Bf-109 books
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Daggerr
Airman 1st Class
I don't think the books that you mention are very technical.
You mention Prein, but I suspect you mean Jochen Prien & Peter Rodeicke, however even that book I would not really call technical either.
What exactly do you mean by "technical" and what exactly are you looking for?
Really technical books, or manuals, on the Bf 109 are usually in German. Several manuals can be found on this forum.
If you're not familiar with German language then your choice is limited.
You can find some technical details in books aimed at modellers, for example from 'Valiant Wings' (by Richard Franks) or 'Mushroom Model Publications' (by Robert Peczkowski) or 'SAM Publications' (by Lynn Ritger). 'Walk Around' booklets from 'Squadron Signal Publications' may also be of interest to you.
A new Bf 109 book by Lynn Ritger will be available sometime next year:
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Elsass48
Recruit
I just got this book (in German):
VOGT Harald Helmut (2012) – Messerschmitt Bf 109 – Einsatzmaschinen – Das Nachschlagewerk. VDM Heinz Nickel, 384 p.
It gives incredible details on all versions of the Bf 109, with photos and sketches...
VOGT Harald Helmut (2012) – Messerschmitt Bf 109 – Einsatzmaschinen – Das Nachschlagewerk. VDM Heinz Nickel, 384 p.
It gives incredible details on all versions of the Bf 109, with photos and sketches...
FalkeEins
Senior Airman
..another German book, well worth getting. "Me 109 - Produktion und Einsatz" by Peter Schmoll
A quick review and video presentation
A quick review and video presentation
- Thread starter
- #5
I am looking for what airframe/fittings changes over what batches on G-6's to K-4's, when and how many. These things i have found to be inconsistent in publications. Maybe someone nailed it over 10-odd years.
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That sort of detail is very difficult to tie down accurately. For sure, you can sort out the major changes but, authoritative confirmation with original documentative proof of the many detail changes or construction options is difficult. Unfortunately, the original manuals and spares lists do not cover everything, but I would say the original documents are essential. The next best source is photographic records but, that can be misleading! Finally, modern books. But don't be disheartened! Extensive personal research (and that does include critical reading of modern writings) does finally lead to a good understanding!
PS, I am also looking forward to Lynn Ritgers' new book.
Eng
Elsass48
Recruit
- Thread starter
- #8
I shall acquire a copy. i can get by reading german. we were agents for 2 german engineering companies, reading there technical stuff was rather necessary.
One on its way:
Details:
www.mortonsbooks.co.uk
Details:
Book - Messerschmitt Bf 109 - Origins and Evolution | at Mortons Books
Book - Messerschmitt Bf 109 - Origins and Evolution | at Mortons Books
One on its way:
View attachment 799667
Details:
Book - Messerschmitt Bf 109 - Origins and Evolution | at Mortons Books
Book - Messerschmitt Bf 109 - Origins and Evolution | at Mortons Books
Amazon showing release date of 14 Mar 2025. Anyone know better?
Eng
Well YES, this is quite a book!
I have had this 1,000+ page book for just 2 days, so this is not a review, just my impression.
I bought my brand new copy from Berliner Zinnfiguren, online for £70 inc postage to UK. It took just 2 weeks as they had to obtain the copy direct.
This is a Great book about the Bf 109 from a factual viewpoint. It is in German. There are no actual photo's of a Bf 109 at all, in fact just about 15 pages of illustrations at the back of the book, including just one photo of Bf 109 item, a Bf 109 F Tropical air filter.
So, this book is a straight forward chronological description of the Bf 109 aircraft series and it's engines. At the present time I have only lightly scratched the surface of the information in this book and I am concentrating on the engine information. Of the 1,000+ pages in the book, about a full 250 pages are directly related to the engines. The engine information includes some comparison data about other allied engines. The engine data is supported by simplified performance tables for the German engines in each chapter.
The aircraft performance is treated to similar simplified tables.
So this is not a book that is written as a story. It is a factual presentation of the Bf 109 development derived from original source records. The cross referencing to the data sources is a major part of the book and almost every stated detail has a document reference. IMO, about 25% of the total page space is references. Some of the referencing includes notes of detail but, most is the source reference only, not the reference material itself.
I think a good way to view this book is as a comprehensive data bank of Bf 109 information. The detail here is fantastic but, for those who need more visual or descriptive prose, you need other books to tell the story. For those who need the technical descriptions of the machinery, you need the original technical manuals as well. But this is not criticism. This book presents the factual development detail.
Particularly for the engine details in this book, the clarity of later engine developments is fantastic, the best I have found! There are some minor errors, but the detail is unsurpassed.
A big problem for many people will be the German language. This is not insurmountable as translation devices are available. Possibly the best solution would be to scan the whole book and have it electronically translated. My own work with simple phone translation tools is good enough but, I am considering scanning, translating and printing to make it less of a chore.
So that is my impression. A masterpiece of Bf 109 data. Particularly on the engine side, it presents previously unexplained details.
Eng
I have had this 1,000+ page book for just 2 days, so this is not a review, just my impression.
I bought my brand new copy from Berliner Zinnfiguren, online for £70 inc postage to UK. It took just 2 weeks as they had to obtain the copy direct.
This is a Great book about the Bf 109 from a factual viewpoint. It is in German. There are no actual photo's of a Bf 109 at all, in fact just about 15 pages of illustrations at the back of the book, including just one photo of Bf 109 item, a Bf 109 F Tropical air filter.
