Lovely shot!
Bf 109 Photo Tributes
- Thread starter nuuumannn
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Crimea_River
Marshal
For sure.
parsifal
Colonel
some excellent pics. Sadly you just don't get to see the 109 in Australia all that often. There is a static display in the AWM of a G-6 but not any that are flying that I know of
fubar57
General
This is my second trip through the thread today and just noticed the Swiss markings on the 109 in Post #19
EDIT: from this site...Other Forces - "Emil" in Switzerland
EDIT: from this site...Other Forces - "Emil" in Switzerland
Last edited:
Old Wizard
2nd Lieutenant
Old Wizard
2nd Lieutenant
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
Last edited:
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
The bf109 v-48 One of three known photos of Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-0, VJ+WC, Werknummer 14003, as featured as part of report no. 109 08 E 43, issued by Messerschmitt AG's flight test department, dated May 5, 1943.
This early Bf 109 G-0, Werknummer 14003, VJ+WC, was used for Messerschmitt trials of a V-tail empennage on January 21, 25, 26, and 27, 1943. The extensive technical description and flight test reports, issued by Messerschmitt AG in Augsburg and dated from early 1943, survive and have been reproduced in their entirety in Luftfahrt - Band 5 (Germany, 1978, ISBN 3 87547 182 2). Only three pictures of this aircraft are know to exist (all originally included in the aforementioned technical description), but none of them show the entire Bf 109.
There are a number of features which distinguish this Bf 109. Based on its Werkummer, it was part of the first three Bf 109 G-0s produced at Messerschmitt's Regensburg plant in October of 1941. According to the technical description, the aircraft was powered by a Daimler-Benz DB 605 A (Werknummer 76172), driving a VDM airscrew. The aircraft's wings incorporated early (i.e., small) G-type wing bulges, implicating that the corresponding wider wheels had possibly been fitted. One of the photos of this Bf 109 shows that this aircraft had a Bf 109 F-4 type canopy, but it seems to have lacked any head armour. Also visible in the photos is a Bf 109 F type tail wheel. Werknummer 14003 had no antenna mast, but an antenna wire ran from each butterfly fin towards the canopy (the exact location where the wires entered the fuselage cannot be discerned from the existing photos).
An F-style external fuselage strengthening strip ran from the fuselage to the converted tail cone. This strip seems to have been riveted to the fuselage. There was also an apparent actuating rod on the bottom of the new tail fins, near the hinge point. The new fins were faired into the fuselage by means of (aluminium) slip-over gloves. On the outside of the fins, very noticeable external strips apparently signify the mounts of the hinges for the rudders. These strips are not present on the upper side of the fins.
The camouflage of Werknummer 14003 appears to have been standard for the time, i.e., 76/74/75. The converted tail cone had been left natural metal, and the two butterfly fins were painted in a dark color, possibly 66 or 70, or even 22. The aircraft Werknummer was hand-painted in white above the last letter of the call sign on both sides of the fuselage, right before the demarcation line from the camouflaged fuselage to the natural metal tail cone. The small number "8" denoting the fuselage frame was uniquely applied over the bottom part of the call sign letter "C" on the port side, on a small patch of what appears to be 76.
This early Bf 109 G-0, Werknummer 14003, VJ+WC, was used for Messerschmitt trials of a V-tail empennage on January 21, 25, 26, and 27, 1943. The extensive technical description and flight test reports, issued by Messerschmitt AG in Augsburg and dated from early 1943, survive and have been reproduced in their entirety in Luftfahrt - Band 5 (Germany, 1978, ISBN 3 87547 182 2). Only three pictures of this aircraft are know to exist (all originally included in the aforementioned technical description), but none of them show the entire Bf 109.
There are a number of features which distinguish this Bf 109. Based on its Werkummer, it was part of the first three Bf 109 G-0s produced at Messerschmitt's Regensburg plant in October of 1941. According to the technical description, the aircraft was powered by a Daimler-Benz DB 605 A (Werknummer 76172), driving a VDM airscrew. The aircraft's wings incorporated early (i.e., small) G-type wing bulges, implicating that the corresponding wider wheels had possibly been fitted. One of the photos of this Bf 109 shows that this aircraft had a Bf 109 F-4 type canopy, but it seems to have lacked any head armour. Also visible in the photos is a Bf 109 F type tail wheel. Werknummer 14003 had no antenna mast, but an antenna wire ran from each butterfly fin towards the canopy (the exact location where the wires entered the fuselage cannot be discerned from the existing photos).
