squadron-signal 5534 - walk around 34 - messerschmitt bf-109e.pdf

8/20/2019 Squadron-Signal 5534 - Walk Around 34 - Messerschmitt Bf-109E.pdf

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Messerschmitt 9E


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Messerschmitt f 109EBy Hans Heiri StapferColor by Don GreerIllustrated by Darren Glenn and David Gebhardt

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Walk round Number 34 squadron/signal publications


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cknowledgements

Heinz RiedigerSHAAHarold ThieleIvo ZetikHans ObertBundesarchiv, GermanySmithsonian InstitutionSwiss Federal ArchivesMilan KrajciStanislav BursaBoris Sudny

IntroductionThe Messerschmitt B f l 0 9E was the backbone of the Luftwaffe fighter force during the

Blitzkrieg Lightning War) campaigns between 1939 and 1941. This type saw combat in Spainwith the Legion Condor during the Spanish Civil War, participated in the invasion of Polandin the Fall of 1939, and was successful overthe French skies in the 1940 Western Europe campaign. During the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940, the Emil E in the German phonetic alphabet) clashed with the Supermarine Spitfire - the first enemy opponent that was equalor superior in performance. The Bf 109Ealso saw service in North Africa and the Balkans andparticipated in Operation BARBAROSSA, the German attack against theSoviet Union in Juneof 1941. Bf 109Es served in the fighter-bomber role on the Eastern Front until early 1944. Thefew surviving Emils assigned to training units served well into late 1944.

The Emil was the first Bf 109 variant powered by the DB 60lA powerplant developed byDaimler-Benz AG at Stuttgart-Untertiirkheim in Southern Germany. The DB 60lA inverted12-cylinder, liquid-cooled, inline engine had a take off rating of 1175 HP.

The first ten pre-series Bf l09E-O aircraft were manufactured at the Messerschmitt plant atAugsburg in Bavaria. These aircraft made their initial flights during the second half of 1938.The first two production Bf l09E-ls Werk NummernlFactory Numbers 79 and 1792) weremanufactured at Augsburg, while the other 2 Emils of the initial production batch were manufactured at other sub contractors. The Bf 109E-I was armed by four 7 92MM RheinmetallBorsig MG 7 machine guns: two mounted in the upper fuselage and one in each wing. TheBf l09E-1/B Jagdbomber Fighter-Bomber) carried one 500 KG 1102 pound) bomb, one 250

DedicationThis book is respectfully dedicated to Bavaria, the most beautiful part of Germany. Only in

Bavaria are hungry tourists served with plenty of food like Knodel dumplings) and Eisbein pig s knuckles) on huge plates with a never-ending flow of beer. Paradise on earth has a name- Bavaria.

A number of fellow friends and organizations contributed to this Walk Around. My specialthanks to Andrea Lareida and Roland KUng of the Swiss Air Force Museum at DUbendorf,Switzerland for assisting me on matters with the Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3 on exhibit there.

Walter Hodel took many detail pictures that I was unable to take.I express my sincere thanks to a number of people who assisted me in writing this volume:

Dan Antoniu Odon HorvathHeinz Birkholz Zdenek HurtStephan Boshniakov Imper ia lWarMuseum LondonJozef And al Werner HeinzerlingRuedi BUhler Viktor KulikovPhil Butler Jean-Yves LorantBerit C achay Messerschmitt-Bolkow-BlohmDeutsches Museum MBB)

MUnchen Munich) Milan Micevsk iHans Holzer Dusan MikolasECPA Andrzej MorgalaManfred Griehl National Archives WashingtonGeorg Hoch Willy Radinger

Author s Note: Federal Standard FS) color numbers were developed after World War Twoand their use here is solely an approximation.

COPYRIGHT 2004 SQUADRON/SIGNAL PUBLICATIONS, INC.IllS CROWLEY DRIVE CARROLLTON, TEXAS 75011-5010All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by means electrical, mechanical or otherwise, without written permission of the pub-lisher.

ISBN 0-89747-474-0

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The Bf 109E was the most importantGe rma n f ig ht er n the Blitzkrieg Lightning War campaigns n Poland andthe West. The Emil also saw action dur n the Battle of Britain, overthe Balkans,and as a fighter-bomber over the SovietUnion. This Regensburg-built Bf 109E-4 WerkNummer1785 belongs to the Stab Staff of JG 27 Jagdgeschwader;Fighter Wing , whose insignia is painted

on the forward fuselage. The Black andWhite Geschwader djut nt WingSecond-in-Command marking paintedon the engine cowling usually appearedon the mid-fuselage. ECPA

KG 551 pound) bomb, orfour 50 KG 110 pound) bombs on a fuselage mounted bomb rack. InAugust of 1940, most of the remaining Bf 109E-1s were upgraded to either E-3, E-4, or E-7standard. The Bf 109E-1 was manufactured at Messerschmitt AG s Regensburg plant, AradoF lu gz eu gw er ke G mb H a t War ne mt in de , G er ha rd F ie se le r Wer ke G mb H at K as se lBettenhausen, and Aktien Gesellschajt Otto AGO) at Oschersleben. AGO was a subsidiary ofthe conglomerate Allgemeine Elektricitiits Gesellschajt AEG). The four factories combined toproduce approximately 1183 Bf 109E-1s. Germany delivered three Bf 109E-1s to the Vzdusnezbrane Vz; Slovak i r Arm) in July of 1942

Jagdgeschwader 54 J G 54 ; Fi ght er Wing ) was the fi rs t L uftw affe u nit to r ec eiv e th eMesserschmitt Bf l09E 3 in the fall of 1939. Two 20MM MG FF cannon replaced.the wingmounted MG 17 m ac hin e guns . This c an non was de vel op ed by the Swi ss c om pa nyWerkzeugmaschinenfabrik Oerlikon at Zurich and built under license by Rheinmetall-Borsig.Installation of this cannon and the T-60 FF 60-round ammunition drum required a large blister on the lower wing surface. While the entire wing mounted MG 17s were enclosed withinthe wing, the Oerlikon weapon s barrels protruded from the leading edge. The fuselage structure was also strengthened. The Bf 109E-3 becameby far the most produced Emil variant, with

approximately 1246 aircraft built by six plants. Wiener Neustiidter Flugzeugwerke WNF) atWiener Neustadt, Austria and Erla Maschinenwerk GmbH at Leipzig-Heiterb1ick, Saxony,Germany joined the four factories that produced the earlier Bf 109E-l on E-3 production. TheBf 109E-3 was the first variant of this Messerschrnitt fighter to be exported. Switzerlandbecame the first and largest customer, with 80 aircraft delivered in 1939 and 1940. OtherBf 109E-3s were sent to Romania, Slovakia, the Soviet Union, Spain, and Yugoslavia.

The Bf l09E 4 followed the E-3 version into production in late 1940. This new variantincluded a redesigned canopy with heavier framing, which was simpler to produce. An 8MMarmor plate was added to the canopy aft of the pilot s seat for head and shoulder protection.This modification was introduced based on lessons from the Polish and French campaigns.Several Bf 109E-1s and E-3s were ret rofi tt ed with the cockpit sec tion armor pla te . Theimproved performance 20MM MG FF/M cannon replaced the s imilar MG FF on the E-4.Approximately 496 Bf 109E-4s were built, not including earlier aircraft retrofitted to this stan-

dard. The Germans allocated 15 Bf 109E-4s to the Vz Slovak Air Arm), where they serveduntil 1944. A few Bf 109E-4s were delivered to the Aeronautica Regala Romana ARR; RoyalRomanian Air Force) and the Vazdushni Voyski VV; Royal Bulgarian Air Force). Germanyshipped 12 Bf 109E-4s to Japan between 1940 and 1941.

The Bf l09E 5 was a short-range reconnaissance version and the 29 examples built deletedthe two wing cannon and had a Carl Zeiss Rb 21/18 camerawith 300exposures of film mounted in the rear fuselage. The nine Bf l09E 6s were makeshift reconnaissance aircraft based onthe Bf 109E-3. The E-6 was equipped with a 1275 HP DB 601N engine, four 7 92MM MG 17machine guns two inthe fuselage and one ineach wing), and an Rb 12 517 hand-held camera.

The Bf l09E 7 sub-variant was identical to the E-4, with the added capability for either a300 79 gallon) fuel drop tank or bombs on an ETC 50 or ETC 500 bomb rack . It s spinnerusually had a pointed tip instead of havingthe MG FF cannon aperture on earlier variants. TheBf 109E-7 was equipped with three oxygen bottles instead of only two as on previous versions.The ARR, VV, and the Vz were the sole export customers for the Bf 109E-7. TheBf l09E 7/N had an additional oxygen bottle and otherequipmentfor high-altitude operations.The Bf 109E-7/Z was powered by a DB 601N with a GM-1 Mona booster system. This sys

tem increased engine power by approximately 280 HP at altitudes exceeding 8000 M 26,247feet), which resulted in approximately 100 KM 62 MPH greater speed. Approximately 1735Bf 109E-7s were either built or converted from earlier E-ls and E-3s.

Approximately 60 Bf 109E-1s were converted to Bf l09E 8s with a 300 drop tank. TheB f l 09 E 9 was a long-range, high-alti tude reconnaissance version developed from theBf 109E-7. This variant had a Carl Zeiss Rb 5 13 camera with film for 380 exposures. TheBf 109E-9 became the last Emil sub-variant built.

Approximately 4722 Bf 109Es were built between 1938 and March 1941. Exact productiontotals are unknown, since their records were destroyed during the war.) The Luftwaffe accepted the last Emil into service in June of 1941. They remained in fighter-bomber service on theEastern Front through the fall of 1944. Many surviving Emits were assigned to pilot schools,where they served well into the late stages of Germany s collapse and defeat in May of 1945.

