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About the Messerschmitt Bf109 E-3
Without a doubt, the
Messerschmitt Bf109 can be claimed as the most famous and successful German
aircraft from the WW2. It was the world's most advanced fighter at the time of
its debut in 1936, and remained as the standard fighter for the Luftwaffe
throughout the conflict.
Created by the brilliant
designer Willi Messerschmitt, it had the smallest possible airframe built around
the most powerful engine available. It also boasted many of the then innovative
features such as an all metal stressed skin construction, retractable main
landing gear, automatic Handley-Page leading edge slats, etc. The Bf109 saw
first combat during the Spanish Civil War and fully demonstrated its exceptional
maneuverability, inherited from its precedent Bf108 Taifun (Typhoon)
multi-purpose sports plane. The Bf109 underwent numerous improvement throughout
its career, and mass production of the E variant started late in 1939.
Within one year, about
2,000 "E" aircraft were rolled out. Its excellent performance greatly
contributed in the active service of German pilots at the Western Front and
during the "Battle of Britain". The E-3 version used an improved Daimler-Benz
DB601Aa engine capable of 1,100 h.p. output. This engine had provision for
mounting a 20mm MG FF cannon on the crankcase and firing through the propeller
hub. The Messerschmitt Bf109E was one of the best fighters of the early WW2
period, on a par with the British Spitfire.  |
