian units had been formed. Production in Hungary ended in March 1944 by which time 267 Me210C aircraft had been built in two variants. The first was the Me210C-1 reconnaissance / bomber-destroyer and the second was the Me210Ca-1 bomber-destroyer / dive-bomber. In contrast to Luftwaffe pilots, Hungarian pilots seemed to like the aircraft and used it extensively in the close support role.

The prototype Me410 was a converted Me210A-0 and a number of other Me210A-0s were brought up to the Me410 standard but with Db 601F engines. The improvement in the performance of the aircraft and its handling made the Me410 far more acceptable to the Luftwaffe, which received the first five Me410A-1 light bombers in January 1943. It was armed with two 20mm MG151/20 cannon, two MG17 machineguns and two MG131, mounted one on each side of the fuselage in an electrically-powered barbette and could carry 4,409lbs (2,000kg) of bombs internally. Demand for these much more effective aircraft built up quickly, so much so that Messerschmitt's Augsburg production line was supplemented in early 1944 by a second production line after Dornier entered the programme. As Me410 production expanded, a number of specialised sub-variants became available, including the Me410A-1/U1 (photoreconnaissance), Me410A-1/U2 (heavy fighter) and the Me410A-1/U4 (bomber destroyer) which was armed with a 50mm BK5 gun mounted underneath the fuselage. This weapon was a modified version of the L/60 weapon mounted on the SdKfz 234 series of armoured cars, the gun weighed some 900kg and severely restricted manoeuvrability, carrying some twenty-one rounds and having a recoil pressure of about seven tons. One such aircraft was captured by the Soviets in East Prussia and tested. The Me410A-1 was followed by the Me410A-2 heavy fighter which was equipped with two 30mm cannon and again built with a number of sub-variants including the Me410A-2/U1 (photoreconnaissance), Me410A-2/U2 (radar-carrying night fighter) and the Me410A-2/U4 (bomber destroyer), while the Me410A-3 was a reconnaissance aircraft equipped with three cameras. The first three Luftwaffe units to receive the aircraft were 5 / KG2 at Lechfeld, 2(F) / 122 at Trapani and III / ZG1 at Gerbini. The latter two had already been equipped with Me210 aircraft but 5 / KG2 converted from the Do217. These were later combined with the remnants of II / KG40 to form the Me410 equipped V / KG2.

In April 1944, the first of the improved B series were delivered to frontline units and introduced the 1,900hp DB 603G engine along with the B-1 and B-2 variants that were similar to the A series variants. The B-3 variant was a reconnaissance aircraft (similar to the A-3) and the Me410B-5 was a torpedo and anti-shipping bomber that was at the testing stage when the war ended. The Me410B-6 was again, a specialised anti-shipping variant that was built in small numbers and equipped with the FuG200 Hohentwiel search radar, two 20mm MG151/20 cannons, two 30mm MK103 cannons and two 13mm (0.51in) MG131 machineguns. As the Allies stepped up the daylight bombing campaign, the Me410s were increasingly engaged in home defence and accounted for a large number of allied bombers although they suffered at the hands of the escorting fighters. Production was finally phased out in September 1944 after 1,160 Me410s had been built and although it had not achieved the successes hoped, it was certainly an improvement on the terrible Me210.

Source; Messerschmitt Me210 / Me310 / Me410 Hornisse


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## gekho (Jun 5, 2012)

After the Italian armistice the Luftwaffe took over the majority of Regia Aeronautica aircraft. Among these aircraft were a number of CR.42s.[53]German Rüstungs-und-Kriegsproduktion Stab took control of Italy's northern aircraft industry, and ordered 200 CR.42LW (LW=Luftwaffe) from Fiat for the Luftwaffe, to use in night harassment and anti-partisan roles. Some of the captured Fiats were allocated to training divisions as well. One of the German units to use the CR.42 was Nachtschlachtgruppe (NSGr.) 9, based in Udine. Its task was to fight partisans in the region of the Alps, Istria and Croatia. The 1. Staffel received its Falchi in November 1943 and in January 1944 the unit was transferred to the airfield at Caselle near Turin to operate against partisan units in the Southern Alps. On 28 January, the 2. Staffel too was equipped with the CR.42. The training of Germans pilots took place at a school in Venaria Reale.

In February 1944, after the Allies had landed at Anzio, 1.Staffel and 2.Staffel, based at Centocelle Airport in Rome, attacked Allied units in southern Latium, mostly in moonlit night raids. NSGr9 attacked enemy troops in the Monte Cassino area. The CR.42 proved to be useful as a light bomber at night but subsequently NSGr9 began to be equipped with the Ju 87D. 2.Staffel kept using the Fiat biplanes until mid-1944. On 31 May, the unit still had 18 Falchi, 15 of which were operational. Due to Allied raids over the Fiat factory in Turin, only 150 CR.42LWs were completed, with 112 becoming operational. Another unit to use them in Southern Italy and the Balkans was Jagdgeschwader (JG) 107 which flew them as night fighters, fighter-bombers and fighter-trainers. The CR.42 was nicknamed "Die Pressluftorgel" or "the Pneumatic Organ" by Luftwaffe trainee pilots.


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## johnbr (Jun 5, 2012)

Great photos.


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## Capt. Vick (Jun 5, 2012)

How awesome is that picture with the Me 323 in the background? Sweet! Thanks, as always, for posting...


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## gekho (Jun 6, 2012)

In autumn 1937, the German Ministry of Aviation asked various designers for a new fighter to fight alongside the Messerschmitt Bf 109, Germany's front line fighter. Although the Bf 109 was an extremely competitive fighter, the Ministry of Aviation was worried that future foreign designs might outclass it, and wanted to have new aircraft under development to meet these possible challenges. Kurt Tank responded with a number of designs, most incorporating liquid-cooled inline engines. However, it was not until a design was presented using the air-cooled, 14-cylinder BMW 139 radial engine that the Ministry of Aviation's interest was aroused. As this design used a radial engine, it would not compete with the inline-powered Bf 109 for engines, when there were already too few DB 601's to go around. This was not the case for competing advanced designs like the Heinkel He 100 or Focke-Wulf Fw 187, where production would compete with the 109 or Messerschmitt Bf 110 for engine supplies. After the war, Tank denied a rumour that he had to "fight a battle" with the Ministry to convince them of the radial engine's merits.

At the time, the use of radial engines in land-based fighters was relatively rare in Europe, as it was believed that their large frontal area would cause too much drag on something as small as a fighter. Tank was not convinced of this, having witnessed the successful use of radial engines by the US Navy, and felt a properly streamlined installation would eliminate this problem. The hottest point on any air-cooled engine are the cylinder heads, located along the outside diameter of a radial engine. In order to provide sufficient air to cool the engine, the cowling needed to allow airflow at this outer edge, which generally resulted in the majority of the front face of the engine being left open to the air. During the late 1920s, NACA led development of a dramatic improvement by placing an airfoil-shaped ring around the outside of the cylinder heads. The shaping accelerated the air as it entered the front of the cowl, increasing the total airflow, and allowing the opening in front of the engine to be made smaller. Tank introduced a further refinement to this basic concept. He suggested placing most of the airflow components on the propeller itself, in the form of a oversized propeller spinner whose outside diameter was the same as the engine itself. The cowl around the engine proper was greatly simplified, essentially a basic cylinder. Air entered through a small hole at the center of the propeller, and was directed through ductwork in the spinner so it was blowing rearward along the cylinder heads. To provide enough airflow, a cone was placed in the center of the hole, over the propeller hub, which was intended to compress the airflow and allow a smaller hole to be used. In theory, the tight-fitting cowling also provided some thrust due to the compression and heating of air as it flowed through the cowling.

As to the rest of the design philosophy, Tank wanted something more than an aircraft built only for speed. Tank outlined the reasoning: The Messerschmitt 109 [sic] and the British Spitfire, the two fastest fighters in world at the time we began work on the Fw 190, could both be summed up as a very large engine on the front of the smallest possible airframe; in each case armament had been added almost as an afterthought. These designs, both of which admittedly proved successful, could be likened to racehorses: given the right amount of pampering and easy course, they could outrun anything. But the moment the going became tough they were liable to falter. During World War I, I served in the cavalry and in the infantry. I had seen the harsh conditions under which military equipment had to work in wartime. I felt sure that a quite different breed of fighter would also have a place in any future conflict: one that could operate from ill-prepared front-line airfields; one that could be flown and maintained by men who had received only short training; and one that could absorb a reasonable amount of battle damage and still get back. This was the background thinking behind the Focke-Wulf 190; it was not to be a racehorse but a Dienstpferd, a cavalry horse. A main feature of the Fw 190 was its wide landing gear. Tank appreciated that operating from primitive airfields in wartime would require a stable undercarriage — a lesson learned from witnessing the difficulty of moving machinery in the First World War. The wide-track landing gear spacing gave it better ground handling characteristics, and it suffered fewer ground accidents than the Bf 109 with its narrow-track landing gear. The undercarriage was designed to withstand a sink rate of 15 feet per second (4.5 meters per second, 900 feet per minute), double the strength factor usually required. Hydraulic wheel brakes were used.

Most aircraft of the era used cables and pulleys and pulleys to operate their controls. The cables tended to stretch, resulting in 'give' and 'play' that made the controls less crisp and responsive, and requiring constant maintenance to correct. For the new design, the team replaced these with rigid pushrods to eliminate this problem. Another innovation was making the controls as light as possible. The maximum resistance of the ailerons was limited to eight pounds, as the average man's wrist could not exert a greater force. The empennage (tail assembly) featured relatively small horizontal and vertical surfaces. The design team also attempted to minimize changes in the aircraft's trim at varying speeds, thus reducing the pilot's workload. They were so successful in this regard that they found in-flight-adjustable aileron and rudder trim tabs were not necessary. Small, fixed tabs were fitted to control surfaces and adjusted for proper balance during initial test flights. Only the elevator trim needed to be adjusted in flight (a feature common to all aircraft). This was accomplished by tilting the entire horizontal tailplane, which could be adjusted by an electric motor from a -3 to a +5 angle of incidence. Another aspect of the new design was the extensive use of electrically powered equipment instead of the hydraulic systems used by most aircraft manufacturers of the time. On the first two prototypes, the main landing gear was hydraulic. Starting with the third prototype, the undercarriage was operated by push buttons controlling electric motors in the wings, and was kept in position by electric up and down-locks.[12] The armament was also loaded and fired electrically. Tank believed that service use would prove that electrically powered systems were more reliable and more rugged than hydraulics, electric lines being much less prone to damage from enemy fire.

