Darren, e-mail, 11.11.2022 21:39 Just to clearify: 'actual' air speed is the same as 'true' air speed.

Darren, e-mail, 11.11.2022 21:36 Those dive speeds are indicated (without instrument error taken into account). As you go higher in altitude the air gets thinner and actual air speed is greater than indicated. So the 357 mph speed quoted at 23,000 feet equates to 450+ mph actual air speed. Furthermore, the 466 mph limit is from sea level to 10,000 feet.

pvivvnfakk, e-mail, 22.07.2020 21:26 Muchas gracias. ?Como puedo iniciar sesion?

TORBJÖRN KAMPE, e-mail, 19.10.2017 05:02 THIS IS BEST AIRCRAFT FROM WW2. ERIK HARTMAN 352 VITORY. ALL OF LUFTWAFEN PILOT HAVE OVER 100 VITORY OF THIS AIRCRAFT, WAW VERY HEVY OF VITORYS OF ONLY ONE AIRCRAFT NAME BF-109. GREATE OF GEATES OF ALL AIRCRAFT FROM WW2. NOT USA, RYSSA AND GRAT BRITANIA AIRCRAFT CAN NOT COMMING SO HI TO KILL THE ENEMY IN AIR. I LOVE BF-109. BEST KILLER IN HEVEN. AMEN...

david fullam, e-mail, 16.10.2017 01:00 The number of Aces that flew this, the number of kills they scored. This is for me the most successful fighter ever.

TORBJÖRN KAMPE, e-mail, 13.04.2017 22:26 Want to live tomorrow fly as BF-109, the best there is to fly with. AMEN. 352 victorys. ERICK HARTMANN.

DENNIS BONNIE, e-mail, 10.11.2015 22:42 The me 109 was the best fighter the germans had before the jet fighters arrived I had a terrible feeling the war went on because of this very duel between the me 109 and the spitfire to see whose technology was the best a very interesting time during the new technological and engineering age the spitfire was tweeked about a dozen times before the final mk 9 or 10 was able to compete with the me109 I believe but I think it was mass production of hurricanes that finally won us the battle of the skys over Briton not taking anything away from the pilots.

Shel, e-mail, 01.11.2015 14:21 Beemer is right. Once in the air the ME 109 was a great plane. Takeoffs and landings...not so much. And it could not stay in the air very long. Poor range. The P-51D Mustang could fight in the air for 8 hrs. The ME 109, about 2 hrs. I sat in the cockpits of many WWII fighters. I'm 5'10", 180# and could barely fit in the pilot's seat of the ME 109. Very poor rear visibility. Accident prone. Not forgiving of pilot error. The ME 109 Report Card: an A for 2 hours in the air. D's or Fs for everything else.

TORBJÖRN KAMPE, e-mail, 07.03.2015 23:31 352 VICTORIES IN THE AIR. One need not say much more who the beast in the air. Me-109 and F-109 G. No 1 in the air.

TORBJÖRN KAMPE, e-mail, 07.03.2015 01:22 THIS IS THE BEST WW2 AIRCRAFT. ERIK HARTMANN 352 victories. AND I have an aunt called Karl H WEBER WAS IL-2 KILLER 28 pieces of IL-2 of 136 wins and over 500 air missions. This is an JEWELLERY GOOD HUNTING PLANES believe me it's true.

Ron, e-mail, 06.03.2014 23:23 As posted earlier, I've seen test dives up to 594 mph for the 109G; 609 mph for the 109F. The Bf 109F terminal dive was as high as 572 mph; redline 564 mph. True airspeed? Who knows? I believe the 466 mph true air speed redline is the safest bet since the stick was so heavy above 440 mph.

Ron, e-mail, 06.03.2014 23:03 518 mph = 450 knots.

Sven, 30.01.2014 02:32 Ron speeds all equate to roughly the Same TAS of 450 kts. Iv not done the maths But its a fair guess. Also if you have read Anything about the Russian pilots it is the undeniable truth that they were As tough as old boots And that's an Unquantifiable factor

Ron, e-mail, 30.01.2014 00:56 The Russian test of the G-4 model was not much different than those earlier versions since it still had the light cowl guns. Turn (360) sans wing-boots: 20.5 seconds left; 21 right. Also, an English post on the same site has the dive limitation on the Gustav-2: 466 mph @ 10,000' 435 @ 16,500' 357 @ 23,000' 280 @ 30,000' 245 @ 36,000' -true dive air speed safe limits. Of course I've seen higher dive speeds for Bf 109s but most fighters could go well past red-line if they had to. Also there is the matter of indicated vs true speed.

Ron, e-mail, 28.01.2014 23:47 Captured Bf 109s were tested by the Russians and I could make out some of the facts even though I don't read Russian. The Emil model with 20mm wing-cannons could complete a full turn (360) at an altitude of 1km was 26.5 seconds to the left; 29.4 to the right. The F model with a 15mm hub-cannon could turn 20.5 seconds left; 19.6 right. The G-2 model with a 20mm hub-cannon turned 20 seconds left; 21.6 right. With two 20mm under-wing cannon boots added, the G-2 turned 22.6 seconds left; 22.8 right. All of these had twin 7.92mm MGs in the cowl. In contrast, I believe Soviet fighters turned best to the right as a rule since their prop turned in the opposite direction.

Ron, e-mail, 28.01.2014 22:41 If you can translate russian to english please e-mail me.

