Messerschmitt Bf-109F-K PDF

Book Design by Ian Robertson.
Copyright © 1999 by Willy Radinger & Wolfgang Otto.

Library of Congress Catalog Number: 99-066588
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Contents
6 Dedication
7 Foreword
8 Introduction
14 Bf 109 F-1 and F-2
16 High speed trials
19 Bf 109 F-4
20 Testing of underwing armament
23 The Bf 109 Gustav series
33 The Bf 109 H high-altitude fighter
35 Bf 109 K
39 Bf 109 L
40 Me 109 Z/Me 609
42 Preliminary experiments for the Me 209
43 The Messerschmitt Regensburg factory, aircraft production Bf 109 G
50 Color section
65 Photo section
151 Trials with 660 x 150 wheels

Dedication
I was associated with the Bf 109 from 1938. At first I continued working on the
the first stroke of the pen until (he test variable-pitch propellers, but I also con-
flights to determine its terminal diving ducted individual and endurance trials with
speed. And this is how it happened: after these. Because of this the management
my final examination as a machine con- moved me to the flight test department as
struction engineer in 1931 and my subse- an engineer-pilot. Since I had amassed a
quent employment in a textile machine fac- large number of hours testing propellers,
tory, in 1934 I moved to the Bayerische virtually all of the flight tests associated
Flugzeugwerke at Augsburg-Haunstetten. with the development of this type were giv-
There I was initially employed in the de- en to me. Through these many and varied
sign bureau, "wing department." under the missions I came into intimate contact with
direction of Dipl.-Ing. Robert Prause. It the Bf 109 and its variants. Approximately
was there that I first came into contact with 80% of all my flights were in the Bf 109. As
the Bf 109. which was then being worked well. I made similar test flights with the Bf
on under Project Number P 1034. Among 108 (propeller), Bf 110, Me 210, Me 309,
other things I designed the wing cutouts for Me 410, and toward the end of the war also
the retractable main undercarriage. Then in the twin-engined Me 262 jet.
from 1937 I was active as group leader in I remember one test flight, which will
the preparation bureau, where I was in- be the subject of its own chapter, especially
volved exclusively with the development well: determining the terminal dive veloci-
of the Messerschmitt variable-pitch propel- ty of the Bf 109 (G-series). Carrying out
ler (Me P 6, Me P 7, Me P 2). From October this task was the high point of my flying
1937 up to and including June 1938 I activities in general, and with the Bf 109 in
earned my military pilot's license at the particular.
"Flight Practice Station Munich-Oberwie- I wish this Bf 109 book many readers,
senfeld." especially younger ones who have grown
Back to Messerschmitt — the BFW up in the "jet age," so that they might gain
GmbH became the Messerschmitt AG in some idea of what "propeller flying" was
like back then.
Augsburg, 12 June 1996

Lukas Schmid
6
Foreword
The first volume on the early versions years and were built in such a plethora of
of the legendary Bf 109 has proved very variants, and the development potential of
popular with readers. Now the second vol- the basic Bf 109 concept of 1935 is aston-
ume on the Bf 109 F to K plus several spe- ishing. But, as the Allies introduced newer,
cial developments up to the preliminary ex- more potent fighters during the course of
periments for the Me 209 record-breaking the Second World War the limits of the Bf
machine and the Me 309. Messersehmitt's 109 became increasingly apparent. Never-
last propeller-driven fighter, is ready. This theless, it must be acknowledged that Willy
volume, too. concentrates on the technical Messerschmitt had created a ground-
aspects and testing of this remarkable air- breaking design in the Bf 109. The Bf 109
craft. is one of the most interesting and important
First several comments on type desig- aircraft in aviation history. This is under-
nation: since this aircraft was created by lined by the fact that several air forces, in-
the Bayerischen Flugzeugwerke, it was cluding those of Czechoslovakia. Spain.
designated the Bf 109. In 1938 the Bay- and Israel, used the Bf 109 with great suc-
erischen Flugzeugwerke became the Mess- cess in the postwar period.
erschmitt AG, however, the earlier designa- Co-author of this volume is Herr Wolf-
tion continued to be widely used. However, gang Otto, who carefully evaluated the ex-
the designation Me 109 also came into use. tensive original sources and documents.
including in official documents, and it My thanks also go to Herr Dieter Herwig.
became very popular, especially outside who made available many photographs and
Germany. For reasons of simplicity, in this technical material. This book is enriched —
book all series are identified as Bf 109. as was the first volume — by the outstand-
while the subsequent new developments ing drawings of Günter Sengfelder. In se-
are designated Me 209 and Me 309. lecting the photos and proof-reading the
The Bf 109 F to K were the most po- book I was again able to rely on the support
tent versions of this successful standard of Hanfried Schliephake, whom I would
Luftwaffe fighter. Few other fighters re- like to thank most sincerely at this point.
mained in production for more than ten I hope that this volume, too, will find
much interest among readers.
Willy Radinger
Auagburg, October 1998
7
Introduction
Bf 109 Bf 109 F to K List of Variants

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 in its many ver- Organized according to Type
sions and prototypes from "Friedrich" to Compared to the Bf 109 E, the Bf 109 F
"Konrad." was much improved in terms of aerody-
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is one of namics. To achieve this the entire aircraft,
the most significant designs produced by including the wing, was redesigned.
the German aviation industry.
Designed by Willy Messerschmitt, its Bf 109 F-01 V21 D-IFKQ; CE + BN
basic design was adapted to accept engines Werk-Nr. 5602
with outputs of 600 to 2,000 H.P. during its Bf 109 F-02 V22 D-IRRQ; CE + BO
production life and achieved speeds from Werk-Nr. 1800
450 kph to 720kph. Bf 109 F-03 V23 CE + BP
Werk-Nr. 5603
Bf 109 F-04 V24 VK+AB
Werk-Nr. 5604
Bf 109 F-0 10 pre-production machines

Motor: DB 601 N
Armament: 2 MG 17,1 MG FF/M (motor cannon)
Radio equipment: FuG VIIa R/T
Supercharger air intake of "Emil" variant.
Werknummer blocks from 5605 to 5620, all built
at Regensburg.
Bf 109 F-1 Surviving specification from 16 June 1941

Motor: DB 601 N
Armament: 2 MG 17,1 MG FF/M (motor cannon)
Radio equipment: FuG VIIa
First version with larger supercharger air intake
(more aerodynamic)
Bf 109 F-2 Surviving specification from 16 June 1941

Motor: DB 601 N
Armament: 2 MG 17,1 MG 151/15 (motor cannon)
Werknummer blocks from 5758 beginning in
March 1942
8
Bf 109 F-2/B Fighter-bomber version of the F-2
Motor: DB 601 N
ETC 250 bomb rack
Bf 109 F-2/Z Surviving specification from 18 September 1941

Motor: DB 601 N
Armament: 2 MG 17,1 MG 151/15 {motor cannon)
GM 1 system installed
Bf 109 F-2/trop Surviving specification

Motor: DB 601 N 1,175 H.P. for takeoff at 2,600 rpm
Armament: 2 MG 17, 1 MG 15 1/15 (motor cannon)
Sand filter in front of supercharger air intake. Tropical equipment
such as rifle, rations, water, flare pistol
Bf 109 F-3 Project only

Motor: DB 601 E, 1,350 H.P. for takeoff
Bf 109 F-4 Fighter

Bf 109 F-4/B Fighter-bomber equipment

Bf 109 F-4/trop Fighter

Sand filter in front of supercharger air intake.
Tropical equipment such as rifle, rations, water,
flare pistol
Bf 109 F-4/Z F-4 with GM 1 system

9
Bf 109 F-4/R1 Bomber destroyer with underwing armament
(1 MG 151/20 beneath each wing)
Motor: DB 601 E 1,350 H.P. for takeoff
Bf 109 F-4/R6 ETC rack for 295-l drop tank or 1 SC 250 bomb or with
ER 4 adapter 4 SC 50 bombs
Armament: 2 MG 17, 1 MG 151/20 (motor cannon)
Bf 109 F-4/B Reconnaissance version, existed only as prototype

Motor: DB 601 E 1,350 for takeoff
Armament: 2 MG 17
Rb 20/30 mounted in fuselage
Bf 109 F-6 Reconnaissance version of the F-4, existed only as prototype

Armament: none
Rb 20/30, Rb 50/30, Rb 75/30 mounted in fuse-
lage behind the cockpit. The only existing "F-6"
was Galland's personal machine with additional
armament of 2 x MG/FF
Bf 109 G-0 VJ + WA 12 prototypes
Bf 109 G-1 Light fighter with pressurized cockpit, data sheet from 8 March 1943
Motor: DB 605 A
Armament: 2 MG 17 and 1 MG 151/20
Radio equipment: FuG VIIa + XXV
Bf 109 G-1/R2 Light fighter with pressurized cockpit, data sheet from 8 March 1943
Motor: DB 605 A
No underwing armament, no head or back armor,
no light metal armor, no protected tanks, no
bombs or drop tank
Bf 109 G-1/U2 Light fighter with pressurized cockpit and GM 1

Data sheet from 8 March 1943
Motor: DB 605 A
Radio equipment: FuG 16Z
Equipped weight: 2600 kg
10
Bf 109 G-2 Light fighter without pressurized cockpit,
data sheet from 8 March 1943
Motor: DB 605 A
Armament: 2 MG 17 and 1 MG 151 /20
Bf 109 G-2/R2 Reconnaissance aircraft with Rb 50/30, data sheet from 8 March 1943
Motor: DB 605 A
Armament: 2 MG 17 and I MG 151/20
Bf 109 G-3 Light fighter with pressurized cockpit, data sheet from 8 March 1943
Motor: DB 605 A
Armament: 2 MG 17 and 1 MG 151 /20
Built in small numbers (50 examples)
Bf 109 G-4 Light fighter without pressurized cockpit, data sheet from 8 March 1943
Motor: DB 605 A
Bf 109 G-4/R2 Reconnaissance aircraft with RB 50/30 no pressurized cockpit

Motor: DB 605 A
1 x 300-l drop tank
Bf 109 G-4/R3 Armed reconnaissance aircraft with Rb 50/30, no pressurized cockpit,

data sheet from 8/3/43
Motor: DB 605 A
Armament: 1 MG 151/20
Equipped weight: 2 595 kg
2 x 300-l drop tanks and additional 15-l oil tank in
place of MG 17 ammunition boxes
11
Bf 109 G-4/U1 Light fighter with braking propeller,
Motor: DB 605 A
P6 braking propeller and steerable tailwheel for
braked landings
Bf 109 G-4/U3 Tactical reconnaissance aircraft without pressurized cockpit,

Motor: DB 605 A
Armament: none
Radio equipment: FuG 17
With 2 x Rb 12.5/7x9 cameras
Bf 109 G-5 Light tighter with pressurized cockpit; converted from G-6,
Motor: DB 605 A
Bf 109 G-5/U2 Light fighter with pressurized cockpit.

Motor: DB 605 A + GM 1 system
as per G-5

Motor: DB 605 A
Bf 109 G-6/R2 Reconnaissance aircraft with Rb 50/30, data sheet from 8 March 1943
Motor: DB 605 A
Armament: none
Bf 109 G-6/R3 Armed reconnaissance aircraft with Rb 50/30,

Motor: DB 605 A
12
Bf 109 G-6/R6 Heavy fighter with underwing MG 151/20 armament
Motor: DB 605 A
Equipped weight: 2610kg
2 x MG 151/20 in underwing gondolas
Bf 109 G-6/U1 Light fighter with braking propeller.