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Left) Oberleutnant 1 st L ie ut en an t) Wer ne r Schroer flies hisBf 109E 7/Trop Black 8) over the Libyan coast in April of 1941. This particular Emil belonged to I Gruppe of JG 27. The Wing semblem was painted o n theengine cowling. This Bf 109E 7/Trop is finished in the Luftwaffe sNorth African camouflage of RLM 79 Sandgelb Sand Yellow; FS30215) andRLM 80 Olivgriin Olive Green; FS34052) over RLM 78 Hellblau Light Blue;FS35414). A t ro p ic a l s an d f il te r w as m ou n te d i n f ro n t o f the superchargerair intake. The RLM 21 Weiss White; FS37886) aft fuselage band appearedon Axis ai rcraf topera ting over the Mediterranean and North Africa. MBB)

Above) This eronaut ica Regal ii Romanii ARR; Royal Romanian Air Force) Bf 109E-3 64; Werk Nummer 704) had an additional 8MM armor plate fitted i n t h e rear canopy frame.This addit ional armor was insta lled as a frontline modification. Most ARR Emils were former Luftwaffe aircraft refurbished by the Amme Luther Seck Company before delivery toRomania. T hi s B f 109E-3 was assigned to Grupul 7 vaniitoare 7th Fighter Group). Nella ispainted in White o n t he e ng in e c ow l in g . T h e M ic ha el s C r os s n at io na l i n si g ni a w a s i n tr oduced on all ARR aircraft in mid-May of 1941. This consisted of four white-bordered blue Ms arranged in a cross pattern a nd f il le d w i th Yellow. A roundel in from center) Blue,

Yel lo w, a nd Red was l oc at ed i n the c ent er. T he M stood for Mihai Michael), the King of Romania . RLM 04 Gelb Yellow; FS33538) enginecowlings, wingtips, and rear fuselage bands identified Axis aircraft operating on the Eas te rn Front . Donald Duck - this Group s unoff icia l ins igniais painted on the rea r fuselage. This Bf 109E-3 w as f lo w n to the IAR industria eronauticii Romanii; Romanian Aeronautical Industry) factoryat Brasov Kronstadt) for repairs in July of 1942. It later part icipated in thebattle of Stalingrad now Volgograd) i n 1942-43. T he t ai l of t he so leIAR-47 reconnaissance aircraft prototype built a t B r as ov a pp ea rs i n t hebackground. Dan Antoniu)

A Bf 109E-3 Black 3) rests on an airstrip in France during the Batt le of Brita in in the summer of 1940. This Emil is painted in the s tandard Luftwaffe f ighter camouflage of RLM 70Schwarzgriin Black Green; FS34050) and RLM 71 Dunkelgriin Dark Green; FS34079)above RLM 65 Hellblau Light Blue; FS35352). The h e ig h t o f the upper and lower colordemarcation line was typical for a III . Gruppe 3rd Group) J G 26 Emil. Flags of Luftwaffeflying units were predominantly Golden Yellow, which was the arm-of-service c ol o r f o rsuch units . A spott ing per iscope stands i n t h e foreground. MBB)


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A formation of Bf 109E-3s assigned to liegerStaffel 8 8th F ly in g S qu ad ro n) c ru is e o v er theAlps. It is believed that this photograph wastaken on t he l as t flight of an mi l in Swiss AirForce operational service in 1949. Switzerland sai r force was called the liegertruppe before1946, when it was renamed the lugwaffe Thenear Bf 109E-3 J-397) wa s b ui lt b y Do fl ug atAltenrhein, Switzerland from spare parts found in liegertruppe arsenals after the end of World War

Two. The S wi ss d id n ot a ss ig n Werk Nummern Factory Numbers) to the mils they assembledfrom spare parts .The liegertruppeaccepted thispar ticular Bf 109E-3 on 7 D ec em be r 1945. T heRed and White neutrality stripes were paintedonly on the wings . These s t r ipes and the nation-al insignia were removed f r om t he rear fuselageaf ter the conf l ict . J-397 was withdrawn from service on 28 December 1949. Max Brennei sen v iaRoland Kung)

T hi s B f 109E-3 J-350; Werk Nummer 2407) belonged to t he s ec on d series of milsMesserschmitt built at its Regensburg plant for the Swiss Air Force. These Bf 109E-3 weredelivered with RLM 70 Black Green upper surfaces and RLM 65 Light Blue undersurfaces.The liegertruppe accepted J-350 on 26 October 1939. It was photographed dur ing exercises in Western Switzerland in the summer of 1940. Swiss Ai r Force Museum via RolandKling)

A liegertruppe Bf 109E-3 J-326; Werk Nummer 2174) is parked during the summer of1940. The Swiss accepted this mi l f rom Germany o n 27 June 1939. It wa s i n a two tonegreen upper surface camouflage of RLM 70 Black Green and RLM Dark Green. Thisoriginal German camouflage was soon replaced by the Swiss KW 2 color, which was sim-ilar to RLM 70. The Whi te cross was p ai nt ed o n a Red disc on the w i ng u p pe r surfaces,while this same cross was placed on a Red square on thefuselage s ides and wing under-surfaces. The liegertruppe removed J-326 from service on 28 December 1948. Swiss AirForce Museum via Roland Kling)


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Bf 109E-1s are assembled at the Messerschmitt p lant at Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany.No camouflage was applied, but the Balkenkreuz Beam Cross) national insignia and thef i rs t t w o letters of the four-letter Stammkennzeichen Root Markings code were sprayedon the fuselage of many aircraft. MBB

A mechanicoverhauls a Bf 109E-1 of an unknown wing s 5 Staffel II. Gruppe 2nd Group .A White-outlined RLM 23 Rot Red; FS31140 horizontal bar is painted aft of the fuselageBalkenkreuz. This Emil was painted with RLM 70 Black Green upper surfaces and RLM 65Light Blue undersurfaces. The Luftwaffe employed this style of Balkenkreuz with narrowWhite o ut l in e s o n u p pe r a nd l o we r w i ng s ur fa ce s u n ti l late September of 1939. ManfredGriehl

Several Legion Condor Bf 109E-3s, including 6-112 front) and 6-121, are parked late in theSpanish Civil War in e ar ly 1939. T he Zylinderhut top hat insignia denoted Staffel Squadron of the Legion s J Jagdgruppe; Fighter Group . This Emirs scheme consisted of RLM 62 Griin Green; FS36165 upper surfaces a nd RLM 65 Light Blue undersurfaces. The wing tips and rudder are White, the latter with a Black diagonal cross . TheBlack lower fuselage t r im f o r cover ing exhaust s tains was typical for Emils deployed toSpain. Harold Thiele

Th is B f 109E-1 w as a ss ig n ed to a Werkschutzstaffel Factory Protect ion Squadron)defending the Gerhard Fiese le r Werke GmbH production p la nt a t Kassel, Germany.Fieseler bui lt the Emil under l icense from Messerschmitt AG. This unit remained in existence between 16 October 1939and 7 August 1940. The Messerschmitt insigniawas painted o n t he engine cowling, while t he n ea rb y R stood f or t h is Emirs pilot, Anton Riediger.He later became an acceptance pi lot for the Luftwaffe, handing over newly manufacturedBf 109s. Heinz Riediger


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Messerschmitt 109E-1The Bf 109E-I was the first large-scale production variant powered by the Dairnler

Benz DB lA engine. t was armed with two fuselage-mounted 7 92MM RheinmetallBorsig MG 17 machine guns in the fuselage and two wing-mounted MG 17s. The firsttwo Emils left the assembly line in November of 1938. Many Bf 109E-ls were subsequently upgraded to the E-3 standard.

Messerschmitt 109E-3 Early

The first Bf 109E-3 was delivered in thefall of 1939 and this became the most producedEmil sub-variant. The Swiss-developed, German-built Rheinmetall-Borsig 2 MM MG F Fcannon replaced the wing-mounted MG 17 machine guns. A blister placed on the lowerwing surface accommodated the weapon and its 60-round Trommel T-60 FF ammunitiondrum.

Messerschmitt 109E-3 Modified

During its operational service, Bf 109E-3 canopy center sections were field modifiedwith an 8MM armor plate mounted behind the pilot s seat. Some Bf 109E-3s also had a58MM bulletproof windshield mounted n front of the standard windshield. These twomodifications were performed by frontline modification centers, not on the productionline.

Messerschmitt 109E 4 Trop

The Bf 109E-4 received a modified front canopy with heavier framing and an armorplate behind the cockpit seat on the production line. Two improved 2 MM RheinmetallBorsig Oerlikon) MG f cannon were mounted in the wings, replacing theearlier MGFFs. Bf 109E-4s modified for the North African theater of operations were equipped witha sand filter on thesupercharger intake. The first Bf 109E 4/Trops tropenbestiindig; tropicalized) were delivered to JG 27 in April of 1941.

Messerschmitt 109E-7/8The Bf 1 0 9 E 7 ~propeller spinner usually had a pointed tip rather than having the MG

FF cannon aperture on earlier sub-variants. The Bf 109E-7/B was a fighter-bomber version, which had one ETC 50 or ETC 500 bomb rack mounted under the fuselage. Thisvariant was also able to carry a 300 L 79 gallon) drop tank in place of ordnance.

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eutsches useum Bf 1 9E 3

The f 109E-3 displayed at the Deutsches Museum German Museum) atMunich, Bavaria, Germany is the oldest existing Emil on exhibit. This aircraft Werk NummeriFactory Number 790) was built at the ErlaMaschinenwerk GmbH factory at Leipzig-Heiterblick in Saxony, Germanyin early 1939. Erla Maschinenwerk GmbH was one of several companiesthat built the Emil under license from Messerschrnitt AG.

The aircraft was shipped toSpain, where the Emil saw action with 2 Staffel 2nd Squadron) of J/88 Jagdgruppe; Fighter Group), Legion Condor. ThisGerman air-ground Legion supported Nationalist forces during the SpanishCivil War of 1936-39 .) The code 6 ·106 was ass igned to th is par ticu la r f 109E-3. This was the 106th f 109- typecodenumber 6- in Nationalistservice.) The Germans turned this f 109E-3 over to the Ejercito del Aire EdA; Spanish Air Force) at Leon Air Base after the Spanish Civ il Warended on 29 March 1939. This Emil had only 25 flight hours at the time.

TheEdA assignedthe new serial numberCAE-106 to this f 109E-3. CAE Caza; Fighter) was the new Spanish designation for the f 109E. It servedwith several EdA Squadrons until i t was damaged in a belly wheels-up)

landing in 1946. This fighter was repaired, butdid notfly again. It served asa ground ins truc tional a ir frame at Logrogno Air Base unt il 1959 . This f 109E-3 was the sole original Messerschmitt-built fighter in the Ejercitodel Aire inventory at the time.

The Spanish Air Ministry donated CAE-106 to the Deutsches Museum inSeptember of 1960. This was done on the request of Professor WillyMesserschmitt, the f 109 s designer, who worked with Hispano Aviaci6nS in Sevil la , Spa in after Wor ld War Two. This f irm bui lt a modif ied f 109 as the HA 1109 fig ht er for the E dA be tw ee n 1945 a nd 1958. )Hispano Aviaci6n refurbished the f 109E-3 and painted it in the markingsof JG 26 Jagdgeschwader; Fighter Wing) Schlageter during the Battle ofBritain in 1940. A Hakenkreuz swastika) was painted on both sides of thevertical stabilizer, but this was overpainted and the Stammkennzeichen ferry

marking) AJ+YH applied before the aircraft was displayed in Germany.In November of 1973, JG 74 of the Bundesluftwaffe Federal German AirForce) was christened Molders, after the famous World War Two f 109ace WernerMolders. The Deutsches Museum s f 109E-3 was loaned to theWing - then equipped with Lockheed F-104G Starfighters - at NeuburgDonau AirBase for the naming ceremony. It was painted in the markings ofan EmilMajor MOlders flew while Kommodore of JG 5 during the summerof 1940. The false Werk Nummer 2804 was also painted on the vertical tail.This f 109E-3 was returned to the Deutsches Museum after this ceremonyand is now on permanent exhibit, still painted in the markings of WernerMOlders aircraft.

