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Evolution of Bf 109 G-6 Subvari-
ants / Production Blocks and their
Variations
Bf 109 G-6s were produced in many production
blocks until December 1944. In the context of this
article, production blocks refers to a sequential
series of production numbers, specified by the
customer (RLM) to the manufacturer in blocks of
one thousand. Each block is a sequence of num-
bers, such as 15 000 to 15 999, or 441 000 to 441
999.
Total production of the Bf 109 G-6, including
the Bf 109 G-6/AS with the DB 605 AS engine,
is estimated at 13,000, but the exact number
is unknown due to incomplete documentation.
Its long production run during the war natural-
ly saw various mods and upgrades incorporat-
ed that had an effect on the appearance of the
aircraft. These changes were introduced grad-
ually, often mid block. This means that, within
a single production block, there were aircraft with
differing equipment setups or airframe design
elements. This evolution of the Bf 109 G-6 stems
from the fact that these aircraft were produced
in the factories of three different manufacturers,
where new equipment or airframe construction
changes were gradually introduced. The pres-
sure of prevailing circumstances, especially the
increasing Allied bombing raids, also directly im-
pacted production plants, as well as to the plants
of their subcontractors, not to mention German
infrastructure proper, most notably the railway
system. For airframes within higher production
numbers, produced in the second half of 1944,
these changes were already deeply embedded
within the production blocks, in such a way that
even three different production versions can be
documented within one production block. Another
problem is that the machines were modified and
modernized during repairs and overhauls, so that
later changes, especially in equipment, could be
retroactively reflected in the appearance of the
aircraft of earlier production blocks. All this adds
complexity to the discussed theme.
Telling ‘em apart
In order to be able to describe the developmen-
tal evolution of the Bf 109 G-6 in a structured way,
I tried to divide the individual production blocks
into six production variants that show corre-
sponding elements of equipment and airframe
characteristics. Since these elements were
gradually introduced during running production,
they can appear in two or even three different
production blocks. This classification of intro-
duced changes into production blocks is mainly
based on the work of Harald Helmut Vogt and his
book Messerschmittt Bf 109 – Einsatzmaschinen –
Das Nachslagwerk. H.H. Vogt lists five production
variations, I decided on six, based on a study of
photographs of airframes with known produc-
tion numbers, and also in some cases adjusted
the assignment of some frames from individual
production blocks with respect to production
variants compared to the distribution given by
H.H. Vogt.
The attempt to clarify a division into produc-
tion block variants is also complicated by the
existence of special production versions brought
about by the installation of Umrüstsätze equip-
ment and armament factory level conversion
sets. These include the Bf 109 G-6/U2 with the
GM 1 boost system, the Bf 109 G-6/U4, armed
with MK 108 engine mounted cannon, several
versions of photo reconnaissance aircraft, trop-
ical machines and night fighters. These aircraft
were generally not built as complete production
blocks in and of themselves, but were integrat-
ed into running production lines among aircraft
without such special equipment. The exception is
the Bf 109 G-6/U4, which was produced in com-
plete production blocks 440 000 to 442 099 and
510 000. Production block 510 000 included both
the Bf 109 G-6/U4 and the Bf 109 G-14/U4. These
production versions, as well as the tropical modi-
fication G-6/trop, are described both as divisions
into production variants, and then in separate
paragraphs dedicated to them. To the contrary,
the G-6/U3, G-6/R2 and G-6/R3 photoreconnais-
sance versions are only mentioned by virtue of
their division into existing production variants,
and are subsequently described in separate
paragraphs dedicated to them. Therefore, some
information will be duplicated in the following
passages of the article. However, I believe that
this does not matter due to the complexity of the
topic, and is ultimately the way to go.
As with the Bf 109 G-6, I divided production of
the Bf 109 G-5 and Bf 109 G-14 into production
versions, which will be described in the second
part of this article.
The breakdown of Bf 109 G-6 into production
versions is as follows:
First Production Variation:
Production blocks 15 000 (Erla), 16 000 (Mess-
erschmittt and Györ WF
-
Hungary), 17 000 (un-
known producer), 18 000 (Messerschmittt), 19 000
(WNF) and 20 000 (WNF).
These batches corresponded to the Bf 109 G-4
except for the installation of MG 131 machine
guns and modernized landing gear including the
new type of main wheels. They were character-
ized thus:
• Tall antenna mast (1).
• FuG 16Z Radio. Aircraft carrying this unit lacked the
Morane whip antenna (Moranmast), which was a FuG
16Y specific item.
• IFF system FuG 25a with its associated rod antenna
under fuselage bulkhead No.2 (2).
• Straight steel armor headrest (3).
• Usually, these airframes lacked the ZVG 16 direction
finding equipment with the associated PR 16 loop
antenna on the spine.
• The above mentioned pieces of equipment, the ZVG
16 / PR 16 antenna and the FuG 16ZY with the Morane
antenna under the fuselage do appear on rare occasion
in this production block.
• REVI C 12 D gunsight.
• The right side of the fuselage featured an outlet for
the connection of an external electrical power source
(4) and an access hatch to access compressed oxygen
bottles (5) between bulkheads 1 and 2.
• From production block 19 000 (WNF), Bf 109 G-6s had
a small engine-starting fuel tank between fuselage
bulkheads 4 and 5, with a filler neck on the right side
of the fuselage spine (6).
• Bf 109 G-6/trop production blocks 15 000 (15 209 –
15 499, Erla, with a small bump on the right fairing
above the fuselage gun breech), 16 000 (16 313 – 16 650,
Messerschmittt) and 18 000 (18 001 - 18 903, Messer-
schmittt) had two sunshade mounts on the left side of
the fuselage under the cockpit (7).
• Production block in the 20 000 (WNF) range produced
35 photo-reconnaissance Bf 109 G-6/R3s and about 20
Bf 109 G-6/U3s. Their differences from the standard G-6
are described in the paragraphs dedicated to them.
• The Bf 109 G-6/U4 of production block 20 000 from WNF
had a cover on the right side of the fuselage between
the 4th and 5th fuselage bulkheads to access the
compressed air bottle for the MK 108 cannon (8).
The aircraft of this production block also featured
a small fuel tank connected to engine starting located
between fuselage bulkheads 4 and 5 on the top of the
fuselage, with a filler neck on the right side of the
spine (9).
• Some of the 15 000 production block (Erla) machines
did not have a bump on the right breech cover of the
MG 131 machine gun, which is an anomaly for Erla
production airframes.
Example: Bf 109 G-6, W.Nr. 18 107 (produced by Messerschmitt), flown by Uffz. Georg Amon, 7./JG53, Torazzo Airfield, Sicily, June 1943
HISTORY
INFO Eduard12
January 2024