Motor: DB 605 A
Equipped weight: 2600 kg with P6 braking propeller and steerable
tailwheel for braked landings
Bf 109 G-6/U3 Tactical reconnaissance aircraft without pressurized cockpit,

Motor: DB 605 A
Equipped weight: 2695 with 2 x Rb 12.5/7 x 9 cameras

Motor: DB 605 A
Armament: none
(as G-6/U3 but new-build aircraft)
Bf 109 G-10 Light fighter without pressurized cockpit

Motor: DB 605 AS/D/D-2/DC/DB
Armament: 2MG 131 and 1 MG 151/20, in some cases MK 108
Radio equipment: FuG 25
Equipped weight: 2600 kg or greater, depending on equipment
Bf 109 G-12 Two-seat training aircraft, conversions of single-seat machines

Motor: DB 605 A/AS and others
Armament: usually removed
Radio equipment: FuG 16Z and RB10-A intercom
Equipped weight: from 2550 kg
Bf 109 G-14 Light fighter without pressurized cockpit

Motor: DB 605 AM/AS
Armament: 2 MG 131 and 1 MG 151/20, in some cases MK 108
Radio equipment: FuG 25, in some cases 16ZY
Equipped weight: from 2600 kg depending on equipment
13
Bf 109 F-1 and F-2
Compared to the earlier Bf 109 E, the pennage attachment points. These were
Bf 109 F was much improved aerodynami- necessary because of tail nutter at high
cally. The entire engine section was rede- speeds, which usually resulted in structural
signed. The propeller spinner was enlarged failure. Power plant was the DB 601 N.
and now blended smoothly into the entirely which, with a displacement of 33.91 and a
new engine cowling. Including spinner, compression ratio of 1 : 8.2/8.5 (left/right),
hub. blades, and blade mounts, the three- developed a maximum output of 1,175 H.P.
blade VDM 9-11207 propeller used for the Maximum revolutions for takeoff/emer-
Bf 109 F-1 and F-2 weighed 138 kg. This gency power were 2600 for a maximum of
propeller underwent further development, three minutes at a boost pressure of 1.35
resulting in broader blades and a reduced ata. Resulting fuel consumption was 215 to
diameter of 3 meters from the F-4 version. 225 g/PSh. Reduction gearing was 1:1.55.
Furthermore, the entire wing was rede- The Bf 109 F-1 weighed 2 0 1 5 kg
signed, the most obvious change being the empty, all-up weight in the fighter role was
new elliptical wingtips. The wing radiators 2762 kg. in the fighter-bomber role with 1
were shallower and set farther back on the x 250 kg bomb 3 041 kg. and in the fighter
wing. role with a 295-1 drop tank 3 026 kg. The
The split flaps located behind the radi- empty weight of the Bf 109 F-2 was exactly
ators were thermostatically controlled. As the same as that of the Bf 109 F-1. All-up
before, dihedral was 6° 32'. The second weight in the fighter role was 2,795 kg, and
mean chord was 1 732 mm. The entire in the fighter-bomber role with 1 x 250 kg
aerodynamic win area was 16 m2 with the bomb 3073 kg.
landing flaps accounting for 2 x 0.522 m2, These weights were applicable for
the radiator flaps 2 x 0.4 m2 and the leading Load Class H4. For the fighter role only,
edge slats 2 x 0.311 m2. The surface area of 2820 kg was the maximum allowable gross
the ailerons was 2 x 0.387 m2. weight for Load Class 5. For all other oper-
The undercarriage used VDM 8-2787- ational roles the maximum allowable gross
05 oil-damped oleos, each filled with 1.1 weight was 3100 kg for Load Class H4.
liters of "shock-absorber fluid green." At Wing loading was 176.2 kg/m2 at 2820 kg
650 x 150, wheel size was the same as on and 193.75 kg/m2 at 3100 kg. Power-to-
the "Emil." The tailwheel, on an EC or weight ratio was 2.76 kg/H.P. at 2820 kg
Kronprinz hub, was fitted with a 290 x 110 and 3.03kg/H.P. at 3100 kg.
lire. Another obvious change was the dele- The power-to-weight ratio improved
tion of the bracing struts for the horizontal at an altitude of 4800 meters at an output of
stabilizer. While this was an obvious aero- 1050 H.P. to 2.68 kg/H.P. (at 2820 kg) and
dynamic improvement, there were static 2.95 kg/H.P. If the transmitter or receiver
problems. was removed, trim weights of 10 or 8 kg
As a result of the aircraft's increased respectively had to be fitted in its place.
performance and following several crash- Maximum speed in level flight at ground
es, external stiffeners, so-called reinforcing level was 530 kph. Pilots were warned not
strips, were fitted externally over the em- to exceed the maximum allowable airspeed
14
of 750 kph, as this would overstress the air- the propeller disc and one unsynchronized
frame. This was not always possible in air MG 151/20 firing through the propeller
combat, since no altitude-compensating hub. This "light" total armament came un-
airspeed indicator was installed, and there- der much criticism, especially from Adolf
fore the true airspeed based on height could Galland.
not be determined exactly. As a result, there The result was a so-called special con-
were repeated crashes not due to enemy ac- version with an additional MG/FF cannon
tion. As a result of demands from the front- in each wing, similar to the installation
line units, trials were resumed to determine used in the Bf 109 E-3. This machine was
the aircraft's maximum diving speed. Ar- supposedly designated the F-6/U. In terms
mament was limited to two MG 17 ma- of handling characteristics the Bf 109 F
chine-guns synchronized to fire through was probably the most capable version of
the Bf 109.
15
High-Speed Trials
Initial high-speed trials were carried An ejection seat was installed, and lat-
out by the E-Stelle Rechlin, by Heinrich er aileron deflection was reduced to 50 per-
Beauvais, among others. Later, after pro- cent of normal. The machine was subse-
tests by Ernst Udet in June 1941 (two let- quently brought to the flight test depart-
ters to Messerschmitt personally), these tri- ment for installation of the necessary in-
als were handed back to the Messerschmitt strumentation. This included an automatic
company's test pilots. camera for photographing the instrument
This was probably due to the prevail- panel and two ASKANIA recorders for air-
ing opinion in the RLM that the manufac- speed and altitude. The first factory test
turer should determine an aircraft's maxi- flights now took place.
mum speed. An accident on 17 July 1938 The following is Lukas Schmid's de-
involving Dr. Jodlbauer (vertical crash) and scription of his experiences:
the near crash of Heinrich Baeuvais in "On 29 January all was ready, it was
early 1941 undoubtedly played a part in time to carry out the first diving flight. Karl
this decision. Bauer thought that, having already carried
At first Messerschmitl shelved this out the factory test flights, that I should
theme and nothing happened. The existing also begin the next phase. During the first
do-not-exceed speed of Bf 109 variants to flights I climbed to an altitude of 7 000 to 8
date was in the area of 750 kph at all 000 meters. At the very outset it proved im-
heights. But after the front-line units expe- possible to trim the horizontal stabilizer for
rienced an increase in accidents, for exam- pull-out. It turned out that the grease used
ple, 20 within a two-month period, the in- to lubricate the horizontal stabilizer adjust-
vestigation into maximum speed had to be ing jack could not withstand the cold and
resumed. froze in temperatures of -30 to -40 de-
From Willy Messerschmitt came the grees. This was surely the cause of many of
personal message: "The terminal diving the reported accidents. Cold-proof grease
speed of the Bf 109 is to be determined." was immediately specified for the front-
Therefore, from January to March 1943 so- line units.
called "high-speed stress analysis experi- With the stabilizer trim now in order. 1
ments" were carried out. These experi- conducted a test flight to find a stabilizer
ments were conducted by test pilot Lukas position in which the elevator control force
Schmid using Bf 109 F-2 Werknummer was manageable; this position was limited
9228, code TH + TF. The aircraft under- by a stop.
went minor modifications in preparations As speed was increased — I was in the
for the experiments. area between 850 and 890 kph — an aileron
16
also received no bonus for these risky time when a bread roll cost 3 Pfennigs, that
flights. Such bonuses were standard. For was a lot of money."
example, I received 3,000 Reichsmarks for As a result of the lessons learned in
a diving flight in a Bf 109 with wooden tail these trials the entire vertical tail, including
assembly to 850 kph and a 6 g pull-out. the rudder, was heightened by 135 mm.
Hermann Wurster received 10.000 Reichs- Both metal and wooden versions of the
marks for the first flight in the Bf 110. At a larger vertical fin and rudder were intro-
duced.
18
Bf 109 F-4
The next variant, the Bf 109 F-4, en- kg. The highest permissible gross weight in
tered service in June 1941. It used the re- Load Class H5 was 2870 kg. For the ex-
vised VDM 9-12010 three-blade propeller, tended-range version only Load Class H4
whose diameter had been reduced to 3 at 3123 kg was allowable. The GM-1 sys-
meters. Total weight, including blades, tem was installed in the Bf 109 F-4/Z. This
blade mounts, and spinner was 132.6 kg. system increased engine output above the
Externally the F-4 was similar to the F-2, engine's rated altitude.
however, a new Daimler-Benz engine us- This increase in performance was
ing Pz.Art.Rgt. BR fuel was installed. achieved by injecting so-called laughing
This was the DB 601 E which pro- gas (oxygen carrier) prior to the super-
duced 1,350 H.P. for takeoff or emergency charger. As a result, a short-term perfor-
power at 2,700 rpm at 1.42 ata. Output was mance increase could be achieved for a
initially restricted to 1,200 H.P. at 2,500 maximum of ten minutes. The system was
rpm. During production changes were installed in the wing between nose ribs 6
made to the supercharger air intake. This and 8, The fluid was contained either in
was made larger in diameter and more tear- eight so-called LUTZ bottles or in two cir-
drop shaped. The fighter's empty weight cular tanks. Weight of the fluid was either
rose to 2086 kg. Gross weight was 2860 34 or 42 kg. Total weight of the system was
46 and 75 kg.
19
Testing of Underwing Armament
The weak basic armament of the Bf to the drum and ammunition feed, as well
109 made it necessary to increase firepow- as the installation of a guide tray on the
er for the anti-bomber role. One Bf 109 F-4 feed side of the weapon, it performed satis-
was therefore equipped with Rüstsätze factorily on the test stand. When installed
(equipment sets). Bad weather prevented in the aircraft, however, new problems
the machine from being ferried to Tarne- arose. With the left weapon the belt kinked
witz for firing trials, however. Consequent- before reaching the weapon, while with the
ly, the equipment sets had to be sent there right the empty belt failed to disintegrate.
by rail. They were then installed on These problems were eliminated after
Werknummer 7449. The first static firing modifications to the feed chute. The first
trials also produced the first problems, air firing trials were carried out on 24
such as belts breaking. After modifications March 1942. During the course of these
Testing of Underwing Armament

Air firing with 2 x MG 151/20 W.Nr. 13149
Dale: Flight No Ammo load Left weapon Right weapon Remarks

L R
28/5/42 1 135/135 belt j a m normal
after 60 shots
29/5/42 2 135/135 empty belt jam normal left spent belt chute
after 80 shots modified
30/5/42 3 135/135 belt kinked normal left belt feed reset
30/5/42 4 135/135 normal normal
30/5/42 5 135/135 normal normal
31/5/42 6 135/135 normal normal
31/5/42 7 135/135 normal normal
31/5/42 8 135/135 normal double load

after 95 shots
01/6/42 9 135/135 normal normal
01/6/42 10 135/135 weapon failure normal

(extractor)
02/6/42 11 135/135 normal normal
02/6/42 12 135/135 double load normal

after 116 shots
02/6/42 13 135/135 normal normal
02/6/42 14 135/135 normal normal
02/6/42 15 135/135 normal normal
20
trails new problems arose which at first tion standard and introduction of the
could not be identified. Sixty flights were changes into production. The four aircraft
required to identify the cause of the irregu- were converted during the period from 11
lar stoppages, namely failure of the empty to 16 May 1942. Since the unit was about to
belts to disintegrate. be transferred to the front, air firing trials
The end of the belt hanging from the could only be carried out with one service
ejection chute was seized by the slipstream aircraft.
and pulled so forcefully from the weapon The modifications were subsequently
that it was no longer able to function prop- applied to Werknummer 13149 (E-Stelle
erly. A horizontal extension was therefore Tarnewitz), and leather flaps were installed
applied to the spent belt ejector chute. As a on the spent belt and shell chutes to keep
result of this arrangement the empty belt out sand and dust. The flaps were closed on
could no longer be immediately seized by the ground during takeoff and landing and
the slipstream and was better able to disin- were only opened during firing by the spent
tegrate. During the course of subsequent shell casings or belt links. After being fer-
testing at Rechlin four aircraft were fitted ried to Tarnewitz. Werknummer 13149 was
with these modifications. Of a total of 27 used for firing trials with the MG 151/20 in
air firing tests, 16 were completed with no various flight altitudes. A minor modifica-
stoppages of the left weapon and 17 with tion to the spent belt chute near the weapon
none of the right weapon. On the basis of almost completely eliminated the jamming
these results the aircraft were ferried to of spent belts, which was still a problem,
Wiener-Neustadt for conversion to produc- and the system was deemed reliable
enough for installation.
Air firing with 2 x MG 151/15

Date: Flight no. Ammo load Left weapon Right weapon Remarks
05/6/42 1 135/135 belt jammed normal flight aborted

after 12 shots
05/6/42 2 100/100 spent belt normal

blockage
05/6/42 3 100/100 normal normal
05/6/42 4 100/100 gun stoppage normal

after 60 shots
05/6/42 5 100/100 normal normal
12/6/42 6 100/100 belt jammed normal

after 65 shots
12/6/42 7 100/100 normal normal
12/6/42 8 100/100 normal normal
12/6/42 9 100/100 normal normal
12/6/42 10 100/100 normal normal

ejector broke
after 90 shots
The ammunition supply for one MG 151/20 is 135 rounds.

