Messerschmitt Bf 109

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Variants


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Messerschmitt Bf 109 variants



Due to the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]'s versatility and time in service with both the Luftwaffe and other foreign air
forces, numerous variants were produced over the eight years of service with the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and even more were produced by its foreign users.



Bf 109 A/B/C/D


"The 109 was a dream, the non plus ultra. Of course, everyone wanted to fly it as soon as possible."


— [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], Luftwaffe ace with 275 victories.

The Bf 109A was the first version of the Bf 109. Armament was initially planned to be only two cowl-mounted
7.92 mm (.312 in) [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

However, possibly due to the introduction of the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], each with eight 7.7 mm (.303 in) machine guns, experiments were carried out with a third machine gun firing through the propeller shaft.

V4 and some A-0 were powered by a 640 PS (631 hp, 471 kW) [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] engine driving a two-blade fixed-[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] propeller, but production was changed to the 670 PS (661 hp, 493 kW) Jumo 210D as soon as it became
available.

The A-0 were not of a uniform type but saw several changes in their appearance.

Visible changes included engine, cockpit and machine gun ventilation holes/slats, and the location of the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] cooler was changed several times to prevent overheating.

Many of these Bf 109 A-0 served with the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and were often misidentified as B-series aircraft, and probably served in Spain with the tactical markings 6-1 to 6-16.

One A-0, marked as 6-15, ran out of fuel and was forced to land behind enemy lines. It was captured by [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] troops on 11 November 1937 and later transferred to the Soviet Union for a closer inspection.

6-15 incorporated several improvements from the Bf 109B production program and had been prepared to use a [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] although it had not been installed.

According to RLM documentation 22 aircraft were ordered and delivered with V4 as the A-series prototype.

The first Bf 109 in serial production, the Bf 109B , was fitted with the 670 PS (661 hp, 493 kW) Jumo 210D engine driving a two-bladed fixed-pitch propeller.

During the B-1 production run a variable pitch propeller was introduced and often retrofitted to older aircraft; these were then unofficially known as B-2s.

Both versions saw combat with the Legion Condor during the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], although it was apparent that the
armament was still inadequate.

Several aircraft were produced with an engine-mounted machine gun but it was very unreliable, most likely because of
engine vibrations and overheating.

Thus the Bf 109 V8 was constructed to test the fitting of two more machine guns in the wings; however, results showed that the wing needed strengthening.

In the following V9 prototype both wing guns were replaced by 20 mm MG FF cannons.

A total of 341 Bf 109B of all versions were built by Messerschmitt, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], and Erla.

The short-lived Bf 109C was powered by a 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW) Jumo 210G engine with direct fuel injection.

Another important change was a strengthened wing, now carrying two more machine guns giving four 7.92 mm
(.312 in) MG 17s in total.

The C-0 were pre-production aircraft, the C-1 was the production version, and the C-2 was an experimental version with an engine-mounted machine gun.

The C-3 was planned with 20 mm[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] replacing the two MG 17s in the wings, but it is not known how many C-3 (if any) were built or converted.

The C-4 was planned to have an engine-mounted MG FF, but the variant was not produced.

A total of 58 Bf 109C of all versions were built by Messerschmitt.^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]}

BF 109 C

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The next model, the V10 prototype, was identical to the V8, except for its Jumo 210G engine.

The V10, V11, V12 and V13 prototypes were built using Bf 109B airframes, and tested the DB600A engine with the hope of increasing the performance of the aircraft.

The DB600A was dropped as the improved [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] with direct fuel injection was soon to become available.

Developed from the V10 and V13 prototypes, the Bf 109D was the standard version of the Bf 109 in service with the Luftwaffe during the period just before World War II.

Despite this, the type saw only limited service during the war, as all of the 235 Bf 109D still in service at the beginning of the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] were rapidly taken out of service and replaced by the Bf 109E, except in some [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] units where some examples were used into early-1940.

Variants included D-0 and D-1 models, both having a Junkers Jumo 210D engine and armed with two wing-mounted
and two nose-mounted 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17s.>

The D-2 was an experimental version with an engine-mounted machine gun, but as previously tried, this installation failed. The D-3 was similar to the C-3 but with two 20 mm MG FFs in the wings.

Bf 109 D :

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A total of 647 Bf 109D of all versions were built by Focke-Wulf, Erla, Fieseler, Arado and AGO.

