Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-4

Small, light, modern

The Bf 109 was designed in the mid-1930s for the Luftwaffe’s new fighter competition: an all-metal fuselage, retractable undercarriage, an enclosed cockpit and slats on the wing’s leading edge that opened by themselves at low speed. The “Bf” in its name comes from Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, the company that built it; once the firm became Messerschmitt AG in 1938, later designs were called “Me”.

Because German engines were not yet ready, the first prototype flew, by an odd twist, with a British Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine. It won the competition against the Heinkel He 112.

From Spain to Britain

The first Bf 109s fought in Spain with the Condor Legion in 1937. There Werner Mölders and his comrades developed a system in which fighters flew in loose pairs and fours instead of tight formations; this “finger-four” formation was later adopted by every air force.

The E version, with the fuel-injected DB 601, dominated over Poland and France. In the Battle of Britain it was faster than the Hurricane and better than the Spitfire in the climb and the dive; because its engine did not cut out under negative g, it could escape pursuit by pushing over into a dive. Its greatest weakness was range: an Emil taking off from France could stay over London for only a few minutes.

Weaknesses

Its narrow-track undercarriage, attached to the fuselage, caused many accidents on take-off and landing. The cockpit was cramped and the heavily framed canopy made it hard to see behind. At high speed the controls, especially the ailerons, became very heavy. The 20 mm MG FF wing cannon were powerful but slow-firing, with only 60 rounds per gun.

A long life

With the F and G versions, the Bf 109 remained the backbone of the German fighter force until the end of the war, and Finland, Switzerland and others flew it too. After the war, Avia S-199s built in Czechoslovakia became Israel’s first fighters in 1948, and Spain’s HA-1112 “Buchón” flew into the 1960s. The story that began with a Kestrel ended ironically: the Buchóns were powered by the Rolls-Royce Merlin.