An F-style external fuselage strengthening strip ran from the fuselage to the converted tail cone. This strip seems to have been riveted to the fuselage. There was also an apparent actuating rod on the bottom of the new tail fins, near the hinge point. The new fins were faired into the fuselage by means of (aluminium) slip-over gloves. On the outside of the fins, very noticeable external strips apparently signify the mounts of the hinges for the rudders. These strips are not present on the upper side of the fins.
The camouflage of Werknummer 14003 appears to have been standard for the time, i.e., 76/74/75. The converted tail cone had been left natural metal, and the two butterfly fins were painted in a dark color, possibly 66 or 70, or even 22. The aircraft Werknummer was hand-painted in white above the last letter of the call sign on both sides of the fuselage, right before the demarcation line from the camouflaged fuselage to the natural metal tail cone. The small number "8" denoting the fuselage frame was uniquely applied over the bottom part of the call sign letter "C" on the port side, on a small patch of what appears to be 76.
fubar57
General
That last 109 in Post #30 looks like my practice mottles
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
BF-109T / BF-109H / BF-109TL / BF-109Z
* The Bf-109E-1 was used as the basis for a German naval fighter built by Fieseler, the "Bf-109T", with the "T" standing for "Träger (Carrier)". The "Toni" was to be used on board the German aircraft carriers GRAF ZEPPELIN, which was launched but never completed for operations, and PETER STRASSER, which was never built.
The Bf-109T featured folding wings with longer span; arrester hook in front of the tailwheel; catapult attachment gear; spoilers on top of the wings; interconnected ailerons and flaps; and full-span leading-edge slats. Ten "Bf-109T-0" preproduction aircraft and 60 "Bf-109T-1" production aircraft were ordered from Fieseler, since Messerschmitt was too heavily committed to existing production orders to do the job themselves.
Fieseler delivered the ten Bf-109T-0s. However, work on the carriers was abandoned and the 60 Bf-109Ts were completed in 1941 as land-based fighters designated the "Bf-109T-2", stripped of such carrier-specific gear as could be easily removed. They had twin MG-17 7.9 millimeter guns in the cowling and an MG-FF cannon under each wing, and were fitted with a centerline rack for bombs or drop tank. They had very good short-field performance and were assigned to short-length fields in Norway, where they provided excellent service. In 1942, they were moved to the German island of Heligoland and remained in service until 1944.
* The "Bf-109H" was a high-altitude fighter ("Hochleichtungsjäger"), featuring extended wings, a pressurized cockpit, and high-altitude engine fits, built in response to an RLM requirement issued in early 1943.
At first, the Bf-109H was conceived as basically a Friedrich with wing inserts to provide extended span for high-altitude operation. The wing inserts had the incidental effect of moving the main landing gear outward, giving the aircraft a wider ground track. However, this concept was abandoned since it could not meet RLM requirements. Messerschmitt then suggested that their new "Me-209H" fighter, then in development and discussed later, could do the job. The Me-209H was to have a new DB-628A or DB-603A turbocharged engine for high-altitude operation, but delivery of the Me-209-II was not expected until 1944. As an interim measure, the RLM ordered Messerschmitt to go ahead with the Bf-109H and redesign it for use with the new engines.
A Gustav, designated "Bf-109V49", had already been fitted with a mockup of the DB-628A as part of the Me-209-II program, and so it was a straightforward step to install an operational DB-628A in another Gustav for Bf-109H flight tests as the "Bf-109V50". While this aircraft was undergoing trials, a third Gustav was fitted with both the DB-628A and the extended wings.
While Messerschmitt worked on Bf-109H prototypes with the DB-628A engine, the company also built a batch of "Bf-109H-0" fighters for engineering tests and "Bf-109H-1" fighters for field evaluation, all modified from Friedrichs and powered by the more conventional DB-601E engine with GM-1 nitrous oxide boost.
The Bf-109H-1s were evaluated by the Luftwaffe in France in early 1944. The trials went well, except for the fact that the aircraft demonstrated an unhealthy wing flutter in dives. Tests were conducted on some of these aircraft back in Augsburg, and in April 1944 one lost a wing during a dive. This apparently stalled the program, which was then presently canceled in favor of the Focke-Wulf Ta-152H. A number of additional H-series subvariants were considered but never reached prototype stage.
