Messerschmitt Bf 109E (Walk Around No. 34)

82 Pages·2004·77.78 MB·English

by  Hans-Heiri Stapfer

5534
Messerschmitt 8f 109E
-
a r o u n
Messerschmitt 8f 109E
By Hans-Heiri Stapfer
Color by Don Greer
Illustrated by Darren Glenn and David Gebhardt
-....
.
~® Walk Around Number 34
, squadron/signal publications
Introduction
COPYRIGHT2004SQUADRON/SIGNALPUBLICATIONS,INC.
The Messerschmitt Bf l09E was the backbone of the Luftwaffe fighter force during the IllSCROWLEYDRIVE CARROLLTON,TEXAS75011-5010
Blitzkrieg(LightningWar)campaignsbetween 1939and 1941.ThistypesawcombatinSpain Allrights reserved. Nopartofthis publication may be reproduced, stored inaretrievalsystemortrans
with theLegion Condorduring theSpanishCivilWar, participatedin the invasion ofPoland mitted in anyform by meanselectrical,mechanicalorotherwise, withoutwrittenpermissionofthepub-
intheFallof1939,andwassuccessfulovertheFrenchskiesinthe 1940WesternEuropecam lisher. '
paign.DuringtheBattleofBritain in thesummerof1940,theEmil(Ein theGermanphonet
ISBN0-89747-474-0
ic alphabet) clashedwith theSupermarineSpitfire- the first enemy opponentthat wasequal
orsuperiorinperformance.TheBf109EalsosawserviceinNorthAfricaandtheBalkansand
Ifyouhaveanyphotographsofaircraft,armor,soldiersorshipsofanynation,particularlywartime
participatedinOperationBARBAROSSA,theGermanattackagainsttheSovietUnioninJune snapshots,whynotsharethemwithusandhelpmakeSquadron/Signal'sbooksaUthemoreinter
of1941.Bf109Esservedinthefighter-bomberroleontheEasternFrontuntilearly 1944.The esting and complete in the future. Any photograph sent to us will be copied and the original
few survivingEmils assignedto trainingunits servedwellintolate 1944. returned.Thedonorwillbefullycreditedforanyphotosused.Pleasesendthemto:
The Emil was the first Bf 109 variantpowered by the DB 60lA powerplantdeveloped by
Daimler-Benz AG at Stuttgart-Untertiirkheim in Southern Germany. The DB 60lA inverted Squadron/SignalPublications,Inc.
1115CrowleyDrive
12-cylinder,liquid-cooled,inlineenginehadatakeoffratingof1175 HP.
Carrollton,TX75011-5010
Thefirst tenpre-seriesBfl09E-Oaircraft weremanufacturedat theMesserschmittplantat
Augsburgin Bavaria. Theseaircraft made their initialflights during the secondhalfof1938.
ECJIH YBac eCTb <pOTOrpa<pHH CaMOJIeTOB, Boopy)KeHHSI, COJInaT HJIH
Thefirst twoproductionBfl09E-ls (WerkNummernlFactory Numbers 1791 and 1792)were
manufacturedatAugsburg, whiletheother12Emilsoftheinitialproductionbatchwereman Kopa6JIeH JIl060H cTpaHbI, oc06eHHo, CHHMKH BpeMeH BOHHbI,
ufactured at other sub contractors. The Bf 109E-I was armed by four 7.92MM Rheinmetall rrOneJIHTeCb CHaMH H rrOMonITe CneJIaTb HOBbIe KHHrH H3naTeJIbCTBa
BorsigMG 17 machineguns: two mounted in the upperfuselage and oneineach wing. The ~CKaJl:POH/CHrHaJIeme HHTepeCHee. Mbl rrepeCHHMeM BallIH
Bfl09E-1/BJagdbomber(Fighter-Bomber)carriedone500KG (1102pound)bomb,one250 <pOTorpa<pHH H BepHeM opHrHHaJIbI. J1MeHa rrpHCJIaBIIIHX CHHMKH
6ynyT COrrpOBO)KnaTb Bce orry6JIHKOBaHHble <pOTorpa<pHH.