It takes two men ten minutes to load the weapon.
The weight of the armament equipment set is: without ammunition 158 kg, with ammunition 208 kg.
Trajectory chart Bf 109 F-4/R1 and Bf 109 G.
21
The installation of a continuous belt At a range of 100 m with 21 rounds
rack in the drum in place of the previous fired, the shot pattern of the MG 151/20
cartridge holder spring made loading much was 60 x 39 cm for the left weapon and 48 x
easier and ensured a problem-free ammu- 49 cm for me right weapon. The final phase
nition feed. Further problems arose during of testing was cold trials at minus 60 de-
trials with 15-mm ammunition, for exam- grees. Problems were again encountered,
ple, jamming of the ammunition in the for example, belts breaking, which were at-
drum on account of its smaller diameter, tributable to roughness of the drum.
caused by the limited radius of the ammu- Following modifications (drum open-
nition belt. The problem was eliminated by ing enlarged, inner drum wall thinned, etc.)
loading just 100 rounds per drum and tak- and checking with a tolerance belt the
ing particular care in installation. (The weapon functioned satisfactorily. As a re-
drum had to be shaken to prevent the am- sult, it was determined that: "The MG 151/
munition from piling up.) 20 wing gondola armament performs satis-
factorily."
22
The Bf 109 Gustav Series
The G-series, or Gustav, was a further lems with the pressurized cockpit made se-
development of the F-series. It seemed that ries production impossible at that time,
all development possibilities had already however, and this version was built in sev-
been exhausted with the Bf 109 F. Then, at eral small batches. Production began at Re-
the end of December 1941, the new DB gensburg in November 1941. Twenty ma-
605 A became available. This power plant chines were also built by Erla (Leipzig).
was first installed in the G-1, while the Bf The standard power plant was the DB 605
109 G-0 pre-production series was pow- A using B4 (87 octane) fuel. The engine's
ered by the DB 601 E. compression ratio was 1 : 7.3/7.5.
Designed in 1940, the DB 605 was a Takeoff and emergency power of
logical development of the DB 605 A 601 1,475 H.P. was achieved with 1.42 ata of
E. The most significant difference was an boost at 2,800 rpm. This output was initial-
increase in displacement from 33.9 liters to ly banned by VT-Anw.Nr.2206 and was not
35.7 liters through boring out the cylinders. reinstated until 8 June 1943 when Daimler-
plus an increase in compression from 7.2 to Benz issued a technical directive. Gearing
7.5. The resulting performance of the DB ratio was 1 : 1.685. Engine weight was
605 A was 1475 H P. for takeoff at 1.42 at- 700kg plus 3 percent.
mospheres of boost. The main undercarriage used engine
The initial installation of this engine cowling wheels with channel rims for the
produced some cooling problems, which 650 x 150 tires. Until December 1942
resulted in the first of the so-called "bulg- (when the G-4 was introduced) the tail-
es" which were to become synonymous wheel was fitted with an EC flat rim with a
with the Gustav. These were intake scoops 290 x 110 tire.
to provide cooling air for the ejector ex- The propeller was a three-blade VDM
hausts and spark plugs. 9-12087 A variable-pitch type with a diam-
The scoops were installed on both eter of 3 meters. Pitch control was either
sides of the engine cowling and were rivet- "electro-mechanical"" (automatic) or "man-
ed to the metal skinning over the oil tank. ual-electric" using a thumb-switch on the
Much larger bulges appeared later, the throttle lever.
result of larger wheels and. from the G-5. The basic 12 o'clock position on the
the replacement of the MG 17 by the MG pilch indicator equated to a blade angle of
131 machine-gun. 25 degrees. This pilch indicator in the
cockpit was fitted with an analogue clock.
Bf 109 G-1 Takeoff position was 11:45.
The Bf 109 G-1 was designed as a light
fighter with a pressurized cockpit. Prob-
23
Original Extract: Flight Performance
Altitude Max. speed Climb speed Time lo climb Climb rate
True Indicated
km kph kph kph min./sec. m/sec
0 525 525 280 - 21

1 544 517 280 0/47 21
2 563 510 280 1/35 21
3 583 502 280 2/24 19.8
4 602 492 280 3/16 18.6
5 622 482 280 4/11 17.4
6 642 470 280 5/14 15.8
7 649 452 280 6/23 13.3
8 648 424 275 7/46 10.9
9 643 398 270 9/36 8.3
10 630 367 265 11/54 6.0
11 609 332 260 15/41 3.5
12 555 280 255 24/02 1.0
The performance figures shown are based on battle and climb power, or 2.600 rpm, 1.3 ata of boost. At
present the DB 605 A is not cleared for takeoff and emergency power.
For effect of bombs, tanks and underwing weapons on speed see range table.
Maximum boost altitude at full throttle, horizontal flight 6.4 km

Maximum boost altitude in climb 5.7 km
Takeoff run to height of 20 m, normal 585 m
Takeoff run to height of 20 m, with bomb 740 m
Landing run from height of 20 m, normal braking 770 m
Bf 109 G-3 branch installed a metal fairing between

Only fifty examples of the G-3 were built at the fuselage and the drop tank. Flight tests
Regensburg during the period from Janu- conducted by Fritz Wendel with Bf 109
ary to February 1943. It was similar in de- Werknummer 15939 revealed serious static
sign to the G-1 and was fitted with a pres- instability about the vertical axis, both in
surized cockpit. Like the G-1. it could be high and low speed flight.
identified by the air scoop on the left side A modified version of the fairing was
of the engine cowling above the super- supposed to be tested in an attempt to over-
charger air intake. Radio equipment con- come this instability. Finally, after various
sisted of a FuG 16Z in place of the earlier experiments, a metal streamer was welded
FuG VIIa. onto the fairing, which was attached to the
Equipped weight for the fighter role, underside of the fuselage by a bolt at its
which did not include the pilot, fuel, and rear upper end and to the rear end of the
ammunition, was 2545 kg. On the whole, lank by means of a clamping ring. The ma-
performance was similar to that of the G-1. chine test flown with this modified fairing
displayed full stability about the vertical
More Directionally-Stable axis.
300-1 Drop Tank Testing took place between 16 August
For drag-reduction experiments with the and 16 September 1943, however, the mod-
300-1 drop tank the FAV performance ified tank was never introduced into ser-
vice.
24
Trials with Fixed Rudder Trim Tabs Nabern (WHN) with 1.5-mrn skinning be-
Rudder ineffectiveness at small deflections tween Ribs 2 and 6; and third, the wooden
had an unfavorable effect on firing passes elevator built by the DEAG Firm of But-
and aiming corrections. This led in early schowitz with 1-mm skinning between
June 1944 to the testing of so-called "bent Ribs 4 and 6. plus wooden elevators by
rudder tabs." Werknummer 110039 served WHN of the same type as those made by
as a test-bed, and in several practice gun- DEAG. The control surfaces made by the
nery flights it proved the effectiveness of WHN Firm were preserved according to
the rudder labs. These tabs consisted of two Lackkette 33. while those by the DEAG
1-mm-thick Dural sheets of varying width Firm were preserved using the method of
and depth. the Warnecke and Böhm Firm. All of the
The upper tab was bent to the right, the control surfaces which had produced vibra-
lower to the left. After several flights with tion and were removed in Regensburg were
labs of various depths it was discovered subsequently examined. There were 29 in
that effectiveness was fully sufficient at a total, all built by DEAG. All exhibited seri-
depth of 30 mm. ous damage as a result of weather. In most
The distance between the tab and the cases glued joints had failed, especially on
trailing edge of the rudder was 10 mm. A Rib 1 and along the rim strip. One of the el-
BSK 16 gun camera was used to photo- evators was sent to Oberammergau for an
graph the experiments. investigation of the preservation process.
It was determined that painting had
Elevator Vibration on the Wooden Tail been carried out without the prescribed
of the Bf 109 fabric covering, which was contrary to pro-
On 10 July 1944 Regensburg Messer- cedure. This system (Warbecke and Böhm)
schmitt director Lindner reported to the was always rejected by materials testing on
handling characteristics project bureau that account of the fact that it allowed through
vibration was being encountered in aircraft too much water. This was not the main rea-
with the wooden tail. Regensburg reported son for the vibration, however, rather it was
that since the prolonged rainy period at the the inadequate conservation protection of
beginning of July and the use of elevators the glue. Reference was made to earlier in-
with doubled fixed trim strip length (wood- vestigations in March 1943.
en elevators), a greater number of ma- At that time the wooden tails built by
chines had been experiencing vibration in Fokker in Amsterdam also used a skinning
elevator control at speeds above 600 to 700 of 1-mm between Ribs 4 to 6. The then
kph. The vibration appeared after several confirmed speed of 750 kph produced none
trouble-free flights. An immediate investi- of the current complaints. Further investi-
gation was ordered. On 10 July 1944 Herr gations saw several Bf 109 G-14s exposed
Nürnberg and Herr Baumann of the stress to simulated rain overnight in order to eval-
bureau and Herr Blümm of the project bu- uate the effects of dampness. Then on 18
reau of the Obernminergau research insti- and 19 July 1944 test flights were conduct-
tute were sent to Regensburg to investigate ed at various times of day by Hauptmann
these incidents. Herr Bosch (design bu- Obermaier of BAL2 Regensburg. These re-
reau—tail section) and Herr Blümm sulted in vibration at speeds of 680 to 750
(project bureau) followed on 17 July. At kph with elevators with 1-mm skinning and
that lime the following types of elevator the DEAG type, as well as several built by
were held in the Messerschmitt AG Re- WHN.
gensburg's stocks: By far the majority of complaints in-
First, the standard metal elevator with volved the elevators produced by DEAG.
short fixed trim strip; second, the wooden
elevator built by the Wolf Hirth Firm of 2
BAL = Bauaufsicht Luftwaffe (Luftwaffe
quality control)
25
However, Regensburg's original assump- several parts of the aircraft broke away.
tion that the cause of the vibration was the The subsequent investigation revealed that
long fixed trim strip applied to these con- the likely cause was the separation of the
trol surfaces was proved to be wrong by an horizontal stabilizer from the tail section
experiment at Regensburg. Reducing the bearer.
size of the trim strip and finally cutting it Other complaints were registered with
off completely failed to eliminate the vi- the following: Bf 109 G-14 W.Nr. 464 396
bration. As a result, it was determined that (ERLA). Bf 109 G-14 W.Nr. 464 365
the cause of the vibration clearly lay in the (ERLA), and Bf 109 G-6 W.Nr. 412 373.
elevator itself. The vibration only appeared This was only the tip of the iceberg, how-
in elevators with 1-mm plywood skinning ever. A report to the E-Stelle Rechlin re-
between Ribs 4 to 6, but not in all such ele- vealed that a total of 154 aircraft were ex-
vators. Ultimately, rudders were only per- amined by JG 27 and one Gruppe of JG 26
mitted to be installed with 1.5-mm skin- during the period from 8 to 13 December
ning between Ribs 2 to 6. 1944.
The elevators by the DEAG Firm with A significant number of problems with
1-mm skinning and the unreliable War- the wooden tails were found, and 36 ma-
necke and Böhm preservation without fab- chines could not be found airworthy. The
ric covering could no longer be used at all, probable cause was the inability of the
on account of their permeability to water wood to withstand the prevailing bad
and the resulting effect on glued joints. All weather (dampness), and in particular bad
production was immediately switched to or inadequate preservation. Among the
1.5-mm skinning. In spite of all these mea- most pressing demands to come from this
sures there continued to be accidents in- was that ground crews be better trained in
volving wooden tail units, such as the one regard to the wooden components, and that
involving Bf 109 G-14 W.Nr. 460 628 at a more expeditious way be found to trans-
Stargard on 19 October 1944. The machine mit technical directives and announce-
crashed from a height of 2 000 meters after ments (in spite of the overall war situa-
tion!).
26
Report No. 109 11 E 44 Date 29/7/44 Page II
Weather Clear, hot
Machine 109 G-14 W.Nr. 165 706 109 G-14 W.Nr. 166 277 109 G-14 W.Nr. 165 721 109 G-14 W.Nr. 165 699 109 G-6 W.Nr. 166 249
Pilot
Date 18/7/44 18/7/44 18/7/44 18/7/44 18/7/44
Time of day morning morning afternoon afternoon afternoon
Horiz. Stab.
Manufacturer WHN WHN WHN WHN WHN
Complaint formation of step formation of step formation of step formation of step formation of step
on leading edge on leading edge on leading edge on leading edge on leading edge
Elevator
Manufacturer WHN WHN WHN WHN DEAG DEAG
Skinning 1.5 mm betw. Ribs 2-6 1.5 mm betw. Ribs 2-6 1.5 mm betw. Ribs 2-6 1.5 mm betw. Ribs 4-6 1.0 mm betw. Ribs 4-6 As well, on 18/7/44
Method of Warnecke & Böhm Warnecke & Böhm ten machines were
Preservation Lackkette 33 Lackkette 33 Lackkette 33 without fabric covering without fabric covering counted with WHN
Gluing satisfactory satisfactory satisfactory Rib 1 beginning to Rib 1 separated elevators and 1.5-mm
Separate skinning between
Dihedral 0 mm 4 mm 4 mm 0 mm — Ribs 2-6 which
were satisfactory.
Loft
Upper side left (2) 0, ( 4 ) - 2 , ( 6 ) - 1 . 5 (2)-1 ( 4 ) - 3 . 5 ( 6 ) - 2 (2}+ 1.5 (4) 0 (6) 0 (2) 0 (4) -6 (6) -2
Lower side left -0.5 0 0 -0.5 +2 0 -1.5 0 -1.5 0 +1 -0.5
Upper side right -1 -2 +0.5 -0.5 -0.5 0 0 -0.5 0 0 -1,5 -0.5
Lower side right -0.5 0 0 +0.5 0 0 0 +0.5 0 0 +0.5 0
Bulges right bottom 5 mm right bottom 4 mm deep impressions bottom

otherwise good otherwise good
27
Trim strip short short short long long
Result satisfactory satisfactory satisfactory

