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Bf 109 G-10
In the summer of 1944, deliveries began of
the DB 605D, in development since 1942, with
an automatic barometric supercharger rpm
control system, dictated by altitude. After
the initial DB 605DM and DMO were produced,
these engines were delivered in two main
versions. The DB 605DB was used with B4 fuel
in conjunction with the MW50 methanol water
injection system, and the DB 605DC, burning
96 octane C3 fuel, without the MW50 system
installed. Nevertheless, the DB 605DC had the
MW50 vents installed, enabling the conversion
of the DB 605DC to the DB 605DB and vice versa.
The DB 605D were installed exclusively with
the larger Fo 987 oil cooler, a larger, 54 litre oil
tank, and larger supercharger air intake.
Production of the Bf 109G-10 powered by
various models of the DB 605D, replaced the
Bf 109G-6/AS and G-14/AS in the fall of 1944.
A common feature of all Bf 109G-10s, besides
the aforementioned installation of some
version of the DB 605D and the associated
wider engine cowl (‘Horse’s Ass’), was the
installation of the larger Fo 987 oil cooler
instead of the original Fo 870 in the G-6/G-14,
larger ALF 907C wing radiators instead of
the original ALF 750Bs, larger supercharger
air intakes and VDM 9-12159 propeller. Also
common features were the simplified
Erlahaube canopy and tall fin. The Bf 109G-10
was manufactured at three facilities: Erla
Leipzig, Messerschmitt Regensburg and Wiener
neustadter Flugzeugwerke. The G-10 was to be
an interim aircraft, pending the production of
the modernized Bf 109K, also powered by the
DB 605D. In reality, the first G-10s did not begin
to arrive from Erla Leipzig at their intended
units until October, 1944, essentially at the
same time as the first Bf 109K-4s. But it should
be noted that Bf 109K-4 production remained
limited up to the end of the war, and essentially
was not initiated at Erla or WNF.
The genesis of the G-10 can be said to be
different for each of its three manufacturers,
and each of these three manufacturers tackled
production of the Bf 109 G-10 in a way that
corresponded to their abilities and prevailing
conditions. In this context, the shape of the
engine cowl is typical for each of the three
manufacturers. Both Messerschmitt and
WNF had similar units, yet the two factories
differed slightly in the shape of the large
side fairings above the supercharger and the
fuselage machine gun lugs. In contrast, the
Erla solution was significantly different, and
it can be said that it was aerodynamically
more refined and sophisticated, but with the
exception of the fairing on the right side of the
engine cowl. Typical of the Erla machines was
the left part of the upper engine cowl without
a visible, retrofitted riveted bulge, the absence
of fairings on the front bottom of the cowling,
and the traditionally longer gun troughs of the
fuselage machine guns.
The first to go into production was the Erla
G-10, which was entrusted the responsibility of
producing the Bf 109G-10 as a quick, temporary
replacement for the delayed Bf 109K-4 project.
Production at Erla began in September, 1944,
and 1709 aircraft were delivered in two
production blocks.
Messerscmitt produced 129 DB 605D
installations for the Bf 109G-14/AS reportedly
some in November and possibly even in
December. This was to catch up to the
production of Bf 109G-14/AS aircraft with
the DB 605D, and were basically the same
airframes with the 605D. Messerschmitt then
turned its attention to Bf 109 K-4 aircraft solely.
In December, 1944, production began of the
Bf 109G-10/U4 at WNF Diana. Production of
these aircraft came out of the mating of the
DB 605D with the Bf 109G-14/U4 airframe
then mounting the DB 605A, and became
somewhat of a peculiarity, differing from the
approach taken by Erla. The likely reason for
initiating production of their own version of
the Bf 1009G-10 instead of the Regensburg
K-4s, at the time already in production, was
the anticipated problems with startup of Bf
109K-4 manufacture under conditions brought
about by Allied bombings of the WNF facility.
There were issues with implementing all the
necessary changes required for the startup
of the new version, and with the co-ordination
of the supply chain from the various suppliers
that would be involved. To understand this
decision, it needs to be taken into account that,
of all the firms involved in Bf 109 manufacture,
the WNF plant was under the greatest pressure
from Allied bombings and was the closest to
the front. Production of the Bf 109 G-10 at WNF
was probably just shy of a thousand units, and
of that total, 650 Bf 109 G-10/U4 and 300 photo
reconnaissance Bf 109 G-10/R2s were built.
In all, 2600 Bf 109 G-10s were manufactured.
Bf 109 G-10/R6 Erla Production Blocks 150 xxx,
151 xxx, 490 xxx and 491 xxx
Erla Leipzig was entrusted with making
preparations for the change of manufacture
from the Bf 109G-6 to the G-10 as an interim
solution to the delay in Bf 109K-4 production
at Mtt. Regensburg. This was likely influenced
by the fact that Messerschmitt was fully
immersed in not only the design of the Bf 109
K, but especially on the completion of the
development of the Me 262 fighter and getting
into production. The new Bf 109G-10 from Erla
differed from the G-6/AS and G-14/AS visually
in the aerodynamic bulging of the engine
cowl on the left side, where the standard (for
the other versions of the G-10, G-14/As and
G-6/AS) characteristic large riveted bulge
was absent. The bulge on the right side of the
cowl also differed in form from the other two
manufacturers. It wasn’t as large, ended closer
to the longitudinal axis od the aircraft, and was
as smooth. In fact, the skin looked a bit ruffled,
lacked a certain elegance, and was in direct
contradiction of the aerodynamic finesse of
the rest of the cowl. Perhaps, it was one of
the items labeled as Bastardflugzeug, which
appeared in connection to the Bf 109 G-10
in the document Flugzeug-Baureihen Blatt
Bf 109, issued in August, 1944 by the offices
of TLT (Chef der Technischen Luftrustung).
The oil cooler was of the Fo 987 larger type,
with the specific Erla cover which was not as
deep as the other variations with this radiator.
Visually, the size of this unit lay between the
standard G-6 with an Fo 870 cooler and the
G-10 with the Fo 987 produced at WNF/Diana.
Aerodynamically, the entire bottom of the
engine cowl was clean, with no bulges under
the oil pumps in the nose, characteristic for the
G-10s produced at Mtt. Regensburg and WNF.
Typical for Erla was also the upper engine cowl
with longer gun troughs. Production began
with Production Block 490 130 to 490 399 (270
units of the Bf 109 G-10) in September, 1944, and
was followed by Block 490 400 to 490 799 in
Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-10 WNr. 491407, produced at the Erla factory, photographed in early 1945. This aircraft
belonged to 3a Squadriglia, 1o Gruppo Caccia. On March 17th, 1945, Capt. Cesare Marchesi crashed the plane
at the Ghedi base. (Photo: JaPo)
HISTORY
INFO Eduard
15
September 2024