Dedication:
Ilo)KaJIyHcTa, rrpHCblJIaHTe <pOTorpa<pHH rro anpecy:
This bookisrespectfullydedicated toBavaria, the mostbeautifulpartofGermany. Onlyin
Bavaria are hungry tourists served with plenty offood like Knodel (dumplings) and Eisbein Squadron/SignalPublications,Inc.
(pig'sknuckles)onhugeplateswithanever-endingflowofbeer.Paradiseonearthhasaname 1115CrowleyDrive
- Bavaria. Carrollton,TX75011-5010
Acknowledgements '!ll'Jijt~L ~f'Il.!l!jiljL ~±. '!ll'Mi~c(1)¥1iz.FJTf.'TLl i::i~h.Qj)l;l:~'~"'JL~~'i 1t~i)' ? c(1)l!I(1)
b(1)-Cbf:liWil'T. tF~'*'1:~Jj~ht.: t (1)iPI~I:~~'(1)l·T. Squadron/Signal:f!:(1)t!JJi&T.QflJ:rr~
Anumberoffellow friends andorganizationscontributedto thisWalkAround. Myspecial l:i::i~'l. .::(1).,):-3~¥1iI;l:I*J~ z.-I!!I1C~ L. ~1J;fci*<T.Q'::i:: ;/),-l'~ iT. ~j)l:i::imI)11I~'t.:
thanks to Andrea Lareida and Roland KUng of the Swiss Air Force Museum at DUbendorf,
¥1iI;l:, :fi¥(1)f.&i::i~L~'t.:LiT. t!JJi&~'*'I:¥1iz.M!JijLt.::tjJ,.g.I;l:.~·TfRof:!li~(1)i::i~j]rjz.8Jj~c
Switzerland for assisting me on matters with the Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3 on exhibit there.
~1tll1l~iT. i::i¥;!!W"Hcl:,::'ml1<t!~~'o
WalterHodeltookmanydetailpicturesthatIwas unabletotake.
Iexpress mysincerethanks to anumberofpeoplewho assistedmeinwritingthisvolume:
Squadron/SignalPublications,Inc.
DanAntoniu OdonHorvath HeinzRiediger 1115CrowleyDrive
HeinzBirkholz ZdenekHurt SHAA Carrollton,TX75011-5010
StephanBoshniakov ImperialWarMuseumLondon HaroldThiele (FrontCover) Hauptmann(Captain)JoachimMunchenberg'sBf109E-7(White 12)shoots
JozefAnd'al WernerHeinzerling IvoZetik downaYugoslavBf109E-3(L-26)on6April 1941.TheGermanfighterwas assignedto7
RuediBUhler ViktorKulikov HansObert Staffel (Squadron) of JG 26 (Jagdgeschwader, Fighter Wing) 'Schlageter' during the
German invasionofYugoslavia(Operation MARITA).
PhilButler Jean-Yves Lorant Bundesarchiv, Germany
BeritCachay Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm SmithsonianInstitution (Previous Page) Switzerland was the first and the largest Bf 109E-3 export customer,
DeutschesMuseum (MBB) SwissFederalArchives receiving 80aircraft in 1939and 1940.The near Bf109E-3(J-326; WerkNummertFactory
MUnchen(Munich) MilanMicevski Milan Krajci Number2174)wasassignedtothe SchweizerFliegertruppe(SwissAirForce)between27
June1939and28December1948.TheGermansdeliveredtheadjoining Bf109E-3(J-350;
Hans Holzer DusanMikolas StanislavBursa
WerkNummer2407) on26 October1939.This Messerschmittwas written off in an emer
ECPA Andrzej Morgala Boris Sudny
gency landing on 1 October 1946 after 365 flying hours. (Swiss Air Force Museum via
ManfredGriehl National ArchivesWashington Roland Kung)
GeorgHoch Willy Radinger
(Back Cover) MajorAdolf Galland climbs out of his Bf 109E-4/N(WerkNummer5819) in
Author's Note: Federal Standard (FS) color numbers were developed afterWorld WarTwo Francein mid-1940.GallandcommandedIII. Gruppe(Group)ofJG26duringtheBattleof
and theirusehereissolelyan approximation. Britain.