* Messerschmitt even considered development of a jet-powered version of the Bf-109, tentatively designated the "Bf-109TL", as a backup plan in case the Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter project ran into serious obstacles. The Bf-109TL used a modified Bf-109 fuselage with armament in the nose, and a new wing with two Junkers Jumo-004B turbojets. The idea was that the Bf-109TL would be able to leverage off existing production tooling, but to no great surprise as the design evolved, the details of the Bf-109TL diverged from those of standard Bf-109 production enough to ensure that the design provided no real advantages. The idea was abandoned in 1943.
* Another extreme variant was the "Bf-109Z Zwilling (Siamese Twin)", which consisted of two Bf-109F-4 airframes joined together to make a single aircraft. It was conceptually similar to the American P-82 Twin Mustang, except that only the left fuselage had a cockpit. Messerschmitt proposed the idea as a means of providing the Luftwaffe with a long-range Jabo that would leverage off existing Bf-109 production tooling.
Variants
H-0
The H-0 was produced by converting Bf 109F airframes. It was equipped with a DB 601E engine, capable of producing 1350 hp and was armed with 2 MG 18 machine guns and 1 Mk 108 cannon. It was capable of reaching a maximum speed of 750 km/h (466 mph) at 10,100m/ 33,135 feet.
Green: converted from Bf 109F airframes. Issued to a fighter-recon unit near Paris (Guyancourt) in 1944 (as was H-1).
Nowara: 1943. DB 601 E engine, 1350 hp. 2 MG 17 + 1 MK 108
B & N: max speed was 750 km/h/ 466 mph at 10100m/33135 ft
H-1
The H-1 was similar to the H-0. It had DB 601E engine with GM1 power boost, the same combination of two 7.9 mm MG 17 machine guns and an engine mounted cannon (either the MK 108 or the MG 151/20). This was the last version of the 109H to be produced.
H-1 Specifications
Bf 109 H-1:
based on:Bf 109 G-5 and H-0
Änderungen:- wider wing span
- wider elevator
- elevator was supported by a beam again
- improved landing gear
- "Erla"-Canopy
purpose:high-altitude fighter
wing span:39,1 ft (11,92 m)
length:29 ft (8,85 m)
height:8 ft (2,59 m)
service ceiling:47.900 ft (14.600 m)
engine
aimler-Benz DB 605 A (1475 PS)
equipment:- adjustable VDM-3-blade-propeller
- pressure cabin
- GM-1-injection
armament:2 x 13 mm MG 131 (above the engine)
1 x 30 mm MK 108 (firing through the spinner)
2 x 13 mm MG 131 (one in each wing)
assembly sets:none
radio equipment:FuG VIIa
Sonstiges:- small number produced
- a couple of flights over England
- 1944 withdrawn from the front
* The Bf-109E-1 was used as the basis for a German naval fighter built by Fieseler, the "Bf-109T", with the "T" standing for "Träger (Carrier)". The "Toni" was to be used on board the German aircraft carriers GRAF ZEPPELIN, which was launched but never completed for operations, and PETER STRASSER, which was never built.
The Bf-109T featured folding wings with longer span; arrester hook in front of the tailwheel; catapult attachment gear; spoilers on top of the wings; interconnected ailerons and flaps; and full-span leading-edge slats. Ten "Bf-109T-0" preproduction aircraft and 60 "Bf-109T-1" production aircraft were ordered from Fieseler, since Messerschmitt was too heavily committed to existing production orders to do the job themselves.
Fieseler delivered the ten Bf-109T-0s. However, work on the carriers was abandoned and the 60 Bf-109Ts were completed in 1941 as land-based fighters designated the "Bf-109T-2", stripped of such carrier-specific gear as could be easily removed. They had twin MG-17 7.9 millimeter guns in the cowling and an MG-FF cannon under each wing, and were fitted with a centerline rack for bombs or drop tank. They had very good short-field performance and were assigned to short-length fields in Norway, where they provided excellent service. In 1942, they were moved to the German island of Heligoland and remained in service until 1944.
* The "Bf-109H" was a high-altitude fighter ("Hochleichtungsjäger"), featuring extended wings, a pressurized cockpit, and high-altitude engine fits, built in response to an RLM requirement issued in early 1943.