As was the case for the 109, the 190 featured a fairly small wing planform with relatively high wing loading. This presents a trade-off in performance; an aircraft with a smaller wing suffers less drag in most flight and therefore flies faster and may have better range. However, it also means the wing cannot generate extra lift as easily, which is needed for maneuvering or flight at high altitudes.The wings spanned 9.5 m (31 ft 2 in) and had an area of 15 m² (161 ft²). The wing was designed using the NACA 23015.3 airfoil at the root and the NACA 23009 airfoil at the tip.


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## gekho (Jun 6, 2012)

The first prototype, the Fw 190 V1 (civil registration D-OPZE), powered by a 1,550 PS (1,529 hp, 1,140 kW) BMW 139 14-cylinder two-row radial engine, first flew on 1 June 1939. It soon showed exceptional qualities for such a comparatively small aircraft, with excellent handling, good visibility and speed (initially around 610 km/h (380 mph)).[14] The roll rate was 162° per second at 410 km/h (255 mph), but the aircraft had a high stall speed of 205 km/h (127 mph). The cockpit, located directly behind the engine, quickly became uncomfortably hot. During the first flight, the temperature reached 55 °C (131 °F), after which Focke Wulf's chief test pilot, Hans Sander commented, "It was like sitting with both feet in the fireplace." Flight tests soon showed that the expected benefits of Tank's cooling design did not materialize, so after the first few flights, this arrangement was replaced by a smaller, more conventional spinner that covered only the hub of the three-blade VDM propeller. In an attempt to increase airflow over the tightly cowled engine, a 10-blade fan was fitted at the front opening of the redesigned cowling and was geared to be driven at 3.12 times faster than the propeller shaft's speed. This quickly became standard on the 190 and nearly all other German aircraft powered by the BMW 801. In this form the V1 first flew on 1 December 1939, having been repainted with the Luftwaffe's Balkenkreuz and with the Stammkennzeichen (factory code).[17] RM+CA. The Fw 190 V2, designated with the Stammkennzeichen alphabetic ID code of FL+OZ (later RM+CB) first flew on 31 October 1939 and was equipped from the outset with the new spinner and cooling fan. It was armed with one Rheinmetall-Borsig 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine gun and one 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine gun in each wing root.

Even before the first flight of the Fw 190 V1, BMW was bench testing a larger, more powerful 14-cylinder two-row radial engine, the BMW 801. This engine introduced a pioneering example of an engine management system called the Kommandogerät (command-device): in effect, an electro-mechanical computer which set mixture, propeller pitch (for the constant speed propeller), boost, and magneto timing. This reduced the pilot's work load to moving the throttle control only, with the rest of the associated inputs handled by the Kommandogerät. The drawback was slight and minor surges that made the Fw 190 harder to fly in close formations. Tank asserted the device did not work well. One of the faults in the system was the violent switching in of the high gear of the supercharger as the aircraft climbed. During a test flight, Tank carried out a loop at medium altitude. Just as he was nearing the top of the loop, at 2,650 m (8,700 ft), the supercharger's high gear kicked in with a jerk. The Fw 190 was on its back, with little airspeed. The sudden change in torque hurled the aircraft into a spin. Tank's artificial horizon toppled (the cause is not explained). Although Tank did not know whether he was in an upright or inverted spin, he managed to recover after a loss of altitude. The rough transition was smoothed out and the supercharger's gear-change could engage without incident.

The Ministry of Aviation convinced Focke-Wulf and BMW to abandon the 139 engine in favour of the new engine. The BMW 801 engine was similar in diameter to the 139, although it was heavier and longer by a considerable margin. This required Tank to redesign the Fw 190, resulted in the abandonment of the V3 and V4. The V5 became the first prototype with the new engine, being fitted with the 1,560 PS (1,539 hp, 1,147 kW) BMW 801C-0. Much of the airframe was strengthened and the cockpit was moved back in the fuselage, which reduced the troubles with high temperatures and for the first time provided space for nose armament. It also reduced visibility in nose-high attitudes, notably when taxiing on the ground. A 12-blade cooling fan replaced the earlier 10-blade unit, and was likewise installed in front of the engine's reduction gear housing, still running with the original 3.12:1 reduction ratio, which was standardised for BMW-powered Fw 190s. The propeller shaft passed through the fan's central plate, which was made of cast magnesium. The fan provided cooling air not only for the engine cylinders' fins, but also for the annular oil cooler, which was located in the forward part of the cowling. The oil cooler was protected by an armoured ring which made up the front face of the cowling. A small hole in the centre of the spinner also directed airflow to ancillary components. Even with the new engine and the cooling fan, the 801 suffered from high rear-row cylinder head temperatures, which in at least one case resulted in the detonation of the fuselage-mounted MG 17 ammunition.

The vertical tail shape was also changed and the rudder tab was replaced by a metal trim strip adjustable only on the ground. New, stiffer undercarriage struts were introduced, along with larger diameter wheels. The retraction mechanism was changed from hydraulic to electrically powered, which became a hallmark of later Focke-Wulf aircraft system designs, and new fairings of a simplified design were fitted to the legs. Another minor change was that the rearmost sections of the sliding canopy were redesigned by replacing the plexiglas glazing with duralumin panels. As this section was behind the pilot's seat, there was little visibility lost. At first, the V5 used the same wings as the first two prototypes, but to allow for the larger tyres, the wheelwells were enlarged by moving forward part of the leading edge of the wing root; the wing area became 15.0 m² (161 ft²). The V5 first flew in the early spring of 1940. The weight increase with all of the modifications was substantial, about 635 kg (1,400 lb), leading to higher wing loading and a deterioration in handling. Plans were made to create a new wing with more area to address these issues. In its original form, this prototype was called the V5k for kleine Fläche (small surface). In August 1940 a collision with a ground vehicle damaged the V5 and it was sent back to the factory for major repairs. This was an opportune time to rebuild it with a new wing which was less tapered in plan than the original design, extending the leading and trailing edges outward to increase the area. The new wing had an area of 18.30 m² (197 ft²), and now spanned 10.506 m (34 ft 5 in). After conversion, the aircraft was called the V5g for große Fläche (large surface). Although it was 10 km/h (6 mph) slower than when fitted with the small wing, V5g was much more manoeuvrable and had a faster climb rate. This new wing platform was to be used for all major production versions of the Fw 190.

Fw 190 A-0 were the pre-production series ordered in November 1940, with a total of 28 were built. Because they were built before the new wing design was fully tested and approved, the first nine A-0s had small wings. All were armed with two synchronised 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine guns mounted in the forward fuselage, one MG 17 in each wing root, and one MG 17 in each of the outboard wings. They were different from later A-series Fw 190s: they had shorter spinners, the armoured cowling ring was a different shape, with a scalloped hinge on the upper, forward edge of the upper engine cowling, and the bulges covering the interior air intakes on the engine cowlings were symmetrical "teardrops". Also, the panels aft of the exhaust pipes had no cooling slots. Several of these aircraft were later modified for testing engines and special equipment. The first unit to be equipped with the A-0 was Erprobungsstaffel 190, formed in March 1941 to help iron out any technical problems and approve the new fighter before it would be accepted for full operational service in mainstream Luftwaffe Jagdgeschwader. At first, this unit, commanded by Oblt. Otto Behrens, was based at the Luftwaffe's central Erprobungsstelle facility at Rechlin, but it was soon moved to Le Bourget. Engine problems plagued the 190 for much of its early development, and the entire project was threatened several times with a complete shutdown. Had it not been for the input of Behrens and Karl Borris, both of whom had originally enlisted in the Luftwaffe as mechanics, the Fw 190 program might have died before reaching the front lines. Both men indicated that the Fw 190's outstanding qualities outweighed its deficiencies during several Ministry of Aviation commissions that wished to terminate the program. Some 50 modifications were required before the Ministry of Aviation approved the Fw 190 for deployment to Luftwaffe units.


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## gekho (Jun 6, 2012)

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger was used by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War in a variety of roles. Like the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Fw 190 was employed as a "workhorse", and proved suitable for a wide variety of roles, including air superiority fighter, strike fighter, ground-attack aircraft, escort fighter, and operated with less success as a night fighter. It served on all the German fronts; Eastern Front, Western Front, North African Campaign and the Defence of the Reich. When it was first introduced in August 1941 it was quickly proven to be superior in all but turn radius to the Royal Air Force (RAF) front-line fighter, the Spitfire Mk. V variant. The 190 wrested air superiority away from the RAF until the introduction of the vastly improved Spitfire Mk. IX in July 1942 restored qualitative parity. The Fw 190 made its air combat debut on the Eastern Front much later, in November/December 1942. The Fw 190 made a significant impact seeing service as a fighter and fighter-bomber. The fighter and its pilots proved just as capable as the Bf 109 in aerial combat, and in the opinion of German pilots that flew both German fighters, the Fw 190 presented increased firepower and manoeuvrability at low to medium altitude.

The Fw 190 became the backbone of Jagdwaffe (Fighter Force) along with the Bf 109. On the Eastern Front, owing to its versatility, the Fw 190 was used in Schlachtgeschwader (Attack Wings) which were specialised ground attack units. The units achieved much success against Soviet ground forces. As an interceptor, the Fw 190 underwent improvements to make it effective at high altitude allowing the 190 to maintain relative parity with its Allied counterparts. The Fw 190A series' performance decreased at high altitudes (usually 6,000 m (20,000 ft) and above) which reduced its usefulness as a high-altitude fighter, but these complications were mostly rectified in later models, notably the Focke-Wulf Fw 190D variant which was introduced in September 1944. In spite of its successes, it never entirely replaced the Bf 109. The Fw 190 was well liked by its pilots. Some of the Luftwaffe's most successful fighter aces flew the Fw 190, including Otto Kittel with 267 victories, Walter Nowotny with 258 victories and Erich Rudorffer with 222 claimed kills. A great many of their kills were claimed while flying the Fw 190.


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## gekho (Jun 7, 2012)

The Bücker Bü 133 Jungmeister was a very successful single seat aerobatic trainer used as an advanced trainer by the Luftwaffe and as an aerobatic display aircraft after the war. Bücker's first design, the Bü 131 Jungmann, was a successful two-seat biplane basic trainer. This was a very standard biplane, with a steel tube fuselage, wooden wings and a fabric covering, and was adopted by the Luftwaffe as its standard basic trainer. The success of this aircraft allowed Bücker to move from its original factory at Johannisthal to a new plant at Rangsdorf, and the extra manufacturing capability at the new factory allowed the company to develop a new aircraft.