This Bf 109E-3 Werk Nummer 790) i s d is pl ay ed a t the Deutsches Museum German Museum) at Mu nich,Bavaria, Germany. It is t he t he oldest existing Emil o n e xh ib it Erla Maschinenwerk GmbH at LeipzigHeiterblick, Saxony, Germany bui lt th is ai rcraft in early 1939 and i t s aw a ct io n i n the Spanish Civil War. Aclear plastic panel rep laced a section of the port skin to reveal the cockpit interior A Swiss Air ForceFieseler Fi 156 Storch A-96; rk Nummer 4299) - donated to the Museum in 1965- h an g s f r o m t he ceiling.

The Deutsches Museum loaned t he ir B f 109E-3 to JG 74 of the Bundesluftwaffe at Neuburg-Donau inNovember of 1973. T hi s w as for a c er em on y i n w h ic h this Wing received the traditional name Molders.During this occas ion the former Spanish Air Force aircraft was painted to represent an Emilflown by MajorWerner Molders, Kommodore of JG during the Batt le of Brita in in the summer of 1940.


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T he J G 5 ins ignia is painted on the engine cowling of the Bf 109E-3 displayed at Munich. This unitins ignia was applied in November of 1973, when this particular aircraft was on loan to J G 7 4 s homebase at Neuburg-Donau. JG 74 f lewthe Lockheed F-l04G Starf ighter at that t ime; in 2004, they begantransitioning from McDonnell Douglas F-4F Phantom l is t o Eurofighter Typhoons.

The Bf 109E-3 s Daimler-Benz DB 601A in l ine engine turned a three-bladed VDM propeller. This allmetal, variable pi tch propel ler was 3 M 10 f ee t 2 inches in diameter. The pilot electrically adjustedthe blades pitch through a two-way switch. Thisswi tch sent inputs to the pi tch governor that changedeach blade s pitch.

Oil is discharged through a rectangular opening on the nose undersurface,immedia tely af t of the p ro p el le r s pi nn er. Two d ro p- sh ap ed f ai ri n gs forc oo l an t p i pi n g f la n k t h e l o we r nose sides. The eutsches useum removedpart of the radia tor fa ir ing to reveal its interior. The opened radia tor exit f lapis placed immediately aft of the radiator. Cool ing ai r tunnels in f r on t o f theexhaust stacks were typical for the Daimler-Benz-powered Bf 109E-3.


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Luftwaffe mechanics remove a Daimler-Benz DB 601A engine from a Bf 109E-7 at a frontline airfield. This 12-cylinder, liquid-cooled inline engine was rated at 1100 HP at 2400 RPM.T he D B 6 01 A was a fuel-injected powerplant with a cubic volume of 33.9 L 2069 cubicinches and a compression ratio of 6.9 to 1. It took between 2420 and 3000 man-hours toassemble one DB 601. Hans Obert

A Obergefreiter Chief Corporal applies RLM 04 Yellow paint to t he n os e of a 1 1JG 27Bf 109E 7/Trop This Emil has the sand filter fitted over its supercharger intake. The filter sf r on t i s closed over the intake opening, while a fine metal mesh screen makes up the f i lter s s ides . A control cable for opening and c l os in g t h is f i lt e r r u ns f ro m near the J G 27insignia to immedia tely af t of the f i lte r s cover. Bundesarchiv

Luftwaffe mechanics perform an overhaul on a Bf 109E-7. This sub-variant introduced amore pointed spinner wi th a cup over the ci rcular aperture f o un d o n s p in n er s used b y t h eBf 109E-4 and ear li er sub-variants. Daimler-Benz f ac to r ie s a t Berlin-Marienfelde andGenshagen and s u bc o nt ra c to r s B u ss in g a t B ra u ns ch we i g a nd Henschel at KasselAltenbauna built 19,322 DB 601s between 1936 and 1942 . Each DB 6 1 cost between28,800 and 33,800 Reichsmarks. Bundesarchiv

Tropical Supercharger ilter losed ilter Front Cover Control Cable

Metal Mesh Filter

Open ilter


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This m l i s o ne of five Bf 109E 3s Germany sold to the Soviet Union in May of 1940. Thesale was made P9ssible b y t h e 1939 German Soviet Non-Aggression Treaty. Enginecowling panels were removed from the aircraft revealing the Daimler Benz DB 601A engine.Fuel i s in jec ted into each o f t he 12 cyl inders by a Bosch PZ 12 HM pump. This pump wass us pe nd e d f r om t he c ra nk ca se between the cyl inder banks a nd w as provided with an

automatic mixture control. A Bosch dual Z 12 BR 4 magneto wasmounted atop the drivecase and f i red two Bosch W 240 ET 8 spark plugs per cylinder. The serial number 63762is painted on the crankcase in either White or Yel low. A dev ice on this engine cleaned oiloff spark plugs dur ing engine operation. Viktor Kulikov


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The c ut aw ay l ow er c o wl o n t he eutsches Museum s Bf 109E-3 reveals the lower enginecompartment. Coolant - a mixture of w at er a nd g l yc ol - w as p um pe d u si ng t he silverDaimler-Benz pump ahead of the radiator. Coolant passed from t he j a ck et s b y two outletelbows to the U-shaped header tank a r ou n d t he r ed uc ti on g ea r casing. I t t he n passedthrough swir l chambers in the tanks air spaces, which released any vapor. Finally, thecoolant moved through internal pipes to the tank outlets where it passed to the radiator.

Lubricant and waterpipes were tightly mounted around both the Daimler-Benz engine andthe coolant pumps. Mechanics mixed water wi th glycol - designated Shell anti-corrosionoil type number 39 b y t he Germans - for the DB 6 A.

The DB 6 A s oi l radia tor was mounted on the undersurface whose s tarboard skin wasremoved for exhibit. Oil temperatures in this radiator varied between 4 ° and 95° Celsius 104°and 203°Fahrenheit .

The radiator outlet f la p i s fully extended from the rear of the oil cooler compartment. Hotai r vented f rom the radia tor through this section. The pilot adjusted this flap to regulatethe amount of heated ai r coming o ut o f the radiator.


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Several access hatches were mounted in t he B f 109E-3 s cowling. Flush mounted snaplatches allowed for easy cowling removal fo r engine maintenance. The supercharger air

intake was only located o n t he p or t side.

The black outlined coolant filler access panel is located immediately aft of the propellers pi nn er o n t he p or t c ow li ng . T hi s panel was hinged at t he b o tt om and closed with onesnap fit latch at the top. An uppercowling snap f i t latch is located immediately beside thecoolant access panel. .

The Bf 109E Emil had this unique supercharger a i r intake design. This intake was aerodynamically refined o n t he s ub se q ue n t B f 109F Friedrich and Bf 109G Gustav variants.

Ai r passed through this intake to the s ingle s tage supercharger which h ad a die forgedduralumin half shrouded impeller with straight radial blades.

Six exhaust stacks are mounted on each side of the Bf 109E s nose. An access panelimmediately above the s tacks allowed easy access to the spark plugs and thei r wiring. JG s Bf 109Es displayed this Wing i n si g ni a d u ri n g t he Battle of Britain. A small circularblister - bel ieved to provide engine mount clearance - is located to the upper left of thisinsignia. The b l is te r a ft o n t he e ng i ne c o wl i ng was f or t he p o rt MG 17 machine gun.


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Messerschmitt 1 9E 3 SpecificationsWingspan: 9.9 M 32 feet 5.8 inchesLength: 8 .8 M 2 8 feet 10.5 inchesHeight: 2.6 M 8 feet 6.4 inchesWing Area: 16.4 M 176.5 square feetEmpty Weight: 1865 KG 4112 poundsMaximum Weight 2610 KG 5754 poundsPowerplant: One 1175 HP Daimler-Benz DB 601 A 12

cylinder, liquid-cooled, inline engine.

Armament: Two 20MM Rheinmetall Oerlikon MG FFcannon with 60 rounds per gun RPG in thewings and two 7 92MM Rheinmetall-BorsigMG 7 machine guns with RPG in theupper forward fuselage.

Performance:Maximum Speed: 555 KMH 345 MPH at 5000 M 16,404 feetService Ceiling: 10,300 M 33,793 feetMaximum Range: 665 M 413 miles

Crew: One


16/82

The two front port exhaust stacks arelocated immediately above one of thef lu sh s na p f it e ng in e c ow l in g fasteners. Using this type of fastener helpedremove the l ow er c ow l w it ho ut thehelp of tools. This allowed quickaccess in the f ield and eliminated thedanger of loose screws which wasu su al ly t he case during the fieldmaintenance.

Horizontally mounted Lshaped strips are mount-ed above and b el o w t helast two port sideexhaust s ta c ks . T he sesheets were t yp ic al o nBf 109s and wereattached to the ai rf ramewith bolts .

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A circular aperture for the engine s tar t ing crank is mounted on the Bf 109E s starboardside. The hand crank started the DB 601A engine; electric starters were never installed ona ny B f 109s.

Bf 109E ground crews had easy access to the Daimler-Benz DB 601A engine when allengine cowl panels were removed. These panels wereattached to theai r f rameusing snapenclosures which saved time in removing and reins ta l ling the panels. ContemporaryBritish fighter aircraft employed screws which were more t ime consuming to remove andreinstall than the German snap enclosures. Bundesarchiv

The manually operated starter aperture was placed immediatelyaft of the engine cowling.A hand crank placed inside the opening drove a flywheel t h at t ur ne d o ve r t he engine. Anengine accessory bay air out le t is located immediately below the starter aperture. A smallcooling ai r scoop is mounted immediately aft of this aperture.