Test Reports
Messerschmitt AG side at any lime after the jettison lever is

Augsburg pulled.
Test Report In the first experiment the canopy lock
No. 109 18 E 43 was activated at a speed of 350 kph and a
Canopy Jettisoning 109 G yaw angle of 10 degrees. The canopy cen-
Flight Test Dept. ter section jammed. When the center sec-
Date 2/11/43 tion was knocked over the limiting wire
snapped and the canopy struck the side of
Cause: the fuselage and then remained hanging.
In spite of repeated improvements to the As a result of the impact the two pins on the
canopy jettisoning system of the 109 G, right side of the canopy were so stressed
complaints were still being received that and bent that releasing the jettison lock was
the canopy refused to jettison at all or did no longer possible.
not do so without problems. Further jetti- Subsequently, a forced landing was
son trials were subsequently carried out. made at Lechfeld with the canopy section
the results of which appear below. hanging to the side. The jettison procedure
may be seen on Page 4.
Test Procedure: After the normal jettison procedure
A normal G canopy with the markings No. failed to function smoothly, additional jet-
109.135-135-002 and 109.117-003 was in- tisoning assistance was installed based on a
stalled on the test-bed. In addition, the can- proposal from flight testing. As depicted in
opies were fitted with a relief spring with Illustrations 1 and 2, the upper end of the
the marking No. A 17729 Z. Jettison trials lever on the rear part of canopy 109.117-
were conducted with the above-named 003. which activates the locking bolts, was
canopy. lengthened.
A cable was attached to the lengthened
Result: lever and the rear wall of the canopy (Illus-
The experiments were carried out as fol- tration 3). At a specified opening angle (af-
lows based on various theoretical consider- ter the limiting wire is broken) this pulls the
ations. First, the normal canopy lock was locking pin. This ensures that the center
opened and then the jettison lever pulled. section cannot swing out and bend the
This sequence was chosen in spile of the locking pins. At the same time, the cockpit
fact that there is a placard in the cockpit center section is placed in the wing's down-
which specifies that the lever be operated draft and is thus guaranteed to fly away be-
in exactly the opposite sequence. Theoreti- neath the wing. The following page con-
cally, it is impossible to first pull the jetti- tains a description of the jettison procedure
son lever and then unlock the canopy, since with the additional release mechanism. In-
when operating the jettison lever the pilot stallation of the additional pull cable is
must place his head in the forward part of seen only as an interim solution to be retro-
the cockpit for safety. It is then no longer fitted in the 109 G cockpit. It can easily be
possible to operate the canopy lock, since installed by the units themselves. For an
the canopy center section may fly off to the eventual series introduction Herr Caroli's
28
was uneventful. On the ground great force Messerschmitt
was required to pull the emergency jettison Flight Department
lever. Testing of Tail wheel Locking
on tall tailwheel Me 109 - tailwheel
2nd Test Qualities Group
(5/10/43) Test Report
No. 109 20 E 44
State of aircraft: Date 8/11/44
Additional cable on the canopy, which Copy 12
opens the lock after the limiting wire is bro-
ken. Otherwise as in 1. Cause:
Frequent occurrence of swinging, especial-
Result: ly on landing, during factory test flights
The canopy lock was released in straight with aircraft with the tall tailwheel, device
and level flight at a speed of 350 kph. Af- No. 8-2926 G-5. There the cause was seen
terwards, the folding canopy immediately as imprecise installation of the tailwheel,
opened to the right and the restraining wire while the FAM placed most of the blame on
immediately broke. As the canopy opened the uncommanded unlocking of the tail-
further, the additional cable released the wheel, which could occur with minimal
locking bolts and the canopy with rear sec- lateral forces on account of the rake of the
tion was jettisoned smoothly. A detailed re- locking bolt and its limited locking path.
port on the experiment with photos of the
jettisoning is being issued by FAVA1. Procedure:
First tailwheel track deviations were mea-
Augsburg, 7/10/43 sured using several Me 109s, and a test
FAFb/Wi/He. flight was conducted with the aircraft
which produced the highest value. As the
tailwheel delivered with W.Nr. 330 105 un-
locked after a short time, leading to a
strong swing, during the course of repeated
modifications a version of the lock was de-
veloped, which so far has not led to further
complaints. At the same time a tailwheel
delivered by the Waiblingen Firm is under
test on W.Nr. 167 227.
1
FAVA = Flight operations department/experi-
mental section
30
Results to Date: Conveyor Line Production of the
The greatest measured deviation of the Bf 109 G Wing
neutral tailwheel position to the side was In the beginning the airframe sector of the
1.2° to the left, furthermore, the tailwheel German aviation industry was forced to
had sideways play of up to ±1.8°. Takeoffs build using the production line method be-
and landings were possible without diffi- cause the numbers were initially lacking
culty with a toe-in of 1.2°. Flight tests with for conveyor line production. Wartime
eccentric locking bolts with up to 5° toe-in conditions resulted in a change in the fight-
are now in process in order to more closely er program which required consideration
examine the effect of tailwheel track devia- of mass production techniques.
tion on takeoff and landing behavior. Although other aircraft were built in
The lock now installed in W.Nr. 330 large numbers, it was generally acknowl-
105, with 5° angle of pressure on the lock- edged that conveyor lines could only be
ing bolts, external unlocking spring. used for pure assembly work. The decision
lengthened tension spring in the pull cable was made to also produce the 109 G wing
plus lengthened cable length has so far not on the conveyor line. The greatest difficul-
yielded any complaints in 20 flights. ties arose from the fact that the Bf 109 was
The new Elma tailwheel installed in a type which had not been designed for
Me 109 W.Nr. 163 227 with supplementary conveyor line production. This means that
retraction spring on the connecting lever the wing lacks the design breakdown,
has not produced a complaint in 27 flights which is standard today.
to date. The details of the modifications An attempt now had to be made to
and dimensions of the new parts are con- build the wing on the assembly line without
tained in the following section. design changes. In addition, use of the as-
sembly line was of vital importance to in-
creased production and had to begin by a
certain deadline. Thus, no experiments
were possible. Furthermore, because of the
stage the program was at, it was necessary
that numbers produced should increase
continuously from the very first day.
The conveyor line had to work from
the very outset, and in particular produce
interchangeable wings. Further difficulties
were encountered in the spaces available,
which were in no way suitable for convey-
or line production. Available hall space was
similar in Regensburg and Leipzig at 40 x
100 m (4000 m2), while at Wiener-Neus-
tadt Hangar 58 with 8100 m2 was avail-
able. There the conveyor line fixtures had
to be arranged to permit a reasonable line
division. Furthermore, it was necessary to
build the structural frames stiff enough so
that the continuous forward movement had
no effect whatever on assembly precision
of the wings.
31
As a further condition a significantly Reconnaissance Aircraft with
more precise component part production Jumo 213 E
had to be achieved so that no fitting or ad- In September 1944 a G-series Bf 109 was
justment work was necessary during as- converted into a high-altitude reconnais-
sembly. More precise presswork tools were sance aircraft. It was powered by a Jumo
required, plus inspection gauges with 213 E engine using E-4 fuel plus MW 50.
which to check the ribs after manufacture. The four-blade propeller, which had a di-
Since interchangeability was of partic- ameter of 3.1 meters, was housed in a VS
ular importance, it was necessary to install 19 hub. The greater engine output meant
the mounting points for fuselage, ailerons, that the radiator had to be enlarged. A radi-
landing flaps, slats, and wingtips in the ator with an area of 60 dm2 was selected.
structural framing. Furthermore, new uses which only increased the CWK value to 1.6
had to be found for construction jigs ren- compared to the 1.45 of the smaller radia-
dered superfluous by the raw materials tor (42 dm2). Theoretically, this should
shortage. A work platform was attached to have resulted in a maximum airspeed loss
the construction framing so that the work- of 10 kph. Expected maximum speed with
ers could move with it. Moving the con- climb/combat power and MW 50 was 780
struction frame back posed a particular kph at an altitude of 9 800 meters. Without
problem, as there was very little room power boosting maximum speed was 780
available and idling the production line had kph at 10 800 meters. These figures do not
to be avoided if at all possible. take into account the Mach effect! This
The construction frame ran on a track would produce an approximate loss of
and was moved forward by means of a roll- speed of 25 kph at an altitude of 10800
er chain. Propulsion was by gear drive, meters and 40 kph at 9800 meters. The air-
whose revolutions could be adjusted by frame was equipped with larger horizontal
changing a set of gears. The resulting line and vertical tail surfaces. The main under-
speed was 4.1 to 24.5 cm per minute, which carriage had no mainwheel fairings, how-
equaled to the output of 90 to 525 sets of ever, the tailwheel was re tractable. No ar-
wings for a monthly operating time of 220 mament was planned, instead the aircraft
hours (status at the end of 1942). was to carry a Type Rb 50/30 or Rb 75/30
Altogether, three months after start-up camera. Takeoff weight was 3 700 kg. This
of the line total time saved was 300 hours, machine. Werknummer 410 528, was tested
which after the line got broken in was re- at Berlin Staaken on 12 October 1944. Un-
duced a further 300 hours to 940 hours. fortunately, no further information is avail-
able.
32
The Bf 109 H High-Altitude Fighter
The RLM's demands for improved instructions of the RLM the Me 155 project
high-altitude performance were becoming was transferred to Blohm & Voss in
ever more urgent, since the operating alti- Finkenwerder where it continued as the Bv
tudes of enemy bomber and fighter forma- 155.) On 23 April 1943 the proposal "Me
tions and combat altitudes continued to in- 209 high-altitude fighter with DB 628" was
crease. In the spring of 1942 Messer- submitted to the RLM.
schmitt AG received a contract from the The performance figures for the
RLM to develop simultaneously with the project were almost the same as those of
"Special Carrier Single-Seater" a "Special the Me 155 high-altitude version. The
High-Altitude Fighter." Since lack of pro- RLM suggested to Messerschmitt verbally
duction capacity made the prospects of ini- that it investigate ways to achieve even
tiating two special aircraft programs al- greater high-altitude performance, even if
most nil, especially if a rapid start-up of it increased costs. The result was the Mess-
carrier aircraft production was to be erschmitt Projekt 1091 (extreme high-alti-
achieved, a version of the Bf 109 G with a tude fighter). Anticipated power plants
lengthened wing and sturdier undercar- were the DB 628 and the DB 603 with TKL
riage was chosen. At the same time it was 15 (exhaust-driven turbosupercharger 9-
planned to bolster the aircraft's armament 2279 by Hirth).
by installing two MG 151s in the wing In a report by Messerschmitt AG dated
roots. 26 July 1943 it was also proposed that a de-
By exchanging the DB 605 for a DB velopment series of high-altitude aircraft
628 and adding extended wingtips, it was be produced in three stages. The first stage
believed that a high-aititude fighter could consisted merely of modifying a few com-
be produced which met all of the current ponents, especially the installation of a win
requirements (ceiling 14 km). Develop- center-section. Also given consideration
ment of this type, which was designated the was installing the DB 603 supercharger on
Me 155, proceeded very slowly in Paris. the DB 605.
This was due in part to the recently In the second phase the wingspan was
formed design bureau of the SNCAN firm, to be increased by lengthening the wing
and also to the inadequate support provided center-section, and the fuselage length-
by the local representative from the Augs- ened, as well. The third stage was to see the
burg project bureau, which at that time was installation of the DB 603 power plant with
completely overtaxed with development turbo-supercharger. This would involve
work on the Me 309. When, in January widening the fuselage in the area of the ex-
1943, the carrier program and with it the haust and supercharger air lines. Since the
Me 155 carrier aircraft was halted, the associated planning indicated that series
high-altitude version based on the Me 155 production of this type could not begin be-
became the basis of the Me 209, which had fore the end of 1944. in summer 1943 the
by then taken the place of the Me 309. (On Messerschmitt AG received a development
33
and construction contract from the RLM In the attempt to achieve an optimum
for a "high-altitude fighter quick solution" high-altitude fighter the idea of installing a
based on the Bf 109 G. Jumo 213 A in the 109 was also discussed.
The intention was to increase the ser- As at the department heads conference
vice ceiling of the Bf 109 with as little cost with Gen.Feldm. Milch on 29 October
as possible. The main operational role of 1943, there was a lively debate concerning
this type was to be the interception of ene- the expected performance and the consid-
my high-altitude bombers and reconnais- erable cost involved. But in the end no sig-
sance aircraft. A reduction in structural nificant advantage could be seen for in-
strength and a possible degradation of han- stalling the Jumo 213 in the Me 109. At the
dling qualities in order to achieve im- beginning of 1944 several officials of the
proved high-altitude performance was ac- Messerschmitt AG proposed adopting the
cepted for both of these operational tasks. 109 H as a universal fighter.
In order to save weight, the pilot's In a letter dated 2 February 1944
back armor was deleted and armament was Project Director Hügelschäffer detailed the
limited to three weapons. Bf 109 G-3 W.Nr. reasons against this idea. The performance
16281, which had been built at Regensburg of the Bf 109 H was compared to that of the
in February 1943, was fitted with the DB Bf 109 K. The Bf 109 K was approximately
628 V8 and became prototype V 49. 20 kph faster at ground level, furthermore,
In trials the aircraft failed to achieve the K's speed advantage continued to rise
the predicted performance. On 22 Decem- to about 25 kph at maximum boost altitude.
ber 1943 Heinrich Beauvais took the DB The Bf 109 H had in its favor a greater ser-
628-powered V 54 (code DV + JB. vice ceiling and a somewhat better rate of
Werknummer 15708) up on a flight which climb.
lasted from 14:42 to 15:00 hours. He as- The H's roll rate was significantly
sessed the flight, which took place at Augs- lower than that of the Bf 109 K. According
burg, as follows: to flight tests the Bf 109 H required 6 sec-
"The Messerschmitt AG company onds to complete a roll, while the figure for
wanted an evaluation of yaw axis charac- the K was 4.5 seconds. Furthermore, the
teristics. The test was hampered by the loo overall armament of the H was rated below
small horizontal tail in conjunction with that of the Bf 109 K.
the lateral moment, which was known to be Finally, there was the reduced structur-
loo great. The vertical tail was insufficient al strength of n=4.5, which made it impos-
for a production version! The lateral oscil- sible for the Bf 109 H to exploit its lower
lations were uncomfortably high. Rudder wing loading. Further testing was over-
effectiveness was poor, and, as mentioned, shadowed by a crash involving test pilot
an enlargement of the entire vertical tail is Fritz Wendel on 14 April 1944; Wendel es-
necessary. In no case should the standard caped by parachute. Ludwig Bölkow hap-
production ailerons be used." pened to witness the accident. The end of
The production state of the aircraft the Bf 109 H came in April 1944 when the
was as follows: G-5 fuselage; wingspan RLM ordered the DB 628 dropped. The
13.26 m; wing area 21.9 m2 aspect ratio reason was the RLM's contention that the
1:8.5; ailerons 2.12 m, normal ailerons ex- DB 628 was not production ready. Thus, in
tended outboard by 1.46 m; standard G hor- the end only a few examples of the Bf 109
izontal tail; vertical tail raised by 125 mm, H powered by the DB 605 were built and
no horn, with Flettner, gross weight ap- delivered to the units.
proximately 3.4 tons.
34
These were used sporadically over En- P-51D Mustang. But this meant achieving
gland. An important point in the cancella- an increase in speed over existing variants
tion of Messerschmitt's high-altitude fight- of 50 to 70 kph. This was the challenge fac-
er was the advanced state of development ing project director Ludwig Bölkow. He
of the Jumo 213-powered Fw 190 D-9 and was assigned the former design chief of the
the Ta 152. Furthermore, the situation in Bf 109. Richard Bauer, one of the "most
the air war suggested that operational alti- gifted designers," as Bölkow said.
tudes were not about to increase as drasti- As well, there came the series bureau
cally as once expected. of Messerschmitt Regensburg, plus ten ex-
perienced Bf 109 designers. His working
staff consisted of a total of 140 men. As
Bölkow himself said, for him this was the
best apprenticeship with a big total respon-
sibility. The tasks of the "Bf 109 develop-
ment bureau" still had to be laid down. The
first planned point was the reworking of all
series drawings for the Bf 109 G, incorpo-
rating the many modification directives.
Also on the priority list was the elimi-
nation of the type's weak points, for exam-
ple, the frequent undercarriage failures and
its tendency to swing on takeoff and land-
ing. Further changes were the installation
of the DB 605 D or L engine, which offered
better high-altitude performance, the previ-
ously mentioned speed increase, and the
installation of an engine-mounted MK 108
Bf 109 K cannon. All of these changes and improve-
ments would not be allowed to delay or in-
The Bf 109 G series was produced by sev- terrupt production.
eral factories in a total of 16 variants with The first step was to relocate to Wiener
82 different models. This led to increased Neustadt, which was still considered safe
difficulties in repairs and in the exchanging from Allied air attacks. The design bureau
of parts (fit, accuracy of size). Far more began its work in Wiener Neustadt at the
than 1,000 changes had been introduced, beginning of 1943. For flight testing the
and these were noted in modification direc- various modifications, however, the team
tives. And so it was that Messerschmitt, at had to use what was available there. Lack-
the urging of the RLM (fighter staff), initi- ing were a wind tunnel and various measur-
ated a special action. ing devices. The aerodynamic reworking
Ludwig Bölkow was asked by the brought various improvements with it.
head of the supervisory board, Fritz Seiler, Most of the bulges that characterized the Bf
if he would assume direction of this major 109 G were eliminated. For example, the
rationalization effort. The resulting version engine cowling was broadened by about 70
was to receive the designation Bf 109 K. mm in the area of the belt feeds for the MG
The objective of the Bf 109 K project was 131s and was faired into the fuselage. As
to equal or surpass the performances of Al- well, the new DB 605 D production engine,
lied aircraft, such as the Spitfire XIV and which used the larger supercharger of the
DB 603, was installed.
35
The greater engine output meant that a 3. Furthermore, the access hatch on the left
larger oil cooler was also needed. Further- side of Fuselage Section 5 was relocated to
more, as had been the case with the DB 605 Fuselage Section 4 because of the revised
AS engine, a larger supercharger air intake internal arrangement. The shape of the
was necessary. Several improvements were hatch followed that of the fuselage frame.
also made in the area of the undercarriage, As a result of relocating the compass sys-
for example, the long tailwheel. As Dr. tem to a position further aft in the fuselage,
Ludwig Bölkow reported, all of this went the round access hatch on the left side of
back to a comparative measurement of the the fuselage beneath the recessed foot step
Fw 190. The latter had a taxiing angle was deleted. Further design changes were
which was 2° less than that of the Bf 109, carried out in the area of the cockpit, for
1° was subtracted, and the Bf 109 K was example, the cockpit floorboards and most
laid out based on the new angle, which led pilot seats were made of wood. The switch
to a longer tailwheel. This was fully retract- box with the automatic circuit breakers on
able and equipped with automatically-re- the right cockpit wall was made larger and
tracting wheel well doors. The bellcrank easier to scan. The operating controls for
for the rudder had to be modified to allow the radio and oxygen systems to the right of
the longer tailwheel to retract. the pilot's seat were mounted in a sort of
This bellcrank, which was mounted console. The standardized blind flying pan-
horizontally in the tail section bearer, was el, which was also used in the Me 262, was
replaced by two individual levers mounted formed as part of the instrument panel. As a
vertically in the end of the fuselage. As a result, a vertical speed indicator was now
result the two small bulges on either side of available. The four-lamp system for the un-
the tail section bearer, features of the G- dercarriage was replaced by three lamps or
version, disappeared. Recently it has been indicators. A mechanical indicator for the
stated in various literature that the tail- extended undercarriage, similar to that of
wheel doors could also be closed on the the Bf 109 F, was fitted.
ground: the doors were controlled by the This indicator, which was visible from
tailwheel, therefore they were open on the the cockpit, consisted of two metal rods;
ground. painted red, these projected from the upper
Since the tailwheel retracted when the surface of the wing when the undercarriage
main undercarriage was raised and had no was extended. The door to the baggage
lock, leakage in the hydraulic system compartment behind the pilot was enlarged
sometimes allowed the tailwheel to drop to and made more square. Two other impor-
some degree during flight. This led to con- tant changes were a switch to thin steel
siderable turbulence through the open sheet from aluminum for the leading edge
wheel well and increased drag. Conse- slats and the use of wood in construction of
quently, the doors were often forced closed the tail section. The wooden tail gave im-
by the units, as a result of which the tail- proved aerodynamics, however, it weighed
wheel could not be retracted. Because of 2 to 10 kilograms more for the same struc-
the aircraft's increased weight the main un- tural strength.
dercarriage truss was strengthened and The installation of the MK 108 re-
larger 660 x 190 wheels were mounted on quired further important changes. The
13" rims. The larger wheels made it neces- shape of the control stick had to be changed
sary to replace the bulges on the wing up- so that this weapon could be removed to the
per surface with more aerodynamic fair- rear. As a result it was bowed to the right
ings and add small bulges to the wheel well side. The entire rudder mechanism was re-
doors. Another change was the deletion of designed on account of the ammunition
the antenna mast on the fuselage spine. The box, now consisting largely of sheet steel.
FuG 16ZY's loop antenna on the fuselage Dr. Bölkow reported, "that at the time
spine was moved back to Fuselage Section a draftsman reworked the rough drawing
36
from the Augsburg design bureau: but no Bf 109 K-4
examinations for stiffness were carried out. The Bf 109 K was the only version of the
Fortunately the test pilot aborted his flight K-series to be built in large numbers. By
and noted 'everything is too soft.' The de- the end of 1944 a total of 856 K-4s left the
sign was changed within one night. Two Regensburg factory alone. Further con-
days later the pilot flew again and then ev- firmed numbers are not available. The air-
erything was in order." craft never reached the units in these num-
The changes compared to the Bf 109 G bers, however, which was in part due to
proved successful, and the specified speed sabotage and the resulting accidents. For
and performance was achieved. Thus, the example, on 18 March 1945 the technical
Bf 109 K was undoubtedly the most capa- officer of JG 6 reported:
ble version of the Bf 109 and the most de-
manding to fly. At the same time it showed Extract from the Chronicle of
the limits of what could be achieved with Peter Schmoll, the Messerschmitt Fac-
piston-engined fighters. tories in the Second World War
Newly-delivered aircraft are very

