HISTORY

Lt. Hermann Weber of 3./JG 4 in his Bf 109 G-2 “Yellow 5”, Mizil, Romania, summer 1943. Note the open acces door for the aircraft centroplane area.

[JG 4 Archive / Museum of Air Battle over the Ore Mountains]

Conclusion

The Bf 109 G-2 and G-4 were transitional types

in terms of production and development of the

Messerschmitt Bf 109. Their importance lay in

the successful adaptation of the airframe, initially modernized for the Bf 109F, to accept the

new, more powerful DB 605A engine. The Bf 109

G-4 essentially represented the production pattern and, really, the mass production pattern, of

the Bf 109 G-6 and other variants, such as the

Bf 109 G- 14 and later, the Bf 109 G-10. The quality of the airframe construction is evidenced

by the fact that the basic airframe remained

a platform for mounting more powerful engines

and weapons, while it changed only in peripheral

areas. The engine fairing changed depending on

the increase in the size of the compressor, the

rudder was enlarged to improve control of the

airplane, the wheel wells were widened as gov-

erned by subsequent enlargement of the tires,

which was a response to the increasing weight

of the aircraft due to the installation of heavier

weapons and various auxiliary systems, such

as the MW 50 and GM-1 booster systems. There

was a change to the canopy and cockpit armor,

where the aim was to improve ergonomics, the

view from the cockpit and better protection

for the pilot, and in the last months of the war

there were attempts to replace some structural units, typically the tail surfaces, with wooden

structures, which was a response to the overall

deteriorating supply chain situation and lack of

raw materials offered by the shrinking territory

controlled by the Third Reich. But the basis of

the airframe would remain the same, even in

the case of the last development version, the

Bf 109 K, where the most extensive design modi-

fications took place in the aforementioned areas.

But it was still, in modern terms, just a face lift.

The basis of the airframe remained the same as it

was fine tuned on the Bf 109 G-4.

The internal design changes and the overall fine-tuning of the airframe are probably the

reasons why the designation was changed from

Bf 109 G-2 to G-4. Other changes in the equipment

of the aircraft were not the reason for changing

the designation in the later period for the Bf 109

G-6. For the Bf 109 G-6, the differences in equipment and armament between individual production blocks were greater than that between the

G-2 and G-4, and yet, the Bf 109 G-6 still retained

its designation, even after the installation of the

DB 605AS engine. The change occurred only after

the installation of the DB 605D engine, when the

designation changed to Bf 109 G-10.

However, it is uncertain whether this is actually the case. In fact, the reason why the designation was changed from G-2 to G-4 is still somewhat shrouded in mystery.

The tail surfaces of Bf 109 G-2 W.Nr. 14638, flown by the commander of 2./JG 4 Oblt. Hans Wilhelm Schopper during winter of

1942/43. Most of the on rudder depicted 34 victories were won

before he joined JG 4, during combat in the ranks of II./Tr. 186

and III./JG 77. In addition to this aircraft, Schopper also flew the

Bf 109 G-2 “Black 1” in the background. [JG 4 Archive / Museum

of Air Battle over the Ore Mountains]

12

INFO Eduard

November 2023