The Bü 133 Jungmeister was essentially a smaller, lighter, single-seat version of the Bü 131, using many of the same components as the larger aircraft. The 135hp Hirth HM 6 used in the prototype gave the lighter aircraft an excellent aerobatic performance, and it was accepted by the Luftwaffe as an advanced trainer. The aircraft was used for standard pilot training and for the early stages of fighter pilot training. All records of Bücker production have been lost, so the total number of Bü 131s built in Germany in unknown. Fifty were produced under licence by the Dornier-Werke in Switzerland, and a similar amount by CASA in Spain. Many aircraft survived the war, and were used as aerobatic aircraft by private pilots.


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## Wayne Little (Jun 7, 2012)

Very nice series...


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## gekho (Jun 7, 2012)

The Kl 35 was designed in 1934 under the auspices of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM). Dipl. Ing. Friedrich Fecher had overall responsibility for the construction. The so-called Gemischtbauweise construction was used: steel for fuselage, wood for wings and tail units and only small quantities of light alloy for linings were used. This became a preferred building method with the RLM around this time, because from considerations of strategic material availability. The results of the trial must have been satisfactory, because in July 1936, 23 aircraft were ordered for delivery between July and September 1937, with production planned to increase to 3 per month. Klemm were at the time manufacturing the Fw 44 under licence from Focke-Wulf.

By this time the RLM was already looking for a sub-contractor to build the Kl 35A under licence, choosing Fieseler who were already undertaking licence production of the He 72 and Fw 58 alongside Storks at their Kasseler plant. Further orders, to a total of 1,386, followed and new variants came on line, beginning with the Kl 35B with a new engine. Manufacture at Fieseler ceased in November 1939, after 365 aircraft, when the RLM transferred licence production to Zlin in occupied Czechoslovakia. Production ended in May 1943 with total production for the Luftwaffe having reached 1,302. The balance of production was for private and export customers, though since these would have to number nearly 700 to reach the oft-quoted total of around 2,000 this may be exaggerated.


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## gekho (Jun 7, 2012)

Following the selection by the RLM of the Bf 109 as its next single-seat fighter over the He 112, Ernst Heinkel became interested in a new fighter that would leap beyond the performance of the Bf 109 as much as the Bf 109 had over the biplanes it replaced. Other German designers had similar ambitions, including Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf. There was never an official project on the part of the RLM, but Rudolf Lucht felt that new designs were important enough to fund the projects from both companies to provide "super-pursuit" designs for evaluation. This would result in the single-engined He 100 fighter, and the promising twin-engine Fw 187 Falke Zerstörer-style heavy fighter, both reaching the flight stage of development. Walter Günter, one half of the famous Günter brothers, looked at the existing He 112, which had already been heavily revised into the He 112B version and decided it had reached the end of its evolution. He started over with a completely new design, Projekt 1035. Learning from past mistakes on the 112 project, the design was to be as easy to build as possible yet 700 km/h (440 mph) was a design goal. To ease production, the new design had considerably fewer parts than the 112 and those that remained contained fewer compound curves. In comparison, the 112 had 2,885 parts and 26,864 rivets, while the P.1035 was made of 969 unique parts with 11,543 rivets. The new straight-edged wing was a source of much of the savings; after building the first wings, Otto Butter reported that the reduction in complexity and rivet count (along with the Butter brothers' own explosive rivet system) saved an astonishing 1,150 man hours per wing.

The super-pursuit type was not a secret, but Ernst Heinkel preferred to work in private and publicly display his products only after they were developed sufficiently to make a stunning first impression. As an example of this, the mock-up for the extremely modern-looking He 100 was the subject of company Memo No.3657 on 31 January that stated: The mock-up is to be completed by us... as of the beginning of May... and be ready to present to the RLM... and prior to that no one at the RLM is to know of the existence of the mock-up. Walter was killed in a car accident on 25 May 1937, and the design work was taken over by his twin brother Siegfried, who finished the final draft of the design later that year. Heinrich Hertel, a specialist an aircraft structures, also played a prominent role in the design. At the end of October the design was submitted to the RLM, complete with details on prototypes, delivery dates and prices for three aircraft delivered to the Rechlin test center. At this point, the aircraft was referred to as the He 113, but the "13" in the name was apparently enough to prompt Ernst Heinkel to ask for it to be changed to the He 100. It is reported that Ernst Heinkel lobbied for this "round" number in hopes it would improve the design's chances for production. In order to get the promised performance out of the aircraft, the design included a number of drag-reducing features. On the simple end was a well-faired cockpit, the absence of struts and other drag-inducing supports on the tail. The landing gear (including the tailwheel) was retractable and completely enclosed in flight.

There was also a serious shortage of advanced aero engines in Germany during the late 1930s. The He 100 used the same Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Bf 110, and there was insufficient capacity to support another aircraft using the same engine. The only available alternate engine was the Junkers Jumo 211, and Heinkel was encouraged to consider its use in the He 100. However, the early Jumo 211 then available did not use a pressurized cooling system, and it was therefore not suitable for the He 100's evaporative cooling system. Furthermore, a Jumo 211-powered He 100 would not have been able to outperform the contemporary DB 601-powered Bf 109 because the supercharger on the early Jumo 211 was not fully shrouded. In order to reduce weight and frontal area, the engine was mounted directly to the forward fuselage, which was strengthened and literally tailored to the DB 601, as opposed to conventional mounting on engine bearers. The cowling was very tight-fitting, and as a result the aircraft has something of a slab-sided appearance. In order to provide as much power as possible from the DB 601, the 100 used exhaust ejectors for a small amount of additional thrust. The supercharger inlet was moved from the normal position on the side of the cowling to a location in the leading edge of the left wing, which was also a feature of the earlier He 119. Although cleaner-looking, the long, curved induction pipe most likely negated any benefit.

For the rest of the designed performance increase, Walter turned to the somewhat risky and still experimental method of cooling the engine via evaporative cooling. Such systems had been in vogue in several countries at the time. Heinkel and the Günter brothers were avid proponents of the technology, and had previously used it on the He 119 with promising results. Evaporative or "steam" cooling promised a completely drag-free cooling system. The DB 601 was a pressure-cooled engine in that the water/glycol coolant was kept in liquid form by pressure, even though its temperature was allowed to exceed the normal boiling point. Heinkel's system took advantage of that fact and the cooling energy loss associated with the phase change of the coolant as it boils. Following is a description of what is known about the cooling system used in the final version of Heinkel's system. It is based entirely on careful study of surviving photographs of the He 100, since no detail plans survive. The earlier prototypes varied, but they were all eventually modified to something close to the final standard before they were exported to the Soviet Union.

Coolant exits the DB 601 at two points located at the front of the engine and at the base of each cylinder block casting immediately adjacent to the crank case. In the Heinkel system, an "S"-shaped steel pipe took the coolant from each side of the engine to one of two steam separators mounted alongside the engine's reduction gear and immediately behind the propeller spinner. The separators, designed by engineers Jahn and Jahnke, accepted the water at about 110 °C (230 °F) and 1.4 bar (20.3 psi) of pressure. The vertically-mounted, tube-shaped separators contained a centrifugal impeller at the top connected to an impeller-type scavenge pump at the bottom. The coolant was expanded through the upper impeller where it lost pressure, boiled and cooled. The by product was mostly very hot coolant and some steam. The liquid coolant was slung by the centrifugal impeller to the sides of the separator where it fell by gravity to the bottom of the unit. There, it was pumped to header tanks located in the leading edges of both wings by the scavenge pump. The presence of the scavenge pump was necessary to ensure the entire separator did not simply fill up with high-pressure coolant coming from the engine.

Existing photographs of the engine bay of the final pre-production version of this system clearly show the liquid coolant from both separators was piped along the bottom left side of the engine compartment and into the right wing. The header tanks were located in the outer wing panels ahead of the main spar and immediately outboard of the main landing gear bays. The tanks extended over the same portion of the outer panel's span as the outer flaps. Coolant from the right wing header tank was pumped by a separate, electrical pump to the left wing header tank. Along the way from the right to left wing, the coolant passed through a conventional radiator mounted on the bottom of the fuselage. That radiator was retractable and intended for use only during ground-running or low-speed flight. Nevertheless, coolant passed through it whenever the engine was running and regardless of whether it was extended or retracted. In the retracted position, the radiator offered little cooling, but some heat was exchanged into the aft fuselage. Finally, a return tube connected the left wing's header tank to that on the right. This allowed the coolant to equalize between the two header tanks and circulate through the retractable radiator. The engine drew coolant directly from both header tanks through two separate pipes that ran through the main landing gear bays, up the firewall at the back of the engine compartment, and into the usual coolant intakes located at the top rear of the engine.

The steam collected in the separators was vented separately from the liquid coolant. The steam did not require mechanical pumping to do this, and the build up of pressure inside the separator was sufficient. The steam was piped down the lower right side of the engine bay and led into the open spaces between the upper and lower wing skins of the outer wing panels. There, it further expanded and condensed by cooling through the skins. The entire outer wing, both ahead of and behind the main spar, was used for this purpose covering that portion of the span containing the ailerons (the fuel was also carried entirely in the wings and occupied the areas behind the main spar in the center section and immediately ahead of the outboard flaps). The condensate was scavenged by electrically-driven centrifugal pumps and fed to the header tanks. Sources indicate as many as 22 separate pumps were used for this, each with their own attendant pilot light on the instrument panel, but it is not clear whether that number includes all of the pumps in the entire water- and oil-cooling systems or merely the number of pumps in the outer wing panels. The former is generally accepted.


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## gekho (Jun 7, 2012)

Throughout the prototype period the various models were given series designations (as noted above), and presented to the RLM as the basis for series production. The Luftwaffe never took them up on the offer. Heinkel had decided to build a total of 25 of the aircraft one way or the other, so with 10 down, there were another 15 of the latest model to go. In keeping with general practice, any series production is started with a limited run of "zero series" machines, and this resulted in the He 100 D-0. The D-0 was similar to the earlier C models, with a few notable changes. Primary among these was a larger vertical tail in order to finally solve the stability issues. In addition, the cockpit and canopy were slightly redesigned, with the pilot sitting high in a large canopy with excellent vision in all directions. The armament was reduced from the C model to one 20 mm (0.79 in) MG FF/M in the engine V firing through the propeller spinner, and two 7.92 mm (.30-caliber) MG 17s in the wings close to the fuselage. The three D-0 aircraft were completed by the summer of 1939 and stayed at the Heinkel Marienehe plant for testing. They were later sold to the Japanese Imperial Navy to serve as pattern aircraft for a production line, and were shipped there in 1940. They received the designation AXHe.