prone to problems in the first 5 to 10 flying
hours. It is almost always the same com-
plaints, which are a burden to the unit tech-
nically and reduce its operational readi-
ness. Complaints of the following nature
appear almost regularly: elevator play in
the mounting lever; loose spacers on the el-
evator control rods; too-long mounting
bolts on the undercarriage suspension fit-
tings; absence of slip markings on the
mainwheels; leaky or plugged lines in the
MW 50 system; shorts in the electrical
system... loose and improperly fitted
sparkplugs; loose mounting clamps on the
hoses, etc.
The following Rüstsätze (equipment
sets) were planned for the K-4: Rüstsatz 1
consisted of gravity weapons (bombs), 1 x
500 kg, or 1 x 250 kg. These were mounted
either on an ETC 500/IX B or a Type 503
integral rack beneath the fuselage. The
Rüstsatz also included a ZBK 241/1 fusing
battery box in Fuselage Section 5 and a
ZSK fusing switchbox. The gravity weap-
ons were controlled by the bomb-release
button (B2 button) on the KG 13 A control
column grip and by the ZSK 244A on the
back-up panel. Rüstsatz 3 consisted of a
300-liter drop tank, which was mounted on
the Type 503A-1 rack. The fuel was trans-
ferred from the drop tank into the main tank
by means of supercharger air. The drop
tank could be jettisoned at any time in
flight. Rüstsatz 4 consisted of two MG 151/
37
20 cannon, one beneath each wing in gon- ground level was 13.5 m/sec. Economical
dola-shaped fairings. The weapons were cruising speed was 645 kph at an altitude of
fired using the B-1 button on the KG 13 A. 8.4 km. Range at that speed was 585 kilo-
The weapons were cocked automatically meters. Time to climb to 6 000 meters was
by switching on the safety switch on the 8 minutes. Maximum speed at emergency
SZKK (switch selector control box). Rüst- power was 580 kph at ground level and 710
satz 6 was to be the installation of a BSK 16 kph at maximum boost altitude of 7 500
ballistic gun camera in the left wing be- meters. Landing speed with a landing
tween nose ribs 3 and 4. Operation was au- speed of 3 tons was 150 kph. The MW 50
tomatic when the guns were fired. The fol- system was also the subject of frequent dis-
lowing data are from a report by the GL/C- cussion, for example, the question of dis-
E 2 (RLM) on 13 August 1944. Perfor- pensing with the overflow limiter in the
mance figures for the Bf 109 K-4/R2 re- MW 50 tank. On 26 June 1944 it was de-
connaissance aircraft were as follows: cided by C-E 2 III Bormann to proceed
takeoff run was 380 m. Rate of climb at with the overflow limiter in the MW 50
tank in order to avoid further delays.
38
Me 109 L
The Me 109 L project was directly as- Me 109 L Weights

sociated with the end of the Me 209 pro-
gram. Following a conference of depart- kg
Airframe 1339
ment heads at the office of the Technische Engine 1879
Amt GL/C-E on 16 December 1943 the Fixed equipment 104
Other equipment 93
Oberammergau project office proposed the Armament: 2 x MG 151 105
Me 109 L project. Wingspan was to be 13.3 1 x MK 108 87
Armor 14
m, which gave an aerodynamic area of 21.0
m2 with an aspect ratio of 1 : 8. The outer Equipped weight 3 621
wings were to be taken from the Bf 109 H-
Pilot 106
1 with reinforcements. The wing had to be Fuel 570 l x 0.79 455
modified forward of the spar in the under- Oil 50
Ammunition: MK 108 38
carriage area in order to accept a longer, MG 151 100
wide-track undercarriage. This wide-track GM 1 + equipment 160
undercarriage was designed without cam- 4 530
ber and toe-in, and to accept either 700 x
175 or 740 x 210 wheels. The inner wing
was to be built as a rectangular center sec- The horizontal tail, which had a sur-
tion, with a continuous spar running at face area of 2.8 m2, was to be taken from
right angles to the fuselage axis, plus a tank the Bf 109 H-1. The new vertical tail
area of 170 liters between the main spar should have matched the current state of
and the rear auxiliary spar. The fuselage flight testing. The anticipated engine was
was to be the same as that of the Bf 109 H-1 the Jumo 213 E standard power plant with
or Bf 109 K. Two modifications would annular radiator. This engine was to drive
have to be made, however. For one, the riv- either a Junkers VS 9 four-blade wooden
eted wing bearer would have to be re- propeller with a diameter of 3.2 m or a
moved. In its place fittings were installed three-blade Me P8 wooden propeller with a
for the one-piece spar, which compared to diameter of 3.4 m. Planned armament con-
the spar position of the Bf 109 G if it had sisted of one engine-mounted MK 108 can-
been moved forward in the fuselage 260 non with 70 rounds, plus two unsynchro-
mm. Another planned change was the cre- nized MG 151/20 cannon in the wings with
ation of a separation point for the standard 200 rounds each. No prototype of the Me
power plant with the corresponding engine 109 L is known to have been built.
mounts.
39
Me 109 Z / Me 609
The idea of creating a single-seat de- able. Modification of the main undercar-
stroyer or high-speed bomber from two riage made necessary the relocation of the
single-seat fighters first appeared in a sub- undercarriage attachment points plus
mission made on 9 December 1942. It was changes to the wheel wells in the wing.
in keeping with a proposal to standardize The higher all-up weight meant that
aircraft to a few types. The first proposals larger wheels were required. Lengthening
for a fast aircraft from two single-seat of the ailerons and slats was also necessary.
fighters were based on the Bf 109 and Me It was anticipated that extra fuel tanks
309. would be installed in the second fuselage in
Such a combination had the advantage place of the pilot seat. A new. rectangular
of taking less time to develop and put into horizontal tail likewise had to be produced.
production than a completely new aircraft The rest would be taken from existing pro-
for the same role. The cost for redesign and duction. Armament for the destroyer role
the designing of jigs and tools was only was to be five MK 108 canon or four MK
30% of that of a new design. 108s and one MK 103. The bomber version
Another advantage of using an exist- would carry a reduced armament of two
ing type was of course the accelerated test- MK 108s but would have increased fuel
ing, since prototypes could be produced tankage of 1140 liters.
quickly and, if necessary, in large numbers. The planned bomb load was 2 x 1000
Time wise, the so-called "double Bf 109." kg. Preliminary designs for a combination
based on the Bf 109 G and its DB 605 en- of two Me 309s powered by DB 603 G en-
gine, was the most effective solution. gines displayed similar possibilities to
Another development possibility, al- those of the Bf 109. Because of its more
beit a more expensive one. was the use of powerful engines, this version was expect-
the Jumo 213 power plant. The following ed to have a better performance.
changes were seen as necessary for the Structural layout was similar to that of
double aircraft: the creation of a new wing the Me 109 Z. The destroyer version was to
section between the two fuselages. This be armed with two MK 108 and two MK
would be easy to manufacture, since rect- 103 cannon, plus two further MK 108s in
angular wing attachment points were avail- the outer wings. Neither the Me 109 Z nor
the Me 609 was built and tested.
40
Double Bf 109 = Me 109 Z
Provisional performance figures
Purpose Destroyer Bomber

