Bf109 losses, accidents, combat etc.

[claidemore]

I don't know if this topic has had it's own thread, I did a search and didn't find one specifically, though I know the subject has been discussed in multiple threads that started on different topics.
In any case, I found this pdf of JG2 losses and found it quite interesting.
http://www.ww2.dk/misc/jg2loss.pdf
I can see how various writers could surmise that more planes were lost due to accidents than combat, since so many crashes are listed as unknown causes. To blame that high accident rate on landing and takeoff problems would definately be incorrect from my quick survey of this particular list.

 

[Kurfürst]

Olivier (butch2k) posted this a long time ago, he has an enviable 109 archieve at his disposal. I post it here, too:

FYI checking my 109 incident/accident list mentions less than 1000 takeoff/landing accident out of 26000 cases...

An example :
Bf 109G-2 (wknr 10619) of I./JG 5 on 27-Aug-43 suffered a landing accident in Norwegen, at Fl.Pl. Oslo-Fornebu and was 20% damaged.
It's a typical accident, pilot not injured and a/c slightly damaged on landing.

When introduced the Bf 109 had a relatively high rate of failure/accident but in line with the other a/c being introduced at the time. For instance in 1937 there were just 29 accidents each resulting in injuries.

This stuff is detailled in either the medical corps documents relative to a/c accidents or the Quartermaster listing for damaged a/c.

 

[davebender]

How does that compare with contemporary fighter aircraft like the Spitfire, P-40, Dw520, YaK-1, Ki-43 etc? Without comparison data we have no idea whether the Me-109 accident rate was higher then other fighter aircraft from the same time period.