Air Power Series>1:48 die-cast display model>BF-109>HA8761

General Background

The first German mass produced 109 fighter was the Bf-109E that has been mistakenly referred to as the Me-109. The Bf is the designator for the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW) (Bavarian Aircraft Works) that produced the original aircraft. In 1938 Messerschmitt took over BFW but throughout WWII German handbooks and documents referred to the aircraft as the Bf-109. By the end of 1939 the Bf-109E (Emil) had replaced all other 109 variants and equipped 13 Gruppens with 40 aircraft each. The Bf-109 was the main single-engine aircraft until the Fw-190 came along.

The Aircraft

Hans-Joachim Marseille was one of Germany’s top Aces of WWII with all but 7 of his 158 victories while flying his Bf-109 over Africa. This action earned him the nickname “Star of Africa”. Marseille had excellent eyesight spotting enemy aircraft before they spotted him. His attacks were carried out using speed to escape any counter fire and his marksmanship was deadly. In February 1942 he destroyed 16 aircraft. Marseille was killed when his engine failed and he had to bail out, hitting the aircraft tail and unable to open his parachute.

Specifications :

Erla factory produced :	576 Tropicalized F-4 in the first half of 1942
Dimensions:	Wingspan – 9.92 m (32 ft 6.5 ins)
	Length – 8.9 m (29 ft 2.5 ins)
	Height – 2.6 m (8ft 6.5 ins)
Weight:	Empty - 2,700kg (5,900lb)
	Gross Loaded – 3,400kg (7,500lb)
Performance:	Powerplant – 1 X 1,350 hp Daimler-Benz DB 601E inverted-vee engine
	Maximum Speed – 624 km/h (388 mph)
	Rate of climb – 3,000 m (9,845 ft) / 2.6 minutes
	Range – 850 km (530 mi / with drop tank)
	Service ceiling – 12,000 m (39,375 ft)
Armament:	1 X 20 mm MG151 cannon nose mounted in front of pilot 200 rpg
	2 X 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns nose mounted shooting through propeller hub 500 rpg