Messerschmitt is listed as having produced only four Bf 109D, probably the D-0 preproduction series with the serial production transferred to licensed manufacturers.

Several Bf 109D were sold to Hungary and Switzerland.

Bf 109E "Emil"


In late 1938, the "Emil" entered production. To improve on the performance afforded by the rather small 447-522 kW (600-700 hp) Jumo, the larger [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]A engine was used, yielding an extra 223 kW (300 hp) at the cost of an additional 181 kg (400 lb).

To test the new 1,100 PS (1,085 hp, 809 kW) [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] engine, two more prototypes (V14 and V15) were built, each differing in their armament.

While the V14 was armed with two 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17s above the engine and one 20 mm MG FF in each wing, the V15 was fitted with the two MG 17s mounted above the engine only.

After test fights the V14 was considered more promising and a pre-production batch of 10 E-0 was ordered.

Batches of both E-1 and E-3 variants were shipped to Spain for evaluation, and received their baptism of fire in the final phases of the Spanish Civil War.

E-1


The production version E-1 kept two 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17s above the engine and two more in the wings.

Later, many were modified to the E-3 armament standard.

The E-1B was a small batch of E-1s becoming the first operational Bf 109 fighter bomber, or Jagdbomber (usually abbreviated to Jabo).

These were fitted with either an ETC 250 bomb rack, carrying one 250 kg (550 lb) bomb, or two ETC 50 bomb racks, each carrying a 50 kg (110 lb) bomb under both wings.

The E-1 was also fitted with the Reflexvisier "Revi" gunsight. Communications equipment was the FuG 7 Funkgerät 7 (radio set) short-range radio apparatus, effective to ranges of 48–56 km (30–35 mi). A total of 1,183 E-1 were built, 110 of them were E-1/B.^{[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]}

Bf 109 E

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E-2

Only very limited numbers of the E-2 variant were built, for which the V20 prototype served as basis.

It was armed with two wing mounted, and one engine mounted MG FF cannon, which gave considerable trouble in service, as well as two MG 17s cowl machineguns. In August 1940, II./[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] was operating this type.

Bf 109 E

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E-3


To improve the performance of the Bf 109E, the last two real prototypes, V16 and V17 were constructed.

These received some structural improvements and more powerful armament. Both were the basis of the Bf 109 E-3 version.

The E-3 was armed with the two MG 17s above the engine and one MG FF cannon in each wing.

A total of 1,276 E-3 were built, including 83 E-3a export versions.

E-4


The E-3 was replaced by the E-4 (with many airframes being upgraded to E-4 standards starting at the beginning of the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]) which was different in some small details, most notably by using the modified 20 mm MG-FF/M wing cannon and having improved head armor for the pilot.

With the MG FF/M it was possible to fire a new and improved type of explosive shell, called Minengeschoß (or 'mine-shell') which was made using drawn steel (the same way brass [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] are made) instead of being cast as was the usual practice.

This resulted in a shell with a thin but strong wall, which had a larger cavity in which to pack a much larger explosive charge than was otherwise possible.

The new shell required modifications to the MG FF's mechanism due to the different recoil characteristics, hence the MG FF/M designation.

The cockpit canopy was also revised to an easier-to-produce, "squared-off" design, which also helped improve the pilot's field of view.

This canopy, which was also retrofitted to many E-1s and E-3s, was largely unchanged until the introduction of a welded, heavy-framed canopy on the G series in the autumn of 1942.

The E-4 would be the basis for all further Bf 109E developments. Some E-4 and later models received a further improved 1,175 PS (1,159 hp, 864 kW) [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] high-altitude engine; known as the E-4/N this first appeared in July 1940.

The E-4 was also available as a fighter-bomber with equipment very similar to the previous E-1/B.

It was known as E-4/B (DB 601Aa engine) and E-4/BN (DB 601N engine).

A total of 561 of all E-4 versions were built, including 250 E-4, 20 E-4/N, 211 E-4/B and 15 E-4/BN.

E-5, E-6


The E-5 and E-6 were both reconnaissance variants with a camera installation behind the cockpit.

The E-5 was a reconnaissance variant of the E-3, the E-6 was a reconnaissance variant of the E-4/N.

Twenty-nine E-5s were built and nine E-6 were ordered.