17/82

A DB 6 e ng i ne i s d is pl ay ed a t t he eutsches Museum in Munich, Germany. DaimlerBenz adopted the inverted-vee configuration to allow an improved view over the nose andto easi ly accommodate machine guns above the engine. The circular engine supercharger is m ou nt ed o n t he a ft e ng in e section. The first DB 6 engine was tested in 1935 and it

entered product ion one year later. Jozef And al

Another DB 6 is mounted on a stand in a similar fashion to t he e ng in e m o un t in g o n theBf 109E. T h is e ng in e e mp lo ye d fuel injection, which al lowed the Bf 109E to maintainpower dur ing negative G maneuvers. Carburetor-equipped engines - inc luding the RollsRoyce Merlin on Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires - lost p ow er d ue t o fuelinterruption during negative G maneuvers. Jozef And al)

The upper engine cowling was part ial ly removed f ro m t he eutsches Museum s Bf 109E-3. A glycolcoolant header tank is mounted immedia tely af t of the propel ler spinner. The DB 601A was securedusing port a nd s ta rb o ar d e n gi ne m ou nt s, w h ic h were bolted t o the f irewall . These mounts wereforged from magnesium al loy and incorporated anti -vibrat ion pads where they contacted the engine. Jozef And al)

A n e ng in e m o un t support strut connected the engine mountwi th the f i rewall slower sect ion. This strut appeared o n b ot h t he port a nd s ta rb oa r d s id e s a ndwas secured by a bolt to the mount. Electrical wiring and piping for fuel andcoolant were located immediately forward of the bulkhead. Jozef And al)


18/82

mmunition for the MG 17s was belt fed t h ro u gh c hu te s attached to the breeches.Electrical wiring and compressed air piping for the electro-pneumatic machine gun loading and firing system are located af t of the guns. f t sect ions of the cockpi t inst rumentsprojec t throughthe ins trument panel s rearface. This area wasnormal ly shrouded by canvas to protect the inst rumentsf rom gun gases. (Jozef And al)

mmunition for both 7 9 M M MG 17s was suppl ied by magazines The port magazine was partially pulled ou t oflocated o n t he starboard forward fuselage. Each magazine held t he B f 109E-3 s fuselage. A leather strap han-up to 1000 rounds for the machine gun, with the p o rt g u n s mag- die mounted on the side aided in moving thisazine mounted forward of that for the s ta rb oa rd w eap on . ( Jo zef m aga zi ne in a nd ou t of t he a ir fr am e. T heAnd al) 7 9 MM ammunition bel t s were folded inside

the magazine. (Jozef And al)

The Bf 109E-3 s upper forward fuselage panel is opened to reveal the staggered 7 9 M MRheinmetall-Borsig MG 1 7 m ac hi ne g un s. T he se w ea po ns w er e synchronized to firethrough the prope l le r a rc . Each MG 17had a muzzle velocity of 790 M(2592 feet) per second and a synchronized firing rate of 1000 r o un d s p e r minute. The gun synchronizationgear is located between the machine gun barrels. (Jozef And al)A single bolt connected each engine mount to the f irewall andhelped allow for easy engine changes. The circular superchargerimpeller assembly was located on the p or t side. This impellerincreased ai r flow intothe engine for greater power. (Jozef And al)


19/82

This Bf 109E-3 (White 1; Werk Nummer 1304) landed i n e rr or a t Woerth near Strasbourg,France on 22 November 1939. The aircraft was assigned to 1. Staffel (Squadron) of JG 76 Jagdgeschwader, Fighter Wing) at Frankfurt-Main, Germany during the Sitzkrieg PhonyWar ) . I t was the f ou r th B f 109E-3 Messerschmittbuilt at Augsburg and w as p ar t o f a batchof 40 a ircraf t . The French overpainted the undersurface Balkenkreuze with Green paintand added French roundels. NE PAS POUSSER ICI (DO NOT PUSH HERE) was painted inWhite on t h e w i ng leading edge. The rmee de F ir (French Air Force) began evaluatingthis Emil at O r l l ~ a n s r i c yai rf ield on 6 December 1939. I t w as f lo w n in m o ck c om ba tagainst French Dewoitine D.520 and Bloch 152 fighters. (SHAA)

The rmee de F ir transferred their captured Bf 109E-3 Werk Nummer 1304) to the RoyalAir Force (RAF) at Amiens, France on 4 May 1940. The next day, the B r it is h f le w i t to theAeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A AEE) a t B os co mb e Down,England . The RAF rep laced the French roundels wi th Bri ti sh roundels, overpainted NEPAS POUSSER ICI o n t he w in g leading edges, a nd a ss ig n ed t he serial number AE479.This Bf 109E-3 retained the JG 76 ins ignia on the forward fuselage. This Emil was reassigned to the newly-formed No 1426 (Enemy Aircraf t ) Fl ight a t Duxford , England on December 1941. (Imperial War Museum)

The captured Bf 109E-3 WerkNummer 1304is parked a t W ri gh t Field n ow Wri gh tPatterson Air Force Base), Ohio in 1942. On7 April 1942, this Emil was dismantled andl oa de d a bo ar d t he SS DRAMMESFJORD.

T h is s h ip a rr i ve d in the United States on 14May 1942 and the Bf 109E-3 was sent toWright Field for t es ti n g b y t he United StatesA r my A i r Forces (USAAF). T h is w as t he firstcaptured Axis a i rcraft tested i n A me ri ca d uring Wor ld War Tw o. Th e U SAAF re mo ve dboth wing-mounted 2 MM MG FF cannon duri ng t h ei r trials. It retained its RAF markingsand serial number AE479 d u ri n g i ts evaluation in the US. The ai rcraft number W hi te 1a n d t h e J G 76 insignia were overpainted andthe propeller tips were painted Yellow. Thisf ig ht er w as damaged beyond repair in af or ce d l an di ng a t Cambridge, Ohio on 3November 1942. (National Archives)


20/82

One of five Bf 109E-3s Germany sold to th e S ovi et U ni on s it s a t s no w- co ve re dChalovskaya airfield near Moscow. The Germans delivered the ai rcraf t to Moscow in Mayof 1940. It was painted with RLM 70 Black Green upper surfaces a nd RLM 65 Light Blueundersurfaces. The Soviets evaluated this and t he o th e r four m s received under the1939German-Soviet Non-Aggression Treaty. G.F. Petrov)

A Slovak pilot stands before h is B f 109E-4 at Piestany Bad Pistyan), Slovakia in 1943. TheSlovak national insignia - a White-trimmed Blue alkenkreuzwith a Red disc - was painted on the fuselage and wings . A RLM 04 Yellow af t fuselage band identified Axis aircrafton the Eastern Front. Germany supplied 19 Bf 109Es to the Vzdusne zbrane Vz; SlovakAir A rm ) i n 1942-43 a nd t he y s er ve d u n ti l 1944. Peter Sumichrast via Jozef And a l )

Slovaktechnicians maintain a war-weary Bf 109E-3 White 92S) in the Spring of 1942, Twomechanics work on an upper engine cowling section. This a i rcraft is at a German flightschool in Grove, Denmark, which trained Slovak pilots and ground crews on the milThis aircraft s camouflage is believed to be RLM 7 4 Graugriin Gray Green; FS34086) andRLM 75 Grauviolett Gray-Violet; FS36122) on t he u p pe r surfaces, with RLM 76 Hellgrau Light Gray; FS36473) o n t he undersurfaces. Boris Sudny via Jozef And a l )

A Slovakmechanic pushed the por twing of a Bf 109E-3 while i t s pi lot warms up its engineprior to a f l ight. This a i rcraf t h as t he pointed spinner f rom a Bf 109E-7. This mi l wasassigned to the Vz s Letka 13 13th Squadron) at Piestany. The Squadron insignia - aWhite Slovak d o ub l e c r os s o n a Red background with a Blue base - was painted o n t heengine cowling. Milan Krajci via Jozef And a l )


21/82

The Deutsches Museum replaced part of the port fuselage skin on t he ir B f 109E-3 withclear plast ic. T h is a l lo w s v i si to r s to view the Emirs cockpit. An oil inspection accesshatch is located in front of the canopy frame. Jozef And al)

The Car l Zeiss Revi C/12D reflector gun s ig h t i s mounted on t he u pp e r s ec ti o n of theBf 109E-3 instrument panel. The f i rs t r o w o f i n st r um e nt s includes f rom left : altimeter,compass, and manifold pressure gauge. Below this are t he p i to t t ub e w a rn i ng l ight , airspeed indicator, turn and bank indicator, propel ler pi tch control, tachometer, a nd p ropeller pitch indicator. Fuel, oil, and landing gear controls are p laced on the lower ins trument panel section. Jozef And al)

Deutsches Museum personnel opened t he c en te r c an o py for improved cockpi t access.

The canopy hinged to starboard and w as m an u al ly o pe ne d f ro m e it he r i n si d e o r o u ts i deof the aircraft . Af t s l iding panels are mounted o n t he canopy center section s port andstarboard sides. HIER EINGREIFEN HOLD HERE is painted in Red immediatelyabove thef lush-mounted handgr ip cover behind the f ixed aft canopy section. Jozef And al)

The f lap adjus tment wheel outboard) and the hor izonta l s tabi lizer adjus tment wheel inboard) are mounted side-by-side along the p o rt c o ck p it wal l. The throttle lever ismounted above and forward of the two adjus tment wheels. A c o nt r ol s ti c k i s located onthe cockpi t f loor immediate ly forward of the seat. Bf 109E cockpits were normally paintedRLM 02 RLM Grau RLM Gray; FS36165 , with RLM 66 Schwarzgrau lack Gray; FS36081instrument panels. Jozef And al)


22/82

Thefuel filter hand pump, w i th i t s r o u nd y e ll o w knob, i s mounted on the starboard instrument panel sidenear the cockpi t wall. Aft of this handle is an oxygen regulator, which is across f rom the control stick.

Immediately aft of the oxygen regula tor are the coolant radiator f lap control top) and the remote controlventilator, while the yellow fuel pr imer pump is below these controls. A m ap holder is placed high alongthe cockpit wall. Jozef And al)

Bf 109E-3 main landing gear bays were mounted inside the inboard wing undersurfaces.B ay w al ls were usually covered b y e i th e r canvas here) or leather, which kept foreignobjects out of the wiring inside these wel ls . A z ip fastener allowed mechanics. to accessthe inner gear bay. Bf 109E landing g ea r b ay s a nd struts were painted RLM RLM Grau RLM Gray; FS36165). Jozef And al)

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Access to the rearfuselage i s t hr o ug h t h is plain bulkhead located insidethe f i xe d a f t c a no py s ec t io n. A h i ng e r u ns parallel with the bulkhead s

lower surface, This Bf 109E-3 lacked the8MM

a ft c oc kp it a rm or plateinstalled on Bf 109E-4s and later Emits however, some E-1s and E-3swere retrofitted with this armor. A spring attached t o t he c an o py f r am e i sconnected to a restraining cord fitted to the opened center section. The400 L 106 gallon fuel tank is located immediately aft of and below thisbulkhead. Jozef And al

The canvas cover is removed from the port g ea r b ay on th is Bf 109E-3. This exposedwir ing for MM MG FF cannon mounted immediately outboard of the well . The m rs 2 M 6 fee t 6.7 inch wide gear track led to several taxiing accidents and w as o ne of this fight-er s weak points. Jozef And al)


23/82

109E 1 E 3 withArmor ProtectionRetrofit

8MM Armor Plate withHeadrest

109E lIE 3

Canopy Development

I w

This Aeronautica Regalfi Romiinfi ARR; Royal Romanian Air Force) 8f 109E-3 was retrofitted with a 58MMarmored glass windshie ld, which was mounted in f ront of the original plexiglas windshield. Additionally,

an armor plate panel was f i tted in the rear canopy frame. Hai fet i to C mon lassie ) is painted in Whi teon the RLM 4 Yellow nose. The five White bars below the cockpit tallied ground at tack mission markings, not Soviet aircraft kills . Dan Antoniu)

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The 8f 109E-7 instrument panel differed in several details from early mUsThis included the flap and landing speed data p laque m o un te d o n thep a ne l s u p pe r l e ft s ec ti on . A clock i s f it te d between this plaque and theRevi C 12D gu n sight. Other ins truments were t he same as for earlier8f 109Es. A safety cover for the machine gun trigger i s m ou n te d a to p thecontrol stick. 8f 109 rudder pedals were raised to approximately the samel ev el a s t he s ea t s l ow er e dg e a nd w er e angled slightly outward. Thisarrangement allowed t he p i lo t to better resist G gravity) forces. Circularlightening holes c u t i n to the rudder pedals saved weight.