Ron, e-mail, 27.12.2013 08:47 I agree that the F model of the 109 was the best handling version. The climb rate and level max speed was also a huge improvement over the E model. It initially was armed with a very high velocity 15-mm Mauser hub cannon and twin light MGs in the cowl. Thus it was on the light side in firepower. Then it up-gunned the cannon to 20-mm with the trade-off of average velocity. All of us on this site know these things, but how many know about the fly-off between the luftwaffe and Italy at Guidonia? The up-engined Gustav-4 version of the Bf-109 was considered average compared to the Re2005 and the Fiat G55 fielded by Italy. The purpose of this comparison was to standardize on the best Axis fighter for mass production in 1943! The Fw 190A-5 was on top except at high altitude where the Centaro and Sagittario were impressive. Plus they had equivalent firepower to the A-5. They could out-turn both Luftwaffe fighters. The 3rd place Italian fighter was the Macchi MC205 Veltro because of it's dangerous stall turn at high altitude (it could still out-turn the Spitfire however). It also had better roll-rate and firepower than the Bf 109G-4. Alas, nothing much resulted for Italy. But the Fiat was the winner and helped inspired Kurt Tank to produce the Ta 152. In the meantime the Bf 109 became one of the most mass produced WW2 fighters dare I say by default. Man-hours you know. The Bf 109K-4 version was a reasonably competent interceptor though, considering it's pushing it for a 1935-1945 design. Oh yeah, not to mention the top aces in history flew it.

beemerboy, e-mail, 02.08.2013 07:33 hate to disagree with Maverick's statement was a better plane than the Spitfire but Adolf Galland did tell Hermann Goering when asked what he,Galland, needed to beat the Brits, replied a "Squadron of Spitfires". Winky Brown considers the Spit the best fighter ever.

Marcos Masiero, e-mail, 28.06.2013 14:20 O caça Magistral!

beemerboy, e-mail, 15.06.2013 18:27 Hate to burst you bf109 lover's bubble but it wasn't that great an aircraft in the final analysis. The landing gear was too narrow which caused ground-looping. Fully half of all 109s were lost during takeoff or landing. Once in the air it was pretty good.

Mark, e-mail, 20.09.2012 17:10 Messerschmitt Bf 109 Ôï Messerschmitt Bf 109 õðÞñîå Ýíá Ãåñìáíéêü êáôáäéùêôéêü áåñïóêÜöïò ôïõ ´ Ðáãêïóìßïõ ÐïëÝìïõ, ðïõ ó÷åäéÜóôçêå áðü ôïí Âßëëõ ÌÝóóåñóìéô (Willy Messerschmitt) óôéò áñ÷Ýò ôçò äåêáåôßáò ôïõ ¢30. ¹ôáí Ýíá áðü ôá ðñþôá ðñáãìáôéêÜ óýã÷ñïíá áåñïóêÜöç ôçò ðåñéüäïõ åêåßíçò, ðåñéëáìâÜíïíôáò ÷áñáêôçñéóôéêÜ üðùò ïëïìåôáëëéêü êÝëõöïò áôñÜêôïõ, êëåéóôü êïõâïýêëéï êáé áíáóõñüìåíïõò ôñï÷ïýò ðñïóãåßùóçò. Ôï Bf 109 ðáñÞ÷èç óå ìåãáëýôåñïõò áñéèìïýò áðü ïéïäÞðïôå Üëëï êáôáäéùêôéêü áåñïóêÜöïò óôçí éóôïñßá, ìå 30.573 ìïíÜäåò êáôáóêåõáóìÝíåò ìüíï êáôÜ ôçí ðåñßïäï 1939-1945. Ç ðáñáãùãÞ êáôáäéùêôéêþí áðïôÝëåóå ôï 47% ôçò óõíïëéêÞò ÃåñìáíéêÞò ðáñáãùãÞò áåñïóêáöþí êáé ôï Bf 109 êÜëõøå ôï 57% ôçò ðáñáãùãÞò êáôáäéùêôéêþí üëùí ôùí ôýðùí. Ôï Bf 109 Þôáí ôï âáóéêü êáôáäéùêôéêü ôçò Luftwaffe êáè¢ üëç ôç äéÜñêåéá ôïõ ´ Ð.Ð., áí êáé áðü ôá 1942 Üñ÷éóå íá áíôéêáèßóôáôáé åí ìÝñåé áðü ôï Focke-Wulf Fw 190. Ôï Bf 109 óçìåßùóå ðåñéóóüôåñåò êáôáññßøåéò áðü ïðïéïäÞðïôå Üëëï áåñïóêÜöïò óôçí éóôïñßá. ÊáôÜ ðåñßóôáóç õðçñÝôçóå ùò ìá÷çôéêü «áåñïðïñéêÞò õðåñï÷Þò», ìá÷çôéêü óõíïäåßáò, êáôáäéùêôéêü, åëáöñü âïìâáñäéóôéêü êáé áíáãíùñéóôéêü. Áí êáé åß÷å êÜðïéåò áäõíáìßåò, üðùò ìéêñÞ áêôßíá äñÜóçò êáé, êõñßùò, Ýíá óôåíü êé åðéêßíäõíï óýóôçìá ôñï÷þí ðñïóãåßùóçò ðïõ áíáóýñïíôáí ðñïò ôá Ýîù, áíôáãùíßóôçêå åðÜîéá ôïõò áíôéðÜëïõò ôïõ ìÝ÷ñé ôï ôÝëïò ôïõ ðïëÝìïõ. Ôï Bf 109 ÷ñçóéìïðïéÞèçêå áðü ôïõò ôñåéò êïñõöáßïõò Üóóïõò ôïõ ´ Ðáãêïóìßïõ ÐïëÝìïõ: ôïí ¸ñé÷ ×Üñôìáí (Erich Hartmann), ôïí ìåãáëýôåñï Üóóï üëùí ôùí åðï÷þí ìå 352 íßêåò, ôïí ÃêÝñ÷áñíô ÌðÜñê÷ïñí (Gerhard Barkhorn), ìå 301 íßêåò, êáé ôïí Ãêßíôåñ Ñáë (Günther Rall) ìå 275 íßêåò. ¼ëïé ôïõò ðÝôáîáí ìå ôçí 52ç ðôÝñõãá ìÜ÷çò, êõñßùò óôï Áíáôïëéêü ìÝôùðï, óå ìéá ìïíÜäá ðïõ ÷ñçóéìïðïéïýóå áðïêëåéóôéêÜ ôïõò äéÜöïñïõò ôýðïõò ôùí Bf 109, óçìåéþíïíôáò óõíïëéêÜ ðÜíù áðü 10.000 íßêåò. Ï ×Üñôìáí áñíÞèçêå íá ðåôÜîåé óôç ìÜ÷ç ìå Üëëï áåñïóêÜöïò, êáè¢ üëç ôç äéÜñêåéá ôïõ ðïëÝìïõ. Ï ×áíò Ãéüá÷éì ÌáñóÝéã (Hans-Joachim Marseille), ï «áóôÝñáò ôçò ÁöñéêÞò», ðåôþíôáò åðßóçò ìå Bf 109, åðÝôõ÷å 158 íßêåò, êõñßùò åíÜíôéá óôïõò Äõôéêïýò óõììÜ÷ïõò óôç Âüñåéï ÁöñéêÞ, óõìðåñéëáìâáíïìÝíùí 17 êáôáññßøåùí ðïõ óçìåßùóå ìÝóá óå ìéá ìüíï ìÝñá. Ôï Bf 109 èá óõãêñßíåôáé ðÜíôá ìå ôïí êýñéï áíôßðáëü ôïõ, ôï Supermarine Spitfire. Ôá äõï áåñïóêÜöç õðÞñîáí áíÜìåóá óôá êáëýôåñá ôçò åðï÷Þò ôïõò.

