The Bf 109 was designed in 1934 by Willy Messerschmitt for the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (Bf). The 109 was such a brilliant fighter that until it met the Hurricanes and Spitfires in the Battle Of Britain, it was rightly considered one of the best fighters in Europe.Even the newer fighters arriving in 1941, like the FW-190, the 109 fought throughout the war in a myriad of versions. The 109 was also a favourite for the german flying aces. During the American daylight bombing campaign, the 109 was used as a cover fighter while the 190s attacked the bombers. Some versions were used until 1956 in Spain, and it's production line is one of the largest in history, with some 35,000 planes built. |
Dimensions: the 109 was 9.04 meters long, 2.59 meters high and had a wing span of 9.92 meters. Weight: it weighed 2700 kg (operational weight 3400 kg). Powered by: a Daimler-Benz DB 605A-1 12 cylinder engine, which could develop 1,475 horsepower. Performance: the 109 could reach 630 km/h, had a range of 700 km and a service ceiling of 11,600 m. Armament: it had two 13 mm machineguns and three 20 mm cannons (two in underwing pods). |