View source for Messerschmitt Bf 109

{{short description|German WWII fighter aircraft family}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
{{Infobox aircraft
| name = Bf 109
| image = File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-662-6659-37, Flugzeug Messerschmitt Me 109.jpg
| image_border = yes
| caption = A Bf 109G-6 of [[JG 27]] "Afrika" in flight, 1943
| type = [[Fighter aircraft|Fighter]]
| manufacturer = [[Messerschmitt#History|Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW)]]<br />[[Messerschmitt]]
| designer = [[Willy Messerschmitt]], [[Robert Lusser]]
| first_flight = 29 May 1935{{sfn|Forsgren|2017|p=41}}
| introduction = February 1937
| retired = 9 May 1945, Luftwaffe<br />27 December 1965, Spanish Air Force
| primary_user = ''[[Luftwaffe]]''
| more_users = [[Royal Hungarian Air Force]]<br />[[National Republican Air Force]]<br />[[Royal Romanian Air Force]]<!-- please limit more user to three -->
| number_built = 34,248<ref name="ReferenceB"/> <br />+603 [[Avia S-199]]<br />+239 [[Hispano Aviacion Ha 1112|HA-1112]]
| status =
| variants = [[Avia S-199|Avia S-99/S-199]]<br />[[Hispano Aviación HA-1112]]
}}

The '''Messerschmitt Bf 109''' is a [[monoplane]] fighter aircraft that was designed and initially produced by the [[Nazi Germany|German]] aircraft manufacturer [[Messerschmitt#History|Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW)]]. Together with the [[Focke-Wulf Fw 190]], the Bf 109 formed the backbone of the ''[[Luftwaffe]]'s'' fighter force during the [[Second World War]].{{sfn|Nowarra|1993|p=189}} It was commonly called the '''Me 109''' by Allied aircrew and some German aces/pilots, even though this was not the official model designation.{{sfn |Wagner |Nowarra |1971|p=229}}

The Bf 109 was designed by [[Willy Messerschmitt]] and [[Robert Lusser]], who worked at BFW during the early to mid-1930s.{{sfn|Green|1980|pp=7, 13}} It was conceived as an [[interceptor aircraft|interceptor]]. However, later models were developed to fulfill multiple tasks, serving as [[Escort fighter|bomber escort]], [[fighter-bomber]], [[day fighter|day]]-, [[night fighter|night-, all-weather fighter]], [[ground-attack aircraft]], and [[aerial reconnaissance]] aircraft. It was one of the most advanced fighters when it first appeared, being furnished with an all-metal [[monocoque]] construction, a closed canopy, retractable [[landing gear]], and powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 [[Aircraft engine|aero engine]].{{sfn |Green |1980 |pp=7, 13}} First flown on 29 May 1935, the Bf&nbsp;109 entered operational service during 1937; it first saw combat during the [[Spanish Civil War]]. 

During the Second World War, the Bf 109 was supplied to several states and was present in quantity on virtually every front in the European theatre; the fighter was still in service at the end of the conflict in 1945.{{sfn|Nowarra|1993|p=189}} It continued to be operated by several countries for many years after the conflict. The Bf 109 is the most produced fighter aircraft in history, a total of 34,248 airframes having been produced between 1936 and April 1945.<ref name="ReferenceB">U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey, Aircraft Division Industry Report, Exhibit I – German Airplane Programs vs Actual Production.</ref>{{sfn|Nowarra |1993|p=189}} Some of the Bf&nbsp;109 production took place in [[Nazi concentration camps]] through [[slave labor]].

The Bf&nbsp;109 was flown by the three [[List of World War II aces credited with 100 or more victories|top-scoring fighter aces]] of all time, who claimed 928 victories among them while flying with [[Jagdgeschwader 52|''Jagdgeschwader'' 52]], mainly on the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]]. The highest-scoring, [[Erich Hartmann]], was credited with 352 victories. The aircraft was also flown by [[Hans-Joachim Marseille]], the highest-scoring ace in the [[North African campaign]], who shot down 158 enemy aircraft (in about a third of the time). It was also flown by many aces from other countries fighting with Germany, notably the Finn [[Ilmari Juutilainen]], the highest-scoring non-German ace. He scored 58 of his 94 confirmed victories with the Bf 109. Pilots from Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovakia and Italy also flew the fighter. Through constant development, the Bf&nbsp;109 remained competitive with the latest Allied fighter aircraft until the end of the war.{{sfn|Radinger|Otto|1999|pp=35–37}}

{{TOC limit|limit=3}}

==Design and development==

===Origins===
During 1933, the ''Technisches Amt'' (C-Amt), the technical department of the ''[[Ministry of Aviation (Germany)|Reichsluftfahrtministerium]]'' (RLM) ("Reich Aviation Ministry"), concluded a series of research projects into the future of air combat. The result of the studies was four broad outlines for future aircraft:{{sfn|Kobel|Mathmann|1997|p=3}}
*''Rüstungsflugzeug I'' for a multi-seat medium bomber
*''Rüstungsflugzeug II'' for a tactical bomber
*''Rüstungsflugzeug III'' for a single-seat fighter
*''Rüstungsflugzeug IV'' for a two-seat heavy fighter
[[File:Me109 clip.ogg|thumb|Bf 109 G6 in flight]]

''Rüstungsflugzeug III'' was intended to be a short range interceptor, replacing the [[Arado Ar 64]] and [[Heinkel He 51]] biplanes then in service. In late March 1933, the RLM published the tactical requirements for a single-seat fighter in the document L.A. 1432/33.{{sfn|Ritger|2006|p=6}}

The projected fighter needed to have a top speed of {{convert|400|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} at {{convert|6000|m|ft|abbr=on}}, to be maintained for 20 minutes, while having a total flight duration of 90 minutes. The [[critical altitude]] of 6,000 metres was to be reached in no more than 17 minutes, and the fighter was to have an operational ceiling of {{convert|10000|m|ft|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Ritger|2006|p=6}} Power was to be provided by the new [[Junkers Jumo 210]] engine of about {{convert|522|kW|PS hp|0|abbr=on}}. It was to be armed with either a single 20&nbsp;mm MG C/30 engine-mounted cannon firing through the propeller hub as a ''Motorkanone'', or two [[Synchronization gear|synchronized]], engine cowl-mounted 7.92&nbsp;mm (.312&nbsp;in) [[MG 17 machine gun]]s, or one lightweight engine-mounted 20&nbsp;mm [[MG FF cannon]] with two 7.92&nbsp;mm MG 17s.{{sfn|Kobel|Mathmann|1997|p=3}} The MG C/30 was an airborne adaption of the [[2 cm FlaK 30]] anti-aircraft gun, which fired very powerful [[20x138mmB|"Long Solothurn"]] ammunition, but was very heavy and had a low rate of fire. It was also specified that the [[wing loading]] should be kept below 100&nbsp;kg/m<sup>2</sup>. The performance was to be evaluated based on the fighter's level speed, [[rate of climb]], and maneuverability, in that order.{{sfn|Ritger|2006|p=6}}
<!-- This contradicts a cited statement saying C-Amt were responsible for the specifications; which statement is accurate?...In fact, the R-III specifications were not actually devised by the C-Amt; in early 1933, both [[Heinkel]] and [[Arado Flugzeugwerke|Arado]] had sent in privately funded designs for a monoplane fighter, and the C-Amt simply collected the best features from both and sent them back out again, adding [[Focke-Wulf]] to the invitation to tender.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}{{Clarify|Which statement is accurate?|date=July 2010}}-->

It has been suggested that [[Messerschmitt|Bayerische Flugzeugwerke]] (BFW) was originally not invited to participate in the competition due to personal animosity between Willy Messerschmitt and RLM director [[Erhard Milch]];{{#tag:ref|In 1929 Milch, then managing director of [[Deutsche Luft Hansa]] cancelled an order for 10 [[Messerschmitt M20]]b light transport aircraft after Hans Hackman, a close friend of Milch, was killed testing the prototype.{{sfn|Green|1980|pp=11–12}}|group=nb}} however, recent research by Willy Radinger and Walter Shick indicates that this may not have been the case, as all three competing companies—Arado, Heinkel and BFW—received the development contract for the L.A. 1432/33 requirements at the same time in February 1934.{{sfn|Ritger|2006|p=6}} A fourth company, Focke-Wulf, received a copy of the development contract only in September 1934.{{sfn|Ritger|2006|p=6}} The powerplant was to be the new Junkers Jumo 210, but the proviso was made that it would be interchangeable with the more powerful, but less developed [[Daimler-Benz DB 600]] powerplant.{{sfn|Beaman|Campbell|1980|p=13}} Each was asked to deliver three prototypes for head-to-head testing in late 1934.