AirFox, 30.07.2012 23:40 I got here from Red-Tails...

maverick, 14.06.2012 06:21 I love this plane!

Ben Beekman, e-mail, 25.04.2012 03:20 In reply to the question of a. machiaverna,yes, Edgar Schmued did work for both Messerschmitt and Fokker before coming to work at North American. According to William Green in his book "Famous Fighters of the Second World War", Schmued and Raymond Rice headed the design team in 1939 that developed the model NA-73 which later became known as the Apache, and still later, the Mustang. North American had very little previous experience in designing fighters up until that time, having produced only the NA-50A for Siam. The sharp, angular lines of the NA-73 seem to reflect the German design philosophy of efficiency rather than esthetics. The squared wing and tail simplified production but had no effect on aircraft performance, according to Green.

Ron, e-mail, 22.04.2012 06:02 360 turn time ranged from 25 sec. for the Emil to under 20 for the Fredriech and 20.8 for the Gustav-2; 22.5 sec. for the 5 gun model. The later 109Gs ran it back up to 25 sec. But they say the Kurfurst could out-turn the Fw 190D that did 22 flat. In any case, the Russian Yaks and La-5/7s could comfortably turn much tighter except at high altitude generally speaking.

a.machiaverna, e-mail, 25.09.2011 07:56 Rumour has it that an aeronautical engineer named Schmued worked for Messerschmitt and left that firm for employment with North American. He and a designer named Rice designed the P-51. Anyone know if Schmued worked at Messerschmitt prior to No. American? The history is mixed, but usually notes that Schmued did work for the great Willy Messerschmitt at one time.

Naga, 08.08.2011 22:04 I have got to get an email address.

Ron, e-mail, 02.05.2011 12:25 Naga, Thanks for the input. These insights are what we need on this sight to flesh out the official data. It is rare to find this published anywhere. Thanks again.

Naga, 19.04.2011 22:07 Hey Ron, I think you tend to lean more towards written statistics. Most people do becuase honestly how many 109 pilots are there out there left? I actually had the pleasure of meeting a 109 pilot, a E-4, F and G-3 pilot named Walther Piroska. We had nearly a three-hour conversation, and one of our topics was the nose-mounted cannon. I made a comment similar to yours about what a Mustang would have been like if they had a cannon in the nose. you wouldn't believe the reaction! He teared up and said very quietly "we might have had a chance in our damn Gs then." Apparently, their statistics and what they could actually do were very far apart. When you read a technical readout, remember these are PROJECTED and INTENDED statistics, seldom actuals. Pilots hated the G model for a variety of reasons even though historians claim somewhat perversley that it was their favorite. The hub mounted cannon impeded the output power of the engine. If you're familiar with basic physics, the amount of force taken to spin the propellor is bled off when extra force is required to spin the gears around a centerline cannon. Not only does room have to be placed in the center of the engine for extra ammunition, it makes assembling and disasembling the engine and gun even harder. According to most pilots, the best variant was the E-4. It had two machineguns and two lighter cannons, but had much better performance because of it. Walther also told me how the mechanics had a nightmare keeping the Gs in operational condition because of the complexities of the cannon in the centerline. In truth, I only think the Soviet and Italian aircraft with similar configurations had any success was becuase they were so much better in design. The P-51 was a bad enough aircraft as it was without making it worse, let's just be thankful none of our engineers decided to put one of those guns in, or we'd have taken longer to gain the advantage in the air war. I agree with Kadesh on this one. You should really talk to a luftwaffe pilot some time, they can tell you the real truth.