The Bf 109E was the most important
German fighter in the Blitzkrieg
(LightningWar)campaignsinPolandand
the West. The Emilalso saw action dur
ingtheBattleofBritain,overtheBalkans,
and as a fighter-bomber over the Soviet
Union. This Regensburg-built Bf 109E-4
(WerkNummer1785) belongstotheStab
(Staff) of JG 27 (Jagdgeschwader;
Fighter Wing), whose insignia is painted
on the forward fuselage. The Black and
White Geschwader Adjutant (Wing
Second-in-Command) marking painted
on the engine cowling usually appeared
onthemid-fuselage. (ECPA)
KG(551 pound)bomb,orfour50KG (110pound) bombsonafuselage mountedbombrack.In dard. The Germans allocated 15 Bf109E-4s to the Vz (Slovak Air Arm), where they served
Augustof1940, mostofthe remaining Bf109E-1s were upgraded to eitherE-3, E-4, orE-7 until 1944.AfewBf109E-4sweredeliveredtotheAeronauticaRegalaRomana(ARR;Royal
standard. TheBf109E-1 was manufactured atMesserschmittAG's Regensburg plant, Arado Romanian AirForce) and the Vazdushni Voyski (VV; Royal Bulgarian Air Force). Germany
Flugzeugwerke GmbH at Warnemtinde, Gerhard Fieseler Werke GmbH at Kassel shipped 12Bf109E-4s toJapanbetween 1940and 1941.
Bettenhausen,andAktienGesellschajtOtto(AGO)atOschersleben.AGOwasasubsidiaryof TheBfl09E-5 was ashort-rangereconnaissanceversionand the 29examplesbuiltdeleted
theconglomerateAllgemeineElektricitiits-Gesellschajt(AEG).Thefourfactoriescombinedto thetwowingcannonandhadaCarlZeissRb21/18camerawith300exposuresoffilm mount
produceapproximately 1183Bf109E-1s.GermanydeliveredthreeBf109E-1stotheVzdusne edin therearfuselage. ThenineBfl09E-6s weremakeshiftreconnaissanceaircraftbasedon
zbrane (Vz;SlovakAirArm) inJulyof1942 theBf109E-3. TheE-6 wasequipped with a 1275 HPDB 601Nengine,four 7.92MMMG 17
Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54; Fighter Wing) was the first Luftwaffe unit to receive the machineguns(twointhefuselageandoneineachwing),andanRb 12,517hand-heldcamera.
MesserschmittBfl09E-3 in the fall of1939. Two 20MM MG FFcannon replaced.the wing TheBfl09E-7 sub-variant was identical to the E-4, with the added capabilityfor eithera
mounted MG 17 machine guns. This cannon was developed by the Swiss company 300L (79 gallon)fuel drop tankorbombs on an ETC 50orETC 500bomb rack. Its spinner
WerkzeugmaschinenfabrikOerlikonatZurichandbuiltunderlicensebyRheinmetall-Borsig. usuallyhadapointedtipinsteadofhavingtheMGFFcannonapertureonearliervariants.The
Installation ofthis cannon and theT-60 FF60-roundammunition drum required alargeblis Bf109E-7wasequippedwiththreeoxygenbottlesinsteadofonlytwoasonpreviousversions.
teron the lower wing surface. While the entire wing mounted MG 17s wereenclosedwithin The ARR, VV, and the Vz were the sole export customers for the Bf 109E-7. The
the wing, theOerlikonweapon's barrels protrudedfrom theleadingedge.Thefuselage struc Bfl09E-7/Nhadanadditionaloxygenbottleandotherequipmentforhigh-altitudeoperations.
turewasalsostrengthened.TheBf109E-3becamebyfarthemostproducedEmilvariant,with TheBf109E-7/ZwaspoweredbyaDB 601NwithaGM-1 'Mona' boostersystem.Thissys
approximately 1246aircraft built by six plants. WienerNeustiidterFlugzeugwerke (WNF) at tem increased engine power by approximately 280HPat altitudes exceeding 8000 M(26,247
Wiener Neustadt, Austria and Erla Maschinenwerk GmbH at Leipzig-Heiterb1ick, Saxony, feet), which resulted in approximately 100KMH (62 MPH) greaterspeed. Approximately 1735
Germanyjoinedthefourfactories thatproducedtheearlierBf109E-l onE-3production.The Bf109E-7swereeitherbuiltorconvertedfrom earlierE-lsandE-3s.