===Prototypes===
[[File:Bf109V1 3Seiten neu.jpg|thumb|Messerschmitt Bf 109 V1]]
[[File:Bf109V1Zeichnung2.jpg|thumb|A drawing of the V1 prototype]]
[[File:Messerschmidt Bf109 Prototype V3.png|thumb|Prototype V3]]
Design work on Messerschmitt Project Number P.1034 began in March 1934, just three weeks after the development contract was awarded. The basic mock-up was completed by May, and a more detailed design mock-up was ready by January 1935. The RLM designated the design as type "Bf 109", the next available from a block of numbers assigned to BFW.{{sfn|Ritger|2006|p=6}}

The first prototype (''Versuchsflugzeug 1'' or '''V1'''), with civilian registration '''D-IABI''', was completed by May 1935, but the new German engines were not yet ready. To get the "R III" designs into the air, the RLM acquired four [[Rolls-Royce Kestrel]] VI engines by trading Rolls-Royce a [[Heinkel He 70]] ''Blitz'' for use as an engine test-bed.{{#tag:ref|This aircraft was instrumental in testing the Rolls-Royce PV-12, later to become the [[Rolls-Royce Merlin]]|group=nb}} Messerschmitt received two of these engines and adapted the engine mounts of '''V1''' to take the V-12 engine upright. '''V1''' made its maiden flight at the end of May 1935 at the airfield located in the southernmost Augsburg neighborhood of [[Augsburg-Haunstetten#Involvement in World War II|Haunstetten]], piloted by Hans-Dietrich "Bubi" Knoetzsch. After four months of flight testing, the aircraft was delivered in September to the Luftwaffe's central test centre at the ''Erprobungsstelle'' [[Rechlin-Lärz Airfield|Rechlin]] to take part in the design competition.

In 1935, the first Jumo engines became available, so '''V2''' was completed in October using the {{convert|449|kW|PS hp|0|abbr=on}} Jumo 210A engine. '''V3''' followed, the first to be mounted with guns, but it did not fly until May 1936 due to a delay in procuring another Jumo 210 engine.

===Design competition===
After Luftwaffe acceptance trials were completed at their headquarters ''Erprobungsstelle'' (''E-Stelle'') military aviation test and development facility at [[Rechlin-Lärz Airfield|Rechlin]], the prototypes were moved to the subordinate ''E-Stelle'' Baltic seacoast facility at [[Priwall Peninsula|Travemünde]] for the head-to-head portion of the competition. The aircraft participating in the trials were the [[Arado Ar 80]] V3, the [[Focke-Wulf Fw 159]] V3, the [[Heinkel He 112]] V4 and the Bf 109 V2. The He 112 arrived first, in early February 1936, followed by the rest of the prototypes by the end of the month.

Because most fighter pilots of the Luftwaffe were used to biplanes with open [[cockpit]]s, low wing loading, light [[g-force]]s and easy handling like the [[Heinkel He 51]], they were very critical of the Bf 109 at first. However, it soon became one of the frontrunners in the contest, as the Arado and Focke-Wulf entries, which were intended as "backup" programmes to safeguard against failure of the two favourites, proved to be completely outclassed. The Arado Ar 80, with its [[gull wing]] (replaced with a straight, tapered wing on the V3) and fixed, [[Aircraft fairing|spatted]] undercarriage was overweight and underpowered, and the design was abandoned after three prototypes had been built. The [[parasol wing]]ed Fw 159, potentially inspired by the same firm's earlier [[Focke-Wulf Fw 56]], was always considered by the ''E-Stelle'' Travemünde facility's staff to be a compromise between a biplane and an aerodynamically more efficient, low-wing monoplane. Although it had some advanced features, it used a novel, complex retractable main undercarriage which proved to be unreliable.{{sfn|Green|1980|pp=18–21}}
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-337-0036-02A, Im Westen, Feldflugplatz mit Me 109.jpg|thumb|left|''[[JG 53]]'' Bf 109E-3, c. 1939/1940]]

Initially, the Bf 109 was regarded with disfavour by E-Stelle test pilots because of its steep ground angle, which resulted in poor forward visibility when taxiing; the sideways-hinged cockpit canopy, which could not be opened in flight (but could be dropped by the emergency arm). They were also concerned about the high wing loading.{{sfn|Green|1980|p=14}}

The [[Heinkel He 112]], based on a scaled-down [[Heinkel He 70|''Blitz'']], was the favourite of the Luftwaffe leaders. Compared with the Bf 109, it was also cheaper.{{sfn|Caidin|1968|p={{Page needed|date=September 2010}}}} Positive aspects of the He&nbsp;112 included the wide track and robustness of the undercarriage (this opened outwards from mid wing, as opposed to the 109s which opened from the [[wing root]]), considerably better visibility from the cockpit and a lower wing loading that made for easier landings. In addition, the V4 had a single-piece, clear-view, sliding cockpit canopy and a more powerful Jumo 210Da engine with a modified exhaust system. However, the He 112 was also structurally complicated, being 18% heavier than the Bf&nbsp;109, and it soon became clear that the thick wing, which spanned 12.6&nbsp;m (41&nbsp;ft 4&nbsp;in) with an area of 23.2&nbsp;m<sup>2</sup> (249.7&nbsp;ft<sup>2</sup>) on the first prototype (V1), was a disadvantage for a light fighter, decreasing the aircraft's rate of roll and manoeuvrability. As a result, the He 112 V4 which was used for the trials had new wings, spanning 11.5&nbsp;m (37&nbsp;ft 8.75&nbsp;in) with an area of 21.6&nbsp;m<sup>2</sup> (232.5&nbsp;ft<sup>2</sup>). However, the improvements had not been fully tested and the He 112 V4 could not be demonstrated in accordance with the rules laid down by the Acceptance Commission, placing it at a distinct disadvantage.

Because of its smaller, lighter [[airframe]], the Bf 109 was 30&nbsp;km/h (20&nbsp;mph) faster than the He 112 in level flight, and superior in climbing and diving. The Commission ultimately ruled in favour of the Bf 109 because of the Messerschmitt test pilot's demonstration of the 109's capabilities during a series of spins, dives, flick rolls and tight turns, throughout which the pilot was in complete control of the aircraft.{{sfn|Green|1980|pp=15–17}}

In March, the RLM received news that the British [[Supermarine Spitfire]] had been ordered into production. It was felt that a quick decision was needed to get the winning design into production as soon as possible, so on 12 March, the RLM announced the results of the competition in a document entitled ''Bf&nbsp;109 Priority Procurement'', which ordered the Bf 109 into production. At the same time, Heinkel was instructed to radically redesign the He&nbsp;112.{{sfn|Feist|1993|p=14}} The Messerschmitt 109 made its public debut during the [[1936 Berlin Olympics]] when the V1 prototype was flown.{{sfn|Nowarra|1993|p=190}}

===Design features===
As with the earlier Bf&nbsp;108, the new design was based on Messerschmitt's "lightweight construction" principle, which aimed to minimise the number of separate parts in the aircraft. Examples of this could be found in the use of two large, complex brackets which were fitted to the firewall. These brackets incorporated the lower engine mounts and landing gear pivot point into one unit. A large forging attached to the firewall housed the main spar pick-up points and carried most of the wing loads. Contemporary design practice was usually to have these main load-bearing structures mounted on different parts of the airframe, with the loads being distributed through the structure via a series of strong-points. By concentrating the loads in the firewall, the structure of the Bf 109 could be made relatively light and uncomplicated.{{sfn|Cross|Scarborough|1976|pp=56–66}}

[[File:Messerschmitt Bf109E-4-B ‘4101 - Black 12’ (DG200) (33115891765).jpg|thumb|A Bf 109E at the [[Royal Air Force Museum London]] with its wings temporarily removed, 2016]]
An advantage of this design was that the main landing gear, which retracted through an 85-degree angle, was attached to the [[fuselage]], making it possible to completely remove the wings for servicing without additional equipment to support the fuselage. It also allowed simplification of the wing structure, since it did not have to bear the loads imposed during takeoff or landing. The one major drawback of this landing gear arrangement was its narrow [[Track (automobile)|wheel track]], making the aircraft unstable while on the ground. To increase stability, the legs were splayed outward somewhat, creating another problem in that the loads imposed during takeoff and landing were transferred up through the legs at an angle.{{sfn|Cross|Scarborough|1976|pp=60–61}}

The small rudder of the Bf&nbsp;109 was relatively ineffective at controlling the strong swing created by the powerful slipstream of the propeller during the early portion of the takeoff roll, and this sideways drift created disproportionate loads on the wheel opposite to the swing. If the forces imposed were large enough, the pivot point broke and the landing gear leg would collapse outward into its bay.{{sfn|Cross|Scarborough|1976|pp=60–61}} Experienced pilots reported that the swing was easy to control, but some of the less-experienced pilots lost fighters on takeoff.{{sfn|Valtonen|1999|p={{Page needed|date=September 2010}}}}

Because of the large ground angle caused by the long legs, forward visibility while on the ground was very poor, a problem exacerbated by the sideways-opening canopy. This meant that pilots had to taxi in a sinuous fashion which also imposed stresses on the splayed undercarriage legs. Ground accidents were a problem with inexperienced pilots, especially during the later stages of the war when pilots received less training before being sent to operational units.{{sfn|Valtonen|1999|p={{Page needed|date=September 2010}}}} At least 10% of all Bf&nbsp;109s were lost in takeoff and landing accidents, 1,500 of which occurred between 1939 and 1941.{{sfn|Boyne|1994|p=30}} The installation of a fixed "tall" tailwheel on some of the late G-10s and −14s and the K-series helped alleviate the problem to a large extent.{{sfn|Radinger|Otto|1999|p=36}}

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1980-005-05, Flügel einer Messerschmitt Me 109.jpg|thumb|Freely moving, automatic [[leading edge slats]] on a Bf 109E. By using high-lift devices, the handling qualities of the Bf 109 were considerably enhanced.]]