Jicehem, e-mail, 27.02.2011 12:10 Hi, There are drawings, but it seems impossible to post drawings... Cheers, Jicehem

mike, e-mail, 23.02.2011 18:37 Is there a diagram of the engine and 20 mm sit up of the 109? The v12 is inverted and has no oil pan in the way. I heard the crankshaft was geared to the the prop shaft with the 20 mm through the center.

Jicehem, e-mail, 21.02.2011 23:39 Hi Ron, Yes, I agree with you, I made a confusion as the MG 151/15 and the MG 151/20 are the same guns (only caliber is different and it must be said that the MG 151/15 is longer by 25 cm than the MG 151/20). It has been proven for a long time that the Bf 109 K-4 had by no way those guns in the cowls. Bf 109 K-4 was armed with two MG 131 gun cowls (Ref. Bf 109 K-4 Manuals) Bf 109 K-6 couldn't go back to MG 131 as no K-6 at all has been built... Only some 300 set of wooden wings of the K-6 were built. Concerning the MG 151, this cannon until the year 1945 had no synchronisation. When synchronisation was adopted for being mounted in the cowls of the Ta 152 C the rate of fire falled to between 550 and 750 rounds per minute. As hub or underwing cannons the rate for fire without synchronisation was 780 to 800 rounds per minute. On another side, I remarked it often made reference to William Green's "Planes of the third Reich". This book is very old and in connexion with the Bf 109 is totally obsolete. There is another book of William Green entitled "Augsburg Eagle, the story of the Messerschmitt 109". In the 1971 edition W. Green wrote the Bf 109 K-4 had two MG 151/15 gun cowl, but in the 1980 edition he recognized he had made a mistake and writes the Bf 109 K-4 had two MG 131 gun cowls, this latter fate beinng the accurate one... Cheers, Jicehem

Ron, e-mail, 18.02.2011 21:38 Jicehem, I don't think anyone here said the Bf 109K-4 had MG 151/20 cowl guns. I did post that it had the twin MG 151/15s in the cowl. Then it reverted back to the MG 131/13 in the K-6. I would say there is a big difference between the 15 mm and the 20 mm MG 151, wouldn't you? Still, the bullistics and potency of the 15 is far better than the 13. The Soviets had the 20 mm cowl guns in the Lavochkin 5 and 7 and the Yak-9P ...etc for perspective.

Jicehem, e-mail, 17.02.2011 00:58 Hi all, Iv've read all the comments and have picked up some mistakes. -- Cowl guns of the Bf 109 K-4 were MG 131, not MG 151/20 which were far too long. -- the standard armament of the Bf 109 G-10 (appeared AFTER the K-4) was : 2 x MG 131 (cowl) and 1 x MG 151/20 (hub cannon) -- Bf 109 G-10/U4 (as G-14/U4 and G-6/U4) had a MK 108 in place of the hub MG 151/20. U4 = MK 108 (feed mechanism through compressed air and electric firing) -- Heinkel He 100 was not chosen because it was too much difficult to maintain on the field, not beacause of the speed world record breaking of the Me 109 R, which was in fact the Me 209 V1, a totally different plane... --Different engines for the Bf 109 were as follows : Jumo 210 engine (various variants) on Bf 109 A-1, B-1 (there was no B-2 at all), C-1 (no C-2 and C-3) and D-1. DB 600 only on prototypes for the E variant (carburattor), DB 601 A (injection) on E-1 through E-7. DB 601 N on some E-7 and on Bf 109 F-1 and F-2, DB 601 E on Bf 109 F-4. Some F-2 and F-4 had GM-1 and were designated Bf 109 F-2Z and F-4Z. DB 605 A on the G variant. Other DB 605 engines were DB 605 AM with MW 50 (Bf 109 G-6/MW and Bf 109 G-14), DB 605 AS with DB 603 compressor (Bf 109 G-6/AS), DB 605 ASM (Bf 109 G-6/AS/MW and Bf 109 G-14/AS), DB 605 ASB/C (Bf 109 G-14/AS, from January 1945 onwards)and DB 605 D for Bf 109 G-10 and Bf 109 K-4. -- The Bf 109 G-10 and G-14 had too the Morane antenna for FuG 19 ZY under the port wing. The "galland hood", actually the ERLA HAUBE (Erla hood) was also on Bf 109 late G-6, G-10 and G-14. -- On the Bf 109 K, the entirely retracted tailwheel had covers and was not semi-retracted as shown on the colored drawing. The drawing shows a retracted tailwheel à la Bf 109 F -- The engine was not constructed AROUND the cannon because it was located at the rear end of the engine, the breech inside the cockpit protruding between the pedals. The angle of the cylinder banks was 60° and totally adequate for space for the gun barrel. Regards, Jicéhem

Ben Beekman, e-mail, 06.02.2011 21:48 No-one will disagree that an airplane is only as good as its engine, regardless of armament or aesthetic design. Consider that during WW2 the Luftwaffe was using aviation gasoline rated at 87 octane when at the same time Allied aircraft enjoyed the luxury of no less than 100 octane gas, using special fuel additives. Such a difference could be very meaningful in the flight performance of military fighters, especially. This was true even in Rumania, land of the Ploesti oil fields, where the Axis' Rumanian Aeronautica Regala Romana (Royal Rumanian Aeronautics) was limited to 87 octane. Higher octane numbers for fuel mean higher compression, higher performance, engines and an edge over your opponent's machine.

