Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun
The German Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun , training and sports aircraft which would be used as the basis of the premiere German fighter plane of World War II, the Bf 109. In 1935, German aviatrix Elly Beinhorn established a name for herself and, quite literally, the Bf 108 when she flew a record setting endurance flight from Berlin to Constantinople and back (a distance of 2,230 miles) in one day. She christened the Bf 108A used in the flight “Taifun” (Typhoon), leading Messerschmitt to adopt the name for all subsequent production models of the aircraft.
Developing nation: Germany.
Manufacturer/designer: Bayerische Flugzeugwerke Messerschmitt/Willy Messerschmitt.
Number built: 885.
Type aircraft: Laison, trainer and sports aircraft.
First flight: June 1934.
First delivery: 1935.
Retired:1945, Luftwaffe.
Variants: Nord 1000, Nord Noralpha
Messerschmitt refined its design for the M 35 2-seat aerobatic plane into the M 37 (later re-designated the Bf 108) specifically for competition in the 4th Challenge de Tourisme Internationale of 1934. The M 37 prototype flew first in spring of 1934. Still a two-seat aircraft, it was powered by a 250hp Hirth HM 8U inverted-V piston engine, which drove a 3-blade propeller.
The 2-seat aircraft was impressive enough to promote the design’s evolution into a four-seat touring aircraft that was also well-suited for military communication, liaison and ambulance roles. Other changes incorporated in the Bf 108B included the replacement of a tailskid with a tailwheel, and a different powerplant, the 240 hp Argus As 8C inverted-V piston engine, which drove a 2-blade propeller. Most of the 885 Bf 108 aircraft manufactured were of this version, which was built first by Messerschmitt and later by Societe Nationale de Constructions Aeronautiques du Nord, in France, during and after the war.
Specifications (Bf 108B)
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 8.3 m (27 ft 2 in)
- Wingspan: 10.5 m (34 ft 5 in)
- Height: 2.3 m (7 ft 6 in)
- Wing area: 16 m² (172 ft²)
- Empty weight: 806 kg (1,775 lb)
- Loaded weight: 1,350 kg (2,976 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Argus As 10C air-cooled inverted V-8, 240 PS (174 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 305 km/h (190 mph)
- Range: 1,000 km (620 mi)
- Service ceiling: 6,200 m (20,300 ft) with 4 people and baggage
- Rate of climb: 5.21 m/s (1,194 ft/m) to 1,000 m (3,048 ft)
- Wing loading: 83.4 kg/m² (17.1 lb/ft²)
- Power/mass: 0.133 kW/kg (0.081 hp/lb)
All pictures courtesy of Zijde Aviation Photo and Publishing, Rob Vogelaar
Messerschmitt Me 163
The Messerschmitt Me 163 was as a research aircraft with rocket propulsion designed by Dr. Alexander M Lippisch.
Developing nation: Germany.
Manufacturer/designer: Bayerische Flugzeugwerke Messerschmitt/Dr. Alexander M Lippisch.
Production: .
Number built: 370.
Type aircraft: rocket-powered fighter aircraft.
First flight: 1 September 1941 Me 163 A V4 .
First delivery: May 1944.
Retired: 1945.
Developed from the Me 163A was the Me 163B, A single seat target defense fighter. It featured a constant 22.3 degrees of wing sweepback at quarter chord, lacked horizontal tail surfaces and utilized a jettisonable twin-wheel dolly for take off and a retractable skid for landing.
A total of six prototypes and 70 pre-series were ordered. The first prototype (Me 163B V1) was completed in April 1942, but it had to wait for the completion of the first HWK R II-211 rocket motor for it’s propulsion. The first flight with the rocket engine took place on June the 23rd 1943 (prototype Me 163B V2).
The HWK 509A-1 production rocket engine produced a max. thrust of 1700 kg for 7.5 minutes.
In May 1944 the Luftwaffe accepted it’s first Me 163B, unofficially it was called ‘Komet’ a total of 279 Me163′s were delivered, it was not very successful, 80 per cent suffered damage from take off or landing accidents and 15 per cent lost control in a dive or had fire onboard in the air. Over 300 planes were built, however the Komet proved ineffective as a fighter, having been responsible for the destruction of only about nine Allied aircraft.
Combat operations continued from May 1944 to spring 1945. During this time, there were nine confirmed kills with 14 Me 163s lost. Allied fighter pilots soon noted the short duration of the powered flight. They would wait, and when the engine died they would pounce on the unpowered Komet. However, the Komet was extremely manoeuvrable and could pull out of a turn much later than any Allied fighter. Another Allied method was to attack the fields the Komets operated from, and strafed them after the Me 163s landed.
Development of the Me 163C from the Me 163B with improved rocket engine that could last for 19 minutes started in January 1943, testing scheduled for August 1944 newer took place. No Me163C was ever completed or tested.