The final evolution of the short He 100 history is the D-1 model. As the name suggests the design was supposed to be very similar to the pre-production D-0s, the main planned change was to enlarge the horizontal stabilizer. But the big change was the eventual abandonment of the surface cooling system, which proved to be too complex and failure prone. Instead an even larger version of the retractable radiator was installed, and this appeared to completely cure the problems. The radiator was inserted in a "plug" below the cockpit, and as a result the wings were widened slightly. While the aircraft didn't match its design goal of 700 km/h (430 mph) once it was loaded down with weapons, the larger canopy and the radiator, it was still capable of speeds in the 644 km/h (400 mph) range. A low drag airframe is good for both speed and range, and as a result the He 100 had a combat range between 900 to 1,000 km (560 to 620 mi) compared to the Bf 109's 600 km (370 mi). While not in the same league as the later escort fighters, this was at the time a superb range and may have offset the need for the Bf 110 to some degree. Finally, there were allegations that politics played a role in killing the He 100. By this point, the war was underway, and as the Luftwaffe would not purchase the aircraft in its current form, the production line was shut down. The remaining 12 He 100 D-1 fighters were used to form Heinkel's Marienehe factory defense unit, flown by factory test pilots. They replaced the earlier He 112s that were used for the same purpose, and the 112s were later sold off. At this early stage in the war, there were no bombers venturing that far into Germany, and it appears that the unit never saw action. The eventual fate of the D-1s remains unknown. The aircraft were also put to an interesting propaganda/disinformation role, as the supposed Heinkel He 113.

When the war opened in 1939 Heinkel was allowed to look for foreign licensees for the design. Japanese and Soviet delegations visited the Marienehe factory on 30 October 1939,[2] and were both impressed with what they saw. Thus it was in foreign hands that the 100 finally saw use, although only in terms of adopted design features. Six He 100s were exported to the Soviet Union and three were exported to Japan. Although any Japanese aircraft that survived the war would have been destroyed by the Allies, there is a possibility that parts of or even a complete He 100 may exist somewhere in storage in Russia.[citation needed] It is also possible the Russians made plans or blueprints of their He 100s while the design was being studied.[dubious – discuss]

The Soviets were particularly interested in the surface cooling system, having built the experimental Ilyushin I-21 with evaporative cooling, and in order to gain experience with it they purchased the six surviving prototypes (V1, V2, V4, V5, V6 and V7). After arriving in the USSR they were passed onto the TsAGI institute for study; there they were analyzed with He 100 features influencing a number of Soviet designs, notably the LaGG-3 and MiG-1.[citation needed] Although the surface cooling system wasn't copied, the addition of larger Soviet engines made up for the difference and the LaGG-3 was a reasonably good performer. It's perhaps ironic that German aircraft would later be shot down by German inspired aircraft. The Japanese were also looking for new designs, notably those using inline engines where they had little experience. They purchased the three D-0s for 1.2 million RM, as well as a license for production and a set of jigs for another 1.6 million RM. The three D-0s arrived in Japan in May 1940 and were re-assembled at Kasumigaura. They were then delivered to the Japanese Naval Air Force where they were renamed AXHei, for "Experimental Heinkel Fighter". When referring to the German design the aircraft is called both the He 100 and He 113, with at least one set of plans bearing the later name. In tests, the Navy was so impressed that they planned to put the aircraft into production as soon as possible as their land-based interceptor; unlike every other armed forces organization in the world, the Army and Navy both fielded complete land-based air forces. Hitachi won the contract for the aircraft and started construction of a factory in Chiba for its production. With the war in full swing in Europe, however, the jigs and plans never arrived. Why this wasn't sorted out is something of a mystery, and it appears there isn't enough information in the common sources to say for sure what happened.


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## gekho (Jun 7, 2012)

In late 1944, the RLM went to manufacturers for a new high-altitude fighter with excellent performance - the Ta 152H (a version of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190) was currently in limited production for just this task but Heinkel was contracted to design an aircraft, and Siegfried Günter was placed in charge of the new Projekt 1076. The resulting design was similar to the He 100, but the many detail changes resulted in an aircraft that looked all new. It sported a new and longer wing for high-altitude work, which lost the gull wing bend and was swept forward slightly at 8°. Flaps or ailerons spanned the entire trailing edge of the wing giving it a rather modern appearance. The cockpit was pressurized for high-altitude flying, and covered with a small bubble canopy that was hinged to the side instead of sliding to the rear. Other changes that seem odd in retrospect is that the gear now retracted outward like the original Bf 109, and the surface cooling system was re-introduced. Planned armament was one 30 mm (1.2 in) MK 103 cannon firing through the propeller hub, and two wing mounted 30mm MK 108 cannons.

The use of one of three different engines was planned: the DB 603M with 1,361 kW (1,825 hp), the DB 603N with 2,051 kW (2,750 hp), or the Jumo 213E, designed from the start to have the same fluid service locations as the DB 603, with 1,287 kW (1,726 hp). The 603M and 213E both supplied 1,545 kW (2,072 hp) using MW-50 water injection. Performance with the 603N was projected to be 880 km/h (550 mph), in the same class as the Messerschmitt Me 262 pioneering jet fighter then entering evaluationary service, which would have stood as a record for many years even when faced with dedicated racing machines. Performance would still be excellent even with the far more likely 1,500 kW (2,000 hp) class engines, the 603M was projected to give it the high speed of 855 km/h (531 mph). These figures are somewhat suspect though, and are likely just optimistic guesses that could not have been met - something Heinkel was famous for. Propellers lose efficiency as they approach the speed of sound, and eventually they no longer provide an increase in thrust for an increase in engine power. The only remaining gain of thrust can at this point from the piston engine exhausts. The advanced counter-rotating VDM design is unlikely to have been able to effect this problem. The design apparently received low priority, and it was not completed by the end of the war. Siegfried Günter later completed the detailed drawings and plans for the Americans in mid-1945.

In 1939, it was reputedly one of the most advanced fighter designs, even faster than the later Fw 190, with performance unrivalled until the introduction of the Vought F4U Corsair in 1943. Nevertheless the aircraft was not ordered into production. The reasons the He 100 wasn't put into service seems to vary depending on the person telling the story, and picking any one version results in a firestorm of protest. Some say it was politics that killed the He 100. However, this seems to stem primarily from Heinkel's own telling of the story, which in turn seems to be based on some general malaise over the He 112 debacle. The fact is that Heinkel was well respected within the establishment regardless of Messerschmitt's success with the Bf 109 and Bf 110, and this argument seems particularly weak. Others blame the bizarre production line philosophy of the RLM, which valued huge numbers of single designs over a mix of different aircraft. This too seems somewhat suspect considering that the Fw 190 was purchased shortly after this story ends. For these reasons, it seems safe to accept the RLM version of the story largely at face value; that the production problems with the DB series of engines was so acute that all other designs based on the engine were canceled. At the time the DB 601 engines were being used in both the Bf 109 and Bf 110 aircraft, and Daimler couldn't keep up with those demands alone. The RLM eventually forbade anyone but Messerschmitt from receiving any DB 601s, leading to the shelving of many designs from a number of vendors. Furthermore, the Bf 109 and Bf 110 were perceived as superior to their likely opponents, which made the requirement for an even more powerful aircraft less imperative.

The only option open to Heinkel was a switch to another engine, and the RLM expressed some interest in purchasing such a version of the He 100. At the time the only other useful inline was the Junkers Jumo 211, and even that was in short supply. However, the design of the He 100 made adaptation to the 211 difficult; both the cooling system and the engine mounts were designed for the 601, and a switch to the 211 would have required a redesign. Heinkel felt it wasn't worth the effort considering the aircraft would end up with inferior performance, and so the He 100 production ends on that sour note. For this reason more than any other the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 became the next great aircraft of the Luftwaffe, as it was based around the otherwise unused Bramo 139 (and later BMW 801) radial engine. Although production of these engines was only starting, the lines for the airframes and aircraft could be geared up in parallel without interrupting production of any existing design, which was exactly what happened.

Source: Heinkel He 100 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## vikingBerserker (Jun 7, 2012)

I do think the He 100 was a beautiful plane, great info as always.


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## johnbr (Jun 7, 2012)

Yes great info.


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## gekho (Jun 8, 2012)

Seeking a replacement for the Heinkel He 51 and Arado Ar 68 biplane fighters, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium issued in 1933 a specification for a monoplane, drawing submissions from Arado, Focke-Wulf, Heinkel and Messerschmitt. The prototype Heinkel He 112 was evaluated competitively with the three other designs at Travemunde in October 1935 and both it and Messerschmitt's Bf 109 received orders for 10 aircraft. Powered by a 518kW Rolls-Royce Kestrel V engine, the prototype was followed by two further aircraft with reduced-span wings and 447kW Jumo 210C engines. The fourth prototype, with a new elliptical wing, was evaluated operationally with the Legion Condor in Spain in 1936, and was shown at the July 1937 Zurich International Flying Meeting. The proposed He 112A production aircraft was not adopted by the Luftwaffe, which received the Bf 109 instead, but work continued on the structurally-redesigned He 112B, the 507kW Jumo 210Ea-powered production prototype which flew in July 1937. Twelve of 30 aircraft ordered by Japan were delivered in the spring of 1938, but the next 12 were impressed for Luftwaffe use, although 11 of these and the final six were supplied later to the Spanish Nationalist air force in November 1938. Thirteen He 112B-0 and 11 He 112B-1 aircraft were delivered to the Romanian air force, the order being completed in September 1939, and three He 112B-1s were acquired by the Hungarian air force in the spring of 1939. Armament of the He 112B series was two wing-mounted 20mm MG FF cannon and two 7.92mm MG 17 machine-guns in the upper engine cowling.


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## gekho (Jun 8, 2012)

The early stages of the Third Reich's expansion plans consisted of a series of annexations of territory where the majority of the population were culturally German. This started with the March 1938 Anschluss, the annexation of Austria. Next on the list came the Sudetenland, a portion of western Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia was not interested in giving it up, and unlike the Austrian example, it did not look like France and the United Kingdom were going to simply sit back and watch. Suddenly the possibility of a military confrontation looked very real.

As a result the Luftwaffe pressed every flightworthy fighter into service. At the time the Japanese Navy batch of 112Bs was being completed, and these were taken over and used to form IV./JG 132 on the 1 July 1938. They were first based at Oschatz, but were moved to Karlsbad on 6 October. The planes moved again on 17 November to Mährish-Trübau, where they were reformed as I./JG 331. But by that time the crisis had passed, and I./JG 331 received Bf 109Cs in place of the 112Bs. The planes were then returned to Heinkel and then shipped to Japan to fulfill the order. A number of other 112s at the Heinkel plant were used as a factory defense unit, flown by Heinkel test pilots (all civilians). The planes never saw action in the role, and were replaced with He 100s and then exported.


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## Wayne Little (Jun 8, 2012)

keep it coming...good stuff!