maverick, 31.01.2011 01:11 yah thats right kadesh. imagine if a spit had a 20 mm hub, iagree with ron

Ron, e-mail, 30.01.2011 07:20 Kadesh, I'd like you to tell me more. The Fiat G. 55 and Reggiane Re. 2005 of 1943 had the hub cannon with a Italian version of the DB engine and had competent speed like the Bf 109 - and the 1941 Mig-3, Lagg-3 and all the Yaks. All these had hub guns to good effect. Pilots chose some of these over non hub gun inlines like the Spitfire or Mustang. The Yak-9U was fast like the P-51D but had a hub cannon as well. Likewise for the Bf 109K. Imagine if the P-51 had a 20-mm bad boy in the nose spinner too! More punch than a P-38 or P-47! It could then drop 2 wing guns to improve it's agility as well. Did the advantage of center-line firepower outweigh a speed penalty to them? Maybe. What are your thoughts?

maverick, e-mail, 27.01.2011 05:31 the bf-109 was a better airplane than p-51, p-47 , p-38,spitfire,hurricane,tempest, typhhoon, bf-109k-6 kicks ass!!!!! Germans kick butt with airplane building!i.e.ME-262!

Kadesh, 24.01.2011 19:59 Ron, sorry to tell you, but the hub-nosed cannon is what pretty much doomed the 109. The engine would have to be built around it,the ammunition boxes, and the fire control. Back in the '30s, engines just weren't meant to wrap around things. It was much slower becuase of the gun.

Ben Beekman, e-mail, 16.01.2011 03:08 I'd like to add my opinion to the controversy about which models are shown here: Comparing the 3-view drawing to those shown in William Green's book "Famous Fighters of the Second World War" (1960), I believe the 3-view is of the Bf109C-1 due to the prominant under-the-nose radiator and the slight nose bump shown just above the propeller spinner. The colored side view seems to be of the Bf109K-4 since it uses the "Galland hood", the tail wheel is retracted, and there's what looks like a radio antenna hanging straight down beneath the port wing which,in Green's book, is identified as a K-4, the G varient not having this feature. The specification just below the colored side view, however, references the Bf109G-6, and there's virtually no real difference between the K and the G models so it might also be a Bf109G6 we're looking at. As far as identifying the model in the photograph, it's not possible given the view shown. We can't see the cockpit canopy type or whether the tailwheel retracts or the type of radiator or wing configuration etc. etc. in the photo. However, since the specification references the Bf109G-6, we'll have to assume that's what's shown in the photograph.

Ron, e-mail, 10.01.2011 21:20 Andy, My understanding is Bf was for the 100 series and Me for the 200+ numbers. At least that's what I've read.

Andy Biancur, e-mail, 08.01.2011 22:36 Am I correct is assuming the bf109 was variously referred to as the ME109 by the allies?. Or was there a point in the model progression when the aircraft designation was changed across the board.

Ron, e-mail, 07.01.2011 22:46 I like the idea of the inverted V and hub cannon. it improves the view when the nose slopes down more than with standard inline engines used by the Allies. Plus the ideal center-line placement of cannon firepower is a winning combination. I can't understand why it wasn't done on all of them.

Don, e-mail, 29.12.2010 02:17 Cole, whouldn't the cannon be too low if it were placed between the cylinder banks? That V12 was inverted, was it not?

mike, e-mail, 13.12.2010 18:53 Thanks Stanly inquiring minds must know.

Aaron, e-mail, 12.12.2010 22:23 I read an article several years ago of an interview with Eric Hartmann. I only remember two of his answers to questions. The answers stuck in my mind like words chizzled in stone. He was asked if the Spitfire could really outturn the Me.109. He replied,"Yes, but not as much as you might think." The second question was asking him if the Me.109 was a better A/C than the FW.190 since he chose to continue flying the 109 even though the 190 was available to him. His reply was,"No, I wouldn't say that. I could just fly it better."

Stanzahero, e-mail, 11.12.2010 11:02 In response to Mike about the cannon going throught the propeller hub.... The propeller was below the line of the crankshaft. It was driven by a hollow shaft in the final drive assembly. The cannon fired through this. The cannon was placed in the inverted valley (the space between the two banks of the cylinders) under the engine.

TOM MEDFORD, 22.11.2010 00:50 Yeah, I remember, She was supposed to show up in a Griffon powered ME-109 AND RACE STEVE HINTON IN THE RED BARON. The 2,600 h.p. ME-109 WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FASTER, but Anna Kreisling blew the engine and had to land it dead stick at her ranch outside of Austin, Texas. Her husband did not want her to do any air racing! So she showed up in RENO to see what the Red BARON P-51 Mustang could do!! The crowd thought it was cool to see a Lady take the Mustang around the pylons!No one knew back then that she had flown in the Luftwaffe in World War II. However Martin Caidin wrote about her doing MISTEL FLIGHTS in a JU-88 AND A ME-109, attacking and exploding a bridge in Poland.

Peter Franklin, 22.11.2010 00:39 At the 1976 RENO AIR RACES, the world's fastest Mustang was the Red Baron. Twin counter rotating props and a speed over 435m.p.h. Anna Kreisling took it around the pylons on a trial run of over 440m.p.h. Later that day Steve Hinton won the Gold Race in it!! Later that day Anna flew back to Texas in her DC-3!