From the inception of the design, priority was given to easy access to the powerplant, fuselage weapons and other systems while the aircraft was operating from [[forward airfield]]s. To this end, the entire engine [[cowling]] was made up of large, easily removable panels which were secured by large toggle latches. A large panel under the wing centre section could be removed to gain access to the L-shaped main [[fuel tank]], which was sited partly under the cockpit floor and partly behind the rear cockpit bulkhead. Other, smaller panels gave easy access to the cooling system and electrical equipment.{{sfn|Cross|Scarborough|1976|pp=60–61}} The engine was held in two large, forged, ''[[Elektron (alloy)|Elektron]]'' [[magnesium]] [[alloy]] Y-shaped legs, one per side straddling the engine block, which were [[cantilever]]ed from the firewall. Each of the legs was secured by two quick-release screw fittings on the firewall. All of the main pipe connections were colour-coded and grouped in one place, where possible, and electrical equipment plugged into junction boxes mounted on the firewall. The entire powerplant could be removed or replaced as a unit in a matter of minutes,{{sfn|Cross|Scarborough|1976|pp=60–61}} a potential step to the eventual adoption of the unitized-powerplant ''[[Kraftei]]'' engine mounting concept used by many German combat aircraft designs, later in the war years.

Another example of the Bf&nbsp;109's advanced design was the use of a single, I-beam main [[Spar (aviation)|spar]] in the wing, positioned more aft than usual (to give enough room for the retracted wheel), thus forming a stiff D-shaped torsion box. Most aircraft of the era used two spars, near the front and rear edges of the wings, but the D-box was much stiffer [[torsion (mechanics)|torsionally]], and eliminated the need for the rear spar. The wing profile was the NACA 2R1 14.2 at the root and NACA 2R1 11.35 at the tip,<ref>Lednicer, David. [http://www.ae.illinois.edu/m-selig/ads/aircraft.html ''The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage''.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420012244/http://www.ae.illinois.edu/m-selig/ads/aircraft.html |date=20 April 2010 }} Champaign, Illinois: UIUC Applied Aerodynamics Group, 2010. Retrieved: 18 May 2011.</ref> with a thickness to [[Chord (aircraft)|chord]] ratio of 14.2% at the root and 11.35% at the tip.

Another major difference from competing designs was the higher wing-loading. While the R-IV contract called for a wing-loading of less than 100&nbsp;kg/m<sup>2</sup>, Messerschmitt felt this was unreasonable. With a low wing-loading and the engines available, a fighter would end up being slower than the bombers it was tasked with catching.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}

A fighter was designed primarily for high-speed flight. A smaller wing area was optimal for achieving high speed, but low-speed flight would suffer, as the smaller wing would require more airflow to generate enough lift to maintain flight. To compensate for this, the Bf 109 included advanced [[high-lift device]]s on the wings, including automatically opening [[leading edge slats]], and fairly large camber-changing [[Flap (aircraft)|flaps]] on the [[trailing edge]]. The slats increased the lift of the wing considerably when deployed,<!--<ref>[https://mail.centennialofflight.net/essay/Theories_of_Flight/Devices/TH17G2.htm] </ref>---> greatly improving the horizontal maneuverability of the aircraft, as several Luftwaffe veterans, such as Erwin Leykauf, attest.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://109lair.hobbyvista.com/techref/systems/control/slats/slats.htm|title=Bf 109 Slats|website=109lair.hobbyvista.com|access-date=15 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.virtualpilots.fi/feature/articles/109myths/|title=virtualpilots.fi: 109myths|website=Virtualpilots.fi|access-date=1 April 2015}}</ref>

Fighters with liquid-cooled engines were vulnerable to hits in the cooling system. For this reason, on later Bf&nbsp;109 F, G and K models, the two coolant radiators were equipped with a cut-off system. If one radiator leaked, it was possible to fly on the second or to fly for at least five minutes with both closed.{{sfn|Messerschmitt Bf 109G|2006|pp=117–118}}{{sfn|Prien|Rodeike|1995|p=169}}{{sfn|Messerschmitt Bf 109K|2006|loc=Rumpfwerk, Baugruppe 209.728}}{{sfn|Drabkin|2007|p=74}} In 1943, Oberfeldwebel [[Edmund Roßmann]] got lost and landed behind Soviet lines. He agreed to show the Soviets how to service the plane. Soviet machine gun technician Viktor M. Sinaisky recalled:
{{blockquote|The Messer was a very well designed plane. First, it had an engine of an inverted type, so it could not be knocked out from below. It also had two water radiators with a cut-off system: if one radiator leaked you could fly on the second or close both down and fly at least five minutes more. The pilot was protected by armour-plate from the back, and the fuel tank was also behind armour. Our planes had fuel tanks in the centre of their wings: that's why our pilot got burnt. What else did I like about the Messer? It was highly automatic and thus easy to fly. It also employed an electrical pitch regulator, which our planes didn't have. Our propeller system, with variable pitch was hydraulic, making it impossible to change pitch without engine running. If, God forbid, you turned off the engine at high pitch, it was impossible to turn the propeller and was very hard to start the engine again. Finally, the German ammo counter was also a great thing.{{sfn|Drabkin|2007|p=74}}}}

===Armament and gondola cannons===
[[File:Messerschmitt Bf 109E.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|A Bf 109E-3 of JG 51 'Mölders' in the [[Deutsches Museum]] in [[Munich]], showing the 20&nbsp;mm [[MG FF cannon|MG FF]] installations in the wing.]]

Reflecting Messerschmitt's belief in low-weight, low-drag, simple monoplanes, the armament was placed in the fuselage. This kept the wings very thin and light. Two [[Synchronization gear|synchronized]] machine guns were mounted in the cowling, firing over the top of the engine and through the propeller arc. An alternative arrangement was also designed, consisting of a single [[autocannon]] firing through a blast tube between the cylinder banks of the engine, known as a ''Motorkanone'' mount in German.{{sfn|Kobel|Mathmann|1997|p=3}}{{Refn|The engine's mass helped buffer the recoil. British reports on captured DB 601 series engines describe "a double-walled cannon tube housing" as part of the [[crankcase]]. Few if any Bf&nbsp;109s used weapons firing through the propeller hub before the F-series, which mounted 15&nbsp;mm (.59&nbsp;in) and 20&nbsp;mm weapons.{{sfn|Cross|Scarborough|1976|p=74}}|group=nb}} This was also the choice of armament layout on some contemporary monoplane fighters, such as the French [[Dewoitine D.520]], or the American [[Bell P-39 Airacobra]], and dated back to [[World War I]]'s small run of [[SPAD S.XII]] ''moteur-canon'', 37&nbsp;mm cannon-armed fighters in France.

