It was the most lethal fighter of World War II, with almost 15,000 kills

Messerschmitt Bf-109, the interior of the famous German World War II fighter explained in detail

Esp 9·08·2024 · 23:36 0

The Messerschmitt Bf-109 is one of the most famous models in the entire history of aviation and also one of the most manufactured.

The flight of a German Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighter that was missing for 51 years
Ye Olde Pub: The American B-17 bomber saved by a German Bf-109 fighter pilot

This aircraft made its first flight on May 29, 1935. Although it became world famous as the main German fighter of World War II, its first combat experience took place during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), where it was undoubtedly the best fighter along with the Soviet Polikarpov I-16. A total of 136 Bf-109s were sent by Germany to Spain in support of the national side.

A Bf-109 of the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War.

The Bf-109 holds the record for the most victorious fighter aircraft of World War II, shooting down nearly 15,000 enemy aircraft, especially Soviet ones. A number of German pilots became aces flying this aircraft, with two acing more than 300 victories, 13 aces with more than 200 and 105 aces with more than 100 - figures for kills not matched by any other side in that war or any other.

Bf-109 fighters of the Swiss Air Force.

In the years of the Second World War, the Bf-109 was used by Germany, Italy, Japan (some test aircraft), Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovakia, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Switzerland and Yugoslavia, and some captured aircraft ended up in the hands of Czechoslovakia and Greece. As a curiosity, the Swiss Bf-109s were the only ones to shoot down other Bf-109s, in this case German ones, that had entered that neutral country, something that made Adolf Hitler furious. The last combat experience of this aircraft was with Israel, but this time with the Czechoslovakian Avia S-199s, during that country's War of Independence in 1948.

An Israeli Air Force Avia S-199 fighter.

In total, more than 34,000 Bf-109s were built, making it the most widely produced single-seat fighter in history. After World War II, this aircraft continued to be manufactured in Czechoslovakia (as the Avia S-99 and S-199) and in Spain (as the Hispano Aviación Ha-1109 and Ha-1112, popularly known as the "Buchón"). Few original aircraft remain today, and even fewer are airworthy.

If you want to know more about this plane, today Blue Paw Print has published an excellent video showing its interior, its armament and its operation (the video has an audio track and subtitles in English, you can activate them in the bottom bar of the player):

You can see here some screenshots from this excellent video as a preview:

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