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## rochie (Jun 8, 2012)

good stuff, saw something on TV yesterday it had gun cam footage from a P-47 shooting down one of those Klemm Ki-35's, very unfair fight !!!


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## vikingBerserker (Jun 8, 2012)

That was somewhat one-sided!


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## Wayne Little (Jun 10, 2012)

Swiss cheese would be a good description then?


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## gekho (Jun 15, 2012)

During 1933, the Technisches Amt (C-Amt), the technical department of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) ("Reich Aviation Ministry"), concluded a series of research projects into the future of air combat. Rüstungsflugzeug III was intended to be a short range interceptor, replacing the Arado Ar 64 and Heinkel He 51 biplanes then in service. In late March 1933 the RLM published the tactical requirements for a single-seat fighter in the document L.A. 1432/33. The fighter needed to have a top speed of 400 km/h (250 mph) at 6,000 m (19,690 ft), to be maintained for 20 minutes, while having a total flight duration of 90 minutes. The critical altitude of 6,000 metres was to be reached in no more than 17 minutes, and the fighter was to have an operational ceiling of 10,000 metres. Power was to be provided by the new Junkers Jumo 210 engine of about 522 kW (700 hp). It was to be armed with either a single 20 mm MG C/30 engine-mounted cannon firing through the propeller hub as a Motorkanone or, alternatively, either two engine cowl-mounted 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine guns, or one lightweight, engine-mounted 20 mm MG FF cannon with two 7.92 mm MG 17s. The MG C/30 was an airborne adaption of the 2 cm FlaK 30 anti-aircraft gun, which fired very powerful "Long Solothurn" ammunition, but was very heavy and had a low rate of fire. It was also specified that the wing loading should be kept below 100 kg/m2. The performance was to be evaluated based on the fighter's level speed, rate of climb, and manoeuvrability, in that order.

It has been suggested that Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW) was originally not invited to participate in the competition due to personal animosity between Willy Messerschmitt and RLM director Erhard Milch however, recent research by Willy Radinger and Walter Shick indicates that this may not have been the case, as all three competing companies—Arado, Heinkel and the BFW—received the development contract for the L.A. 1432/33 requirements at the same time in February 1934. A fourth company, Focke-Wulf, received a copy of the development contract only in September 1939. The powerplant was to be the new Junkers Jumo 210, but the proviso was made that it would be interchangeable with the more powerful, but less developed Daimler-Benz DB 600 powerplant. Each was asked to deliver three prototypes for head-to-head testing in late 1934. Design work on Messerschmitt Project Number P.1034 began in March 1934, just three weeks after the development contract was awarded. The basic mock-up was completed by May, and a more detailed design mock-up was ready by January 1935. The RLM designated the design as type "Bf 109," the next available from a batch of numbers assigned to BFW.

The first prototype (Versuchsflugzeug 1 or V1), with civilian registration D-IABI, was completed by May 1935, but the new German engines were not yet ready. In order to get the "RIII" designs into the air, the RLM acquired four Rolls-Royce Kestrel VI engines by trading Rolls-Royce a Heinkel He 70 Blitz for use as an engine test-bed.[nb 2] Messerschmitt received two of these engines and adapted the engine mounts of V1 to take the V-12 engine upright. V1 made its maiden flight at the end of May 1935 at Haunstetten, piloted by Hans-Dietrich "Bubi" Knoetzsch. After four months of flight testing, the aircraft was delivered in September to the Luftwaffe test centre at Rechlin to take part in the design competition. In the late summer of 1935, the first Jumo engines became available so V2 was completed in October using the 449 kW (600 hp) Jumo 210A engine. V3 followed, the first to be mounted with guns, but it did not fly until May 1936 due to a delay in procuring another Jumo 210 engine.

After Luftwaffe acceptance trials were completed at Rechlin, the prototypes were moved to Travemünde for the head-to-head portion of the competition. The aircraft participating in the trials were the Arado Ar 80 V3, the Focke-Wulf Fw 159 V3, the Heinkel He 112 V4 and the Bf 109 V2. The He 112 arrived first, in early February 1936, followed by the rest of the prototypes by the end of the month. Because most fighter pilots of the Luftwaffe were used to biplanes with open cockpits, low wing loading, light g-forces and easy handling, they were very critical of the Bf 109 at first. However, it soon became one of the frontrunners in the contest, as the Arado and Focke-Wulf entries, which were intended as "back-up" programmes to safeguard against failure of the two favourites, proved to be completely outclassed. The Arado Ar 80, with its gull wing (replaced with a straight, tapered wing on the V3) and fixed, spatted undercarriage was overweight and underpowered, and the design was abandoned after three prototypes had been built. The parasol winged Fw 159 was always considered by the Erprobungsstelle (E-Stelle) staff at Travemünde to be a compromise between a biplane and an aerodynamically more efficient, low-wing monoplane. Although it had some advanced features, it used a novel undercarriage which proved to be unreliable.

nitially, the Bf 109 was regarded with disfavor by E-Stelle test pilots because of its steep ground angle, which resulted in poor forward visibility when taxiing; the sideways-hinged cockpit canopy, which could not be opened in flight; and the automatic leading edge slats on the wings which, it was thought, would inadvertently open during aerobatics, possibly leading to crashes. This was later borne out in combat situations and aerobatic testing by various countries test establishments. The leading edge slats and ailerons would flutter rapidly in fast tight turns, making targeting and control difficult, and eventually putting the aircraft into a stall condition. They were also concerned about the high wing loading. The Heinkel He 112, based on a scaled-down Blitz was the favourite of the Luftwaffe leaders. Compared with the Bf 109, it was also cheaper. Positive aspects of the He 112 included the wide track and robustness of the undercarriage (this opened outwards from mid wing, as opposed to the 109s which opened from the fuselage), considerably better visibility from the cockpit, and a lower wing loading that made for easier landings. In addition, the V4 had a single-piece, clear-view, sliding cockpit canopy and a more powerful Jumo 210Da engine with a modified exhaust system. However, the He 112 was also structurally complicated, being some 18% heavier than the Bf 109, and it soon became clear that the thick wing, which spanned 12.6 m (41 ft 4 in) with an area of 23.2 m2 (249.7 ft2) on the first prototype (V1), was a disadvantage for a light fighter, decreasing the aircraft's rate of roll and manoeuvrability. As a result, the He 112 V4 which was used for the trials had new wings, spanning 11.5 m (37 ft 8.75 in) with an area of 21.6 m2 (232.5 ft2). However, the improvements had not been fully tested and the He 112 V4 could not be demonstrated in accordance with the rules laid down by the Acceptance Commission, placing it at a distinct disadvantage.

Because of its smaller, lighter airframe, the Bf 109 was 30 km/h (20 mph) faster than the He 112 in level flight, and superior in climbing and diving. The Commission ultimately ruled in favour of the Bf 109 because of the Messerschmitt test pilot's demonstration of the 109's capabilities during a series of spins, dives, flick rolls and tight turns, throughout which the pilot was in complete control of the aircraft. In March, the RLM received news that the British Spitfire had been ordered into production. It was felt that a quick decision was needed in order to get the winning design into production as soon as possible, so on 12 March the RLM announced the results of the competition in a document entitled Bf 109 Priority Procurement, which ordered the Bf 109 into production. At the same time, Heinkel was instructed to radically re-design the He 112. The Messerschmitt 109 made its public debut during the 1936 Berlin Olympics, when the V1 prototype was flown.


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## gekho (Jun 15, 2012)

As with the earlier Bf 108, the new design was based on Messerschmitt's "lightweight construction" principle, which aimed to minimize the number of separate parts in the aircraft. Examples of this could be found in the use of two large, complex brackets which were fitted to the firewall. These brackets incorporated the lower engine mounts and landing gear pivot point into one unit. A large forging attached to the firewall housed the main spar pick-up points, and carried most of the wing loads. Contemporary design practice was usually to have these main load-bearing structures mounted on different parts of the airframe, with the loads being distributed through the structure via a series of strong-points. By concentrating the loads in the firewall, the structure of the Bf 109 could be made relatively light and uncomplicated. An advantage of this design was that the main landing gear, which retracted through an 85-degree angle, was attached to the fuselage, making it possible to completely remove the wings for servicing without additional equipment to support the fuselage. It also allowed simplification of the wing structure, since it did not have to bear the loads imposed during takeoff or landing. The one major drawback of this landing gear arrangement was its narrow wheel track, making the aircraft unstable while on the ground. To increase stability, the legs were splayed outward somewhat, creating another problem in that the loads imposed during takeoff and landing were transferred up through the legs at an angle.

The small rudder of the Bf 109 was relatively ineffective at controlling the strong swing created by the powerful slipstream of the propeller during the early portion of the takeoff roll, and this sideways drift created disproportionate loads on the wheel opposite to the swing. If the forces imposed were large enough, the pivot point broke and the landing gear leg would collapse outward into its bay. Experienced pilots reported that the swing was easy to control, but some of the less-experienced pilots lost fighters on takeoff. Because of the large ground angle caused by the long legs, forward visibility while on the ground was very poor, a problem exacerbated by the sideways-opening canopy. This meant that pilots had to taxi in a sinuous fashion which also imposed stresses on the splayed undercarriage legs. Ground accidents were a problem with rookie pilots, especially during the later stages of the war when pilots received less training before being sent to operational units. At least 10% of all Bf 109s were lost in takeoff and landing accidents, 1,500 of which occurred between 1939 and 1941. The installation of a fixed "tall" tailwheel on some of the late G-10s and 14s and the K-series helped alleviate the problem to a large extent.

From the inception of the design, priority was given to easy access to the powerplant, fuselage weapons and other systems while the aircraft was operating from forward airfields. To this end, the entire engine cowling was made up of large, easily removable panels which were secured by large toggle latches. A large panel under the wing centre section could be removed to gain access to the L-shaped main fuel tank, which was sited partly under the cockpit floor and partly behind the rear cockpit bulkhead. Other, smaller panels gave easy access to the cooling system and electrical equipment. The engine was held in two large, forged, magnesium alloy Y-shaped legs which were cantilevered from the firewall. Each of the legs was secured by two quick-release screw fittings on the firewall. All of the main pipe connections were colour-coded and grouped in one place, where possible, and electrical equipment plugged into junction boxes mounted on the firewall. The entire powerplant could be removed or replaced as a unit in a matter of minutes. Another example of the Bf 109's advanced design was the use of a single, I-beam main spar in the wing, positioned more aft than usual (to give enough room for the retracted wheel), thus forming a stiff D-shaped torsion box. Most aircraft of the era used two spars, near the front and rear edges of the wings, but the D-box was much stiffer torsionally, and eliminated the need for the rear spar. The wing profile was the NACA 2R1 14.2 at the root and NACA 2R1 11.35 at the tip, with a thickness to chord ratio of 14.2% at the root and 11.35% at the tip. Another major difference from competing designs was the higher wing-loading. While the R-IV contract called for a wing-loading of less than 100 kg/m2, Messerschmitt felt this was unreasonable. With a low-wing loading and the engines available, a fighter would end up being slower than the bombers it was tasked with catching.