Ron, e-mail, 10.10.2010 01:55 Costerman said he gave chase to a Do335 in his Tempest Mk V once but it flat outran him. I guess that doesn't count for combat. I believe the Bf 109K-4 and Do 335 had the same cowl guns: a pair of 15-mm MG 151 cannon to compliment (according to some) the 30-mm hub cannon. Late production K-4s replaced the rapid fire but short range MK 108 for a long range MK 103 cannon like that on the Dornier. Potent but heavy for a Kurfurst. Yeah, I know, the K-6 added Mk 108s internally in the wings too. The cowl guns being MG 131 machine guns however.

MIKE, e-mail, 27.09.2010 22:35 HOW DID THE 20MM SHOOT THROUGH THE HUB OF THE PROP? CRANK SHAFT IN THE WAY?

wlkriessmann, e-mail, 26.09.2010 09:13 st As an ex-bomberpilot was I supposed to ferry Me 109`s ? Apparebtly because August rthe 10th 1944 I checked the ME 109 -RX+OA ( 8 take off`s) at the airfield Hildesheim My first and one

wlkriessmann, e-mail, 26.09.2010 09:13 st As an ex-bomberpilot was I supposed to ferry Me 109`s ? Apparebtly because August rthe 10th 1944 I checked the ME 109 -RX+OA ( 8 take off`s) at the airfield Hildesheim My first and one

Aaron, e-mail, 06.09.2010 20:44 Ron is pretty much right on with his last few posts about A/C speeds in WW2. P-47M: 473(officially)but pushed higher in the field P-47N: 467mph. P-51B: Some reached 455mph. P-51D and Spit XIV: 448mph. Yak-9U: close to 425 (I don't have my sources with me). Tempest V: 435mph. Fw-190D 426-438mph. Do.335: 474mph (But very doubtful that it ever saw combat). Bf.109K-4: I have seen published at 441-452 but I haven't had time to study new info yet. Educated guesses on the picture and drawings: I'd say Lucas is right about the small three view drawing being a Bf.109H. and once clicked on it appears to be a Bf.109B-1. The profile is a Bf.109K, probably a -4. and the picture is a Bf.109G-6.

Ta-183 Huckebein, 15.05.2010 17:20 That plane brings back s many memories............

Ron, e-mail, 03.05.2010 20:28 Cole, could you explain 1000 mph? Rich, could you explain 650 mph for the Me 262? That must be in a dive or else you meant the Me 163 or 263 rocket. Didn't the Me 262 go 540 mph or so max in level flight?

Ron, e-mail, 03.05.2010 19:56 I just remembered, the P-47M,N and Ta 152 did perhaps better than the Bf 109K and saw combat in WW2 (unlike the 487 mph P-51H). The standard P-51 in combat did no better than 440 mph. That's Yak-9U, Fw 190D, and Tempest V territory. The Spit XIV and Corsair F4U-4 did a bit better.

Ron, e-mail, 03.05.2010 19:31 Rich, Don't forget the Bf 109K-4 did 452 mph. Of course the later P-51H did go over 470 mph like the Do 335! I'm going to check on the La-7R.

Ron, e-mail, 25.04.2010 07:19 I am reminded that the DB inline engines did have imperfections too, despite how good they were. Overheating and persistent oil pressure troubles. The first was dealt with, but the second problem was never fully cured during the war.

Ron, e-mail, 13.04.2010 01:47 I have to give the Daimler-Benz motor credit after reading up on the other inline engines. It's too easy now to look back and wonder why the Allies had such trouble developing a motor as good for fighters. The reliability or safety was not a problem with the D-B. Why couldn't Chrysler or continental improve on the D-B with their inverted-V inlines. RR Merlins still had issues with high octane safety late in the war and overheating kept dogging all the others. I know, easy to say that now.

Rich Ragle, e-mail, 08.04.2010 01:44 Cole said max speed was 1000mph--WRONG. It was around 375mph depending on armament. The P-51 Mustang was the fastest prop plane of WW11 at around 450mph. The ME 262--first production jet fighter had top speed of 600-650mph.

Jagtai, 11.03.2010 21:45 The Bf 109 always reminds of a striking harrier - fast and deadly. I love the look of this fighter.

Cole, e-mail, 08.03.2010 23:55 the me-109 could reach the speed 0f 1000mph

Cole, e-mail, 08.03.2010 23:52 Steven it was 1986 not 1977!

Cole, e-mail, 08.03.2010 23:51 d-jay you are toatally WRONG!!!

Cole, e-mail, 08.03.2010 23:49 uitgtryytutuguyftdytruyftfdtyrytrtyryygyhfghftyrtydtyfjjjftjtjjtyrjyrtdtretytytytyrueyr

d.jay, 04.12.2009 20:34 By 1945 a shortage of aircraft metals ment that the tails of 109s were made of wood, thats why thier is a braced tail plane on the 3 view drawing.

Barry, 25.11.2009 18:13 The "enlarged" 3 view drawing is of a B or C model powered by a Jumo engine. The smaller 3 view drawing is a later model, identified by the rounded wing tips, possibly a "G" but the braced tail plane is a mystery. Just for the record Gus it is an Emil not an Emily.

paul scott, e-mail, 15.10.2009 21:40 A fine aircraft, I prefer the snub-nosed 'Emil' types though, like the spitfire and the mustang, they had a classic look about them. Also, love that 30mm cannon in the nose!

Ronald, e-mail, 30.08.2009 08:42 Red-line dive for the Bf 109 was 564 mph. 380 turn time was 20.5 seconds for the F-4; 21 for the G-2; and about 23 with wing boots.