24/82

Several 8f 109E·3s - including aircraft 17 - were retrofitted with a rea r view mirror atopthe canopy frame. This field modification gave the pi lo t improved vis ib i l i ty to the rear. The8f 109E·3 has the or iginal canopy conf igura tion without armor protect ion on the rear

canopy f ra me . T he insignia of 2.1Erg JG r Merseburg Ergi inzungs JagdgruppeReplacement Fighter Group), an advanced training unit, is painted under the windshield. Manfred Griehl) .

Flat panels for simplifiedconstruction

Bf 109E 4 E 7

Bf 109E 4 Ei 7 with MM BulletproofWindshield

MM Armor Plate withHeadrest Standard)

Additional MM armored glass is mounted t o t hi s 8f 109E-4 s windshield. The rear of theopened canopy was f i tted with the a r mo r p la ti ng t ha t w as standardized on this sub vari-ant. Several earlier 8f 109E-1s and E-3s were retrofitted with the rear armor plating. The

8f 109E-4 s canopy was more angular than on earlier Emils and reduced production time. undesarchiv

An ARR 8f 109E-3 pilot prepares for a ground suppor t mission over the Eas te rn Front inJuly of 1941. A mechanic holds the engine starter crank in his left hand. Eight diagonalmission tally bars along the fuselage s id e n ot ed t he t arge ts a nd d at es of previous mis-s ions . Addit ional armored glass is mounted t o t hi s Emirs windshield. Dan Antoniu


25/82

A Red posit ion l ight is mounted on t he p or t w in g t ip of the eutschesMuseum s Bf 109E 3 The all metal wing st ructure featured a singles pa r r un ni ng a lo ng t he c en te r of its span A streamlined balancedweight was mounted on each aileron s undersurface while the aileronh in g e i s m ou n te d o u tb o ar d of the weight. The b li st er i n t he w in g scenter accommodated the MM MG FF cannon s magazine

Hydraulic piping and electrical w i ri n g r un a lo ng the port main landing gear bay wall This arrangement was

duplicated on the s tarboard side The canvas bay wall covering was removed t o p r ov id e access t o t hi s air-frame section. Reinforcing ribs were m ou n te d i n t h e b a y s ceiling

A diagonal s tabi liz ing r ib beside the main landing gear well connected the u p pe r a nd l ow er w i ng s ki ns . Pre-war Bf 109E 3s displayed excellent craftsmanship w h ic h i s reflected in the r ivet ing inside the gear well Thisquality deteriorated as t he w a r progressed.


26/82

The large alkenkreuz Beam Cross national insignia is painted on the Bf 109E-3 s midwing undersurface. It consisted of an RLM 22 Schwarz Black, FS37038) cross , wi th aninner border of RLM 21 White and an RLM 22 outer border. The Trommel Drum) T-60 FF2 MM ammunition magazine introduced on this m l sub-variant required b ul ge s i n t hewing undersurfaces. Earlier Bf 109E-ls armed with wing-mounted 7 92MM MG 17s lackedthis bulge.

Bf 109Es had wingtips that were less rounded than on the Bf 109F and subsequent variants. These wingtip fairings were made from lektron sheet , a light al loyusing a high aluminum content.

An L-shaped pitot t ub e w as m ou n te d o n the por t wing undersurface. The pitot tube collects a i rf lo w f o r cockpit instruments, especially the a ir speed ind icato r. Th is tube i s

extended away f r om t he airframe, where turbulent air would interfere with readings.

The position light was mounted i n a p an el on the wingtip s forward half. Bf 109E pilotsusual ly turned on the posi tion lights - red on t he p o rt w in g ti p, green o n t he starboardwingtip, and w hi te o n t he t ai l - for night and low visibility flying.


27/82

IIAll Bf 109s - including Emits - were e qu ip pe d w it h w in g l eading edge s la ts . The slatsautomat ica l ly extended from the wing at high angles of attack. They improved low-speedhandling including landing The Bf 109E-3 had a landing speed of 130 KMH 81 MPH). NoFrench or British World War Two fighters were equipped with these slats.

A trim tab w as f it te d o nl y o n t he p or t w in g flap; this t ab d id n ot appear on the starboardf lap. The Germans normally painted control surface tabs RLM 23 Red. T he eutschesMuseum s Bf 109E-3 l ac ks t he m o or i ng r in g m ou n te d on the port wing undersurface. Amooring rope w as f ed t h ro u gh t he se r in g s to secure the ai rcraft to the ground betweenmissions

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The port leading edge slat is extended from this Bf 109E-3 s leading edge. Solid ribs riveted to t he s la ts p r ov i de d s tr uc tu r al s ti ff en i ng U nd er t he 1939 German-Soviet NonAggression Pact, the Sovie ts purchased f ive Bf 109E-3s for evaluation. This resulted inthe Lavochkin design bureau copying these slats for their LaGG-3 and La-S fighters

Two underwing inspection panels are opened·on this Bf 109E-3 s port wing. The inboardpanel opened for collecting spent 2 MM cannon shells, while the outboard panel allowedmechanics to check leading edge slat movement during maintenance. A chain is fastenedf ro m t he w in g to each panel. Ten such panels were fitted to the Emirs l o we r w in g s ur -faces. (Jozef And al)


28/82

The mooring r in g i s m ou nt ed o n t he B f 109E-3 s starboard o u te r w in g undersurface. A trim tab is n otinstalled on the s tarboard flap; t h is t ab was o n ly f ou nd o n t he p or t flap. Bf 109E-3 pilots lowered the flaps

12° for takeoff and 42° for landing using a wheel mounted on t h e p o rt c o ck p it wall beside the seat. A greenposition light is mounted on the s tarboard wingt ip

A th in outboard aileron hinge is mounted to the 12th wing rib on theundersurface The af t h inge sect ion moved w it h t he aileron, while the

forward portion was fixed to the wing Bf 109s had fabric coveredailerons and f laps , while all o th er w in g s ki nn in g was metal. Bothailerons h ad a maximum deflection of /_12°

Both inboard wing aileron/flap hinges were provided with streamlined fairings This hinge - mounted o n t he n i nt h r ib - was located where the aileron and flap intersected, w hi le t h e other hingewas placed near the wing root.

A streamlined balance weight was mounted o n t he undersur-face of each Bf 109E aileron. This weight counteracted aerodynamic forces to reduce aileron flutter. Messerschmitt alsoemployed this balance weight on their Bf 110 rstor r Destroyer) heavy fighter.

The drop shaped balance w ei g ht i s mounted atthe end of a strut fitted to the ai leron st ructureThis w ei g ht i s located on t he p o rt aileron; how-ever, the starboard balance weight was identicalin both size and shape.


29/82

The 2 MM MG FF was insta lled just outboard of the 7 92MM MG 17 s position on theBf 109E-3 s wing. The cannon s barrel p r ot ru de d f ro m t he w in g leading edge; the MG 1 7barrel w as f lu sh w it h t he leading edge. T hi s w as d ue to the larger size of t he c an no n a ndits ammunition system. A circular plate appears overthe MG 17aperture on the wing leading e dg e. T he l ea di ng e dg e p an el around the MG FF s bar re l was removed for theweapon s maintenance.

The Bf 109E-3 replaced the E-1 s wing mounted 7 92MM Rheinmetall-Borsig MG 17machine gun with the 2 MM Rheinmetall Borsig MG FF cannon. The MG FF employed elect ro pneumatic charging and operation. A blister fitted to the wing undersurface accom-modated the MG FF s T-60 FF magazine. Spent shell cases were collected in a leatherlined wing compartment outboard of the cannon.

Each wing mounted MG FF was fed from a 60-round TrommelT 6 FF magazine insidethewing. The Swissfirm Oerlikon developed the 2 MM MG FF, which Rheinmetall-Borsig builtunder license in Germany. This weapon had a muzzle velocity of 600 M 1968.5 feet) pers ec on d a nd a firing rate of 520 rounds per minute. The MG FF fired High ExplosiveIncendiary-Tracer HEI-T), Armor Piercing AP), Armor Piercing Incendiary API), and various practice shells.A streamlined blister enclosed the 60-round 2 MM T-60 FF ammunition magazine in thelower wing. This feature was used on the Bf 109E-3 and later mits Flush rivets fastenedthe b li st er t o t he w in g surface. The blister s center section was removable for magazineaccess.


30/82

The opened blister fairing revea ls the 60- round T-60 FF ammuni tion drum for the wingmounted MM MG FF cannon. The d r um i s c li p pe d to the cannon s breech mechanism.

A c co m mo d at io n f o r t h is magazine resulted i n t he w in g u nd er su rf ac e b ul ge s on theBf 109E-3 and later EmUs The darker shade o f L ig ht B lu e p a in t o n t he b l is te r s perimeterw as d ue to lesser weathering where this panel was covered. Jozef And al)

The port aileron i s s l ight ly drooped on the Deutsches Museum s Bf 109E-3. This was stand ar d w he n t he a i rc ra f t rested o n t he g r ou n d. The rectangular panel immediately forwardof the f lap provided access to the wing-mounted MG FF cannon breech.