Bf 109E-3 was the first variant of this Messerschrnitt fighter to be exported. Switzerland Approximately 60Bf109E-1s wereconverted to Bfl09E-8s, with a300L drop tank. The
became the first and largest customer, with 80 aircraft delivered in 1939 and 1940. Other Bf l09E-9 was a long-range, high-altitude reconnaissance version developed from the
Bf109E-3sweresenttoRomania, Slovakia, theSovietUnion, Spain,and Yugoslavia. Bf 109E-7. This varianthad aCarl Zeiss Rb 50130 camerawithfilm for 380 exposures. The
The Bf l09E-4 followed the E-3 version into production in late 1940. This new variant Bf109E-9becamethelastEmilsub-variantbuilt.
included aredesigned canopy with heavierframing, which was simpler to produce. An 8MM Approximately4722Bf109Eswerebuiltbetween 1938andMarch 1941.(Exactproduction
armorplate was added to the canopy aft ofthe pilot's seatfor head and shoulderprotection. totalsareunknown,sincetheirrecords weredestroyedduringthewar.)TheLuftwaffeaccept
This modification was introduced based on lessons from the Polish and French campaigns. ed thelastEmilintoserviceinJune of1941.Theyremained infighter-bomberserviceon the
Several Bf 109E-1s and E-3s were retrofitted with the cockpit section armor plate. The Eastern Frontthrough thefall of1944. Many survivingEmits were assigned to pilotschools,
improved performance 20MM MG FF/M cannon replaced the similar MG FF on the E-4. where they servedwell intothelatestagesofGermany'scollapseand defeatin Mayof1945.
Approximately496Bf109E-4swerebuilt,notincludingearlieraircraftretrofittedtothisstan-
3
A Bf109E-3(Black3)restsonanairstripinFranceduringtheBattleofBritaininthesum (Above) This Aeronautica Regalii Romanii (ARR; Royal Romanian Air Force) Bf 109E-3
merof1940.This Emilis painted inthestandard Luftwaffefightercamouflage ofRLM70 (64; WerkNummer704)hadanadditional8MMarmorplatefitted intherearcanopyframe.
Schwarzgriin (Black Green; FS34050) and RLM 71 Dunkelgriin (Dark Green; FS34079) Thisadditionalarmorwas installedasafrontline modification. MostARR Emilswerefor
above RLM 65 Hellblau (Light Blue; FS35352). The height of the upper and lower color mer Luftwaffeaircraftrefurbished bythe Amme LutherSeckCompanybeforedeliveryto
demarcation linewas typical for a III. Gruppe(3rd Group)JG 26 Emil. Flags of Luftwaffe Romania.ThisBf109E-3wasassignedto Grupul7vaniitoare(7thFighterGroup). Nellais
flying units were predominantly Golden Yellow, which was the arm-of-service color for painted inWhite ontheenginecowling.TheMichael'sCrossnational insigniawasintro
such units.A spotting periscopestands intheforeground. (MBB) ducedonall ARR aircraft in mid-Mayof1941.Thisconsisted offourwhite-bordered blue
'Ms' arranged in a cross pattern and filled with Yellow. A roundel in (from center) Blue,
Yellow, and Red was located in the center. The 'M' stood for Mihai
(Michael), the King of Romania. RLM 04 Gelb (Yellow; FS33538) engine
cowlings,wingtips,and rearfuselagebandsidentifiedAxisaircraftoperat
ing on the Eastern Front. Donald Duck- this Group's unofficial insignia
is painted on the rear fuselage. This Bf 109E-3 was flown to the IAR
(industria AeronauticiiRomanii; Romanian Aeronautical Industry) factory
at Brasov(Kronstadt)for repairsinJulyof1942.Itlaterparticipated inthe
battle of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in 1942-43. The tail of the sole
IAR-47 reconnaissance aircraft prototype built at Brasov appears in the
background.(Dan Antoniu)
(Left) Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant) Werner Schroer flies his
Bf109E-7/Trop(Black8) overthe Libyan coast in April of 1941. This par
