Messerschmidt Bf 109

     Being a World War II baby, I grew up in an era of propeller-driven airplanes, and have never adjusted to the jet age. My father and seven uncles fought in WWII and I was subjected to all of their stories when they came home from the war. While most of my friends were fans of the American P-51 Mustang,..or the British Super Marine Spitefire,.. I have always thought the German Messerschmidt Bf109 was the most awesome fighter of the times, and for good reason.
   Designed by Willy Messerschmidt and Robert Lusser in the mid 1930's, the 109 was truly ahead of its time. While most of the world's air forces were still fielding two-wing bi-planes with canvas coverings, Messerschmidt had other ideas..

    The Bf109 was the very first modern era fighter plane...altho it was used as a bomber, surveillance, and trainer too. It feature a monoplane design (single wing), was all-metal constructed, had a closed canopy, retractable landing gear, and a liquid-cooled fuel-injected 700 horsepower Junkers Jumo V-12 engine. The 109 also brought a punch almost unequaled by the Allies until late in the war. The Messerschmidt had a 20 millimeter cannon that fired through the center hub of the propeller for easy aiming by the pilots, and also two wing-mounted 7.92 millimeter machine guns.

      To say the Bf109 is my favorite plane would be an understatement....I have five of them gracing my office. The photos above are of one of my models and I am really proud of it. You can even see 'ol Adolph in the pilots seat. He came out of the plane so he could be painted independently. If you look close you can see the clear nylon line on the plane. I use it to suspend the plane from the ceiling of my office.

      The markings on the plane are fairly accurate, but in these days of political correctness, the model maker has conveniently left out the swastika decal that would have been applied to the top of the tail rudder that is not yellow. This particular model is a Bf109e, meaning it was built in 1942, and thus it also has two wing-mounted 20 millimeter cannons and the 7.92 machine guns have been moved to the cowling in front of the pilot. They are synchronized to fire through the propeller. 
   The Foch-Wolfe 190 came into production in 1941 and was a heavier and more armed fighter plane than the Bf109, but most of Germany's top aces preferred to stay with the 109 instead of flying the Foch-Wolfe.
   The Messerschmidt Bf109 was the most produced airplane in history, not just during the war, but in all of history. From 1936 through April of 1945, thirty-three thousand, nine-hundred and eighty-four Bf109's were built. I am sad to report that less than fifty are still flying today. It was really a great plane and always my favorite.