When it was discovered in 1937 that the RAF was planning eight-gun batteries for its new [[Hawker Hurricane]] and [[Supermarine Spitfire]] fighters, it was decided that the Bf&nbsp;109 should be more heavily armed. The problem was that the only place available to mount additional guns was in the wings. Only one spot was available in each wing, between the wheel well and slats, with room for only one gun, either a 7.92&nbsp;mm [[MG 17 machine gun]], a [[MG_FF_cannon|20&nbsp;mm MG FF]] or a [[MG_FF_cannon|20&nbsp;mm MG FF/M]] cannon.{{sfn|Cross|Scarborough|1976|p=15}}

The first version of the Bf&nbsp;109 to have wing guns was the C-1, which had one MG&nbsp;17 in each wing. To avoid redesigning the wing to accommodate large ammunition boxes and access hatches, an unusual ammunition feed was devised whereby a continuous belt holding 500 rounds was fed along chutes out to the wing tip, around a roller, and then back along the wing, forward and beneath the gun breech, to the wing root, where it coursed around another roller and back to the weapon.{{sfn|Cross|Scarborough|1976|p=15}}

The gun barrel was placed in a long, large-diameter tube located between the spar and the leading edge. The tube channeled cooling air around the barrel and breech, exhausting from a slot at the rear of the wing. The installation was so cramped that parts of the MG 17's breech mechanism extended into an opening created in the flap structure.{{sfn|Cross|Scarborough|1976|p=15}}

The much longer and heavier MG FF had to be mounted farther along the wing in an outer bay. A large hole was cut through the spar allowing the cannon to be fitted with the ammunition feed forward of the spar, while the breech block projected rearward through the spar. A 60-round ammunition drum was placed in a space closer to the wing root causing a bulge in the underside. A small hatch was incorporated in the bulge to allow access for changing the drum. The entire weapon could be removed for servicing by removing a leading edge panel.{{sfn|Cross|Scarborough|1976|p=15}}

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-487-3066-04, Flugzeug Messerschmitt Me 109.jpg|thumb|Luftwaffe ground-crew positioning a Bf 109G-6 equipped with the [[Rüstsatz]] VI underwing gondola cannon kit. Note the slat on the leading edge of the port wing. [[JG 2]], France, late 1943.]]
From the 109F-series onwards, guns were no longer carried inside the wings. Instead, the Bf&nbsp;109F had a 20&nbsp;mm gun firing through the propeller shaft. The change was disliked by leading fighter pilots such as [[Adolf Galland]] and [[Walter Oesau]], but others such as [[Werner Mölders]] considered the single nose-mounted gun to compensate well for the loss of the two wing guns.{{sfn|Deighton|1977|p=281}} Galland had his Bf 109F-2 field-modified with a 20&nbsp;mm MG FF/M autocannon, the "/M" suffix indicating the capability of firing thin-walled 20mm [[mine shell]]s, installed internally in each wing.{{#tag:ref|Galland also flew another F-2/U1 in which the MG 17s above the engine were replaced by 13&nbsp;mm MG 131s|group=nb}}

In place of internal wing armament, additional firepower was provided through a pair of 20&nbsp;mm [[MG 151 cannon|MG 151/20 cannons]] installed in conformal [[gun pod]]s under the wings. The conformal gun pods, exclusive of ammunition, weighed 135&nbsp;kg (298&nbsp;lb);{{sfn|Radinger|Otto|1999|p=21}} and 135 to 145 rounds were provided per gun. The total weight, including ammunition, was 215&nbsp;kg.{{sfn|Radinger|Otto|1999|p=21}} Installation of the under-wing gun pods was a simple task that could be quickly performed by the unit's armourers, and the gun pods imposed a reduction of speed of only {{convert|8|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Radinger|Otto|1999|p=21}} By comparison, the installed weight of a similar armament of two 20&nbsp;mm MG 151/20 cannon inside the wings of the Fw&nbsp;190A-4/U8 was 130&nbsp;kg (287&nbsp;lb), without ammunition.{{sfn|Hahn|1963|p=35}}

Although the additional armament increased the fighter's potency as a bomber destroyer, it had an adverse effect on the handling qualities, reducing its performance in fighter-versus-fighter combat and accentuating the tendency of the fighter to swing pendulum-fashion in flight.{{sfn|Deighton|1977|p=281}}{{sfn|Green|1980|p=88}}
[[File:Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6R3 Cockpit.jpg|thumb|Bf-109 G-6/R3 Cockpit]]
Some of the projected 109K-series models, such as the K-6, were designed to carry 30&nbsp;mm (1.18&nbsp;in) [[MK 108 cannon]]s in the wings.{{sfn|Prien|Rodeike|1995|p=177}}

===Designation and nicknames===
{{Main|RLM aircraft designation system#Name changes and new constructors|l1=RLM aircraft designation system}}
Originally the aircraft was designated as '''Bf 109''' by the RLM, since the design was submitted by the ''[[Messerschmitt|Bayerische Flugzeugwerke]]'' (literally "Bavarian Aircraft Works", meaning "Bavarian Aircraft Factory"; sometimes abbreviated B.F.W.,<ref name="Flight Oct 5, 1939">{{cite web|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1939/1939-1-%20-%200932.html|title=''Flight'' (Oct 5, 1939)|website=flightglobal.com}}</ref> akin to [[BMW]]) during 1935.
The company was renamed [[Messerschmitt AG]] after [[1938 in aviation#July|'''11 July 1938''']] when [[Erhard Milch]] finally allowed Willy Messerschmitt to acquire the company. All Messerschmitt aircraft that originated after that date, such as the [[Messerschmitt Me 210|Me 210]], were to carry the "Me" designation. Despite regulations by the RLM, wartime documents from Messerschmitt AG, RLM and ''Luftwaffe'' loss and strength reports continued to use both designations, sometimes even on the same page.<ref>[http://109lair.hobbyvista.com/articles/bf-me/bf-me.htm Bf or Me 109? Which is correct?"] ''hobbyvista.com''. Retrieved: 3 January 2010.</ref>

All extant airframes bear [[RLM aircraft designation system#Name changes and new constructors|the official]]{{sfn|Wagner|Nowarra|1971|p=229}} "Bf&nbsp;109" designation on their identification plates, including the final K-4 models.{{sfn|Prien|Rodeike|1995|pp=167–176}} The aircraft was often referred to by the folk-designation, 'Me&nbsp;109', particularly by the Allies.

The aircraft was often nicknamed ''Messer'' by its operators and opponents alike; the name was not only an abbreviation of the manufacturer but also the German word for "knife". In Finland, the Bf 109 was known as ''Mersu'', although this was originally (and still is) the Finnish nickname for [[Mercedes-Benz]] cars.

Soviet aviators nicknamed the Bf 109 "the skinny one" (худо́й, ''khudoy''), for its sleek appearance compared, for example, to the more robust Fw 190.

The names "Anton", "Berta", "Caesar", "Dora", "Emil", "Friedrich", "Gustav", and "Kurfürst" were derived from the variant's official letter designation (e.g. Bf 109G – "Gustav"), based on the [[German spelling alphabet]] of World War II, a practice that was also used for other German aircraft designs.<ref>[https://www.feldgrau.com/WW2-German-Phonetic-Alphabet/ "German phonetic alphabet of World War II."] ''feldgrau.com''. Retrieved: 2 January 2010.</ref> The G-6 variant was nicknamed by ''Luftwaffe'' personnel as ''Die Beule'' ("the bump/bulge") because of the cowling's characteristic, bulging covers for the breeches of the 13&nbsp;mm (.51&nbsp;in) [[MG 131 machine gun]]s, with the separate ''Beule'' covers eliminated by the time of the G-10 model's introduction of a subtly reshaped upper cowling.

===Record-setting flights===
[[File:Bf109g10.ogg|thumb|Bf 109G-10 (Messerschmitt foundation) flight demonstration]]
In July 1937, not long after the public debut of the new fighter, three Bf&nbsp;109Bs took part in the Flugmeeting airshow in [[Zürich]] under the command of Major Seidemann. They won in several categories: First prize in a speed race over a 202&nbsp;km course, first prize in the class A category in the international ''Alpenrundflug'' for military aircraft, and victory in the international ''Patrouillenflug'' category.{{sfn|Nowarra|1993|p=190}}

On 11 November 1937, the Bf&nbsp;109 V13, D-IPKY flown by Messerschmitt's chief pilot Dr. Hermann Wurster, powered by a {{convert|1230|kW|PS hp|0|abbr=on}} DB&nbsp;601R racing engine, set a new world air speed record for ''landplanes with piston engines'' of {{convert|610.95|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}, the first time Germany had set the record. Converted from a Bf&nbsp;109D, the V13 had been fitted with a special racing DB 601R engine that could deliver {{convert|1230|kW|PS hp|0|abbr=on}} for short periods.{{sfn|Ebert|Kaiser|Peters|1992|p=137}}{{sfn|Nowarra|1993|p=193}}{{Refn|World speed records and other aviation records were and still are set by the ''Fédération Aéronautique Internationale'' (FAI). A record attempt must be made over a recognized course at a set altitude to be considered. The Bf 109 and 209s came under the category "CLASS C, GROUP 1d"[http://www.fai.org/news_archives/fai/cat_world_records.asp "FAI record (current)."] ''fai.org''. Retrieved: 29 April 2008.|group=nb}} Both the [[Fédération Aéronautique Internationale|FAI]] and contemporary publications, such as [[Flight International|Flight]], have recorded this aircraft as a Messerschmitt Bf&nbsp;113 (or Bf&nbsp;113R).<ref>{{cite web |title=Hermann Wurster (GER) - Speed over a 3km course; 11 Nov 1937 |url=https://www.fai.org/record/8747 |website=FAI - Fédération Aéronautique Internationale |date=10 October 2017 |access-date=20 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=The New Speed Record |journal=Flight (And the Aircraft Engineer) |date=20 April 1939 |volume=XXXV |issue=1582 |pages=395–396}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=30 March 1939 |url=https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/30-march-1939-2/ |website=This Day in Aviation |access-date=20 December 2024}}</ref>