Ronald, e-mail, 24.08.2009 05:00 Terminal dive was 572 mph for the F-4. That is the tail was reinforced for this rating. Of course the F-4 was test flown up to 609 mph but test pilots are not the same as service pilots. Likewise the 109G model reached 594 mph test flown.

Frank Riley, e-mail, 13.08.2009 10:59 Sorry about my typo in the last comment, I was trying to say supports that go from the frame/body to the rear horizontal/ wing stabilizers. I think most 109 models before the F had them. I am seeing G-6 models (models and drawings) with these supports added (Hartmann G-6) did this actually take place and some G-6 models had them added. Email me with links and reasons for this is it an error or true.

Frank Riley, e-mail, 13.08.2009 10:53 I have noticed some models and drawings showing the Me-109G-6 with horizontal stabilizer (rear horizontal tail wings) with the supports that go from the body the the horizontal stabilizers/wings like the earlier 109 aircraft like the E variant. Can someone explain when this was actually done or is it a mistake in the models and drawings. Please email me and let me know. pointed@earthlink.net

Leo Rudnicki, e-mail, 22.06.2009 23:37 The statistics themselves are fairly pointless without factors such as speed, load, and altitude. Comparison requires that performance of both side's representative aircraft be revealed as in American Zero testing, one on one against US fighters. Finally, some experte pilots operated 109's in a fashion which seemed to defy statistics. You can tell who they were by their scores. Same for elite soviet aces.

Ronald, e-mail, 22.06.2009 23:16 Time to turn a circle for the Emil was typically 25 seconds. The redesigned 109F-2 had no 20-mm cannon like the Emil, just a hub 15-mm to go with the twin cowl light MG-17s. So that may help account for a quicker time of 18 seconds. The Russians clocked a Bf 109G-2/R6 with under-wing 20-mm cannon boots at 22.6 seconds per full circle turn. If anyone finds more data like this, I'm interested to see it.

masha, e-mail, 11.06.2009 18:49 An Israeli person: It was S-199, czechoslovak figter, which fought for your freedom, you should know this, same as the fact, that those Spitfires were czechoslovak LF Mk.IXe. They were all sent to Israel, except one piece- Ser. No. TE 565, (NN-N) from the former No.310 fighter squadron, RAF. This airplane crashed lightly during take-of and remained the only ex RAF Spitfire in Czechoslovakia, being now the No.1 piece in the collection of the Kbely air force museum in Prague

Lucas Elder, e-mail, 02.06.2009 06:45 the three way drawing is of a Bf-109H high altitude variant as can be seen by the lengthened wing area at the roots. but after clicking on it it is a D variants.

leo rudnicki, e-mail, 09.04.2009 17:45 Marseille was a master of deflection shooting, using only a handful of bullets per target, and dutifully recording the time of his kill. Hartmann, the Blond Knight, was shot down 18 times, I think. He went in close for the shot and it worked for him. The negative G bunt was a tactic devised against RAF aircraft and Bob Johnson, flying a P47,found it amazing that it was so easy to shoot down 109`s using this tactic against the Jug. Zeros also cut out at negative G so the noseover would work against it. 30mm MK108 cannons didn`t fit in the wing but were hung underneath in gondolas. There were bomber destroyer 109`s with heavy armor and armament as well as escort 109`s to protect the bomber destroyers from fighters. Nitrous and methonol injection versions made it impossible to define the performance and handling of the 109G variants in easy numbers. Taking off in a 109 was dangerous for student pilots due to torque and canted narrow track undercarriage.

josh, 23.03.2009 13:53 does anyone have a 109 engine im restoring one prvetly

Kenneth Lee, e-mail, 02.03.2009 05:44 QUOTE/Jerry Mancisidor, jerry_mancisidor(@)hotmail.com, 29.01.2009 Just wanted to clarify that pilot Hans Joachim Marseille died when bailing out from his new Bf-109 F-4 after experiencing engine trouble. He was on a patrol flight and did not encounter enemy fighters to engage on that day, then his engine made a strange noise and started overheating. He was going to bail out, but was still over Britain held territory, so his comrades urged and requested him to resist a couple more minutes untill arriving to German held territory. When arriving to German side, but blinded by smoke, he did not realized that his bail-by-roll-out operation was not performed horizontally, but inclined. This situation caused that he was hit by the rudder of his -109, knocking him unconscious, and avoiding him to open his parachute. He died when hitting the ground, and a deep injury was found on his chest, presumably caused by the rudder. When he died, in Sept. 1942, his personal account was at 158 downed planes. Hoped it help clarifying this point. Very kindly, Jerry Mancisidor/QUOTE I recall Marseille's last flight occurred in a new Bf 109G-2, not Bf 109F-4, and that this incident was an example of engine problems encountered in the new Bf 109G-series.