Power plant DB 605 Jumo 213 DB 605 Jumo 213
Engine data: Fuel B4 B4 C3
Takeoff power 1,475 H.P. 1,750 2,000
at 0 m Climb and combat power 1,310 H.P. 1,600 1,700
Max. continuous power 1,075 H.P. 1,350 1,430
at opt. alt. Climb and combat power 1,230 H.P/7.1 1,410/7.5 1,430/8.5
Equipped weight 4 9 0 0 kg 5300 4700 5170

Crew 100 100 100 100
Fuel 825 825 1140 1140
Oil 90 90 125 125
Ammunition 340 340 170 170
Bombs (500) (500) 2000 2000
Gross weight 6 2 0 0 kg 6 6 0 0 kg 8 3 0 0 kg 8 3 0 0 kg
Max. Speeds
at 0 m Takeoff power 580 kph 630 660 Loss of speed by 1 x
1000 kg bomb ca. 50
Climb and combat power 560 610 633 kph at 0 m , 7 5 kph at
opt. alt.
At opt. alt. Takeoff power 710 kph 740 >760
Climb and combat power 690 720 750
Rate of climb
at 0 m, climb and combat power -17m/sec -22 -26
These performance figures were calculated in haste and must therefore be treated as approximate values.
Mach numbers were not taken into consideration.
Double Me 309 = Me 609
Provisional performance figures
Purpose Destroyer Bomber

Power plant DB 603 G DB 603 G
Engine data: Fuel B4 C3
Takeoff power 1,750 H.P. 1,740
At 0 m Climb and combat power 1,575 H.P. 1,550
Max. continuous power 1,375 H.P. 1,350
At opt. alt Climb and combat power 1,480/7.1 1,450/8.5
Equipped weight 6 380 kg 6 100
Crew 100 100
Fuel 1 350 1500
Oil 85 85
Ammunition 410 145
Bombs (500) 2000
Takeoff weight 8 3 2 5 kg 10100 kg
Max. speeds
At 0 m takeoff power 595 kph 595 loss of speed through 1 x 1000
bomb approximately 50 kph
climb and combat power 580 580 at 0 m 75 kph at opt. alt..
at opt. alt. takeoff power 760 >770
Climb and combat power 735 >760
Rate of climb
at 0 m with climb and combat power -17m/sec
These performance figures were calculated in haste and must therefore be treated as approximate values.
Mach numbers were not taken into consideration.
41
Preliminary Experiments for the Me 209
Bf 109 F-1 Werknummer 5642, which (100 to 150 mm), poor stall behavior was
had been built in November 1940, was con- accepted for the Me 209. Director of flight
verted to a wide-track undercarriage for operations Baur carried out further trials
preliminary experiments for the Me 209. with W.Nr. 5642; for example, night land-
The modified machine was coded SG + ing trials at Lechfeld at the end of March
EK. The aircraft was powered by a DB 605 1943 produced the following results:
D engine cleared for 1450 H.P. for takeoff 1. The exhaust flames are a significant hin-
and emergency power, furthermore, a re- drance at night.
tractable belly radiator was used. Total 2. The bulb in the reflector sight (Revi)
weight was 3100 kg. must be separately blacked out. since it is
Testing began in February 1943 and too bright even at the lowest setting.
encompassed takeoff characteristics, three- 3. UV instrument lighting is recommended,
point landings, night landings, dynamic there is no illumination of the horizontal
longitudinal stability, and stalls. These re- stabilizer pilch indicator.
vealed identical landing characteristics to During the second night landing the
those of the Bf 109 F or G. torque link on the left undercarriage leg
Furthermore, a stall in a turn with flaps broke, whereupon the mainwheel turned
retracted and engine at emergency power sideways. Further trials were flown by
produced the same flow pattern as the Bf Fritz Wendel in Werknummer 14003, VJ +
109. Coming from outboard and inboard. WC. The machine had a takeoff weight of
the flow entered the area of the slats at an 3780 kg (!) and a landing weight of 3650 kg,
angle, leaving a relatively small triangular According to a report dated 29 April 1943,
area behind the slats undisturbed. stalling behavior deteriorated worse than
In this condition the aircraft wobbled expected. At the stall there was such a vio-
strongly about the longitudinal axis, and lent aileron movement that the pilot was
these movements increased in intensity as unable to compensate even with both hands
wing loading rose. A full stall occurred on the stick. At small angles of attack the
only at large angles of attack. aircraft rolled very quickly to more than 90
With the Me 209's high wing loading degrees.
the effectiveness of the leading edge slats As well, no improvement could be ex-
had to be improved. But since tests showed pected by enlarging the slat openings.
that extending the slats farther brought no Takeoff and landing characteristics were
improvement and the undercarriage only better than those of the Me 309 at the same
permitted a minor lengthening of the slats weight.
42
Messerschmitt Regensburg Factory Aircraft Production Bf 109 G
Assembly of Bf 109 G Acceptance Flight Activity Dec. 1941 - Dec. 1942
Month Year Model Werk-Nr. Werk.Nr. Quantity Bf 109 G-1 G-1/R2 G-2 G-2/trop G-4 G-4/trop
November 1941 G-1 14001 to 14002 2

December 1941 G-1 14003 to 14009 7 2 2
January 1942 G-1/R2 14010 to 14014 5
1942 G-1 14015 to 14021 7 0
February 1942 G-1 14022 to 14027 6 9 1
1942 G-2 14028 1
1942 G-1 14029 to 14035 7
1942 G-2 14036 1
1942 G-1 14037 to 14038 2 10
March 1942 G-1 14039 to 14063 25 1 1
April 1942 G-1 14064 to 14074 11 23 2 2
1942 G-1/R1 14075 to 14091 17 27
May 1942 G-1/R1 14092 to 14132 4! 68 28 40
June 1942 G-1/R1 14133 to 14150 18 1 33 18
1942 G-2 14151 to 14183 33 52
July 1942 G-2 14184 to 14230 47 50 2 48
August 1942 G-2 14231 to 14245 15 50 3 27 20
1942 G-2 14246 to 14268 23 converted to trop
September 1942 G-4 16001 to 16038 38 46 1 1 3 3 38
October 1942 G-4/trop 16039 to 16092 54 54 54
November 1942 G-4 16093 to 16140 48 48 48
December 1942 G-4 16141 to 16182 42 80 42 38
1942 G-4/trop 16183 to 16220 38
Total production from Nov. 1941 - D e c . 1942: 488 488 67 80 98 23 128 92

43
Messerschmitt Werke Regensburg Aircraft Production Bf 109 G
Assembly Bf 109 G Test Flight Activity Jan. 1943 - Dez.1943
Month Year Model Werk - Nr. Werk - Nr. Stück Bf 109

Januar 1943 G-4/trop 16221 bis 16250 30
1943 G-3 16251 bis 16269 19 49
Februar 1943 G-3 16270 bis. 16300 31
44
!943 G-4/trop 16301 bis 16312 12

1943 G-6 16313 bis 16354 42 85
März 1943 G-6 16354 bis 16523 170 170
April 1943 G-6 16524 bis 16650 127
1943 G-6 18001 bis 18045 45
1943 G-6 18046 bis 18070 25 196
Mai 1943 G-6 18071 bis 18275 205 205
Juni 1943 G-6 18276 bis 18512 237 237
Juli 1943 G-6 18513 bis 18780 268 268
August 1943 G-6 18781 bis 18900 120
1943 G-6 160001 bis 160120 120 241
September 1943 G-6 160121 bis 160197 77 77
Oktober 1943 G-6 160196 bis 160363 168 166
November 1943 G-6 160364 bis 160565 202 202
Dezember 1943 G-6 160566 bis 160835 270 270
Total
Total produced Jan. 1943 - D e z . 1 9 4 3 : 2168 Flight Activity 2166
Messerschmitt Werke Regensburg Aircraft Production Bf 109 G
Assembly Bf 109 G Test Flight Activity Jan. 1944 - Dez.1944
Month Year Model Werk - N r . W e r k - Nr. Quantity Bf 109 G-6 G-6/AS G-14 G-14/AS G - 1 0 K-4
Januar 1944 434

Februar 1944 305
März 1944 135
April 1944 343
Mai 1944 550
Juni 1944 659
Juli 1944 650
August 1944 704
September 1944 701
Oktober 1944 755
November 1944 543
Dezember 1944 537
Total
Total produced Jan.1944 - Dez. 1944: 6316 Flight Activity 6316 3165 325 479 1373 118 856
45
Messerschmitt AG Type
License Production Delivery plan Bf 109 Programm 223 , Anderungsstand B
Nb 7b vom 15.8.1943
1943 1944 1945
To be delivered Total delivered by 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

bis 31.7.43
G-1 20 20
Erla G-2 160 160
G-2 tp 384 384
G-4 tp 266 266
46
G-5 69 35 40 45 50 50 50 50
K-1 930 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 30
G-6 tp 298 298
G-6 1524 324 165 170 195 60 50 60 190 250 60
G-6/U2 500 140 160 160 40
K-2 4810 210 290 310 330 350 370 390 400 400 380 350 300 250 200 150 100 30
9281 1521 200 210 240 250 260 270 280 300 320 340 360 380 400 420 440 450 450 430 400 350 300 250 200 150 80 30
1721 1931 2171 2421 2681 295! 3231 3531 3851 4191 4551 4931 5331 5751 6191 6641 709! 7521 7921 8271 8571 882! 9021 9171 9251 9281
Studie G -1 20 20
v. 10.9.43 G-2 160 160
G-2 tp 384 384
G-4 tp 266 266
G-5 391 69 31 46 45 50 50 50 50
K-1 930 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 30
G-6/U2 500 300 200
G-6 2X50 622 169 194 235 280 30 170 410 450 290
K-2 6530 - 210 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 450 450 350 250 150 100 50 20
12031 1521 200 240 280 330 380 420 460 500 550 550 550 550 550 550 550 550 550 550 500 500 400 300 2(X) 150 UK) 50
1721 1961 2241 2571 2951 3371 3831 4331 4881 5431 5981 6531 7081 7631 8181 8731 9281 9831 10331 10831 11231 11531 11731 11881 11981 12031
Ausgestellt am: 21.9.43 geändert am: Geheim! + Umschaltung auf Höhenjäger

1. Dies ist ein Staatsgeheimnis im Sinne des §88 RSTGB vorgesehen z.Zt. in Bearbeitung
Aussteller: 2. Weitergabe nur verschlossen
Messerschmitt AG Type
License production Delivery plan Bf 1099 Programm 223 , Anderungsstand B
NB 7b vom 15.8.1943
1943 1944 1945

To be delivered Total Delivered by 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
bis 31.7.43
C-2 914 914
WNF G-2/R1 10 10
G-4 636 635 1
G-4/R3 HO 80
G-6 1420 648 182 170 130 110 80 100
G-6/U4 1445 46 64 100 150 190 250 250 300 95
K-2 10340 - 10 80 330 485 560 650 720 790 790 790 790 790 790 790 690 540 390 240 90 20 5
G-6/R3 4(1 22 18
G-6/R2 250 - 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
G-8 2100 - 15 20 40 50 60 70 80 90 90 90 90 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 70 35
17235 2355 280 300 330 370 400 430 470 525 585 660 750 830 900 900 900 900 900 900 900 800 650 500 350 200 100 50
2635 2935 3265 3635 4035 4465 4935 5460 6045 6705 7455 8285 9185 10085 10985 11885 12785 13685 14585 15385 16035 16535 16885 17085 17185 17235
Studie G-2/G-2/RI 924 924

v. 10.9.43 G-4 636 635 1
G-4/R3 80 80
G-6 1638 648 150 220 190 220 210
G-6/U4 3199 46 13 65 150 200 250 510 580 555 530 300
K-2 13995 10 100 200 500 890 990 1090 1190 1290 1390 1490 1290 1090 890 690 490 290 90 20 5
G-6/R3 40 22 13 5
G-6/R2 240 - 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
47
G-8 2040 - 5 20 20 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 100 100 KM) 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 70 35
22792 2355 182 310 370 480 520 580 660 745 830 910 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 100 50
2537 2847 3217 3697 4217 4797 5457 __
6202
_ 7032 7942 8942 10042 11242 12542 13942 15442 17042 18442 19642 20642 21442 22042 22442 22642 22742 22792
Ausgestellt am: 21.9.43 geändert am: Geheim!

