World War II Database

1.  Bill says:
28 Aug 2010 12:26:50 PM

Messerschmitt Bf 109B Fighters armed with
four MG 17, 7.92mm machine guns, powered by
a Jumo 210Ga liquid-cooled engine.
The propeller was two-blade fixed-pitch.
Later on other Bf 109B's would be equipped
with the variable pitch propellers.

Of interest is the swastika being centered
between tail and rudder:
The red band and white circle, covering both
fin and rudder, were painted out leaving
the swastika in white trim.

2.  Bill says:
26 Sep 2010 06:34:32 PM

Did You Know...

10% of all Bf 109's lost, were due to takeoff
and landing accidents.
1,500 occurred between 1939 to 1941!

3.  Bill says:
16 Dec 2010 04:22:40 PM

Information on above photograph:

Messerschmitt Bf 109D-1 and C-3 of 1./ZG2
August 1939 at Gross-Stein Airfield

4.  Bill says:
16 Dec 2010 05:16:33 PM

Did you know...

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 made its public debut during the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Prototype V1 was flown, the first of over 33,000 Messerschmitt fighters.

THE MESSERSCHMITT "X" PLANES

During the Bf 109s development, Messerschmitt
converted a Bf 109F to be powered by a
BMW Radial-engine, the fuselage was modified
with a wider cross-section, cut down rear
fuselage and a new all-around bubble canopy
Development stopped in 1942.

The Bf 109X looked more like a racing plane
than fighter, with its slim fuselage, and
large BMW Radial-engine
Messerschmitt also coverted the 109 to be
powered by a Junkers Jumo 213 Liquid-cooled
engine, for evaluation but no aircraft were
ever produced, for the Luftwaffe.

5.  Bill says:
27 Jan 2011 07:05:10 PM

MESSERSCHMITT X" PLANES, SEA LEGS

Bf 109T TRAGERFLUGZEUG (Carrier Aircraft)

Designed for use aboard the German Aircraft Carrier Graf Zeppelin.
Seventy Bf 109s were built by Fieseler, and modified with tail hooks, catapult fittings,
folding wings with increased wing span and
structural strengthening.
After seven were built, the carrier project was cancelled the remaining 63 aircraft were built as T-2s without carrier equipment.
The fighters were armed w/2x7.92mm machine guns and 2x20mm cannons.
The surviving aircraft were used during the Norway operation.

MESSERSCHMITT BF 109Z ZWILLING (TWIN)

The Bf 109Z was an experimetal aircraft with
two Bf 109F fuselages together w/outer-wing panels, joined together with a center-wing
section and having a parallel chord tail section.
One prototype was built and was powered by
2xDB605A-1 liquid-cooled engines a proposed
variant would have been powered by Junkers
2xJumo liquid-cooled 213E engines.
Armament 5x30mm cannons, and able to double as a fighter-bomber.
the prototype never flew, it was damaged in
its hanger during a Allied air raid, the
projuct was abandoned in 1944.

6.  Bill says:
6 Oct 2015 05:11:20 PM

Messerschmitt Bf 109Ds Jagdgruppe 102 at Gross-Stein Luftwaffe Airfield unit later became
1./ZG2 that operated out of Bernburg Airfield under Luftflotte 1

AGING FIGHTERS:

After the Polish Campaign the Bf 109 C/Ds were withdrawn and replaced with Bf 109Es. Surviving fighters were assigned to training schools. The
Bf 109 C/Ds saw limited service with the Luftwaffe about 235 were in service in 1939 both the Bf 109C/DS were armed w/4 x 7.92mm machine guns, two MG17s in the wings and two MG17s mounted in the upper engine cowling

7. R.T. says:
18 May 2016 10:46:59 PM

Apparently the C model introduced projecting exhaust pipes and wing armament . The tail wheel of of the D model no longer had the support on the leg which the closest plane has . The C-2 experimented with an engine mounted cannon , the C-3 experimented with 20 mm MG/FF wing cannon both never made it into production . Looks like the Blackbird is making his rounds with what could be first aid kits .

8. R.T. says:
21 May 2016 09:36:09 PM

I noticed in another pic of the same day the number 11 fighter has no tail wheel support and what appear to be wing cannon . The cannon could be an optical illusion , if not it would be a rare D-1 with wing cannon . It seems sometimes newer models would have a hold over feature from the last model if the new model wasn't a radical change from its predecessor such as the E to F model , the tail wheel support being an example .