[[Heinkel]], having had the He&nbsp;112 rejected in the design competition of 1936, designed and built the [[He 100]]. On 6 June 1938, the He 100 V3, flown by [[Ernst Udet]], captured the record with a speed of {{convert|634.7|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}. On 30 March 1939, test pilot Hans Dieterle surpassed that record, reaching {{convert|746.61|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} with the He&nbsp;100 V8. Messerschmitt, however, soon regained the lead when, on 26 April 1939, ''Flugkapitän'' [[Fritz Wendel]], flying the [[Messerschmitt Me 209|Me 209 V1]], set a new record of {{convert|755.14|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}. For propaganda purposes, the Me&nbsp;209 V1 aircraft (possibly from its post-July 1938 first flight date) was given the designation '''Me 109R''', with [[RLM aircraft designation system#Name changes and new constructors|the later prefix]], never used for wartime Bf&nbsp;109 fighters.{{sfn|Wagner|Nowarra|1971|p=229}} The Me&nbsp;209 V1 was powered by the DB 601ARJ, producing 1,156&nbsp;kW (1,550&nbsp;hp), but capable of reaching 1,715&nbsp;kW (2,300&nbsp;hp). This world record for a piston-engined aircraft was to stand until 1969,{{sfn|Feist|1993|p=22}} when [[Darryl Greenamyer]]'s modified [[Grumman F8F Bearcat]], ''Conquest I'', broke it with a {{convert|777|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} record speed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19770989000|title=Grumman F8F-2, Bearcat, "Conquest I"|work=si.edu|access-date=1 April 2015|archive-date=20 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120145943/http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19770989000|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Variants==
{{Main|Messerschmitt Bf 109 variants}}
[[File:Bf 109E-3 in flight (1940).jpg|thumb|right|Bf 109E-3 in flight, 1940]]

When the Bf&nbsp;109 was designed in 1934, by a team led by [[Willy Messerschmitt]] and [[Robert Lusser]],{{sfn|Green|1980|p=7}} its primary role was that of a high-speed, short-range interceptor.{{sfn|Cross|Scarborough|1976|pp=7–8}} It used the most advanced aerodynamics of the time and embodied advanced structural design which was ahead of its contemporaries.{{sfn|Green|1980|p=8}} In the early years of the war, the Bf 109 was the only single-engined fighter operated by the Luftwaffe, until the appearance of the [[Focke-Wulf Fw 190|Fw 190]]. The Bf&nbsp;109 remained in production from 1937 through 1945 in many different variants and sub-variants. The primary engines used were the Daimler-Benz [[Daimler-Benz DB 601|DB 601]] and [[DB 605]], though the Junkers [[Jumo 210]] powered most of the pre-war variants. The most-produced Bf&nbsp;109 model was the Bf&nbsp;109G series (more than a third of all 109s built were the G-6 series, 12,000 units being manufactured from March 1943 until the end of the war).{{sfn|Prien|Rodeike|1995|pp=99–100, 113–114}} The initial production models of the [[Messerschmitt Bf 109 variants#Bf 109 A/B/C/D|A, B, C and D series]] were powered by the relatively low-powered, {{convert|670|-|700|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on}} Junkers [[Jumo 210]] series engines. A few prototypes of these early aircraft were converted to use the more powerful DB&nbsp;600.{{sfn|Green|1980|pp=29–34, 41}}

The first redesign came with the [[Messerschmitt Bf 109 variants#Bf 109E|E series]], including the naval variant, the Bf&nbsp;109T (T standing for ''Träger'', [[aircraft carrier|carrier]]). The Bf&nbsp;109E (''Emil'') introduced structural changes to accommodate the heavier and more powerful {{convert|1100|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on}} [[Daimler-Benz DB 601]] engine, heavier armament and increased fuel capacity. Partly due to its limited {{convert|300|km|mi|abbr=off}} combat radius on internal fuel alone, resulting from its {{convert|660|km|mi|abbr=on}} range limit, later variants of the E series had a [[Aircraft of the Battle of Britain#German fighter fuel capacity|fuselage ordnance rack]] for fighter-bomber operations or provision for a long-range, standardized {{convert|300|L|USgal|abbr=off}} drop-tank and used the DB&nbsp;601N engine of higher power output.{{sfn|Wagner|Nowarra|1971|p=229}}{{sfn|Green|1980|pp=41–45, 63–64, 76–81, 82–83}} The Bf&nbsp;109E first saw service with the "[[Condor Legion]]" during the last phase of the [[Spanish Civil War]] and was the main variant from the beginning of [[World War II]] until mid-1941 when the Bf&nbsp;109F replaced it in the pure fighter role.{{sfn|Green|1980|pp=38–39, 80}} (Eight Bf&nbsp;109Es were assembled in [[Switzerland]] in 1946 by the Dornier-Werke, using licence-built airframes; a ninth airframe was assembled using spare parts.){{sfn|Green|1980|p=78}}

[[File:Bf 109 F4 9 JG3 5582.JPG|thumb|Bf 109F-4 of [[JG 3]] near [[Reims]], France]]

The second big redesign during 1939–40 gave birth to the [[Messerschmitt Bf 109 variants#Bf 109F|F series]]. The ''Friedrich'' had new wings, cooling system and fuselage aerodynamics, with the {{convert|1175|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on}} DB&nbsp;601N (F-1, F-2) or the {{convert|1350|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on}} DB 601E (F-3, F-4). Considered by many as the high-water mark of Bf&nbsp;109 development, the F series abandoned the wing cannon and concentrated all armament in the forward fuselage with a pair of synchronized machine guns above and a single 15 or 20&nbsp;mm ''Motorkanone''-mount cannon behind the engine, the latter firing between the cylinder banks and through the propeller hub, itself covered by a more streamlined, half-elliptical shaped spinner that better matched the streamlining of the reshaped cowling, abandoning the smaller, conical spinner of the ''Emil'' subtype. The F-type also omitted the earlier stabilizer [[lift strut]] on either side of the tail. The improved aerodynamics were used by all later variants. Some Bf&nbsp;109Fs were used late in the [[Battle of Britain]] in 1940 but the variant came into common use only in the first half of 1941.{{sfn|Prien|Rodeike|1995|pp=9–25}}

[[File:Bf 109G-10 cockpit 070703-F-1234S-001.jpg|thumb|left|Bf 109 Gustav cockpit]]
The [[Messerschmitt Bf 109 variants#Bf 109G|G series]], or ''Gustav'', was introduced in mid-1942. Its initial variants (G-1 through G-4) differed only in minor details from the Bf&nbsp;109F, most notably in the more powerful {{convert|1475|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on}} [[Daimler-Benz DB 605|DB 605]] engine. Odd-numbered variants were built as high-altitude fighters with a pressurized cockpit and [[GM-1]] boost, while even-numbered variants were un-pressurized, air superiority fighters and fighter-bombers. Long-range [[photo-reconnaissance]] variants also existed. The later G series (G-5 through G-14) was produced in a multitude of variants, with uprated armament and provision for kits of packaged, generally factory-installed parts known as ''Umrüst-Bausätze'' ("conversion kits", usually contracted to ''Umbau'') and adding a "/U" suffix to the aircraft designation when installed. Field kits known as [[Rüstsatz|''Rüstsätze'']] were also available for the G-series but those did not change the aircraft title. By early 1944, tactical requirements resulted in the addition of [[MW-50]] water injection boost and high-performance [[superchargers]], boosting engine output to {{convert|1800|-|2000|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on}}. From early 1944, some G-2s, G-3s, G-4s and G-6s were converted to two-seat trainers, known as G-12s. An instructor's cockpit was added behind the original cockpit and both were covered by an elongated, glazed canopy.{{sfn|Prien|Rodeike|1995|pp=56–165}}