1. Dies ist ein Staatsgeheimnis im Sinne des §88 RSTGB
Aussteller: 2. Weitergabe nur verschlossen
Beginning with the G-5
series, the Bf 109's fire-
power was increased
through the replacement
of the two 7.9-mm MG 17
machine-guns with two
13-mm MG 131s. This re-
sulted in the characteri-
stic bulges on both sides
of the engine cowling.
The aircraft's basic ar-
mament consisted of two
MG 131s and an engine-
mounted MG 151/20.
Front view of the Bf 109

G-5. In spite of the two
bulges, early examples of
this variant were charac-
terized by a good aerody-
namic shape.
Bt 109 G-6/R6 parked at neath the wings and the

the edge of a forest for con- two large circular bulges
cealment. This photo pro- over the MG 131s. Note
vides an excellent view of the lovely spiral on the
the MG 151/20 cannon be- large propeller spinner.
94
Beginning in May 1943
some Bf 109 G-6s had the
Morane antenna mast
for the FuG 16ZY radio
system fitted beneath the
left wing. This radio was
used in conjunction with
the Y-method of fighter
control.
Arming the MG 151/20

wing cannon of a Bf 109
G-6 of JG 27 in North Af-
rica.
95
The instrument panel of
a Bf 109 G. SZKK 3
switch-counting and con-
trol box, Revi C 12/g gun-
sight, cluck, magneto sel-
ector switch, repeater
compass, turn-and-bank
indicator, propeller pitch
indicator, undercarriage
position indicator, fine-
coarse altimeter, air-
speed indicator, boost
pressure gauge. RPM in-
dicator, coolant and oil
temperature gauge, fuel
and oil pressure gauge,
altimeter, and fuel gauge.
106
Bf 109 G-6. On the far left
next to the gunsight is the
repeater compass, beside
it the turn-and-bank indi-
cator, beneath it the air-
speed indicator and besi-
de it the fine-coarse alti-
meter. Clearly visible be-
neath the instrument pa-
nel is the mount for the
engine-mounted cannon,
which has been removed.
Some late variants of the

Bf 109 G had their arma-
ment bolstered through
the installation of Rüstsatz
5, which consisted of two
MK 108 cannon in the un-
derwing gondolas.
Three-view drawing of
the Bf 109 K-4 taken
from an aircraft type
sheet.
This American proudly

poses for a souvenir pho-
to in front of a Bf 109 G-
10 on a south-German
air base after the end of
the war.
117
General Arrangement
Drawing Bf 109 K-4
(Günter Sengfelder)
122
123
Bf 109 K-6:
General arrangement
and control surface de-
flections.
124
125
Trials with 660 x 150 Wheels
For the purpose of undercarriage leg (braking) the tire failures reappeared. The
trials Bf 109 G W.Nr. 14003 was brought to subsequent use of reinforcing bands in-
a takeoff weight of 3.8 tons. This resulted creased the life of the same tire to an aver-
in increased numbers of tire failures and age of 15 to 20 circuits. This was such an
led to extended trials with the 660 x 150 improvement that a message was immedi-
wheel with tire and inner tube. As well, ately sent to the units. This was no ideal so-
there were growing complaints from the lution, however, and therefore the trials
front-line units. During the period from went on. Redesigned Elektron die cast
July to August 1943 far in excess of 100 wheels with free-lying steel brake drums
takeoffs and landings were made by the by EC4 (drawing no. 8-2089 B-2) were now
test-beds W.Nr. 14003 and W.Nr. 160031 in put into use. A total of 120 circuits were
an effort to determine the cause of the fail- flown with these wheels under identical
ures. At the same time, comparative trials test conditions. Heavy braking was used to
were conducted with 650 x 150 and 660 x simulate the thermal loads and high exter-
160 wheels with free-lying steel brake nal temperatures to be expected in front-
drums. In some cases the normal tires had a line use. The average daytime temperature
very short life, some only 2 to 4 circuits, during these experiments was 32° C. The
and such was the problem that an immedi- stress through brake heat was increased
ate solution had to be found in conjunction further by Hying circuits in quick succes-
with the Continental Company. Trials were sion, in some cases 25 circuits in the space
carried out at Lechfeld airfield near Augs- of one hour. In spite of these stresses the
burg. The poorest areas of this landing field tires withstood 120 circuits and even after
were comparable to conditions at forward examination by the EC Company were in
airfields. Two new wheels with new tires such condition that they were approved for
and inner tubes were installed on the Bf further use. The tires were changed only
109 G-1 test-bed. Werknunmer 14003. The once per wheel. The reason for this can
wheel loading at rest was divided as fol- only be suspected to be pushing the test-
lows: 1.6 tons per mainwheel and 0.6 tons bed too hard. These new engine cowling
on the tailwheel. The brakes were used wheels with free-lying brake drums repre-
harshly on all landings, and once on the sented such an improvement that it seemed
ground the tightest, alternating turns were advisable to replace all 660 x 160 tires with
made. The trials revealed that the tires internal brake drums with them. While the
could just stand up to 3 or 4 circuits on dry. simultaneous trials with the 650 x 150
uneven, and stony ground. Comparative wheel produced less thermal load on the
landings and taxiing on concrete showed a tires and greater life, the results could not
three- to four-fold increase in tire life. But stand up to these. It was also subjected to
there, too, when thermal load increased less load.
4
Elektron-Co m.b.H. Bad Cannstadl
151
The Bf 109 undercarria-
ge. Here details of the un-
dercarriage leg with
main wheel, fairing, bra-
ke line, stub axle, and
shock strut head.
152
Front and rear views of
the Bf 109 K mainwheel
(660 x 190).
153
Bf 109 K Series
Deliveries of the K-Series, which was to be the final equipped with a pressurized cockpit. Quantity pro-
major production variant of the Bf 109, began in mid- duction was also planned of a K-3 series which was
October 1944. The previously-mentioned RLM tran- to be built as a fighter and, in its K-3/R2 form, as a
script from August 9,1943 reveals that the manufac- reconnaissance aircraft with a pressurized cockpit.
ture of 10 pre-production aircraft by WNF was planned In March 1944, however, it was decided that in the
for September 1943. Series production of the Bf 109 interests of a standardization of Bf 109 production all
K-2 was subsequently to begin at Erla, WNF and other K-Series would be cancelled pending the intro-
Messerschmitt Regensburg in February 1944. Fur- duction to production of the K-4 series. Therefore the
ther, the Bf 109 K-1 was supposed to replace the G- only variant of the K-Series to reach quantity produc-
5 in production at Erla from July 1944 and it was tion was the Bf 109 K-4.
specified that, like the G-5, the K-1 was to be
This Bf 109 K-4 with the Werknummer 330 130 was flown by the Messerschmitt factories in various trials in the
autumn of 1944. The identifying features of the K-Series are clearly evident: the revised, forward location of the fuel
tank filler point and the octane triangle beneath it, the DF loop which was displaced further back along the fuselage
spine, the revised equipment hatch door, the tall tailwheel and the tall fin and rudder with two fixed trim tabs.
(Radinger)
Bf 109 K-4 167
The vast majority of K-4s were built by Messerschmitt,

Bf 109 K-4 and the company's planned production figure, ac-
cording to the production program as it stood on
While the K-1 to K-3 Series, which got no further than November 30,1944, was 3,598 aircraft, all of which
the project level, were to retain the DB 605 A power were to be delivered by July 1945. In addition, Erla
plant, the K-4 was conceived around the DB 605 D was to build 2,895 of the K-4/R6 version in the period
and accordingly differed little from the G-10. In January-April 1945. Production did in fact begin
contrast to the G-10, K-Series aircraft were not there, probably in early 1945, but it is not known how
conversions of older machines, and unlike the G-10 many aircraft were built and delivered before Leipzig
the vast majority of the aircraft delivered were was occupied by American forces on April 19, 1945.
equipped with the DB 605 D engine, although a few The only known example of an Erla-built K-4/R6 is
exceptions are known among early series aircraft Werknummer 570362, which was accepted by BAL
which retained the DB 605 AS engine. on February 16,1945. Furthermore, WNF was sup-
According to the existing production programs, posed to construct another 2,820 K-4/R6s from May
which were also continually revised regarding K-4 1945 to March 1946, while KÖB was to construct
production, at one time the construction of over 1,000 K-4s in the period March-June 1945 and a
12,700 K-4s was planned, with production stretching further 2,700 of the K-4/R6 version by March 1946.
from July 1944 until March 1946. In fact only a It is not known if production of these planned series
fraction of these projected numbers were built and began and if so what Werknummerblocks they were
delivered. The actual number of K-4s built is un- assigned.
known; a total of 534 had been delivered by Novem- The K-4 began reaching active units assigned to
ber 30, 1944, and it may be assumed that at least the Reich Defense in mid-October 1944 and those in
another 1,200 machines had been built by the time the East somewhat later. Thus deliveries of the K-4
the war ended. The known K-4 Werknummerblocks obviously began some time before those of the G-
are: 10, The first known loss of a K-4 occurred on October
19, 1944, when Werknummer 330305 crashed while
330000-331000 Mtt Reg. being flown by Uffz. Pospiech of 3./FIÜG 1 (S). The
331300-331500 Mtt Reg. same day the Sonderkommando OKL lost a K-4 with
332000-333000 Mtt Reg. the Werknummer 330319. The aircraft's pilot, Ofw.
333800 - 334000 Mtt Reg. Galli, was apparently injured in the incident.
334000 - 334300 Mtt Reg. By the end of the war the K-4 had been delivered
335000 - 335300 Mtt Reg. to the following units:
570000-571000 Erla
Messerschmitt Bf 109 K-4

168 Messerschmitt Bf 109 F, G, & K Series • An Illustrated Study
The following photographs were taken in November at Neuruppin, where III./JG 77 was resting and refitting and
reequipping with the K-4. Here Hptm. Menzel is seen preparing for a practice sortie in "White 1," a K-4 of 9. Staffel
with the Werknummer 330 204. This aircraft was lost on January 1, 1945, while taking part in Operation "Bodenplatte,"
when Lt. Abendroth was shot down by flak in the Rosendaal area and subsequently taken prisoner. (Buck)
"White 2," another K-4 of 9./JG 77 at Neuruppin in A ground collision involving two K-4s of 9./JG 77. Sitting
November 1944. (Buck) in "White 8," which is just visible beneath "White 3," was
Uffz. Schulz. Luckily Schulz escaped serious injury and
was able to climb out of his wrecked machine. (Buck)
Bf 109 K-4 169
III./JG 1, II./JG 2, III./JG 3, I., III./JG 4, II./JG 11, power boost was standard equipment on the K-4,
III./JG 26, II., III., IV./JG 27, III./JG 51, II., III./JG 52, and as a result the complete engine designation was
II., III./JG 53, I., II., III./JG 77, I./NJG 11, II./KG(J) 6 DB 605 DM. In addition the K-4 was built with radiator
and I. and II./KG(J) 27. Most of these Gruppen were cutoff valves like those which had been retrofitted to
only partially equipped with the K-4 and continued to limited numbers of F-Series aircraft in 1941.
fly numerous G-14s and G-10s as well. Only III./JG The cockpit area, too, was virtually unchanged
3, III./JG 26, III./JG 53 and III./JG 77 were equipped, from that of the G-10. The K-4 exhibited the various
at least for a time, solely with the K-4. known styles of the so-called "agglomerations", the
riveted-on fairings behind the bulged engine cowl-
Externally, the K-4 differed little from some G-10s. ing. The K-4 received the Erla-Haube as standard
The engine installation of both versions was identi- equipment and the antenna mast was often dis-
cal. The K-4 also had the new, wide-bladed VDM 9- pensed with; in this case the aerial was attached to
12159 propeller and the deeper F0 987 oil cooler, as the fuselage spine in the usual manner. Because of
well the two side fairings to accommodate the larger the high attrition in antenna masts and safety springs
crankcase of the DB 605 D. Like the G-10, MW-50 resulting from the Erla-Haube being opened too far,
Four K-4s of 3./JG 77 at Neuruppin airfield on a dreary, foggy November day. All wear the Geschwader emblem of JG
77 on the engine cowling. (Buck)
Two shots of "White 17," a K-4 of 9./JG 77 with the Werknummer 330 230. On January 1,1945, Uffz. Munninger of 10./
JG 77 was shot down and killed by anti-aircraft fire near Tilburg while flying this aircraft. Behind the fuselage one can
see Lt. Renzow, the Staffelführer of 10./JG 77. (Buck)
Aircraft of 11./JG 77. In the center is "Yellow 8," a K-4 with the Werknummer 330 176. This aircraft was lost as the
result of a mid-air collision near Neuruppin on November 27,1944, its pilot, Lt. Zieher, losing his life. (Böttner)
a technical directive was issued in November 1944 in front of the rear insulator, sloped forward 74 cm to
(TAGL II Bf 109 A2 Nr. 3, 427/44) which contained the fuselage spine.
detailed instructions to the front-line maintenance The filler point for the main fuel tank was moved
shops for the replacement of the antenna mast and, forward to a location between Frames 2 and 3-as
if required, conversion of the antenna installation to always on the left side of the fuselage. Conversely
the current production standard. In the modification the DF loop was moved aft and installed between
process the aerial was simply hooked into a hole in Frames 3 and 4. The round sheet-metal plate over
the fuselage spine, led through the DF loop and the footrest behind the wing root was deleted on the
attached to the fin with a metal lashing. The fixed K-4. The radio equipment access hatch was also
antenna, with an overall length of 3.5 meters, con- moved forward and was located between Frames 4
sisted of impregnated hemp rope (85 cm), an eye, and 5 in a somewhat higher position than before.
flexible wire (40 cm), the actual antenna between the The hatch is often depicted with a sloped upper
insulators (167 cm), flexible wire (41 cm) and the edge, but this was in fact horizontal, while the bottom
safety spring, which was hooked onto the fin. The edge sloped slightly to the front.
fuselage antenna lead-in, which was attached 51 cm The enlarged tail unit was a standard fit on the K-
Uffz. Fröhlich of 11./JG 77 in front of a K-4 of 10./JG 77 K-4s of 11./JG 3 parked and meagerly brish-camouflaged
with the code "Red 2," photographed at the end of at Pasewalk airfield in February 1945. (Kallerhoff)
December 1944 at Düsseldorf-Ratingen. It is obvious that
this aircraft does not yet carry the white/green fuselage
band which was first used by JG 77 in the operations on
New Year's Day 1945. (Fröhlich)
Bf 109 K-4 171
4, and in most cases the aircraft's rudder featured