The MM MG FF cannon barrel was 8 MM 31.5 inches) long - equivalent to 40 cal ibersa nd had a narrow conical flash hider on the muzzle. This f lash hider was smaller than the

one employed on Swiss-bui l tMG

FFs . Each German-built MGFF

weighed 30KG

66pounds .Luftwaffe aircraft upper wings were marked with this type of alkenkreuzfrom early 1940.This replaced the large upper fuselage ins ignia employed from October of 1939, whichwere intended to improve German recognition of friendly aircraft . A circular access panelf o r i ns p ec ti n g c o nt ro l cab les and wiring is located i n t he c en te r of th e u pp er w in g alkenkreuz


31/82

Two armorers reinstal l the 2 MM MG FF i nt o t he p or t w in g o f a 8f 109E inNorth Africa. All m l weapons were cleaned during maintenance to removeammunition residue, dust, and sand that degraded the gun s performance. Acoiled spring associated with the recoil mechanism was mounted around the

aft barrel section. Smithsonian Institution)

Luftwaffe mechanics service a 8f 109E-7 Yellow 2) on a frontline airf ield. A 300 L 79 gallon) jettisonable fuel t a nk i s m ou nt ed o n t he centerline. Two bars fitted to the f ront canopy frame s uppersect ionwere typical on 8f 109E-4s and E-7s. These bars were not mounted on earlier Emils. The insignia painted under the windshield i s o f 1 Einsatz; Operational) EJG 3 Erganzungs Jagdgeschwader; FighterReplacement Training Wing). Manfred Griehl)

This 8f 109E-1 suffered a landing gear collapse dur ing a hard landing . The wing-mounted 7 92MM MG17 machine guns were deleted and their apertures faired over on this aircraft. The propeller bladescondi t ion indicated the engine had s topped running when the gear collapsed. Manfred Griehl)


32/82

Vzdusne zbrane Vz; Slovak Air Arm) pilots from left) Rudolf Bozik, Frantisek Brezina,and Karol Geletko walk away from a etka 13 13th Squadron) Bf 109E-3 in 1944. BothBozik and Brezina wear the Iron Cross bestowed by Germany. All three pilots wereassigned to Letka 13 at Piestany, Slovakia. Ivo Zetik)

French civilian mechanics dismantle a Bf 109E damaged during the Battle of Britain. TheBf 109E s main landing gear was mounted to the fuselage. This eased both assembly andwing removal for ground transport; however, the fuselage-mounted landing gear reducedits track, which made the mi t difficult to t ax i, t ake off , and land. Smithsonian I.nstitution)

Test pilot Sylvester Wanneck supervises an engine test on a newly-built Bf 109E-4/B atWiener Neustiidter lugzeugwerke WNF) at Wiener Neustadt , Austria. The number 86 inWhite o n t he e ng in e cowling indicated this w as t he 86th Bf 109 assembled by this plant.Protective covers were placed over the MM cannon muzzles. Engine oil leaked from thelower fuselage and o n to t he main landing gear doors. Manfred Griehl)

Bf 109E wings were easily removed fr om the fuselage for road transport. ThreeBf 109E-3s built fo r Yugoslavia awai t del ivery at Messerschmitt s Regensburg factory.Yugoslav mits h ad RLM 70 Black Green upper surfaces over RLM 65 Light Blue undersurfaces. Kosovski krizevi Kosovo Crosses) only appeared on t he u pp er and lowerwings. The main landing gear was attached to the Bf 109E s fuselage. Heinz Nowarra),


33/82

This antenna cable s forward at tachment point is a top the antenna mast; however, it is inaccurate for aBf 109E. Operational EmUs actually had Bakelite plast ic insula tors jus t af t of the mast attachment point.The Bf 109E-3 d is pl ay ed a t t he S wi ss Air Force Museum at Di.ibendorf h as t he accurate operationalantenna arrangement.

The Black number 87 w it h in t he Yel lo w t ri a ng leindicated the aviation gasoline octane rating nece ss ar y f o r t he DB 601A engine. The filler cap forthe 400 l 106 gallon fuel t an k i s located immediately above this t r iangle marking. Both the capand fue l marking were only on the Bf 109E-3 sport side.

A Black semicirc le is painted above the foots tepon the port lower fuselage. instiegkl ppe Stepboard) was usual ly painted above this step,but was not on t his B f 109E-3. A spring-loadedcover plate was located over the footstep. Thew i ng r o ot f ai ri n g w as located forward of this step.

The Black and White Geschwader Kommodore s markings are painted onthe Bf 109E-3 exhibited at the eutsches Museum German Museum) inMunich. The handhold above the chevron and the foots tep below it bothhave s pr in g- lo ad ed d o or s f lu sh w it h the fuselage skin. B ot h d oo rs aremade o f l i gh t sheet al loy. The RLM 04 Yellowand RLM Whitetriangle onthe upper fuselage indicated the fuel ing point.


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T he a nt en na l ea d- in c ab le is connectedbetween the main antenna cable a nd t he a ft

fuselage. This cable ran d o wn t he fuselagein to the Telefunken FuG VII 7 radio, whichis installed within the fuselage. The accesspanel for both the radio and the f i rst aid kithas been removed f ro m th e p or t fuselageside.

T he l ea d- in c ab le was attached to theupper fuselage s l ight ly offse t to p or t. I t

entersthe fuselage through a White plasticinsulator, which was fastened t o th e s ki nwith bolts. This cab le led from the radioi n si de t he fuselage, t hr o ug h t h is attachment point, to the main antenna cable runn i ng f r om t he antenna m as t t o t he v er ti ca ltail. .

A bat t ery a lso cal led an accumulator mounted o n t he aft fuselage f loor suppl ied electrical power to the radio. Rudder control cables run lo w a lo ng t he a ft fuselage sides, whilecables for the e levator s and for the horizontal s tabi lizer incidence adjus tor ran highera long the sides. 8f 109E interiors were usually painted RLM RLM Gray. Jozef And al

Above The port rear fuselage accesshatch is removed from the euts hes useum s

8f 109E-3. Four flushmounted screws secured this hatch tothefuselage. A first-aid kit was placedin t h is c om pa r tm e nt i n case t he p i lo tcrash-landed a nd n ee de d medicalhelp. This hatch also provided accessto the FuG VII r ad io a nd t he c o nt r olcables. Jozef And al

Right The FuG VII radio i s mountedi n si d e t h e a ft fuselage, forward of theaccess panel opening. This se t - consisting of a receiver top and a transmitter - was placed on anti-vibrationm ou nt in gs fi tt ed i nt o th e fuselage.Three black junction boxes aremounted on the starboard side.Electrical leads mounted on the fuselage f loor t ransferred power from thebattery to the FuG VII a nd o th e r elect r ica l systems on the aircraft . JozefAnd al


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L e

JG 27 personnel have jacked up a Bf 109E 71Trop White 3 for f i r ing t r ials in the North frican desert. The propel ler spinner and upper cowling panels were removed for main-tenance. One of the t e ch ni ci a ns i s a d ju st i ng t he t w o 7 92MM Rheinmetall Borsig MG 17m ac hi ne g u ns o n t he u p pe r fuselage. These weapons and their synchronization gear hadto be reconnected after they and the engine were serviced. An enlarged drop shaped blis34

ter is located b e lo w t h e a i r intaketunnel. A non s tandard inlet i s placed immediately aft ofthe propeller. For an unknown reason, the ci rcular aperture for the MG 17 was no t coveredon t he w in g leading edge, inboard of the 2 MM Rheinmetall MG FF cannon. eutschesMuseum


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Luftwaffe mechanics service a DB 601A engine i n N or th A fr ic a. T h is p o we r pl a nt w asremoved from a Bf 109E in the background and mounted on 2 20MM cannon ammunit ion boxes for an improvised stand. The DB 601A s hol low propel ler shaft enabled a 20MMMG FF cannon to be f i red through i t , however, no Emit was armed w it h s uc h a weapon. Smithsonian Institution)

A JG 27 Bf 109E-4/Trop rests between missions at an air base in Libya . A 300 L externalfuel tank mounted on t he c en te rl i ne p yl o n i s s ta in ed b y leaked engine oil. Main landingg ea r t ir e o u te r s ur fa ce s were painted Whi te on North Africa-based Emits. T hi s p a in treduced the intense desert heat, which dried out the rubber. T hi s B f 109E-4/Trop is finished in the Nor th African scheme of RLM 79 Sandgelb Sand Yellow; FS30215) and RLM80 Olivgriin Olive Green; FS34052) upper surfaces over RLM 78 Hellblau Light Blue;FS35414).

Armorers load 7.92MM ammunition t o t hi s Bf 109E-1 s fuselage-mounted MG 17s. Eachfuselage-mounted MG 17 w as s up p li ed w i th 1000 rounds of ammunition. VDM emblemsplaced on each propeller blade ident i fied the propel ler s manufacturer. SmithsonianInstitution)

Two L uf tw af fe m ec ha ni cs s er vi ce t h e f u se l ag e -m o un t ed 7.92MM MG 17s of aBf 109E-7/Trop Black 10) at its airfield i n N or th Africa. T hi s f ig ht er i s believed to beassigned to 10 Jabo).IJG 27, a Jagdbomber Fighter-Bomber squadron. Fine desert sandincreased the maintenance burden on b o th A xi s and Allied ai rcraf t in Nor th Afr ica. Theopen c an opy has th e a rmo r plate mounted at its rear f or p il ot protect ion. ThisBf 109E-7/Trop s upper surfaces appear to be RLM 79 Sand Yellow and RLM 80 OliveGreen, while undersurfaces were RLM 78 Light Blue. The propel ler spinner, lower cowling, a nd a ft fuselage band are RLM 21 White. Bundesarchiv


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The eutsches Museum s Bf 109E-3 lacks the akenkreuz swastika on the vert ical stabilizer. This is common on Luftwaffe ai rcraft d isplayed in the Federal R ep ub li c o fGermany, which bars public displays of the swastika. The Spanish painted a swastika onthis Emil prior to donating it to the eutsches Museum but museum offic ials quickly over-painted it p r io r t o placing the ai rcraft on display.

A f ixed tr imtab is mounted on both the por tand starboard elevators. This tab held the elev at or i n t he d es ir ed neutral p o si t io n i n f li gh t. L uf tw af fe t a bs w er e p ai nt ed RLM 2 3 Red FS31140 on both upper and lower surfaces. Some Bf 109Es hada broken Red line painted ahead o f t h e t ri m tab, but this is not the case on this aircraft.

The elevators were fabric-covered metal s t ructures , while the horizontal s tabi l izers a lsocalled tailplanes had metal skinning and structure. Both port and starboard elevatorsmoved in u n is on i n a range of +33· to -34·. A circular plate i s mounted where the elevatorbolts were attached to the horizontal stabilizer.

The eutsches Museum s Bf 109E-3 i s painted as Luftwaffe ace Werner Molders aircraft,bu t lacksthe kill markingsthat he painted on the rudder. Inboard elevator surfaces endedat a sharp angle to al low ful l rudder movement. The Red trim tab protrudes from the star-board elevator s trailing edge.


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A single strut m ou nt ed o n t he l o we r a ft fuselage supported each 8f 109E horizontal stabilizer. This feature was a holdover f rom previous 8f 109 variants. The rudder controlcable exited the fuselage to a horn on t he l o we r rudder. Maximum 8f 109E rudder movement was 4° to both port and starboard.

A l i f ting bar inser tion hole is mounted in theaf t fuselage on both por t and starboard sides.Mechanics placed the bar inside this h ol e w he n t he y raised the ai rcraf t off its tail wheelinto a vertical position. This measure was pr imar i ly done for inspect ing the ai rcraft or fortest ing the armament af ter maintenance.