ticularEmilbelongedtoI. GruppeofJG27.TheWing'semblemwaspaint
edontheenginecowling.ThisBf109E-7/TropisfinishedintheLuftwaffe's
NorthAfricancamouflageofRLM79Sandgelb(SandYellow; FS30215)and
RLM 80 Olivgriin(OliveGreen; FS34052)overRLM78Hellblau(LightBlue;
FS35414). A tropical sand filterwas mounted in front ofthe supercharger
airintake.TheRLM21 Weiss(White; FS37886)aftfuselagebandappeared
on AxisaircraftoperatingovertheMediterranean and NorthAfrica.(MBB)
A formation of Bf 109E-3s assigned to Flieger
Staffel 8 (8th Flying Squadron) cruise over the
Alps. It is believed that this photograph was
taken on the last flight of an Emil in Swiss Air
Force operational service in 1949. Switzerland's
air force was called the Fliegertruppe before
1946, when it was renamed the Flugwaffe. The
near Bf 109E-3 (J-397) was built by Doflug at
Altenrhein,Switzerlandfromsparepartsfound in
FliegertruppearsenalsaftertheendofWorldWar
Two. The Swiss did not assign Werk Nummern
(Factory Numbers) to the Emilsthey assembled
fromspareparts.TheFliegertruppeacceptedthis
particular Bf 109E-3 on 7 December 1945. The
Red and White neutrality stripes were painted
onlyonthe wings. Thesestripesandthe nation
al insignia were removed from the rear fuselage
afterthe conflict. J-397was withdrawn from ser
vice on 28 December 1949. (Max Brenneisen via
Roland Kung)
A Fliegertruppe Bf 109E-3 (J-326; Werk Nummer2174) is parked during the summer of
1940.TheSwissacceptedthis Emilfrom Germanyon 27June1939.Itwas in atwotone
This Bf 109E-3 (J-350; Werk Nummer 2407) belonged to the second series of Emils green upper surface camouflage of RLM 70 Black Green and RLM 71 Dark Green. This
MesserschmittbuiltatitsRegensburgplantfortheSwissAirForce.TheseBf109E-3were originalGermancamouflagewassoonreplacedbytheSwissKW2color,whichwassim
deliveredwith RLM70BlackGreenuppersurfacesand RLM65LightBlueundersurfaces. ilarto RLM 70. The White cross was painted on a Red disc on the wing uppersurfaces,
The Fliegertruppeaccepted J-350on 26 October1939.Itwas photographed during exer whilethissamecrosswasplacedonaRedsquareonthefuselagesidesandwingunder
cisesinWesternSwitzerlandinthesummerof1940.(SwissAirForceMuseumviaRoland surfaces.TheFliegertrupperemoved'J-326fromserviceon28December1948.(SwissAir
Kling) Force Museumvia Roland Kling)
Bf109E-1sareassembled atthe Messerschmitt plantat Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany. SeveralLegionCondorBf109E-3s,including6-112(front)and6-121,areparkedlateinthe
Nocamouflage was applied, butthe Balkenkreuz(Beam Cross) national insigniaandthe Spanish Civil War in early 1939. The Zylinderhut (top hat) insignia denoted 2. Staffel
firsttwo lettersofthefour-letter Stammkennzeichen(Root Markings)codeweresprayed (Squadron) of the Legion's JIBB (Jagdgruppe; Fighter Group). This Emirs scheme con
onthefuselage ofmanyaircraft.(MBB) sisted of RLM 62 Griin(Green; FS36165) upper surfaces and RLM 65 Light Blue under
surfaces.Thewingtips and rudderareWhite, thelatterwith aBlackdiagonal cross. The
Black lowerfuselage trim for covering exhauststains was typical for Emilsdeployed to
AmechanicoverhaulsaBf109E-1 ofanunknownwing's5.Staffel,II.Gruppe(2ndGroup).
Spain.(HaroldThiele)
AWhite-outlined RLM 23 Rot(Red; FS31140) horizontal barispainted aftofthefuselage
Balkenkreuz.ThisEmilwaspaintedwith RLM70BlackGreen uppersurfacesand RLM65 This Bf 109E-1 was assigned to a Werkschutzstaffel (Factory Protection Squadron)
Light Blueundersurfaces.TheLuftwaffeemployedthisstyleofBalkenkreuz, with narrow defending the Gerhard Fieseler Werke GmbH production plant at Kassel, Germany.