A fighter was designed primarily for high-speed flight. A smaller wing area was optimal for achieving high speed, but low-speed flight would suffer, as the smaller wing would require more airflow to generate enough lift to maintain flight. To compensate for this, the Bf 109 included advanced high-lift devices on the wings, including automatically-opening leading edge slats, and fairly large camber-changing flaps on the trailing edge. The slats increased the lift of the wing considerably when deployed, greatly improving the horizontal maneuverability of the aircraft, as several Luftwaffe veterans, such as Erwin Leykauf, attest. Messerschmitt also included ailerons that "drooped" when the flaps were lowered, thereby increasing the effective flap area (and later radiator flaps as well). When deployed, these devices effectively increased the wings' coefficient of lift. Fighters with liquid cooled engines were vulnerable to hits in the cooling system. For this reason, on later Bf 109 F, G and K models the two coolant radiators were equipped with a cut-off system. If one radiator leaked, it was possible to fly on the second, or to fly for at least five minutes with both closed. In 1943, Oberfeldwebel Edmund Roßmann got lost and landed behind Soviet lines. He agreed to show the Soviets how to service the plane. Soviet machine gun technician Viktor M. Sinaisky recalled:

_ "The Messer was a very well designed plane. First, it had an engine of an inverted type, so it could not be knocked out from below. It also had two water radiators with a cut-off system: if one radiator leaked you could fly on the second or close both down and fly at least five minutes more. The pilot was protected by armour-plate from the back, and the fuel tank was also behind armour. Our planes had fuel tanks in the centre of their wings: that's why our pilot got burnt. What else did I like about the Messer? It was highly automatic and thus easy to fly. It also employed an electrical pitch regulator, which our planes didn't have. Our propeller system, with variable pitch was hydraulic, making it impossible to change pitch without engine running. If, God forbid, you turned off the engine at high pitch, it was impossible to turn the propeller and was very hard to start the engine again. Finally, the German ammo counter was also a great thing."_


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## gekho (Jun 15, 2012)

Reflecting Messerschmitt's belief in low-weight, low-drag, simple monoplanes, the armament was placed in the fuselage. This kept the wings very thin and light. Two synchronized machine guns were mounted in the cowling, firing over the top of the engine and through the propeller arc. An alternative arrangement was also designed, consisting of a single cannon firing through a blast tube between the cylinder banks of the engine. This was also the choice of armament layout on some contemporary French monoplane fighters, such as the Dewoitine D.520, and dated back to World War I's small run of SPAD S.XII cannon-armed fighters in France. When it was discovered in 1937 that the RAF was planning eight-gun batteries for its new Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire fighters, it was decided that the Bf 109 should be more heavily armed. The problem was that the only place available to mount additional guns was in the wings. There was only one spot available in each wing, between the wheel well and slats and there was room for only one gun, either a 7.92 mm MG 17 machine gun, or a 20 mm MG FF or MG FF/M cannon. The first version of the 109 to have wing guns was the C-1, which had one MG 17 in each wing. To avoid redesigning the wing to accommodate large ammunition boxes and access hatches, an unusual ammunition feed was devised whereby a continuous belt holding 500 rounds was fed along chutes out to the wing tip, around a roller and then back along the wing, forward and beneath the gun breech, to the wing root where it coursed around another roller and back to the weapon.

The gun barrel was placed in a long, large-diameter tube located between the spar and the leading edge. The tube channeled cooling air around the barrel and breech, exhausting out of a slot at the rear of the wing. The installation was so cramped that parts of the MG 17's breech mechanism extended into an opening created in the flap structure.The much longer and heavier MG FF had to be mounted farther along the wing in an outer bay. A large hole was cut through the spar allowing the cannon to be fitted with the ammunition feed forward of the spar, while the breech block projected rearward through the spar. A 60-round ammunition drum was placed in a space closer to the wing root causing a bulge in the underside. A small hatch was incorporated in the bulge to allow access for changing the drum. The entire weapon could be removed for servicing by removing a leading edge panel.From the 109F-series onwards, guns were no longer carried inside the wings. (A noteworthy exception was Adolf Galland's field-modified Bf 109 F-2, which had a 20 mm MG FF/M installed internally in each wing.) Only some of the projected 109K-series models, such as the K-6, were designed to carry 30 mm (1.18 in) MK 108 cannons in the wings. In place of internal wing armament, additional firepower was provided through a pair of 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons installed in conformal gun pods under the wings. Although the additional armament increased the fighter's potency as a bomber destroyer, it had an adverse effect on the handling qualities, reducing its performance in fighter-versus-fighter combat and accentuating the tendency of the fighter to swing pendulum-fashion in flight. The conformal gun pods, exclusive of ammunition, weighed 135 kg (298 lb); and 135 to 145 rounds were provided per gun. The total weight, including ammunition, was 215 kg. Installation of the under-wing gun pods was a simple task that could be quickly performed by the unit's armourers, and imposed a reduction of speed of only 8 km/h (5 mph). By comparison, the installed weight of a similar armament of two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon inside the wings of the FW 190A-4/U8 was 130 kg (287 lb), without ammunition.


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## A4K (Jun 15, 2012)

Great stuff mate, thanks!

Did you know Hungary used four of the He 112B-1s?


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## Wayne Little (Jun 15, 2012)




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## gekho (Jun 15, 2012)

A4K said:


> Great stuff mate, thanks!
> 
> Did you know Hungary used four of the He 112B-1s?



Yes, indeed I have a couple of new pictures of the He-112, but I am not sure if the planes were hungarian or rumanian...


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## vikingBerserker (Jun 15, 2012)

I'd really hate to have to work on aircraft outsid ein the snow!


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## gekho (Jun 19, 2012)

The Bf 109 was credited with more aerial kills than any other aircraft. One hundred and five (possibly 109) Bf 109 pilots were credited with the destruction of 100 or more enemy aircraft. Thirteen of these men scored more than 200 kills, while two scored more than 300. Altogether this group were credited with nearly 15,000 kills between them. Official ace status was granted to any pilot who scored five or more kills. Applying this to Luftwaffe fighter pilots and their records reveals that "Ace" status belonged to more than 2,500 German pilots. The majority of Bf 109 pilots scored their kills against the Soviets, however five pilots did record over 100 claims against the Western Allies. Luftwaffe records show that during Operation Barbarossa, German pilots claimed 7,355 kills on the Bf 109, between the seven Jagdgeschwader (JG 3, JG 27, JG 51, JG 53, JG 54, JG 77, and LG 2) for exactly 350 losses in aerial combat, a ratio of just over 21:1, and the highest achieved by the Germans on the Eastern Front.[3][4]During the latter part of the war, the Bf 109 was the selected aircraft that was used in the Rammkommando ELBE because of its lighter weight compared to the Fw 190. Between January and October 1942, a further 18 German pilots joined the select group that had now reached 100 kills over the Eastern Front. During this period Bf 109 pilots claimed 12,000 Soviet aircraft destroyed.

Arguably the most well known of all Bf 109 operations was the contest of air superiority between the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940. The E-1 and E-4 variants bore the brunt of the battle. On 31 August 1940, fighter units (excluding JG 77) reported 375 E-1s, 125 E-3s, 339 E-4s and 32 E-7s on strength, indicating that most of the E-3s had been already converted to E-4 standard.[8] By July, one Gruppe (Wing) of JG 26 was equipped with the Bf 109 E-4/N model of improved performance, powered by the new DB 601N engine using 100 octane aviation fuel. The fuel-injected DB 601 proved most useful against the British Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane, as the British fighters used gravity-fed carburetted engines, which would cut-out under negative g-forces whereas the DB 601 did not. The Bf 109s thus had the initial advantage in dives, either during attack or to escape, in that it could 'bunt' directly into a dive with no loss of power. Another difference was the choice of fighter armament: the RAF's Hurricanes and Spitfires in the main used eight 7.7 mm (.303 in) machine guns. Most Bf 109E variants (E-3, E-4, E-7) carried two 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17s and two 20 mm MG FF cannon. The latter fired mixed types of ammunition, including Minengeschoß type high-capacity explosive shells which were highly destructive, but had different ballistic properties to the MG 17s. The MG FFs had a relatively small ammunition supply compared to the machineguns, each being fed by a 60-round capacity drum magazine. Making up about one-third of the Bf 109Es in the Battle, the E-1s, carried an all-machinegun armament of four 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machineguns, but were provided with a total of 4,000 rounds.

British pilots who tested a captured Bf 109 E-3 liked the engine and throttle response, the docile and responsive handling and stall characteristics at low speeds, but criticised the high-speed handling characteristics (in part due to the automatic wing slats opening), poorer turning circle (850ft as opposed to 680ft for the Spitfire), and great control forces required at speed (in part because of rudder pedal position and a lack of trim tabs). In August 1940, comparative trials were held at the E'Stelle Rechlin, with the leading Luftwaffe ace Werner Mölders being one of the participants. The tests concluded that the Bf 109 had superior level and climb speed to the Spitfire and Hurricane at all altitudes, but also noted the significantly smaller turning circle of the British fighters (more than one british pilots combat reports bear this out, having used the tighter turning circle of their aircraft to get into firing position, or conversely used it to get out of the way of a 109). It was advised not to engage in turning dogfights unless the performance advantage of the Bf 109 could be used to full effect. The roll rate of the Bf 109 was deemed superior as was its stability on target approach. Mölders himself called the Spitfire "miserable as a fighting aircraft", due to its two-pitch propeller and the inability of its carburettor to handle negative g-forces. His complaint regarding the propeller was that with one setting selected the pilot was at risk of over-revving and stressing the engine, but conversely, selecting the other setting meant the aircraft could not run at its best (a situation roughly analogous to a car having too much of a gap between transmission ratios) It should be noted, however, that in the political climate of the times there was often a considerable amount of propaganda written into such reports by both sides[12] or the information quickly become outdated; for example, as a result of a crash programme, all Spitfires and Hurricanes were retrofitted with either Rotol or Hamilton constant-speed propellers by 16 August 1940.

