First flown in 1935, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was considered one of the greatest combat aircraft in history. Designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Bayerische Flugzeugwerke in late 1933 to replace the Arado Ar 68 and Heinkel 51, the Bf 109 would become the most important fighter plane for the Luftwaffe. Although the prototypes flew with Rolls Royce Kestrel engines, the first production line of the Messerschmitt 109B-1s had Junkers Jumo 210 in-line engine with 635 hp. There were 35,000 of these single seat, low-wing monoplanes with retractable landing gear built during the eight years of production.

The following two versions, 109B-2 and 109C, were flown by the Condor Legion in the Spanish Civil War. Daimler Benz engines were fitted to the 109D which had more than 200 in service with the Luftwaffe before the war and the invasion of Poland. The Luftwaffe also received many of the Bf-109E versions, which had 1,100 hp DB 601A engines. Although several hundred of the Messerschmitt Bf-109E planes were exported, this would become the principal version used during the Battle of Britain. A retractable tail wheel, superior aerodynamics, and the addition of a 1,300 hp DB 601E engine, caused many to claim the 109F as the best developed Messerschmitt. The Messerschmitt which was produced in the largest quantities, was the 109G. Produced through the hostilities in Europe, the 109G had a more powerful Daimler Benz engine but was still considered inferior in performance to the previous 109F version. Czechoslovakia continued to produce their S-99 version during the post war years and used them for training through 1957.

The Fighter Factory’s Messerschmitt Bf-109E is currently a restoration project that is being built from five wrecks which have been recovered from Russia in the past three years. A substantial portion of the plane was part of a Bf-109 built in 1939 as an E-3 and later converted to a Bf-109E7 with a long-range tank. This plane was part of Jagdgeschwader 5 in Lapland and given the fuselage code “Black 9.” The aircraft was shot down near Murmansk in May, 1942, and the pilot, Ofw Walter Sommer, was listed as missing. Work will continue for a few more years on this Messerschmitt Bf-109E before it takes to flight once again. What we need more than anything else are some additional production drawings and plans.