World War Photos

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The first prototype Bf 109 (with Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine) flew in September 1935, followed in 1936 and 1937 by subsequent prototypes fitted with the 610 hp Junkers Jumo 210A. Bf 109B-1 (635 hp Junhkers Jumo 210 D) had entered production to equip the Condor Legion in the Spanish Civil War, being joined later by the Bf 109C. Experience in this campaign led to further variations, particularly in armament, and in 1939, discarding the Bf 109D after only a small production batch, the Bf 109E entered quantity production, powered by the 1100 hp DB 601A and armed with two 20 mm. cannon and two 7,9 mm. machine guns. Soon replacing all earlier Bf 109 in Luftwaffe service, the Messerschmitt Bf 109E remained the standard single seat fighter for the first three years of the war. Heavy losses in the Battle of Britain and elsewhere, however, forced the German authorities to consider the adaptation of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 as a defensive fighter rather than an offensive one. The result was the Bf 109F (1200 hp DB 601N engine), which featured a much refined and more streamlined airframe and reduced armament, one 20 mm. cannon and two 7,9 mm. machine guns.
The next development, the Messerschmitt Bf 109G Gustav, first reported in the summer of 1942 in Russia and North Africa, was thereafter used extensively in all theatres until the capitulation, and was eventually produced in greater numbers than all the other Bf 109 versions put together. The Bf 109G-1 (1475 hp DB 605A engine) had a pressurised cockpit and an armament of one 20 mm. cannon and two 7.9 mm. machine guns. The Daimler-Benz DB 605D engine, giving 1800 hp with boost, was fitted to the Bf 109 G-5, which also introduced a modified fin and rudder.

The Bf109 G-6 was more heavily armed, with an engine- mounted 30 mm. MK 108 cannon, two 13 mm. nose machine guns and two 20 mm. cannon in underwing containers. Some Bf109 G-6 were used as rocket firing ground attack aircraft. The Bf 109G-8 was a photo-reconnaissance variant with reduced armament, and the designation Bf 109G-12 covered certain Bf109 G-1 airframes modified as trainers with two-seat cockpits. Later variants included the Bf 109H, a long-span high altitude project which did not enter service (being discarded in favour of the Ta 152H). The Messerschmitt Bf 109K, which was generally similar to the G except for minor structural changes, and which saw limited service.
Total production: 33984 aircrafts