At first, the Bf-109H was conceived as basically a Friedrich with wing inserts to provide extended span for high-altitude operation. The wing inserts had the incidental effect of moving the main landing gear outward, giving the aircraft a wider ground track. However, this concept was abandoned since it could not meet RLM requirements. Messerschmitt then suggested that their new "Me-209H" fighter, then in development and discussed later, could do the job. The Me-209H was to have a new DB-628A or DB-603A turbocharged engine for high-altitude operation, but delivery of the Me-209-II was not expected until 1944. As an interim measure, the RLM ordered Messerschmitt to go ahead with the Bf-109H and redesign it for use with the new engines.
A Gustav, designated "Bf-109V49", had already been fitted with a mockup of the DB-628A as part of the Me-209-II program, and so it was a straightforward step to install an operational DB-628A in another Gustav for Bf-109H flight tests as the "Bf-109V50". While this aircraft was undergoing trials, a third Gustav was fitted with both the DB-628A and the extended wings.
While Messerschmitt worked on Bf-109H prototypes with the DB-628A engine, the company also built a batch of "Bf-109H-0" fighters for engineering tests and "Bf-109H-1" fighters for field evaluation, all modified from Friedrichs and powered by the more conventional DB-601E engine with GM-1 nitrous oxide boost.
The Bf-109H-1s were evaluated by the Luftwaffe in France in early 1944. The trials went well, except for the fact that the aircraft demonstrated an unhealthy wing flutter in dives. Tests were conducted on some of these aircraft back in Augsburg, and in April 1944 one lost a wing during a dive. This apparently stalled the program, which was then presently canceled in favor of the Focke-Wulf Ta-152H. A number of additional H-series subvariants were considered but never reached prototype stage.
* Messerschmitt even considered development of a jet-powered version of the Bf-109, tentatively designated the "Bf-109TL", as a backup plan in case the Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter project ran into serious obstacles. The Bf-109TL used a modified Bf-109 fuselage with armament in the nose, and a new wing with two Junkers Jumo-004B turbojets. The idea was that the Bf-109TL would be able to leverage off existing production tooling, but to no great surprise as the design evolved, the details of the Bf-109TL diverged from those of standard Bf-109 production enough to ensure that the design provided no real advantages. The idea was abandoned in 1943.
* Another extreme variant was the "Bf-109Z Zwilling (Siamese Twin)", which consisted of two Bf-109F-4 airframes joined together to make a single aircraft. It was conceptually similar to the American P-82 Twin Mustang, except that only the left fuselage had a cockpit. Messerschmitt proposed the idea as a means of providing the Luftwaffe with a long-range Jabo that would leverage off existing Bf-109 production tooling.
Variants
H-0
The H-0 was produced by converting Bf 109F airframes. It was equipped with a DB 601E engine, capable of producing 1350 hp and was armed with 2 MG 18 machine guns and 1 Mk 108 cannon. It was capable of reaching a maximum speed of 750 km/h (466 mph) at 10,100m/ 33,135 feet.
Green: converted from Bf 109F airframes. Issued to a fighter-recon unit near Paris (Guyancourt) in 1944 (as was H-1).
Nowara: 1943. DB 601 E engine, 1350 hp. 2 MG 17 + 1 MK 108
B & N: max speed was 750 km/h/ 466 mph at 10100m/33135 ft
H-1
The H-1 was similar to the H-0. It had DB 601E engine with GM1 power boost, the same combination of two 7.9 mm MG 17 machine guns and an engine mounted cannon (either the MK 108 or the MG 151/20). This was the last version of the 109H to be produced.
H-1 Specifications
Bf 109 H-1:
based on:Bf 109 G-5 and H-0
Änderungen:- wider wing span
- wider elevator
- elevator was supported by a beam again
- improved landing gear
- "Erla"-Canopy
purpose:high-altitude fighter
wing span:39,1 ft (11,92 m)
length:29 ft (8,85 m)
height:8 ft (2,59 m)
service ceiling:47.900 ft (14.600 m)
engine
aimler-Benz DB 605 A (1475 PS)equipment:- adjustable VDM-3-blade-propeller
- pressure cabin
- GM-1-injection
armament:2 x 13 mm MG 131 (above the engine)
1 x 30 mm MK 108 (firing through the spinner)
2 x 13 mm MG 131 (one in each wing)
assembly sets:none
radio equipment:FuG VIIa
Sonstiges:- small number produced
- a couple of flights over England
- 1944 withdrawn from the front
Attachments
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
Prototype Bf 109V6B1 D IHHB WNr 290 Germany
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
Old Wizard
2nd Lieutenant
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
Me109-Japanese-Evaluation-