So, this book is a straight forward chronological description of the Bf 109 aircraft series and it's engines. At the present time I have only lightly scratched the surface of the information in this book and I am concentrating on the engine information. Of the 1,000+ pages in the book, about a full 250 pages are directly related to the engines. The engine information includes some comparison data about other allied engines. The engine data is supported by simplified performance tables for the German engines in each chapter.
The aircraft performance is treated to similar simplified tables.
So this is not a book that is written as a story. It is a factual presentation of the Bf 109 development derived from original source records. The cross referencing to the data sources is a major part of the book and almost every stated detail has a document reference. IMO, about 25% of the total page space is references. Some of the referencing includes notes of detail but, most is the source reference only, not the reference material itself.
I think a good way to view this book is as a comprehensive data bank of Bf 109 information. The detail here is fantastic but, for those who need more visual or descriptive prose, you need other books to tell the story. For those who need the technical descriptions of the machinery, you need the original technical manuals as well. But this is not criticism. This book presents the factual development detail.
Particularly for the engine details in this book, the clarity of later engine developments is fantastic, the best I have found! There are some minor errors, but the detail is unsurpassed.
A big problem for many people will be the German language. This is not insurmountable as translation devices are available. Possibly the best solution would be to scan the whole book and have it electronically translated. My own work with simple phone translation tools is good enough but, I am considering scanning, translating and printing to make it less of a chore.
So that is my impression. A masterpiece of Bf 109 data. Particularly on the engine side, it presents previously unexplained details.
Eng
Mostly agree with your conclusions.
The biggest drawback, IMHO, is the abuse of footnotes. Many are repeated several times in the same page taking unnecesary space, and there is some good data buried there that should have been part of the main text. Generally speaking, it's the perfect source book for the amateur Bf 109 researcher, as it gives a very good summary of what kind of reports one can (or can not) find in public archives
I've just gotten the book.
It is a veritable bible on the subject. Indeed, footnotes make a good deal of the content, unfortunately these are printed in the small font, making the reading a real task for someone than does not have young & healthy eyes. List of the sources is simply amazing.
Facsimiles of the tables and charts would've added another layer of desirability to the book, I prefer them vs. the way the tables are presented in the book.
Again, if someone is passable in understanding the German language and wants to have the definitive tome on the Bf 109, this is the ticket. A very good thing is that book is printed every now and then, meaning that it is unlikely that it becomes an expensive rarity that someone always talk, but it is basically unobtainable for an enthusiast, as it is the case for the Junkers Flugtriebwerke book.
Now that we're at it, both DB and BMW aero engines deserve a hefty, dedicated book each (the existing tome on the BMW engines notwithstanding).
It is a veritable bible on the subject. Indeed, footnotes make a good deal of the content, unfortunately these are printed in the small font, making the reading a real task for someone than does not have young & healthy eyes. List of the sources is simply amazing.
Facsimiles of the tables and charts would've added another layer of desirability to the book, I prefer them vs. the way the tables are presented in the book.
Again, if someone is passable in understanding the German language and wants to have the definitive tome on the Bf 109, this is the ticket. A very good thing is that book is printed every now and then, meaning that it is unlikely that it becomes an expensive rarity that someone always talk, but it is basically unobtainable for an enthusiast, as it is the case for the Junkers Flugtriebwerke book.
Now that we're at it, both DB and BMW aero engines deserve a hefty, dedicated book each (the existing tome on the BMW engines notwithstanding).
One on its way:
View attachment 799667
Details:
Book - Messerschmitt Bf 109 - Origins and Evolution | at Mortons Books
Book - Messerschmitt Bf 109 - Origins and Evolution | at Mortons Books
Mortons site saying that this was published 7 Nov 25?
Eng
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
Didn't Calum cover Daimler-Benz and BMW engine development in his book "The Secret Horsepower Race"?
Sadly, I have not had a change to get a copy, yet.
Yes, Do get it and read it, you can get it new in US for $40 delivered.
However, TSHR is a book that majors on the technical developments, materials, people and politics that led to increasing horsepower output of Western aero-engines leading into
and through WW2. TSHR is not really a technical description or a complete analysis of any particular engine, although there is an astounding depth of technology and development strengths and weaknesses explained in unrivalled clarity and accuracy. But, it is not a comparison volume of engine manuals.
I think, for many people, there is still a big space for books to be written about WW2 aero-engines that go far deeper into the details of design, development, function and performance of engine families, and here I am thinking of Merlin, Griffon, DB 601/605, BMW 801 etc. This style of book might be made interesting enough to be commercially successful, but so far publishers have been shy of seeing good sales on such pure technical volumes.
Anyway, if you are interested in WW2 Western aero-engine tech, get Calums book!
Eng
Last edited:
While book does get into some/many details wrt. the engine development, it is not devoted to any single family of engines. Hence my comment.
Hear, hear.
A book that does a deep dive into the Japanese engines would've also been fine, as well as the one about the Italian engine developments between the wars.
Daggerr
Airman 1st Class
Book has not been published yet as the author is still finalising his writing.
Lynn Ritger has been answering questions about his upcoming book at the britmodeller forum in the past weeks.
On 23 October he wrote there about the possible release date: "Early 2026 would be the most likely timeframe given all that's going on".
For more details see: new book on MESSERSCHMITT BF 109 - ORIGINS AND EVOLUTION By Lynn Ritger
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