The final production version of the Bf&nbsp;109 was the [[Messerschmitt Bf 109 variants#Bf 109K|K series]] or ''Kurfürst'', introduced in late 1944, powered by the DB 605D engine with up to {{convert|2000|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on}}. Though externally akin to the late production Bf&nbsp;109G series, a large number of internal changes and aerodynamic improvements were incorporated that improved its effectiveness and remedied flaws, keeping it competitive with the latest Allied and Soviet fighters.{{sfn|Radinger|Otto|1999|pp=35–37}}{{sfn|Prien|Rodeike|1995|pp=166–174}} The Bf&nbsp;109's outstanding rate of climb was superior to many Allied adversaries including the P-51D Mustang, Spitfire Mk. XIV and Hawker Tempest Mk. V.{{sfn|Wolf|2009|p=763}}

After the war, the 109 was built in [[Czechoslovakia]], as the Avia S-99 and [[Avia S-199]] (with twenty-five S-199s serving with [[History of the Israeli Air Force#Early years (1948–1967)|Israel]] in 1948) and in [[Spain]] as the Hispano Aviación Ha 1109 and [[Hispano Aviacion Ha 1112|Ha 1112]].{{sfn|Green|1980|pp=131–138}}

==Production==
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-638-4221-06, Produktion von Messerschmitt Bf 109.jpg|thumb|Assembly of Bf 109G-6s in a German aircraft factory.]]
Total Bf 109 production was 33,984 units;<ref name="ReferenceB" /> wartime production (September 1939 to May 1945) was 30,573 units. Fighter production totalled 47% of all German aircraft production, and the Bf 109 accounted for 57% of all German fighter types produced.{{sfn|Feist|1993|p=45}} A total of 2,193 Bf 109 A–E was built prewar, from 1936 to August 1939.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

In January 1943, as part of an effort to increase fighter production, Messerschmitt licensed an SS-owned company, [[DEST]], to manufacture Bf 109 parts at [[Flossenbürg concentration camp]]. Messerschmitt provided skilled technicians, raw materials, and tools and the SS provided prisoners, in a deal that proved highly profitable for both parties. Production at Flossenbürg started in February.{{sfn|Uziel|2011|p=180}} The number of prisoners working for Messerschmitt increased greatly after the [[Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission|bombing of Messerschmitt's Regensburg plant]] on 17 August 1943.{{sfn|Uziel|2011|pp=56, 180}} [[Erla (company)|Erla]], a subcontractor of Messerschmitt, established Flossenbürg [[List of subcamps of Flossenbürg|subcamp]]s to support its production: a subcamp at [[Johanngeorgenstadt]], established in December 1943, to produce [[tailplane]]s for the Bf&nbsp;109, and another subcamp at [[Mülsen|Mülsen-St. Micheln]] which produced Bf&nbsp;109 wings, in January 1944.{{sfn|Uziel|2011|p=182}} The Flossenbürg camp system had become a key supplier of Bf&nbsp;109 parts by February 1944, when Messerschmitt's Regensburg plant was bombed again during "[[Big Week]]". Increased production at Flossenbürg was essential to restoring production in the aftermath of the attacks.{{sfn|Uziel|2011|p=182}}

The Austrian resistance group, led by [[Heinrich Maier]], very successfully passed on plans and production facilities in the Austrian area for Messerschmitt Bf 109 to the Allies from 1943. With the location of the production sites, the Allied bombers were able to attempt "[[Surgical strike|precise]]" air strikes.{{sfn|Boeckl-Klamper|Mang|Neugebauer|2018|pp=299–305}}{{sfn|Schafranek|2017|pp=161–248}}{{sfn|Broucek|2008|p=163}}{{sfn|Stehle|1996}}

After the August 1943 Regensburg raid, some Bf&nbsp;109 production was relocated to [[Gusen concentration camp]] in Austria,<ref name="gusen">{{cite web |title=Messerschmitt GmbH Regensburg |url=https://www.mauthausen-memorial.org/en/Gusen/The-Concentration-Camp-Gusen/Forced-Labour/Messerschmitt-GmbH-Regensburg |website=Mauthausen-memorial.org |access-date=28 July 2018 |language=en |archive-date=28 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728071224/https://www.mauthausen-memorial.org/en/Gusen/The-Concentration-Camp-Gusen/Forced-Labour/Messerschmitt-GmbH-Regensburg |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{sfn|Bartrop|Dickerman|2017|p=427}} where the average prisoner's life expectancy was six months.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gusen |url=https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10006144 |website=Ushmm.org |publisher=[[United States Holocaust Memorial Museum]] |access-date=28 July 2018 |language=en}}</ref> In order to make the new production facilities bomb-proof, other prisoners were forced to build tunnels so that production could be relocated underground. Many died while performing this hazardous duty.<ref>{{cite web |title=Relocating arms production underground |url=https://www.mauthausen-memorial.org/en/Gusen/The-Concentration-Camp-Gusen/Forced-Labour/Relocating-arms-production-underground |website=Mauthausen-memorial.org |access-date=28 July 2018 |language=en}}</ref> By mid-1944, more than a third of the production at the Regensburg factory originated in Flossenbürg and Gusen alone; only the final assembly was done in Regensburg.<ref name="gusen" />{{sfn|Uziel|2011|p=182}} Separately, Erla employed thousands of concentration camp prisoners at Buchenwald on 109 production.{{sfn|Vajda|Dancey|1998|p=118}} Forced labor at [[Buchenwald]] produced approximately 300 Bf 109 fuselages, tail sections, and wings before the end of the war.{{sfn|Vajda|Dancey|1998|p=118}} <!-- Ravensbruck subcamp: 1337 -->

Some 865 Bf 109G derivatives were manufactured postwar under licence as Czechoslovak-built Avia S-99 and S-199s, with the production ending in 1948.{{sfn|Nowarra|1993|p=189}} Production of the Spanish-built [[Hispano Aviación HA-1112|Hispano Aviación HA-1109 and HA-1112 ''Buchon''s]] ended in 1958.{{sfn|Nowarra|1993|p=189}}

{| class="wikitable sortable"; text-align:center"
|-
|+New-production Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters, 1936–45.<ref>U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey, Aircraft Division Industry Report. Exhibit I – German Airplane Programs vs Actual Production.</ref>
|-
! Factory, location !! Up to 1939 !! 1939 !! 1940 !! 1941 !! 1942 !! 1943 !! 1944 !! 1945* !! Totals*
|-
| Messerschmitt GmbH, [[Regensburg]] || || || || 203 || 486 || 2,164 || 6,329 || 1,241 || 10,423
|-
| [[Arado Flugzeugwerke|Arado]], [[Warnemünde]] || || || || 370 || || || || || 370
|-
| Erla Maschinenwerk,<br>[[Leipzig]] || || || || 683 || 875 || 2,015 || 4,472 || 1,018 || 9,063
|-
| [[Fieseler|Gerhard-Fieseler-Werke]], [[Kassel]] || || || || 155 || || || || || 155
|-
| W.N.F., [[Wiener Neustadt]] || || || || 836 || 1,297 || 2,200 || 3,081 || 541 || 7,955
|-
| Győri Vagon- és Gépgyár, [[Győr]] || || || || || 4 || 220 || 399{{#tag:ref|Produced from 1943 sept until 1944 sept|group=nb}} || 10 || 633<ref>Messerschmitt Bf 109 the complete monography 2016 by Jean-Claude Mermet and Christian-Jacques Ehrengardt page 176.</ref>
|-
| [[AGO Flugzeugwerke|AGO]], [[Oschersleben]]<br>(switched to [[Focke-Wulf Fw 190#Production|Fw 190A production]]) || || || || 381 || || || || || 381
|-
! Totals || 1,860 || 1,540 || 1,868 || 2,628 || 2,662 || 6,609 || 14,281 || 2,800 || 34,248
|}

<nowiki>*</nowiki> Production up to end of March 1945 only.