White outlines on upperand lowerwing surfaces until late September of 1939.(Manfred Fieseler builtthe Emilunderlicensefrom MesserschmittAG. This unit remained in exis
Griehl) tencebetween16October1939and7August1940.TheMesserschmittinsigniawaspaint
ed onthe enginecowling, while the nearby Rstood forthis Emirs pilot, Anton Riediger.
HelaterbecameanacceptancepilotfortheLuftwaffe, handingovernewlymanufactured
Bf109s.(HeinzRiediger)
Messerschmitt 8f 109E-1
The Bf 109E-I was the first large-scale production variant powered by the Dairnler
Do
Benz DB 60lA engine. It was armed with two fuselage-mounted 7.92MM Rheinmetall
o 0
Borsig MG 17 machine guns in the fuselage and two wing-mounted MG 17s. Thefirst
two Emils left the assembly line in November of 1938. Many Bf 109E-ls were subse
quently upgradedto theE-3 standard.
Messerschmitt 8f 109E-3 (Early)
ThefirstBf109E-3wasdeliveredinthefallof1939andthisbecamethemostproduced
Do
Emilsub-variant.TheSwiss-developed,German-builtRheinmetall-Borsig20MMMGFF
o 0
cannon replaced the wing-mountedMG 17 machineguns. A blisterplacedon the lower
wingsurfaceaccommodatedtheweaponand its60-roundTrommelT-60FFammunition
drum.
Messerschmitt 8f 109E-3 (Modified)
Duringits operational service, Bf 109E-3 canopy center sections were field modified Do
with an 8MM armor plate mounted behind the pilot's seat. Some Bf109E-3s also had a
o 0
58MM bulletproof windshield mounted in front of the standard windshield. These two
modifications were performed by frontline modification centers, not on the production
line.
Messerschmitt 8f 109E-4/Trop
The Bf109E-4 received a modified front canopy with heavierframing and an armor
Do
plate behind the cockpit seaton the production line. Two improved 20MM Rheinmetall
o 0
Borsig(Oerlikon)MGFFfMcannonweremountedinthewings,replacingtheearlierMG
FFs.Bf109E-4smodifiedfortheNorthAfricantheaterofoperationswereequippedwith
asandfilteronthesuperchargerintake.ThefirstBf109E-4/Trops(tropenbestiindig; trop
icalized)weredeliveredtoJG27 inAprilof1941.
Messerschmitt 8f 109E-7/8
TheBf109E-7'~propellerspinnerusuallyhadapointedtipratherthan havingtheMG Do
FFcannon apertureon earliersub-variants. TheBf109E-7/B was afighter-bomber ver
o 0
sion, which had oneETC 50 orETC 500 bomb rack mounted under the fuselage. This
variantwasalso ableto carrya300L (79gallon)droptankinplaceofordnance.
7
Deutsches Museum Bf 109E-3
TheBf109E-3displayedattheDeutschesMuseum (GermanMuseum)at
Munich, Bavaria, Germany is the oldestexistingEmil onexhibit. This air
craft (Werk NummeriFactory Number 790) was built at the Erla
MaschinenwerkGmbHfactory atLeipzig-Heiterblickin Saxony, Germany
in early 1939. Erla Maschinenwerk GmbH was one ofseveral companies
thatbuilttheEmilunderlicensefromMesserschrnittAG.
TheaircraftwasshippedtoSpain,wheretheEmilsawactionwith2.Staffel
(2ndSquadron)ofJ/88 (Jagdgruppe; FighterGroup),LegionCondor. (This
Germanair-groundLegionsupportedNationalistforces during theSpanish
Civil War of 1936-39.) The code 6·106 was assigned to this particular
Bf109E-3.(Thiswasthe106thBf109- typecodenumber6- inNationalist
service.) The Germans turned this Bf 109E-3 over to the Ejercito delAire
(EdA; Spanish Air Force) at Leon Air Base after the Spanish Civil War
endedon29March 1939.This Emilhadonly25flighthours atthetime.