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 5.70 m (18 ft 8 in)
- Wingspan: 9.33 m (30 ft 7 in)
- Height: 2.75 m (9 ft 0 in)
- Wing area: 18.5 sq m (200 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 1,905 kg (4,200 lb)
- Loaded weight: 3,950 kg (8,710 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 4,310 kg (9,500 lb)
- Powerplant: 1? Walter HWK 109-509A-2 liquid-fuel rocket, 17 kN (3,800 lbf)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 1,060 km/h (596 mph)
- Range: 40 km (25 mi)
- Service ceiling: 12,100 m (39,700 ft)
- Rate of climb: 160 m/s (525 ft/s)
- Wing loading: 213 kg/sq m (43 lb/sq ft)
- Thrust/weight: 0.42
Armament
- Guns: *2 x 30 mm (1.18 in) Rheinmetall Borsig MK 108 cannons (60 rpg)
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt in the early 1930s. The Bf109 was developed to fulfill multiple tasks, serving as interceptor, bomber escort, fighter bomber, day-, night- all-weather fighter, bomber destroyer, ground-attack aircraft, and as reconnaissance aircraft.
Developing nation: Germany.
Manufacturer/designer: Bayerische Flugzeugwerke Messerschmitt/Willy Messerschmitt.
Production: 1937 – 1958 Hispano Aviacion Ha 1112 Buchon.
Number built: 33,984.
Type aircraft: Fighter.
First flight: 29 May 1935 D-IABI.
First delivery: 1937.
Retired:1945, Luftwaffe
1952, Yugoslavian Air Force
1954, Finnish Air Force
1965, Spanish Air Force.
The original was the Bf109 V1 made his first flight 29 May 1935, registered as D-IABI was the first was the first all metal stressed skin fighter that would enter service. The first Bf 109 prototype, the Bf-109V1 had a British Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine when it made its debut in September 1935.
The “Bf-109V2″ used a 455 kW (610 HP) Junkers Jumo 210A engine.
On 11 November 1937 the Bf 109 V13 flown by Messerschmitt’s chief pilot Dr. Hermann Wurster set a new world air speed record for landplanes with piston engines to 610.55 km/h (379.38 mph) and won the title for Germany for the first time.
By the time World War II began in 1939, the Luftwaffe had more than 1,000 Bf 109s in service.The advantage of the Spitfire and the Hurricane in individual combat with the Me 109 was that both British aeroplanes could out-turn the German, because the Me 109′s radius of turn was bigger. But the Bf 109was better in the initial climb and dive.
The Bf 109 was credited with more aerial kills than any other aircraft. One hundred and five Bf 109 pilots were credited with the destruction of 100 or more enemy aircraft. Thirteen of these men scored more than 200 kills, while two scored more than 300.
The Bf 109 was flown by the three top-scoring fighter aces of World War II: Erich Hartmann, the top scoring fighter pilot of all time claiming 352 victories, Gerhard Barkhorn with 301 victories, and Gunther Rall claiming 275 victories. All of them flew with Jagdgeschwader 52.
Messerschmitt exported thousands of Bf109s to Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Japan, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, the USSR and Yugoslavia. In addition, Spain’s Hispano company produced the Bf 109 under license beginning in 1945, calling it the HA-1109 Buchon single seater and HA-1110 and HA-1112 are duals.
The exact number of the world wide manufactured Bf 109 can only be estimated. A rough estimation would be 33,000. Original aeroplanes still preserved are rare and are normally shown as static exhibits in museums. Of German manufacturing there’s only one airworthy original aeroplane at the moment. Nearly all the airworthy aeroplanes originate from Spanish production and are partly reconverted to the German standard.
General characteristics
- Crew: One
- Length: 8.95 m (29 ft 7 in)
- Wingspan: 9.925 m (32 ft 6 in)
- Height: 2.60 m (8 ft 2 in)
- Wing area: 16.05 sq m (173.3 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 2,247 kg (5,893 lb)
- Loaded weight: 3,148 kg (6,940 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 3,400 kg (7,495 lb)
- Powerplant: 1x Daimler-Benz DB 605A-1 liquid-cooled inverted V12, 1,475 PS (1,455 hp, 1,085 kW)
- Propellers:VDM 9-12087 three-bladed light-alloy propeller propeller
- Propeller diameter: 3 m ()
Performance
- Maximum speed: 640 km/h (398 mph) at 6,300 m (20,669 ft)
- Cruise speed: 590 km/h (365 mph) at 6,000 m (19,680 ft)
- Range: 850 km (528 mi) 1,000 km (621 mi) with droptank
- Service ceiling: 12,000 m (39,370 ft)
- Rate of climb: 17.0 m/s (3,345 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 196 kg/sq m (40 lb/sq m)
- Power/mass: 344 W/kg (0.21 hp/lb)
Armament
- Guns:
- 2 x 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine guns with 300 rounds per gun
- 1 x 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon as Motorkanone with 200 rpg. G-6/U4 variant: 1 x 30 mm (1.18 in) MK 108 cannon as Motorkanone with 65 rpg
- 2 . 20 mm MG 151/20 underwing cannon pods with 135 rpg (optional kit – Rastsatz VI)
- Rockets: 2 x 21 cm (8 in) Wfr. Gr. 21 rockets (G-6 with BR21)
- Bombs: 1 x 250 kg (551 lb) bomb or 4 x 50 kg (110 lb) bombs or 1x 300 litres (79 USgal)
All pictures courtesy of Zijde Aviation Photo and Publishing, Rob Vogelaar