{| class="wikitable sortable"; text-align:center"
! Variant{{sfn|Prien|Rodeike|1995|p={{page needed|date=June 2022}}}} !! Number !! Years produced
|-
| Bf 109A || 22 || 1937 - 1938
|-
| Bf 109B || 341 || 1937 - 1938 
|-
| Bf 109C || 58 || 1938 spring - 1938 late
|-
| Bf 109D || 647 || 1938 - 1939
|-
| Bf 109E-1 || 1,183 || 1938 late - 1940
|-
| Bf 109E-3 || 1,276 || 1939 - 1940
|-
| Bf 109E-4 || 561 || 1939 - 1940
|-
| Bf 109E-5 || 19 || 1939 - 1940
|-
| Bf 109E-7 || 438 || 1940 August - 1941
|-
| Bf 109F-1 || 208 || 1940 July - 1941 January
|-
| Bf 109F-2 || 1,384 || 1940 October - 1941 August
|-
| Bf 109F-3 || 15 || 1940 October - 1941 January
|-
| Bf 109F-4 || 1,841 || 1941 May - 1942 May
|-
| Bf 109F-5 || 1 || 1940 October
|-
| Bf 109G-1 || 167 || 1942 February - June
|-
| Bf 109G-2 || 1,587 || 1942 May - 1943 February
|-
| Bf 109G-3 || 50 || 1943 January
|-
| Bf 109G-4 || 1,246 || 1942 September - 1943 May
|-
| Bf 109G-5 || 475 || 1943 February - 1944 June
|-
| Bf 109G-5/AS || 16 converted || 1944 April - 1944 June
|-
| Bf 109G-6 || ~5000+ || 1943 February-1943 August - October
|-
| Bf 109G-6 with Erla Hood || ~2000+ || 1943 August - Sept - 1944 March
|-
| Bf 109G-6 with Erla Hood,<br> larger tail, and MW-50 || ~5,000+ || 1944 January - 1944 Sept {{#tag:ref|First entered service in 1944 Late April–May with MW-50|group=nb}}
|-
| Bf 109G-6/AS with MW-50 || 226 produced + 460 converted || 1944 April - 1944 August {{#tag:ref|First entered service in 1944 Late April–May|group=nb}}
|-
| Bf 109G-8 || 906 || 1943 August-1945 February
|-
| Bf 109G-10 || 2,600+{{Refn|Many of the G-10s are converted from older G-6/14s.{{sfn|Mermet|1994|p=1}}{{sfn|Prien|Rodeike|1995|p=167}}|group=nb}} || 1944 September - 1945 March {{#tag:ref|First entered service in 1944 Mid-October|group=nb}}
|-
| Bf 109G-10/AS || 100{{#tag:ref|It's not clear, these planes were G-6/AS with DB-605 ASM engine or genuine G-10s with DB-605 DB. Officially there was no G-10/AS produced in the factories.{{sfn|Mermet|1994|pp=43–47}}|group=nb}} || 1944 September - 1944 November {{#tag:ref|First entered service in 1944 Mid-October|group=nb}}
|-
| Bf 109G-12 || 500 planned{{#tag:ref|The exact number of Bf 109G-12s built is unknown as war-weary G-2, G-4, and G-6 airframes were converted or rebuilt to produce this variant.|group=nb}}/converted || 1943 December - 1944 July
|-
| Bf 109G-14 || 5,500+ || 1944 July - 1945 February
|-
| Bf 109G-14/AS || ~1,373+ || 1944 July<ref>Die Messerschmitt-Werke im 2.Weltkrieg</ref> - 1945 March
|-
| Bf 109K-4 || 1,700+ || 1944 August - 1945 March {{#tag:ref|First entered service in 1944 Early-October|group=nb}}
|-
| Bf 109K-6 || 1 prototype || 1944 Autumn
|-
! Totals || 36,901 with conversions || -
|}

==Operational history==
{{Main|Messerschmitt Bf 109 operational history}}
[[File:Bf 109A from the Condor Legion with Nationalist Spain markings.jpg|thumb|Bf 109A from the [[Condor Legion]] during [[Spanish Civil War]] (1936–1939)]]

The first Bf 109As served in the [[Spanish Civil War]]. By September 1939, the Bf 109 had become the main fighter of the Luftwaffe, replacing the biplane fighters, and was instrumental in gaining air superiority for the [[Wehrmacht]] during the early stages of the war. During the [[Battle of Britain]], it was pressed into the role of escort fighter, a role for which it was not originally designed, and it was widely employed as a [[fighter-bomber]], as well as a [[photo-reconnaissance]] platform. Despite mixed results over Britain, with the introduction of the improved Bf&nbsp;109F in early 1941, the type again proved to be an effective fighter during the [[Invasion of Yugoslavia]] (where it was used by both sides), the [[Battle of Crete]], [[Operation Barbarossa]] (the invasion of the [[USSR]]) and the [[Siege of Malta (World War II)|Siege of Malta]].

In 1942, it began to be partially replaced in Western Europe by a new German fighter, the [[Focke-Wulf Fw 190]], but it continued to serve in a multitude of roles on the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]] and in the [[Defense of the Reich]], as well as in the [[Mediterranean Theatre of Operations]] and with [[Erwin Rommel]]'s [[Afrikakorps]]. It was also supplied to several of Germany's allies, including Italy, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovakia.

More aerial kills were made with the Bf 109 than any other aircraft of World War II.{{sfn|Feist|1993|p=50}} Many of the aerial victories were accomplished against poorly trained and badly organized Soviet forces in 1941 during Barbarossa. The Soviets lost 21,200 aircraft, about half to combat.{{sfn|Bergström|2007|p=117}} If shot down, the Luftwaffe pilots might land or parachute to friendly territory and return to fight again. Later in the war, when Allied victories began to bring the fight closer, and then in German territory, bombing raids supplied plenty of targets for the Luftwaffe. This unique combination of events — until [[Jimmy Doolittle#Escort fighter tactics|American long-range fighters]] appeared very early in 1944, that steadily gave the Allies daylight [[air supremacy]] over the Reich — led to the highest-ever individual pilot victory scores.{{sfn|Toliver|Constable|1965|pp=235–236}} One hundred and five Bf 109 pilots were each credited with the destruction of 100 or more enemy aircraft.{{#tag:ref|Some sources state one hundred and nine pilots were credited with more than 100 enemy aircraft.{{Citation needed|date=February 2013}}|group=nb}} Thirteen of these men scored more than 200 kills, while two scored more than 300. Altogether, this group of pilots was credited with a total of nearly 15,000 kills.{{sfn|Feist|1993|p=50}} Though no official [[Flying ace|"ace"]] status existed in the Luftwaffe - the term ''Experte'' (expert) was used for an experienced pilot irrespective of his number of kills - using the Allied definition of pilots who scored five or more kills, more than 2,500 ''Luftwaffe'' fighter pilots were considered aces in World War II.{{sfn|Feist|1993|p=51}} Against the Soviets, Finnish-flown Bf 109Gs claimed a victory ratio of 25:1.{{sfn|Neulen|2000|p=217}}

Bf 109s remained in foreign service for many years after the war. The Bf109 was the first aircraft deployed at the beginning of the Israeli Air Force. The Swiss used their Bf 109Gs well into the 1950s. The Finnish Air Force did not retire their Bf 109Gs until March 1954. Romania used its Bf 109s until 1955. The Spanish Hispanos flew even longer, some still in service in the late 1960s. They appeared in films (notably ''[[Battle of Britain (film)|Battle of Britain]]'') playing the role of Bf 109Es; some Hispano airframes were sold to museums, which rebuilt them as Bf 109s.

==Operators==
Note: this list includes operators who used Bf 109s for active service or combat. It does not include France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States, which all operated small numbers of captured aircraft for testing and evaluation (''see: [[Messerschmitt Bf 109 operational history#Allied Bf 109s]]'').

[[File:Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2.jpg|thumb|Finnish Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2s at [[Helsinki-Malmi Airport|Helsinki-Malmi]], June 1943]]
[[File:Messerschmitt Bf 109E Romania.jpg|thumb|Romanian Bf 109E-3]]
[[File:Avia-S199-hatzerim-2.jpg|thumb|Czechoslovak-built Israeli AF [[Avia S-199]] at [[Israeli Air Force Museum]]]]
[[File:Hispano Aviación Ha 1112 Buchon.jpeg|thumb|[[Hispano Aviación HA-1112]] ''Buchon'']]
[[File:Swiss Messerschmitt Bf 109-E3 top left view.jpg|thumb|A Bf 109E-3 of the [[Swiss Air Force]] at the [[Flieger-Flab-Museum]]]]
[[File:Bf109 messerschmitt.JPG|thumb|Yugoslav AF Bf 109G-2, at the [[Aeronautical Museum Belgrade]]]]