The vertical fin tip incorporated a short radio antenna mast. The aft end of the antennacable that ran f rom the mid fuselage mast was secured t o t h is tail mast. The eutschesMuseum s m il l ac ks t he c on ic al p l as ti c i n su l at o r and metal spring found on original8f 109E antenna cables. An accurate rear antenna cable layout is seen on the Swiss AirForce Museum s 8f 109E-3.

The vertical stabilizers tailplane were adjusted through this mechanism located o n t hevert ical stabil izer. The p i lo t a dj us te d t he t ai lp la ne angle from ° to _8° using a wheelmounted on the por t cockpi t wall. Raising or lowering the tailplane angle adjusted the aircraft s trim in flight when i tsweight changed. The eutsches Museum s 8f 109E-3 has thefictional Werk ummer W. Nr. 2804 painted on the ta il ; this mirs actual Werk ummerwas 790.


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The tailplane s u pp o rt s tr u t w as m ou nt e d t o the lower af t fuselage through a streamlinedfairing. Immediately above the strut fairing, t he r u dd e r c o nt ro l cable p r ot r ud e s f ro m t he

airframe. The mit was t he l as t Bf 109 variant equipped with tailplane support struts;these were deleted o n t h e B f 109F and later variants.

Bf 109E-3s a nd o th e r mits e ach h ad a f ixed single tail wheel located 15° to the verticall ine. The tai l wheel t ir e w as 29 MM 11.4 inches in diameter and MM 4.3 inches inwidth. A leather sleeve was normally placed o ve r t he o l eo shock absorbing strut abovethe wheel on operational mits The eutsches Museum r ai se d t he t ai l w he el o n a plinthto reduce s tr e ss o n t h is item.

The protruding rudder cable was a typica l Bf 109E feature. These cables ran down the portand starboard s ides fromthe rudder pedals t o t h e l o w er rudder. The Bf 109F and latervari

ants had these cables completely enclosed within the airframe.

A clear white) position l i gh t i s m ou n te d o n t he Bf 109E-3 s rudder. This light operated inconjunction with the red port and green starboard) w i ng t ip p o si ti o n l i gh t s d u ri n g n i gh tflights. These lights were seldom used, since mits rarely f le w a t night.


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A ground crewman poses by the tail of Major Adolf Galland s Bf 109E-4/N Werk Nummer5819) in ear ly 1941 . Gal land led II I. Gruppe of JG 26 Schlageter d u ri n g t he Battle ofBritain. His Mickey Mouse insignia is painted under the cockpit while the White-trimmedBlack Gruppen Kommodore s chevrons are painted ahead of the Balkenkreuz NumerousBlack victory bars a re painted on the RLM 04 Yellow rudder. Griehl)

Windshield of Adolf Galland s 109E 4

ZFR·4 Telescope,Mounted in Starboard r l

Windshield Side

Major Galland sits in his Bf 109E-4/N Werk Nummer 5819) i n l at e 19 40. His Emil isequipped with the ZFR-4 telescope. This device was only used to detectenemy aircraf t a ta distance no t as a gun sight . Only a few Bf 109Es received the ZFR-4. JG 26 s insignia-a Black S o n a W hi te shield - is painted o n t he f or wa r d fuselage. Galland scored 104 vict o ri e s b y the end of World War Two. Manfred Griehl)

The ZFR-4 te lescope was mounted o n t he windshield s starboard s ide. The Revi CI12Dsight mounted atop t he i n st ru m en t panel w as e mp lo ye d for a im in g t he Bf 109E sweapons. Deutsches Museum

This Bf 109E-3 J-355; rk NummerlFactory


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Swiss Air Force Museum 1 9E 3

The Schweizer Fliegertruppe Swiss Air Force) was the first and largest f 109E export customer. The Germans delivered 8 f 109E-3s from the Messerschmitt factory at Regensburg,Germany to Switzerland between 7 May 1939 and 27 April 1940.

The Swiss purchased their Emits without armament and radios. Machine gun apertures in theupper engine cowling were faired over for the ferry flight to Switzerland. The aircraft delivered to Switzerland were technically nearly equal to the Luftwaffe s f 109E-3.

The main difference between Swiss and German f 109E-3s was the armament. LuftwaffeEmits were armed with two 2 MM Oerlikon MG cannon in the wings. This Swiss-designedweapon was manufactured under license by Rheinmetall-Borsig AG in Dusseldorf, Germanyand had electro-pneumatic ammunition loading. The Schweizer Fliegertruppe used the 2 MMFF-K Oe 37 Flugzeugfliigel-Kanone Oerlikon 1937; Wing-Mounted Cannon Oerlikon 1937).This weapon - bui lt by Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik Oerlikon at Zurich, Switzerland - could

only be manually loaded on the ground. This modification resulted in several pressurized airpipes fitted to German f 109E-3s being deleted on Swiss aircraft. While the German MG FFhad a conical flash hider, the Swiss FF-K employed a funnel-type flash hider.

The German Emil s fuselage armament consisted of two 7 92MM Rheinmetall-Borsig MG 17machine guns mounted in stagger on the upper cowling. The Swiss aircraft replaced theseweapons with two Swiss-built 7 45MM Eidgenossische Waffenfabrik EW; Federal ArmsFactory) MG 29 machine guns mounted side-by-side. This change in weapons resulted in deletion o f the two d rop-shaped blisters found on the u pper en gi ne cowli ng o f German f 109E-3s. Additionally, both MG 29s were mounted4 eM 1.6 inches) wider from each otherthan the MG 17s mounted on the German f 109E. The Swiss f 109E-3s had these blistersreplaced by two small rectangular-shaped blisters just in front of the canopy frame. A fewSwiss Emils had two circular blisters located just below the ventilation slots. Apart from thesemodifications, Swiss f 109E-3s employed the standard German engine cowling.

This Bf 109E 3 J 355; NummerlFactoryNumber 2422 is e xh ib it ed a t t he S wi ss Air ForceM us eu m a t Dubendorf Ai r B as e n ea r Z ur ic h,Switzerland. This Emil was careful ly restored andpainted in the camouflage and I m ar ki ng s i t w or ebetween January and April of 1940. T hi s i s by farthe most accurate Bf 109E-3 existing i n t he world;however, this Emil had features that were typicalfor Schweizer Fl iegert ruppe Swiss Ai r ForceBf 109Es. Swiss f ighters had fuselage codes thatbegan with J Jagd Fighter). Switzerland sFliegertruppe was renamed the Flugwaffe in 1946. Walter Hodel

The fuselage-mounted machine guns were loadedand fired el ectro -p neum at ical ly on German f 109E-3, but manually with control cables on theSwiss Emit. Th is resu lted in the Fliegertruppe s

Emils lac.king the four compressed air bottles installed on German aircraft. The staggeredmounting of the MG 17s meantthat only theportgun s muzzle was visible; both muzzles were

visible on the side-by-side mounted Swiss guns. The MG 29 - assembled in Berne - used acylindrical muzzle, while the German MG 17 featured a conical-shaped muzzle.Luftwaffe f 109Es had two 1000-round magazines for theMG 17s located on the starboard

engine compartment. The Swiss Emits replaced these magazines with a single 960-round magazine for both guns. This total was 1040 rounds less than for the German Messerschmitt witha heavier caliber machine gun.

French-built SIF 450 radios were located immediately aft of the fuel tank between frames 5and 6 on some Swiss f 109E-3s. This replaced the aft-fuselage Telefunken FuG VII 7) onGerman f 109E-3s. Swiss Emits had the Bakelite plastic) fuselage antenna cable fairingmounted 18 eM 7.1 inches) forward of the original German position. This was due to the different radio equipment positions on German and Swiss aircraft. Other Fliegertruppe Emitslacked radios. Sometime in 1941, Swiss Emits were modified with an outlet on the starboardfuselage immediately aft of the rear cockpit glazing. This vented gases generated by batteries

mounted in the rear fuselage.This Messerschmitt f 109E-3 1-355; Werk NummerlFactory Number 2422) is the only sur

viving Swiss Emil. The J code number prefix stands for Jagd, Fighter.) It was flown fromRegensburg to Switzerland on 30 October 1939 and was accepted by the Fliegertruppe on 7November 1939. During its nearly ten year long operational service, J-355 flew a total of 323flying hours and was powered by four different DB 6 1 engines. It last saw service duringexercises with Flieger Kompagnie 8 8th Flying Company) between 12 and 22 September1949. A Company was equivalent to a Squadron.) On 28 December 1949, the Swiss FederalMilitary Department issued an order removing all remaining f 109E-3s from service. J-355was stored at a depot at Ennetburgen in Central Switzerland before going on display at theSwiss TransportMuseum in Lucerne on 30 June 1959. Twenty years later, this Messerschmittwas moved from Lucerne to Dubendorf Air Base near Zurich. It became part of the newlyfounded Swiss Air Force Museum, where it remains on display.


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The Bf 109E-3 J-355; Werk Nummer 2422 is exhibited at Dubendorf with a Swiss MM Flab Kanone 8 Anti-Aircraft Gun 38 and an EKW C-36 multi purpose aircraft. Roundel-type national markings - a W h it e FS37886 cross within a Red FS31140 circle - were painted o n t he w in g u pp er surfaces. This ins igniawas used o n S w is s Emits until Red and Whi te Neutrality Markings were adopted in September of 1944.Roland Kung, a Swiss Air Force employee, extensively researched the correct scheme and markings forthis Bf 109E-3. Walter Hodel

This Bf 109E-3 is painted with the squared national marking that replaced the roundel on liegertruppeaircraft undersurfaces in January of 1940 This mi t was part of the second batch of 50 Bf 109E-3s delivered to Switzerland. I t s paint scheme consis ted of RLM 70 Schwarzgriin Black ·Green; FS34050 uppersurfaces and RLM 65 Hellblau Light Blue; FS35352 undersurfaces. Walter Hodel

The Bf 109E-3 J-355; Werk Nummer 2422 now displayed at Dubendorfr es ts o ut si de t he M es se rs ch mi tt factory in Regensburg, Germany inOctober of 1939. In f ro nt o f J-355 is another Bf 109E-3 J-352; WerkNummer 2409 bound fo r Switzerland. Full national markings and registrat ion numbers were painted on t h e S w is s mits prior to delivery. Initially,only t he u pp er r ud de r s ec ti on w as painted in Red , w hi le t he l ow er p ar tremained in RLM 70 Black Green. Swiss Emits did not receive temporaryGerman c iv il r eg is tr at io ns f or t he f er ry f li gh t, unlike the YugoslavBf 109E-3s also b uilt at Regensburg. The Germans shipped severalBf 109E-3s by rail from Regensburg to Friedrichshafen, which l ies besidethe Bodensee Lake Constance along Germany s border wi th Switzerland.The Germans reassembled the aircraft at Friedrichshafen and handed themover to the Schweizer Fliegertruppe No armament was mounted into theaircraft in Germany; t he m ac hi n e g u n o p en i ng s o n t he u p pe r e ng i ne c ow ling were faired over pr ior to delivery. Swiss Air Force Museum via RolandKung