During the Battle of Britain, the Bf 109's chief disadvantage was its short range (partly caused by the high fuel consumption of the fuel injected engine): like most of the 1930s monoplane interceptors, it was designed to engage enemy bombers over friendly territory, and the range and endurance necessary for escorting long-ranged bombers over enemy territory was not required. During the Battle, when escorting bombers from their bases in northern France, The Netherlands and Germany, the Messerschmitt had only around 15 minutes of fuel for combat over southern England before having to turn back. The Spitfire and Hurricane, designed with similar operational requirements in mind, had a tactical advantage as they were operating virtually over their home airfields, and thus being able to remain longer in the combat area.

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## gekho (Jun 19, 2012)

The Bf 109A was the first version of the Bf 109. Armament was initially planned to be only two cowl-mounted 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine guns. However, possibly due to the introduction of the Hurricane and Spitfire, each with eight 7.7 mm (.303 in) machine guns, experiments were carried out with a third machine gun firing through the propeller shaft. V4 and some A-0 were powered by a 640 PS (631 hp, 471 kW) Junkers Jumo Jumo 210B engine driving a two-blade fixed-pitch propeller, but production was changed to the 670 PS (661 hp, 493 kW) Jumo 210D as soon as it became available. The A-0 were not of a uniform type but saw several changes in their appearance. Visible changes included engine, cockpit and machine gun ventilation holes/slats, and the location of the oil cooler was changed several times to prevent overheating. Many of these Bf 109 A-0 served with the Legion Condor and were often misidentified as B-series aircraft, and probably served in Spain with the tactical markings 6-1 to 6–16. One A-0, marked as 6–15, ran out of fuel and was forced to land behind enemy lines. It was captured by Republican troops on 11 November 1937 and later transferred to the Soviet Union for a closer inspection. 6–15 incorporated several improvements from the Bf 109B production program and had been prepared to use a variable-pitch propeller although it had not been installed. According to RLM documentation 22 aircraft were ordered and delivered with V4 as the A-series prototype.

The first Bf 109 in serial production, the Bf 109B, was fitted with the 670 PS (661 hp, 493 kW) Jumo 210D engine driving a two-bladed fixed-pitch propeller. During the B-1 production run a variable pitch propeller was introduced and often retrofitted to older aircraft; these were then unofficially known as B-2s. Both versions saw combat with the Legion Condor during the Spanish Civil War, although it was apparent that the armament was still inadequate. Several aircraft were produced with an engine-mounted machine gun but it was very unreliable, most likely because of engine vibrations and overheating. Thus the Bf 109 V8 was constructed to test the fitting of two more machine guns in the wings; however, results showed that the wing needed strengthening.[6] In the following V9 prototype both wing guns were replaced by 20 mm MG FF cannons.

A total of 341 Bf 109B of all versions were built by Messerschmitt, Fieseler, and Erla. The short-lived Bf 109C was powered by a 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW) Jumo 210G engine with direct fuel injection. Another important change was a strengthened wing, now carrying two more machine guns giving four 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17s in total. The C-0 were pre-production aircraft, the C-1 was the production version, and the C-2 was an experimental version with an engine-mounted machine gun. The C-3 was planned with 20 mm MG FF cannons replacing the two MG 17s in the wings, but it is not known how many C-3 (if any) were built or converted. The C-4 was planned to have an engine-mounted Motorkanone MG FF, but the variant was not produced. A total of 58 Bf 109C of all versions were built by Messerschmitt.

The next model, the V10 prototype, was identical to the V8, except for its Jumo 210G engine. The V10, V11, V12 and V13 prototypes were built using Bf 109B airframes, and tested the DB600A engine with the hope of increasing the performance of the aircraft. The DB600A was dropped as the improved DB601A with direct fuel injection was soon to become available. Developed from the V10 and V13 prototypes, the Bf 109D was the standard version of the Bf 109 in service with the Luftwaffe during the period just before World War II. Despite this, the type saw only limited service during the war, as all of the 235 Bf 109D still in service at the beginning of the Poland Campaign were rapidly taken out of service and replaced by the Bf 109E, except in some night fighter units where some examples were used into early-1940. Variants included D-0 and D-1 models, both having a Junkers Jumo 210D engine and armed with two wing-mounted and two nose-mounted 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17s.> The D-2 was an experimental version with an engine-mounted machine gun, but as previously tried, this installation failed. The D-3 was similar to the C-3 but with two 20 mm MG FFs in the wings. A total of 647 Bf 109D of all versions were built by Focke-Wulf, Erla, Fieseler, Arado and AGO. Messerschmitt is listed as having produced only four Bf 109D, probably the D-0 preproduction series with the serial production transferred to licensed manufacturers. Several Bf 109D were sold to Hungary and Switzerland.

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## Wayne Little (Jun 20, 2012)




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## gekho (Jun 20, 2012)

In late 1938, the "Emil" entered production. To improve on the performance afforded by the rather small 447–522 kW (600–700 hp) Jumo, the larger Daimler-Benz DB 601A engine was used, yielding an extra 223 kW (300 hp) at the cost of an additional 181 kg (400 lb). To test the new 1,100 PS (1,085 hp, 809 kW) DB601A engine, two more prototypes (V14 and V15) were built, each differing in their armament. While the V14 was armed with two 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17s above the engine and one 20 mm MG FF in each wing, the V15 was fitted with the two MG 17s mounted above the engine only.[13] After test fights the V14 was considered more promising and a pre-production batch of 10 E-0 was ordered. Batches of both E-1 and E-3 variants were shipped to Spain for evaluation, and received their baptism of fire in the final phases of the Spanish Civil War.

The production version E-1 kept two 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17s above the engine and two more in the wings. Later, many were modified to the E-3 armament standard. The E-1B was a small batch of E-1s becoming the first operational Bf 109 fighter bomber, or Jagdbomber (usually abbreviated to Jabo). These were fitted with either an ETC 250 bomb rack, carrying one 250 kg (550 lb) bomb, or two ETC 50 bomb racks, each carrying a 50 kg (110 lb) bomb under both wings. The E-1 was also fitted with the Reflexvisier "Revi" gunsight. Communications equipment was the FuG 7 Funkgerät 7 (radio set) short-range radio apparatus, effective to ranges of 48–56 km (30–35 mi). A total of 1,183 E-1 were built, 110 of them were E-1/B.

Only very limited numbers of the E-2 variant were built, for which the V20 prototype served as basis. It was armed with two wing mounted, and one engine mounted Motorkanone MG FF cannon, which gave considerable trouble in service, as well as two synchronized MG 17s cowl machineguns. In August 1940, II./JG 27 was operating this type. To improve the performance of the Bf 109E, the last two real prototypes, V16 and V17 were constructed. These received some structural improvements and more powerful armament. Both were the basis of the Bf 109 E-3 version. The E-3 was armed with the two MG 17s above the engine and one MG FF cannon in each wing. A total of 1,276 E-3 were built, including 83 E-3a export versions.

The E-3 was replaced by the E-4 (with many airframes being upgraded to E-4 standards starting at the beginning of the Battle of Britain) which was different in some small details, most notably by using the modified 20 mm MG-FF/M wing cannon and having improved head armor for the pilot. With the MG FF/M it was possible to fire a new and improved type of explosive shell, called Minengeschoß (or 'mine-shell') which was made using drawn steel (the same way brass cartridges are made) instead of being cast as was the usual practice. This resulted in a shell with a thin but strong wall, which had a larger cavity in which to pack a much larger explosive charge than was otherwise possible. The new shell required modifications to the MG FF's mechanism due to the different recoil characteristics, hence the MG FF/M designation.

The cockpit canopy was also revised to an easier-to-produce, "squared-off" design, which also helped improve the pilot's field of view. This canopy, which was also retrofitted to many E-1s and E-3s, was largely unchanged until the introduction of a welded, heavy-framed canopy on the G series in the autumn of 1942. The E-4 would be the basis for all further Bf 109E developments. Some E-4 and later models received a further improved 1,175 PS (1,159 hp, 864 kW) DB601N high-altitude engine; known as the E-4/N this first appeared in July 1940. The E-4 was also available as a fighter-bomber with equipment very similar to the previous E-1/B. It was known as E-4/B (DB 601Aa engine) and E-4/BN (DB 601N engine). A total of 561 of all E-4 versions were built,[12] including 250 E-4, 20 E-4/N, 211 E-4/B and 15 E-4/BN. The E-5 and E-6 were both reconnaissance variants with a camera installation behind the cockpit. The E-5 was a reconnaissance variant of the E-3, the E-6 was a reconnaissance variant of the E-4/N. Twenty-nine E-5s were built and nine E-6 were ordered.


The E-7 was the next major production variant, entering service and seeing combat at the end of August 1940. One of the limitations of the earlier Bf 109E was their short range of 660 km (410 mi) and limited endurance, as the design was originally conceived as a short-range interceptor. The E-7 rectified this problem as it was the first subtype to be able to carry a drop tank, usually a 300 L (80 US gal) capacity unit mounted on a rack under the fuselage, which increased their range to 1,325 km (820 mi). Alternatively, a bomb could be fitted and the E-7 could be used as a Jabo fighter-bomber. Previous Emil subtypes were progressively retrofitted with the necessary fittings for carrying a drop tank from October 1940.[19] Early E-7s were fitted with the 1,100 PS DB 601A or 1,175 PS DB 601Aa engine, while late-production ones received 1,175 PS DB 601N engines with improved altitude performance – the latter was designated as E-7/N. A total of 438 E-7s of all variants were built.

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## gekho (Jun 21, 2012)

Development of the new Bf 109F airframe had begun in 1939. After February 1940 an improved engine, the Daimler-Benz DB 601E, was developed for use with the Bf 109. The engineers at the Messerschmitt facilities took two Bf 109 E-1 airframes and installed this new powerplant. The first two prototypes, V21 (Werksnummer (Works number) or W.Nr 5602) and V22 (W.Nr 1800) kept the trapeziform wing shape from the E-1, but the span was reduced by 61 cm (2 ft) by "clipping" the tips. Otherwise the wings incorporated the cooling system modifications described below. V22 also became the testbed for the pre-production DB 601E. The smaller wings had a detrimental effect on the handling so V23, Stammkennzeichen CE+BP, W.Nr 5603, was fitted with new, semi-elliptical wingtips. The fourth prototype, V24 VK+AB, W.Nr 5604, flew with the clipped wings but featured a modified, "elbow"-shaped supercharger air-intake which was eventually adopted for production, and a deeper oil cooler bath beneath the cowling. On all of these prototypes the fuselage was cleaned up and the engine cowling modified to improve aerodynamics.