the Flettner tab as well as the two fixed tabs; how-
ever, there were rare examples which did not receive
the fixed tabs. In general all K-4s were supposed to
receive the long tailwheel, which was intended to be
retractable. The tailwheel size was 350 x 135. A few
K-4s were nevertheless fitted with the short tailwheel
of the G-6. Those aircraft with the long, retractable
tailwheel were fitted with two clamshell doors to
cover the tailwheel recess.
The wing of the K-4 had the large, rectangular
fairings for the 660 x 190 mainwheels, and externally
Hptm. Strasen, who took over III./JG 4 just before the end was almost indistinguishable from that of the G-10
of the war, by the tail of his K-4, which wears the black/ series. There were several differences, however.
white/black fuselage band of JG 4. Visible on the fuse-
lage band is the vertical Gruppe bar, which on aircraft of The ailerons of the K-4 were fitted with small inset
the Gruppenstab of Ill./JG 4 was red. (Strasen) adjustable trim tabs. It was also planned to introduce
Above: Lt. Landt, Staffelführer of 11./JG 53, in the cockpit

of his aircraft "Yellow 1" at Kirrlach, February 22,1945.
This K-4 may be the same machine - W.Nr. 332 660 - in
which Lt. Landt collided with a Mustang during a dog-
fight near Bretten a day later. Landt was injured in the
incident and was forced to bail out of his damaged
aircraft. (Landt) Right: "Yellow 1" again. The black
fuselage band worn by aircraft of JG 53 is clearly visible
behind the Balkenkreuz. (Landt)
Lt. Potreck, a pilot in the Stab of III./JG 53, seated in his "Yellow 15," a K-4 with the Werknummer 332 956,
brush-camouflaged K-4 during preparations for a sortie belonged to 11./JG 53 at Kirrlach in March 1945. On the
in March 1945. (Landt) left is Ofw. Polak and on the right Ofw. Scheer. Note the
last four digits of the Werknummer on the aft fuselage.
(Scheer)
Two pilots of 11./JG 3 - Gefr. Zitzmann and Uffz. Lehnen Uffz. Suhr by the tail of his K-4, on whose rudder the
- in front of "Yellow 2," a K-4 with the Werknummer 332 Werknummer 334 210 may be seen. This aircraft has the
506. This aircraft was lost in combat with Yak-9s near short tailwheel, but it appears that the tailwheel recess
Stettin, when Uffz. Günter was shot down and killed. doors for the long tailwheel are nevertheless present.
(Suhr) (Suhr)
Bf 109 K-4 173
Three shots of "Yellow 8," a K-4 of 11./JG 3 at Pasewalk in March 1945. The pilots of 11./JG 3 in front of "Yellow 8."
Standing, from the left, Uffz. Zimmermann, Uffz. Massing, Gefr. Zitzmann, Lt. Walter, Uffz. Deskau and Uffz. Suhr;
sitting, FhjFw. Gogler, a Luftwaffe Female Auxiliary and Uffz. Lehnen. Note the antenna wire which runs through the
DF loop and is attached to the fuselage spine. (Suhr)
Above: The open, uncamouflaged placement of the K-4s

of 11./JG 3 is noteworthy, because by this time the
Russian Air Force was in almost complete command of
the skies over eastern Germany. In the foreground the
personnel of 11./JG 3 once again; from left Uffz. Massing,
Lt. Walter, FhjFw. Gogler, Gefr. Zimmermann and an
unidentified pilot. (Suhr)
Left: This aircraft was flown by Lt. Walter, later trans-

ferred to IV./JG 3 and here seen in front of his aircraft.
Note the octane triangle specifying 87 octane fuel and
the name "Mary" beneath the cockpit. (Suhr)
the small mainwheel well doors similar to those

which had been planned for the earlier Bf 109 G.
These well doors were often removed by the front-
line units. Installation of the antenna mast for the
FuG 16zy below the left wing was standard. One
change not externally visible was the relocation of
the oxygen bottles from the rear fuselage to the right
wing.
Armament of the K-4 consisted of an engine-
mounted MK 108 cannon, which by now was in-
stalled on the production line, as well as two MG 131
machine-guns above the engine. There were air-
craft, however, which were delivered with an MG
151/20 engine-mounted cannon. Radio equipment
was similar to that of the G-10, with the FuG 16ZY
and 25a as well as the Peilrufanlagfedirection finding
(DF) equipment.
A series of Rüstsätze was planned for the K-4, of
which only R3, the standard range-increasing modi-
fication with 300-liter auxiliary fuel tank, saw large-
scale use. R1 was the planned installation of an ETC
500 IXb rack for one 250 kg or 500 kg bomb, R4 two
underwing, gondola-mounted 20-mm cannon and
R6 the installation of a BSK 16 gun camera in the left
wing. Like the G14 and G-10 before it, a bad-weather
version of the K-4 was to be built, designated K-4/
R6. It has not been confirmed that this version was
in fact built in large numbers. And finally there was a
reconnaissance version, the K-4/R2, which could be
Fw. Strebel of 11./JG 3 in front of his aircraft "Yellow 4," equipped with an Rb 50/30 or Rb 75/30 camera as
presumably again the K-4 with the Werknummer 334 210. well as an FuG 16 ZS in place of the FuG 16 ZY.
Note the end of the antenna wire behind the fuel tank There is likewise no proof that the K-4/R2 was
filler inlet, the octane triangle with the c3 marking and the
name "Ingeborg" beneath the cockpit. (Suhr) actually built.
A K-4 of Ill./JG 51 takes off from Junkertroylhof in April 1945. Visible behind the Balkenkreuz are the last three digits
of the Werknummer, 334 175. (Aders)
Bf 109 K-4 175
Different styles of attaching the antenna wire to the vertical stabilizer. The tailwheel doors are illustrated in the open
and closed positions.
Lt. Landt of 11./JG 53 taxis out for takeoff in "Yellow 14," a K-4, in early 1945. Note the small wheel well doors beneath
the wings, while the undercarriage leg fairings are absent (Landt)
A K-4 of 11./JG 53 taxis out onto the landing field from the cover of the surrounding woods before taking off on a
sortie from the forward airfield at Kreuzstrasse in April 1945. (Landt)
Wrecked German aircraft at Kaufbeuren airfield in the summer of 1945. On the right is "Chevron 1," a K-4 of the
Gruppenstab of Ill./JG 53 which Lt. Bernhard had been forced to belly-land at the airfield on April 19, 1945. Note the
broad, black fuselage band with the Gruppe bar behind it, as was usual on aircraft of Ill./JG 53 in February 1945.
(Chapman)
The adjutant's aircraft of Ill./JG 27, a K-4 with the Werknummer 330 255, as found at Wunstorf air base by advancing
Allied troops in April 1945. All the characteristic features of the K-4 are clearly visible - the equipment bay door which
has been moved forward, the revised locations of the DF loop and fuel tank filler inlet, the large wheel bulges on the
wing upper surface and the long tailwheel. Also evident are the large mainwheels and broad propeller blades.
(Petrick)
Bf 109 K-4 177
The remains of "White 16," a K-4 of 9./JG 53, as it looked on a forward airfield in southern Germany after the end of
the war. Note the broad fuselage band with the Gruppe bar behind it. Clearly visible are the large mainwheels and
broad propeller blades. (Petrick)
Bf 109 K-6
The K-6 series was to enter production alongside the
K-4 in January 1945. The production of 3,570 ma-
chines was planned, 2,070 by Erla and 1,500 by
WNF. According to a report by the main department
of the OKL (Hauptausschusses) on October 31,
1944, it was planned produce the K-4 and K-6 in a
ratio of 2:1. In any case it is not known if the K-6
actually entered production and there is still no
known Werknummer block for the K-6 series. It is
known, however, that at least one K-6 was being "Black 2," another K-4, originally belonged to 14./JG 53.
tested at Rechlin as early as autumn 1944. In June 1947 it still lay in a forest at the former forward
The K-6 was to be largely similar to the K-4; the airfield at Reichenbach. Note the wavy line, used as a
Gruppe symbol by IV./JG 53, on the black fuselage band.
only difference was to be the installation of two MK (Willbold)
108 in the wings, which is why the K-6 was desig-
nated a "heavy fighter."
On the other hand the projected Bf 109 K-10 and
K-12 variants progressed no further than the project
stage.

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14 Bf 109 F-1 and F-2

16 High speed trials

20 Testing of underwing armament

23 The Bf 109 Gustav series

33 The Bf 109 H high-altitude fighter

40 Me 109 Z/Me 609

42 Preliminary experiments for the Me 209

43 The Messerschmitt Regensburg factory, aircraft production Bf 109 G

151 Trials with 660 x 150 wheels

Augsburg, 12 June 1996

Bf 109 Bf 109 F to K List of Variants

Bf 109 F-0 10 pre-production machines

Bf 109 F-1 Surviving specification from 16 June 1941

Bf 109 F-2 Surviving specification from 16 June 1941

Bf 109 F-2/Z Surviving specification from 18 September 1941

Bf 109 F-2/trop Surviving specification

Bf 109 F-3 Project only

Bf 109 F-4 Fighter

Bf 109 F-4/B Fighter-bomber equipment

Bf 109 F-4/trop Fighter

Bf 109 F-4/Z F-4 with GM 1 system

Bf 109 F-4/B Reconnaissance version, existed only as prototype

Bf 109 F-6 Reconnaissance version of the F-4, existed only as prototype

Bf 109 G-0 VJ + WA 12 prototypes

Bf 109 G-1/U2 Light fighter with pressurized cockpit and GM 1

Bf 109 G-4/R2 Reconnaissance aircraft with RB 50/30 no pressurized cockpit

Bf 109 G-4/R3 Armed reconnaissance aircraft with Rb 50/30, no pressurized cockpit,

Bf 109 G-4/U3 Tactical reconnaissance aircraft without pressurized cockpit,

Bf 109 G-5/U2 Light fighter with pressurized cockpit.

Bf 109 G-6 Light fighter without pressurized cockpit,

Bf 109 G-6/R3 Armed reconnaissance aircraft with Rb 50/30,

Bf 109 G-6/U1 Light fighter with braking propeller.

Bf 109 G-6/U3 Tactical reconnaissance aircraft without pressurized cockpit,

Bf 109 G-8 Light fighter without pressurized cockpit,

Bf 109 G-10 Light fighter without pressurized cockpit

Bf 109 G-12 Two-seat training aircraft, conversions of single-seat machines

Bf 109 G-14 Light fighter without pressurized cockpit

Testing of Underwing Armament

Dale: Flight No Ammo load Left weapon Right weapon Remarks

30/5/42 3 135/135 belt kinked normal left belt feed reset

30/5/42 4 135/135 normal normal

30/5/42 5 135/135 normal normal

31/5/42 6 135/135 normal normal

31/5/42 7 135/135 normal normal

31/5/42 8 135/135 normal double load

01/6/42 9 135/135 normal normal

01/6/42 10 135/135 weapon failure normal

02/6/42 11 135/135 normal normal

02/6/42 12 135/135 double load normal

02/6/42 13 135/135 normal normal

02/6/42 14 135/135 normal normal

02/6/42 15 135/135 normal normal

Air firing with 2 x MG 151/15

05/6/42 1 135/135 belt jammed normal flight aborted

05/6/42 2 100/100 spent belt normal

05/6/42 3 100/100 normal normal

05/6/42 4 100/100 gun stoppage normal

05/6/42 5 100/100 normal normal

12/6/42 6 100/100 belt jammed normal

12/6/42 7 100/100 normal normal

12/6/42 8 100/100 normal normal