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A Bf 109E-3 J-313; Werk Nummer2 6 is parked at Dlibendorf, Switzerland af ter i t sdel iv

ery from Germany in the summer of 1939. This Emit was still unarmed, w it h t he fuselagemachine gun apertures faired over for i t sdel iveryfrom Germany. The two bl isters a top theengine cowling werea typical feature for unarmed Bf 109Es. Swiss Air Force Museum viaRoland KlingA ground crew services this Bf 109E-3 J-313; Werk Nummer 2161) at Emmen Air ForceBase near Lucerne dur ing the early 1940s. A sharkmouth - insignia of FliegerKompagnie FIKp) 21st Flight Company) - was br ief ly painted on this aircraft i n t he summer of1940. A company was equivalent to a squadron. Swiss Ai r Force Bf 109Es had a single960-round ammuni tion box mounted on the s tarboard s ide nose, which these mechanicshave removed for reloading. Luftwaffe Emits had two 1000-round ammunition boxes. Swiss Ai r Force Museum via Roland Kling

This same Bf 109E-3 J-313; Werk Nummer2 6 has received its armament. The two large

blisters atop the engine cowling- typical for Luftwaffe Emits - werede le ted and two small,rectangular blisters were fitted in front of the cockpit . J-313 w as u nu su al i n h av in g anadditional circular blister placed just b el o w t h e t wo m ac hi ne g u n g as e xh a us t s lo ts . T hi sblister was rarely seen o n S wi ss mits Swiss Aii Force Museum via Roland Kling

The Bf 109E-3 J-313; Werk Nummer2 6 was repainted with the markings used betweenSeptember of 1945 and December of 1949. Red and White neutrality stripes were retainedo n t he w i ng u nd er su rf ac es , b u t deleted from the upper surfaces and rea r fuselage. Thenational marking was also overpainted on the fuselage. Two White warning stripes werepainted on each RLM 70 Black Green propeller blade. An armor plate was also mountedin the rear canopy framing, a modification that had been executed after the end of WorldWar Two. Swiss Ai r Force Museum via Roland Kling


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Above The first batch of 30 Fliegertruppe Bf 109E-3s weredelivered with RLM 70 Schwarzgriin Black Green and RLM Dunkelgriin Dark Green; FS34079 upper surfaces. These colors were applied in a soft edged camouflage pattern, instead ofthe hard-edged spl in ter scheme used o n L uf tw af fe aircraft.This unarmed Bf 109E-3 J-333; Werk Nummer2191 is parkedshortly after arrival at DObendorf Air Base near Zurich i n t hesummer of 1939. Swiss Air Force Museum via Roland KOng

Above Right The second series of 50 Swiss EmUs - includingJ-353 Werk Nummer 2420 - were f in ished with RLM 70 BlackGreen upper surfaces over RLM 65 Light Blue undersurfaces.The e nt ir e r u dd er w as painted Red, with a Whi te cross in theupper half, while the large White code is painted on the fuselage. Fliegertruppe Bf 109E-3s wore these markings betweenJanuary and April of 1940, when national markings were addedto the fuselage. Swiss Air Force Museum via Roland KOng

Right A Fliegertruppe Bf 109E-3 J-318; Werk Nummer 2 66taxis across a snow-covered airf ield in late 1940. In January ofthat year, S wi ss B f 109E-3s had their entire rudders paintedRed w it h t h e White Cross. This surface or iginal ly had only theupper half i n Red a nd t he lower hal f in camouflage. The Swissreplaced the RLM 71n1 u pp er s ur fa ce c am ou fl ag e o f t he irEmUs with a solid Dark Green finish similar to RLM 70 BlackGreen in April of 1940. Additionally, national markings werepainted on the fuselage s id es a nd t he White ai rcraf t codesreduced in size. Swiss Federal Archives


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Two s ma ll r ec ta ng ul ar b li st er s appear in front of the cockpit of Swiss8f 109E-3s. These blisters are unique to these m ts and were n o t f o un don German 8f 109Es. Two handhold ra il s are mounted in t he u p pe r wind-shield frame. Walter Hodel)

Two machine gun troughs are s et i n to t he 8f 109E-3 s upper engine cowling These troughs were simi-lar to t ho s e o n Luftwaffe mits The small blister between the gun troughs was rarely seen o n S wi ss8f 109E-3s. The distance between these troughs was 4 wider than on German 8f 109Es, due to theside by side arrangement of the Swiss m rs MG 29 machine guns Walter Hodel)

Two small rectangular blisters ahead of the windshield were typical on Swiss 8f 109E-3s. A handhold islocated atop the nose and offset to starboard. A s ma ll a cc es s d oo r i s m ou nt ed o n t he p or t side. 80thfeatures were introduced on German 8f 109Es. The doors are o u tl in e d i n Red with 81ack stencilingWalter Hodel)


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S wi ss B f 109E-3s employed the same supercharger intake as other Emils This intake wasonly mounted o n t he port forward fuselage. Two slots atop the cowling vented hot gasesf rom inside the machine gun compartment . Walter Hodel

The Red-out l ined o il l evel access panel is mounted on t he p o rt u pp e r e n gi ne c ow li n g,immediately above the oil f il l er p oi nt . A n o u tl e t is placed behind this access panel. Bothfeatures were also found on standard German Emils An upperengine cowling release islocated in f r on t o f the windshield. Walter Hodel

A circular plate aft of the superchargera i r in takecovered the oi l f i l le r point. This plate hada flush-mounted snap-fit attachment. 0/29 5 Itr LuN 6,5 tr Oil 29.5 LAir 6.5 L is paintedin Black above the plate. The Swiss used a Red and Whi te triangle fo r oil filler point iden

tification. Walter Hodel

Both 7 45MM Eidgen6ssische Waffenfabrik EW; Federal A r ms F ac to ry a t Berne MG 29machine gun muzzles were visib le on both sides of the engine cowling. The MG 29s wereplaced side-by-side, w hi l e t he Germans staggered their 7 92MM Rheinmetall-Borsig MG17s .The MG 29 Flieger-Maschinengewehr Aircraft Machine Gun had a muzzle velocity of780 M 2559 fee t p e r s ec on d and a firing rate of 1300 r o un d s p e r m in ut e. These EWweaponsf i red the same GP 11 Gewehr Patrone Rifle Cartridge rounds the Swiss Army sstandard Karabiner 31 rifle used dur ing World War Two. Walter Hodel


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Both Swiss and German Bf 109E-3s employed the same propeller spinner. The aperture inthe center allowed a 2 MM MG FF cannon to be f ir ed t h ro u gh t he h o ll o w p ro p el le r shaft.This weapon was not fitted t o B f 109E-3s, but was installed on the later Bf 109F. All mits

used an all-metal three-bladed VDM constant speed propeller, which had a diameter of 3 1M 10fee t 2 inches .

The pitch change mechanism is located at t he base of each VDM propeller s blade.Adjusting the blades pitch allowed for m or e e ff ic ie n t f l ig h t u n de r all flight conditions.Circular apertures were c u t i n to t he s p in n er backplate as a weight saving measure.

The propeiler governor unit consisted of a smal l cent r ifugal governordr iven at hal fenginespeed. Loading of the governor spr ing was varied by a cam be ar ing o n a roller fitted tothe pilot s throttle lever. The governor movement operated a two way switch i n t he elec

t r ic motor that adjus ted the propel ler s p i tch .A Light Blue outl ined coolant f i lle r access d o or i s m ou n te d o n t he port side of this SwissBf 109E-3. Its f il le r p o in t i s located immediate aft of the propel ler spinner. The Germanstenciling on this hatch reads: Vorsicht ampfbei heissem Motor Beware of vapor on theho t engine .


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The s tarboard spark plug and plug wir ing access panel is opened on the Swiss Air ForceMuseum s Bf 109E-3. Snap-fit enclosures were used on all cowling parts and their panels.The m l di d not use screwsthat contemporary fighter aircraft employed, which eased theground crew s work maintaining the Bf 109E i n t h e f ield. The inverted V-12 engine allowedmore room for t h e n o se armament.

1 9E 3 Nose Armament

German

Two 7 9 MM Rheinmetall-Borsig = = s ; = = ~ d ~ ~ ~ ~ ~MG 17 Machine Guns inStaggered Mount. PortGun Aheadof Starboard Gun)

Swiss

Two 7 45MM idgenossische affenfabrik EW) MG 29 ~ = = = = ~ ~ ~ ~ ~Machine Guns in Sideby-Side Mount. Troughsa re 4 1.6 inches)w id e r t h a n o n theGerman Bf 109E.

A snap-fit enclosure for the upper engine cowling is located abovethe rearmost starboardexhaust stacks. Wir in g b e lo w t he s ta ck s led to t he t wo B os ch DW 240 ET 8 spark plugsattached to each cylinder which made for a total of 24 spark plugs on each Daimler-BenzDB 601A 12-cylinder engine.

A tunnel-shaped covering is mounted in front of t he B f 109E s exhaust s tacks. This tunnel fed c o ol i ng a ir o ve r the six s ta c ks p e r side. Part of t he s ki n ni n g w as b o lt ed to theframe and could not be easily removed f ro m t he aircraft.


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The restored S wi ss B f 109E-3 has t he c o ck p it c o nf ig u ra t io n a t t he t im e it was withdrawnfrom service in December of 1949. This cockpit does not match the markings appl ied onthe aircraft, which represents a Bf 109E-3 in early 1940. The instrument panel was painted RLM 66 chwarzgrau Black Gray; FS36081 , w hi l e t he r es t of the cockpi t appears tobe RLM 02 RLM-Grau RLM Gray; FS36165 . Bf 109Es normally had RLM 02 Gray cockpitsuntil late 1941, when they were changed to RLM 66. Walter Hodel

Swiss Bf 109E-3s used a circular spade grip atop the K control stick. This grip - similar to t ho se e mp lo ye d b y c on te mp or ar y B ri ti sh a ir cr af t - wa s d if fe re nt f ro m th eLuftwaffe s boom-type stick. The Black T-shaped handle o n t he u p pe r s ta rb o ar d i n st rument panel charged the fuselage-mounted M 29 machine guns. German mUs lackedthis handle, s in ce t h ei r MG 17 machine guns employed elect ro-pneumatic charging. Walter Hodel


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The Swiss Bf 109E-3 instrument panel differed in several d e ta il s f r om t ho s e o n German mits A notabledi fference wasthe Red and White MM cannon arming deviceabovethecontrol stick. The pilot inserted a key into this mechanism which enabled t he w in gmounted cannon to f ire. German Bf 109Es lacked this device. The Fliegertruppe intro

duced this cannon arming mechanism l at e i n the ai rcraft s service to replace an olderdevice. Walter Hodel

A Yellow-handled fuel f il te r h an d p u

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