Jerry Mancisidor, e-mail, 29.01.2009 20:08 Just wanted to clarify that pilot Hans Joachim Marseille died when bailing out from his new Bf-109 F-4 after experiencing engine trouble. He was on a patrol flight and did not encounter enemy fighters to engage on that day, then his engine made a strange noise and started overheating. He was going to bail out, but was still over Britain held territory, so his comrades urged and requested him to resist a couple more minutes untill arriving to German held territory. When arriving to German side, but blinded by smoke, he did not realized that his bail-by-roll-out operation was not performed horizontally, but inclined. This situation caused that he was hit by the rudder of his -109, knocking him unconscious, and avoiding him to open his parachute. He died when hitting the ground, and a deep injury was found on his chest, presumably caused by the rudder. When he died, in Sept. 1942, his personal account was at 158 downed planes. Hoped it help clarifying this point. Very kindly, Jerry Mancisidor

bao, e-mail, 06.01.2009 13:55 the pilot Hans Joanchim Marseille flew Bf 109F-4 trop and he shoot down 106 enemy plane before his dead in one dogfighting between bf 109 and p51 mustang

Gus, e-mail, 02.01.2009 03:23 Three view belongs to a much older version, a C or D... Look at the squared wing tips, and the sharp nose! Not even an Emily, look at the radiator under the cowling!

Rick, e-mail, 03.12.2008 20:01 Because of the oval shaped panels on the top of the wings, I believe the three view drawing is of the 109K-14 version which had two 30mm cannon mounted internally in the wings.

Geir J. Valla, e-mail, 31.10.2008 21:05 Hello 1 I`am working with the Mauser 151/20 machine cannon for a ME 109. Do anyone have a manual over the gun-system for this aircraft ?

TW, e-mail, 16.10.2008 20:31 World speed record: The Heinkel 100 record plane was quite close to the serial one, except for the engine. On contrary the Me 209 record plane was only designed to get the record. Different canopy, different wing. Cooling was provided by a water tank (!), because Messerschmidt (like Heinkel) faced problems with the surface cooling. A serial He 100 using a DB 601 (!) would have had an estimated top speed of 675 km/h, almost 100 km faster than the Bf 109 E. E Udet claimed that "we will win the war with the 80 km slower 109". Interestingly, the He 100 was sold to Japan and Soviet Union. Neither country implemented the surface cooling in a plane.

Ronald, e-mail, 21.09.2008 00:23 Always good as a point defense interceptor, it didn't shine so well as an escort in the Battle of Brittain with it's modest range (can you imagine a squadron of Zeros lending a hand like the Italian Macchis did? I guess they were too occupied with China at the time). Even till the end the 109 remained among the shortest range fighters. However it was also always among the fastest climbing too. It could bunt into a negative 'g' dive and escape in the early war years due to fuel injection leaving Spits and Yaks in the dust. Speeds were reportedly survived up to 570 mph but much over 440 was not recommended due to such heavy controls (this high speed stiffness was so of both the Bf 109 and the A6M Zero, the principal 2 Axis fighters, during the whole war). When this advantage was finally countered by heavy US fighters, it could switch to slow horizontal turns close-in and out-dogfight them (unless it had those wing-cannon boots). Stall recovery was much superior to the Fw 190. The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the mount of so many of the world's leading aces. Like Erich Hartmann with 352 kills in just the last 2 years of the war - when his foes had the upper hand. The Bf 109K-4 version had the twin cowl 13mm MGs upgraded to 15mm MG151 Mauser cannons and the MK108 30mm hub cannon overcoming it's tendency to jam or the slower but more powerful MK103 30mm. 4823 ft/min. was the initial climb rate and level speeds of 452 mph were reached in the Kurfurst. But at high altitudes handling could get squirrelly at such speeds. Endurance even with drop tanks was within 700 miles. Landing accidents was another huge drawback. The wartime production was upwards of 30,000 (perhaps 35 or 36,000 counting postwar) - impressive considering the bomber raids on the factories. One of the greatest fighters of WW2!

Sgt.KAR98, 03.06.2008 04:52 I thought the same thing at the beginning,but there´s a czech Bf-109 copy,and this one was used by IAF. http://www.aviastar.org/air/czech/avia_s-199.php

Wayne Berge, e-mail, 10.05.2008 03:55 I believe this aircraft took the World speed record away from The Heinkel 100 about 2 weeks after the Heinkel set the record. The Bf109 was about 10 KPH faster. The Heinkel was actually designed to replace the bf109 but after the 109 won the International speed record, the Luftwaffe kept the bf 109 for operational service.

eric.touratier, e-mail, 24.02.2008 16:32 what is the version of this three view drawing especially the wing ??

calum morris, e-mail, 08.02.2008 18:51 the BF109Z hasnt been mentioned, a bit tike the twin mustang but with a 109, i think a few were built but not many.

An Israeli Person, e-mail, 17.01.2008 21:46 the war was in 1948 + it was the first line for "almost" half a year. during that time almost all of them were shoot down or crashed, they were replaced with British Spitfires

G Davis, e-mail, 11.09.2007 21:26 My wifes Grandfather Erhardt Schneider flew with the famous JG-52 Staffel 7 under Erich Hartman in a BF109G-6. He ended His flight career with 127 kills mostly over the Eastern front. He said the Bf109 always brought him back, handled like a dream and the tough Sturmovics were the biggest challenges he faced like shooting a wildswine with a bb gun.He went to work for Lufthansa later after the war.

Janne, e-mail, 28.08.2007 14:20 Max.speed for this BF 109g-6 is 640km/h. the number above is for g-6/r-6, which has two extra 20 mm cannons housed under wings.

Tim, e-mail, 08.08.2007 04:01 Ironically, the 109 was also the first-line fighter of the fledgling Israeli Air Force when the Palastine Mandate ended in 1947 and the War of Independence took place.

STEVEN, e-mail, 29.04.2007 17:39 DID YOU KNOW THE LAST BF 109 WERE RETIRED FROM THE MILITARY SERVICES IN 1977, THE AIRCRAFT WAS THE SPANISH BF 109 ( HISPANO HA 1112 BUCHON )

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