HISTORY

1941. The more powerful Bf 109 F-4, powered by

a DB 601 E engine and armed with a 20mm MG

151/20 cannon, was introduced into service in

the summer of 1941.

Photo: JaPo

Bf 109G

Bf 109 K-4 WNr. 332 455 with late style camouflage on upper surfaces at Munich-Schleissheim in May 1945.

Note the propeller cone in factory paint without the white spiral.

December 1936. Units of 2.J/88 Legion Condor

gradually gained valuable combat and tactical

experience with the developmental versions of

the Bf 109 B-1 to the E-1, in which the original and

problematic Jumo 210 engine was replaced by

the modern inverted V twelve-cylinder inline DB

601. Together with the later DB 605, it powered

several tens of thousands of produced 109s in

more than twenty-five versions and subtypes.

Bf 109 E

Bf 109F

This arrived in the form of the Bf 109 F, the

development of which began as early as the

fall of 1938. It was designed for the new DB 601

E engine with an estimated output of 1,350 hp,

compared to 1,100 hp of the DB 601 A engine.

As a result of the work of the design team

led by chief designer Robert Lusser, it was

significantly innovative both technically and

visually, and also brought about a change in the

concept of installing offensive weapons, when

the two MG FF cannons installed in the wing

were replaced by a fuselage cannon, located

between the engine cylinders and firing through

the propeller hub. The first production version,

the Bf 109 F-2, powered by the DB 601 N engine

and armed with a 15mm MG 151/15 fuselage gun

and two 7.92mm MG 17 machine guns above the

engine, began to arrive at units in the spring of

Photo: JaPo

Introduced into Luftwaffe service in 1939,

the Bf 109 E was fitted with the new DaimlerBenz DB 601 engine, driving a VDM-9 threeblade variable pitch propeller. Production of

the E-1 with four 7.9mm machine guns and the

E-3 with two of these machine guns and two

MG-FF 20mm cannons, ran in unison from the

beginning of 1939. Thus, the Luftwaffe entered

World War II armed with the most modern and

powerful standard single-engine fighter in the

world, forming the backbone of its units until the

spring of 1941. The invasion of Poland, through

the Sitzkrieg on the Western Front, the invasion

of Norway, the Battle of France to the Battle

of Britain, the Bf 109E ensured the technical

and tactical superiority of the Luftwaffe over

its opponents. After the Battle of Britain in the

autumn of 1940, however, it became increasingly

clear that the time was ripe for change.

The wreckage of a Bf 109 K-4 with late-style camouflage at Rheine airbase at the end of the war. Note the lower

tail section painted a lighter color, indicating parts delivery from another subcontractor.

September 2023

Further development was associated with

the new DB 605 A engine with a power output

of ,1454 hp, which was the basis of the Bf 109 G

series. The first version of the Bf 109 G-2 had only

minor technical improvements over the Bf 109

F-4, apart from the more powerful engine, and

had the same armament, as did the subsequent

Bf 109 G-4, produced from December 1942. The

Bf 109 G-2 gradually replaced the Bf 109 F with

combat units during the second half of 1942, and

in early 1943 they were replaced by the Bf 109

G-4. In following version of the Bf 109 G, the dash

6, the development was represented mainly by

an armament upgrade by replacing the MG 17

machine guns with more powerful MG 131 13mm

weapons. Thanks to higher engine output, all Bf

109 Gs used under-wing gun pods housing MG

151 cannons. Production of the Bf 109 G-6 began

in February 1943 and ended in December 1944.

Due to the long production period, there were

a number of technical issues with the individual

series changes that, among other things, were

reflected in the external appearance of the

aircraft, mainly by the introduction of a new

cockpit canopy and a more efficient higher

rudder. The G-6 was followed by the Bf 109

G-14 powered by the DB 605 AM engine, using

100 octane C3 fuel. With the use of the MW 50

system that injected a mixture of methanol and

water into the engine cylinders, power output

could be boosted to 1,775 hp for a short time.

Production of the Bf 109 G-14 began at the Erla

works in Leipzig in July 1944 and ended in March

1945.

Bf 109 G-6/AS and G-14/AS

The replacement of the Bf 109 with more

modern fighters, anticipated for 1944, did not

happen before the end of the war. The Bf 209

under development failed and the project was

terminated. The Fw 190 A entered service as

early as 1941, but it was complex and expensive

to manufacture, so it was always in short supply.

Compared to the Bf 109 G, it also had worse

performance at higher altitudes. In August 1943,

at a meeting at the Reich Ministry of Aviation

(RLM), as part of the measures to ensure the

defense of the Reich, it was decided to continue

the development of the Bf 109 into the Bf 109 K

variant. It was assumed that the developed DB

605 D engine would be used to power the K, and

a 30mm MK 103 or MK 108 cannon would be its

armament. One of the requirements for the new

Bf 109 K stipulated the use of wood and steel in

the construction of the aircraft.

INFO Eduard

9