TheEdAassignedthenewserialnumberCAE-106tothisBf109E-3.CAE
(Caza; Fighter) was the newSpanishdesignationfor theBf109E.Itserved
with several EdA Squadrons until it was damaged in a 'belly' (wheels-up)
This Bf 109E-3(WerkNummer790) is displayed at the Deutsches Museum (German Museum) at Mu'nich, landingin 1946.Thisfighterwasrepaired,butdidnotflyagain. Itservedas
Bavaria, Germany. It is the the oldest existing Emil on exhibit. Erla Maschinenwerk GmbH at Leipzig a ground instructional airframe at Logrogno Air Base until 1959. This
Heiterblick, Saxony, Germany builtthis aircraft in early 1939and it sawaction in the Spanish Civil War. A Bf109E-3 was the sole originalMesserschmitt-builtfighter in theEjercito
clear plastic panel replaced a section of the port skin to reveal the cockpit interior. A Swiss Air Force delAireinventoryatthetime.
Fieseler Fi 156 Storch(A-96; WerkNummer4299)- donatedtothe Museum in 1965- hangsfrom the ceil
TheSpanishAirMinistrydonated CAE-106 to theDeutschesMuseum in
ing.
September of 1960. This was done on the request of Professor Willy
The Deutsches Museum loaned their Bf 109E-3 to JG 74 of the Bundesluftwaffe at Neuburg-Donau in Messerschmitt, the Bf109'sdesigner, who worked with Hispano Aviaci6n
November of 1973. This was for a ceremony in which this Wing received the traditional name 'Molders.' SA in Sevilla, Spain after World War Two. (This firm built a modified
Duringthisoccasion,theformerSpanishAirForceaircraftwaspaintedtorepresentan Emilflown byMajor Bf 109 as the HA 1109 fighter for the EdA between 1945 and 1958.)
WernerMolders, KommodoreofJG51 duringthe Battleof Britain inthesummerof1940. HispanoAviaci6nrefurbishedtheBf109E-3 andpainteditin themarkings
ofJG26(Jagdgeschwader; FighterWing) 'Schlageter'duringtheBattleof
Britainin 1940. AHakenkreuz (swastika) was paintedon both sides ofthe
verticalstabilizer,butthiswasoverpaintedandtheStammkennzeichen(ferry
marking) AJ+YHapplied beforetheaircraftwasdisplayedinGermany.
InNovemberof1973,JG74oftheBundesluftwaffe(FederalGermanAir
Force) was christened 'Molders,' after thefamous World WarTwo Bf109
aceWernerMolders.TheDeutschesMuseum'sBf109E-3wasloanedtothe
Wing - then equipped with Lockheed F-104G Starfighters - at Neuburg
DonauAirBaseforthenamingceremony.Itwaspaintedinthemarkingsof
anEmilMajorMOldersflew whileKommodoreofJG51 duringthesummer
of1940.Thefalse WerkNummer2804was also paintedon thevertical tail.
ThisBf109E-3 wasreturned to theDeutschesMuseum afterthis ceremony
and is now on permanent exhibit, still painted in the markings ofWerner
MOlders' aircraft.
The JG 51 insignia is painted on the engine cowling ofthe Bf109E-3 displayed at Munich. This unit
insigniawas applied in Novemberof 1973,when this particularaircraftwas on loantoJG 74's home
baseatNeuburg-Donau.JG74flewtheLockheed F-l04GStarfighteratthattime; in2004,theybegan
transitioning from McDonnell DouglasF-4FPhantom listoEurofighterTyphoons.
The Bf 109E-3's Daimler-Benz DB 601A inline engineturned athree-bladed VDM propeller. This all
metal, variable pitch propellerwas3.1 M(10feet2inches) in diameter.The pilotelectricallyadjusted
theblades'pitchthroughatwo-wayswitch.Thisswitchsentinputstothepitchgovernorthatchanged
each blade's pitch.
Oil is discharged through a rectangular opening on the nose undersurface,
immediately aft of the propeller spinner. Two drop-shaped fairings for
coolant piping flankthe lower nosesides.The DeutschesMuseumremoved
partoftheradiatorfairingto reveal its interior.Theopened radiatorexitflap
is placed immediately aft of the radiator. Cooling airtunnels in front of the
exhauststacksweretypical fortheDaimler-Benz-powered Bf109E-3.
9