Compared to the earlier Bf 109E, the Bf 109F was much improved aerodynamically. The engine cowling was redesigned to be smoother and more rounded. The enlarged propeller spinner, adapted from that of the new Messerschmitt Me 210, now blended smoothly into the new engine cowling. Underneath the cowling was a revised, more streamlined oil cooler radiator and fairing. A new ejector exhaust arrangement was incorporated, and on later aircraft a metal shield was fitted over the left hand banks to deflect exhaust fumes away from the supercharger air-intake. The supercharger air-intake was, from the F-1 -series onwards, a rounded, "elbow"-shaped design that protruded further out into the airstream. A new three-blade, light-alloy VDM propeller unit with a reduced diameter of 3 m (9 ft 8.5 in) was used. Propeller pitch was changed electrically, and was regulated by a constant-speed unit, though a manual override was still provided. Thanks to the improved aerodynamics, more fuel-efficient engines and the introduction of light-alloy drop tanks, the Bf 109F offered a much increased maximum range of 1,700 km (1,060 mi) compared to the Bf 109E's maximum range of 660 km (410 mi).

The canopy stayed essentially the same as that of the E-4 although the handbook for the 'F' stipulated that the forward, lower triangular panel to starboard was to be replaced by a metal panel with a port for firing signal flares. Many F-1s and F-2s kept this section glazed. A two-piece, all-metal armour plate head shield was added, as on the E-4, to the hinged portion of the canopy, although some lacked the curved top section. A bullet-resistant windscreen could be fitted as an option. The fuel tank was self-sealing, and around 1942 Bf 109Fs were retrofitted with additional armour made from layered light-alloy plate just aft of the pilot and fuel tank. The fuselage aft of the canopy remained essentially unchanged in its externals.

The tail section of the aircraft was redesigned as well. The rudder was slightly reduced in area and the symmetrical fin section changed to an airfoil shape, producing a sideways lift force that swung the tail slightly to the left. This helped increase the effectiveness of the rudder, and reduced the need for application of right rudder on takeoff to counteract torque effects from the engine and propeller. The conspicuous bracing struts were removed from the horizontal tailplanes which were relocated to slightly below and forward of their original positions. A semi-retractable tailwheel was fitted and the main undercarriage legs were raked forward by six degrees to improve the ground handling. An unexpected structural flaw of the wing and tail section was revealed as the first Bf 109Fs were rushed into service; some aircraft crashed or nearly crashed, with either the wing surface wrinkling or fracturing, or by the tail structure failing. In one such accident, the commander of JG 2 "Richthofen", Wilhelm Balthasar lost his life when he was attacked by a Spitfire during a test flight. While making an evasive manoeuvre, the wings broke away and Balthasar was killed when his aircraft hit the ground. Slightly thicker wing skins and reinforced spars dealt with the wing problems. Tests were also carried out to find out why the tails had failed, and it was found that at certain engine settings a high-frequency oscillation in the tailplane spar was overlapped by harmonic vibrations from the engine; the combined effect being enough to cause structural failure at the rear fuselage/fin attachment point. Initially two external stiffening plates were screwed onto the outer fuselage on each side, and later the entire structure was reinforced.

The entire wing was redesigned, the most obvious change being the new quasi-elliptical wingtips, and the slight reduction of the aerodynamic area to 16.05 m² (172.76 ft²). Other features of the redesigned wings included new leading edge slats, which were slightly shorter but had a slightly increased chord; and new rounded, removable wingtips which changed the planview of the wings and increased the span slightly over that of the E-series. Frise-type ailerons replaced the plain ailerons of the previous models. The 2R1 profile was used with a thickness-to-chord ratio of 14.2% at the root reducing to 11.35% at the last rib. As before, dihedral was 6.53°.

The wing radiators were shallower and set farther back on the wing. A new cooling system was introduced which was automatically regulated by a thermostat with interconnected variable position inlet and outlet flaps that would balance the lowest drag possible with the most efficient cooling. A new radiator, shallower but wider than that fitted to the E was developed. A boundary layer duct allowed continual airflow to pass through the airfoil above the radiator ducting and exit from the trailing edge of the upper split flap. The lower split flap was mechanically linked to the central "main" flap, while the upper split flap and forward bath lip position were regulated via a thermostatic valve which automatically positioned the flaps for maximum cooling effectiveness. In 1941 "cutoff" valves were introduced which allowed the pilot to shut down either wing radiator in the event of one being damaged; this allowed the remaining coolant to be preserved and the damaged aircraft returned to base. However, these valves were delivered to frontline units as kits, the number of which, for unknown reasons, was limited. These cutoff valves were later factory standard fitting for Bf 109G and K series.

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## gekho (Jun 23, 2012)

The Bf 109 G-series was developed from the largely identical F-series airframe, although there were detail differences. Modifications included a reinforced wing structure, an internal bullet-proof windscreen, the use of heavier, welded framing for the cockpit transparencies, and additional light-alloy armour for the fuel tank. It was originally intended that the wheel wells would incorporate small doors to cover the outer portion of the wheels when retracted. To incorporate these the outer wheel bays were squared off. Two small inlet scoops for additional cooling of the spark plugs were added on both sides of the forward engine cowlings. A less obvious difference was the omission of the boundary layer bypass outlets, which had been a feature of the F-series, on the upper radiator flaps. Like most German aircraft produced in World War II, the Bf 109 G-series was designed to adapt to different operational tasks with greater versatility; larger modifications to fulfil a specific mission task like long-range recon or long-range fighter-bomber were with "Rüststand" and given a "/R" suffix, smaller modifications on the production line or during overhaul like equipment changes were made with kits of pre-packaged parts known as Umrüst-Bausätze, usually contracted to Umbau and given a "/U" suffix. Field kits known as Rüstsätze were also available but those did not change the aircraft designation. Special high-altitude interceptors with GM-1 nitrous oxide injection high-altitude boost and pressurized cockpits were also produced.

The newly fitted Daimler-Benz DB 605A engine was a development of the DB 601E engine utilised by the preceding Bf 109F-4; displacement and compression ratio were increased as well as other detail improvements. Takeoff and emergency power of 1,475 PS (1,455 hp, 1,085 kW) was achieved with 1.42 atm of boost at 2,800 rpm. The DB605 suffered from reliability problems during the first year of operation, and this output was initially banned by VT-Anw.Nr.2206, forcing Luftwaffe units to limit maximum power output to 1,310 PS (1,292 hp, 964 kW) at 2,600 rpm and 1.3 atm manifold pressure. The full output was not reinstated until 8 June 1943 when Daimler-Benz issued a technical directive.[57] Up to 1944, the G-series was powered by the 1,475 PS Daimler-Benz DB 605 driving a three-blade VDM 9-12087A variable-pitch propeller with a diameter of 3 m (9.8 ft) with even broader blades than used on the F-series. Pitch control, as on the 109F, was either "electro-mechanical"" (automatic) or "manual-electric" using a thumb-switch on the throttle lever.[57] From 1944 a new high-altitude propeller with broader blades was introduced, designated VDM 9-12159, and was fitted to high-altitude variants with the DB 605AS or D-series engines.

The early versions of the Bf 109G closely resembled the Bf 109 F-4 and carried the same basic armament; however, as the basic airframe was modified to keep pace with different operational requirements, the basically clean design began to change. From the spring of 1943, the G-series saw the appearance of bulges in the cowling when the 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 were replaced with 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine guns (G-5 onwards) due to the latter's much larger breechblock, and on the wings (due to larger tyres), leading to the Bf 109 G-6's nickname "Die Beule" ("The Bulge"). The Bf 109G continued to be improved: new clear-view cockpits, greater firepower in the form of the 30 mm (1.18 in) MK 108 cannon were introduced in late 1943; and a new, enlarged supercharger for the DB605, a larger vertical stabilizer (G-5 onwards), and MW 50 power boost in 1944.

From the Bf 109 G-5 on an enlarged wooden tail unit (identifiable by a taller vertical stabilizer and rudder with a morticed balance tab, rather than the angled shape) was often fitted. This tail unit was standardised on G-10s and K-4s. Although the enlarged tail unit improved handling, especially on the ground, it weighed more than the standard metal tail unit and required that a counterweight was fitted in the nose, increasing the variant's overall weight. With the Bf 109G, a number of special versions were introduced to cope with special mission profiles. Here, long-range fighter-reconnaissance and high-altitude interceptors can be mentioned. The former were capable of carrying two 300 L (80 US gal) drop tanks, one under each wing; and the latter received pressurized cockpits for pilot comfort and GM-1 nitrous oxide "boost" for high altitudes. The latter system, when engaged, was capable of increasing engine output by 223 kW (300 hp) above the rated altitude to increase

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## A4K (Jun 23, 2012)

Good stuff mate!

Btw, re the He 112 pics, can you see the markings? if Hungarian, they would have either the Hungarian 'ék' (Red/ White/ Green elongated triangle) or stylise German markings of a White cross on Black square, depending on when photographed.
Romanian machines carried 3 different types of national marking that I know of, again depending on period.


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## gekho (Jun 23, 2012)

A4K said:


> Good stuff mate!
> 
> Btw, re the He 112 pics, can you see the markings? if Hungarian, they would have either the Hungarian 'ék' (Red/ White/ Green elongated triangle) or stylise German markings of a White cross on Black square, depending on when photographed.
> Romanian machines carried 3 different types of national marking that I know of, again depending on period.



I think it´s a rumanian He-112; anyway, I will post the pic in a few days. Keep an eye on my thread!!


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## gekho (Mar 17, 2013)

More pics


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## stug3 (Feb 8, 2015)




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## stug3 (Feb 22, 2015)




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## Wurger (Feb 23, 2015)



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## Gnomey (Feb 25, 2015)

Nice shots! Thanks for sharing.

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## johnbr (Oct 3, 2017)




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## johnbr (Oct 3, 2017)

He 112


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## at6 (Oct 3, 2017)

Nice clean lines. How would it have been with a three blade prop I wonder?


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## Wayne Little (Oct 3, 2017)

Nice pics.


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## johnbr (Oct 16, 2018)



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## Wurger (Oct 16, 2018)




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## Wayne Little (Oct 17, 2018)

Real nice...!


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## johnbr (Dec 14, 2018)



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## nuuumannn (Dec 17, 2018)

A few misleading and factually incorrect statements in the text on the Bf 109 here, such as the following:



> C-2 was an experimental version with an engine-mounted machine gun.



The Bf 109C-2 was never built and was a project only. The centre mounted engine gun is subject to many myths. Again, the following:



> Only very limited numbers of the E-2 variant were built, for which the V20 prototype served as basis. It was armed with two wing mounted, and one engine mounted Motorkanone MG FF cannon, which gave considerable trouble in service, as well as two synchronized MG 17s cowl machineguns.



A prototype might have been fitted with the gun as the Emil was intended to have been so fitted, hence the hole in the spinner, but none were put into production with it. The first production Bf 109 to be fitted with the engine mounted gun was the Bf 109F.


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## johnbr (Jan 31, 2019)



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