;{{flag|Bulgaria}}
*The [[Bulgarian Air Force]] operated 19 E-3s and 145 G-2/-6/-10s.
;{{flagcountry|Independent State of Croatia}}
*''[[Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia|Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske]]'' operated over 50 Bf 109s, including E-4, F-2, G-2/-6/-10 and Ks.
;{{flag|Czechoslovakia}} – (''captured'')
*[[Czechoslovak Air Force]] operated captured aircraft and continued building Messerschmitt Bf 109Gs after the war under the Avia S-99 name, but soon ran out of the 109's Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine after many were destroyed during an explosion at a warehouse in Krásné Březno.
;{{FIN}}
*[[Finnish Air Force]] ordered 162 aircraft (48 G-2s, 111 G-6s and three G-8s) from Germany, but 3 were destroyed during transit, leaving the FAF with 159 Bf 109s. FAF pilots had 663 air victories during 1943–44 with Bf 109 G's and lost 34 in combat (20 shot down by enemy aircraft). 23 were non-combat losses and other write-offs. 102 Bf 109 G survived the war.
;{{flag|Greece|old}} – (''captured'')
*[[Royal Hellenic Air Force]] operated a number of captured G-6 109s which had been left during the German withdrawal in October 1944
;{{flag|Nazi Germany|Nazi}}
*''[[Luftwaffe]]'' was the main operator of the Bf 109.
;{{flag|Kingdom of Hungary}}
*[[Royal Hungarian Air Force]] operated 3 D-1s, 50 E-3/-4s, 66 F-4s and ~490 G-2/-4/-6/-8/-10/-14s.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}
;{{flag|Israel|}}
*[[Israeli Air Force]] operated the [[Avia S-199]] derivative, bought from Czechoslovakia. Despite the type's shortcomings the Israelis scored 8 victories. Egypt and Syria claimed 4 S-199 kills, and 1 probable.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090609181946/http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_255.shtml "List of Israeli Air-to-Air Victories 1948–1966."]}} ''acig.org''. Retrieved: 2 January 2010.</ref>
;{{flagcountry|Kingdom of Italy}}
*''[[Regia Aeronautica]]'' operated several tens of Bf 109s in the first half of 1943.{{sfn|Brotzu|Casò|Caruana|Cosolo|1972|pp=59-60}}
;{{flag|Italian Social Republic}}
*''[[Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana]]'' operated 300 G-6/-10/-14s and two G-12s; three K-4s were also received.
;{{flag|Empire of Japan}}
*[[Imperial Japanese Army Air Force]] purchased 5 E-7s in 1941. The aircraft were used for tests and trials.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lansdale|first1=Jim|title=Messerschmitt Me-109|url=http://www.j-aircraft.com/captured/testedby/me109/me109.htm|website=J-aircraft.com|access-date=13 July 2014}}</ref>
;{{flagcountry|Kingdom of Romania}}
*[[Royal Romanian Air Force]] operated 50 E-3/4s, 19 E-7s, 2 F-2s, 5 F-4s and at least 200+ G-2/G-4/G-6/-8s plus 124 IAR assembled Ga-2/Ga-4/Ga-6.
*[[Romanian Air Force]] – Postwar.
;{{flag|Slovak Republic (1939–1945)|1939|name=Slovak Republic (1939 - 1945)}} 
*[[Slovak Air Force (1939–1945)|Slovak Air Force]] operated 16 E-3s, 14 E-7s and 30 G-6s.
*[[Slovak Insurgent Air Force]] operated 3 G-6s during the [[Slovak National Uprising]].
;{{flag|Spanish State}}
*[[Spanish Air Force]] operated some D-1s, E-3s and 15 F-4s, and may have received several older B-types. Volunteers of Escuadrilla Azul on the Eastern Front operated E-4, E-7, E-7/B, F-2, F-4 (belonged in JG-27 under the command of ''[[Luftflotte 2]]'', until April 1943) among G-4 and G-6 (detached in JG-51 under the command ''[[Luftflotte 4]]'', until June 1944). A variant under license by the name [[Hispano Aviación HA-1112]] was produced until 1958.
;{{SUI}}
*[[Swiss Air Force]] operated 10 D-1s, 89 E-3a variants, 2 F-4s and 14 G-6s.
;{{TUR}} – (''captured'')
*[[Turkish Air Force]] two aircraft were confiscated after emergency landings.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dailysabah.com/op-ed/2019/03/06/unearthing-wwii-aircraft-buried-in-kayseri | title=Unearthing WWII aircraft buried in Kayseri | website=[[Daily Sabah]] | date=6 March 2019 }}</ref>
;{{flagcountry|Kingdom of Yugoslavia}}
*[[Royal Yugoslav Air Force]] operated 73 E-3a variants.
*[[SFR Yugoslav Air Force]] operated several ex-[[NDH]] and Bulgarian Bf 109Gs.

==Surviving aircraft==
{{Main|List of surviving Messerschmitt Bf 109s}}

==Specifications (Bf 109G-6)==
[[File:Bf109G 3Seiten neu.jpg|thumb|3-view drawing of Bf 109G-6.]]
{{Aircraft specs
| ref = ''The Great Book of Fighters''{{Sfn|Green|Swanborough|2001|p={{page needed|date=June 2022}}}} and the ''Finnish Air Force Bf 109 Manual''{{citation needed|date=June 2019}}
| prime units? = met<!--General characteristics-->
| crew = 1
| length m = 8.95
| length note = 
| span m = 9.925
| span note = 
| height m = 2.6
| height note = 
| wing area sqm = 16.05
| wing area note = 
| aspect ratio = <!-- sailplanes -->
| airfoil = [[NACA airfoil|NACA 2R1 14.2]]; '''tip:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA 2R1 11.35]]<ref name="Selig">{{cite web |last1=Lednicer |first1=David |title=The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage |url=https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads/aircraft.html |website=m-selig.ae.illinois.edu |access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref>
| empty weight kg = 2247
| empty weight note = 
| gross weight kg = 3148
| gross weight note = 
| max takeoff weight kg = 3400
| max takeoff weight note = 
| fuel capacity = 
| more general = <!--
Powerplant
-->
| eng1 number = 1
| eng1 name = [[Daimler-Benz DB 605A-1]]
| eng1 type = V-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engine
| eng1 kw = <!-- prop engines -->
| eng1 hp = <!-- prop engines -->
| eng1 shp = <!-- prop engines -->
| eng1 kn = <!-- jet/rocket engines -->
| eng1 lbf = <!-- jet/rocket engines -->
| eng1 note = {{cvt|1475|PS|hp kW}}
| prop blade number = 3
| prop name = VDM 9-12087
| prop dia m = 3
| prop dia note = light-alloy constant-speed propeller
<!--
Performance
-->| max speed kmh = 530
| max speed note = at sea level
::::{{cvt|588|km/h|mph kn}} at {{cvt|4000|m}}
::::{{cvt|642|km/h|mph kn}} at {{cvt|6300|m}}<ref name="http://kurfurst.org/">{{cite web|url=http://kurfurst.org/Performance_tests/109G14_May44trials/109G-6_DB605A.jpg|format=JPG|title=Image of aircraft performance data|website=kurfurst.org|access-date=15 May 2022}}</ref>
::::{{cvt|622|km/h|mph kn}} at {{cvt|8000|m}}<ref name="wwiiaircraftperformance.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/me109/me109g6-combat-emergency.jpg|format=JPG|title=Image of aircraft performance data|website=Wwiiaircraftperformance.org|access-date=15 February 2022}}</ref>
| cruise speed kmh = 590
| cruise speed note = at {{cvt|6000|m}}
| stall speed kmh = 
| stall speed note = 
| never exceed speed kmh = 
| never exceed speed note = 
| range km = 880-1144
| range note = 
| ferry range km = 1144–1994
| ferry range note = 1,144 km without and 1,994 km with droptank
| endurance = <!-- if range unknown -->
| ceiling m = 12000
| ceiling note = 
| g limits = <!-- aerobatic -->
| roll rate = <!-- aerobatic -->
| climb rate ms = 22.7
| climb rate note = 
| time to altitude = 
| wing loading kg/m2 = 196
| wing loading note = 
| fuel consumption kg/km = 
| power/mass = {{cvt|0.344|kW/kg}}
| more performance = <!--
Armament
-->
| guns = <br/>
**2 × 13&nbsp;mm (.51 in) synchronized [[MG 131 machine gun]]s with 300 rpg
**1 × 20&nbsp;mm (.78 in) [[MG 151 cannon|MG 151/20 cannon]] as centerline ''Motorkanone'' with 200 rpg{{sfn|Hitchcock|1976|p=7}} ''or''
**1 x 30&nbsp;mm (1.18 in) [[MK 108 cannon]] as centerline ''Motorkanone'' with 65 rpg (G-6/U4 variant)
**2 × 20&nbsp;mm MG 151/20 underwing gondolas with 135 rpg (optional kit—''Rüstsatz'' VI)
| bombs = 1 × 250&nbsp;kg (551 lb) bomb or 4 × 50&nbsp;kg (110 lb) bombs or 1 × {{convert|300|L|gal|adj=on}} drop tank
| rockets = 2 × 21&nbsp;cm (8 in) [[WGr 21 rocket launcher|Wfr. Gr. 21]] rockets (G-6 with BR21)
| avionics = [[FuG 16]]Z radio
}}

==See also==
{{Aircontent
|see also=
*[[Sonderkommando Elbe]]
|related=
*[[Messerschmitt Bf 108]]
*[[Messerschmitt Me 209-II]]
*[[Hispano Aviacion HA-1109]]
*[[Avia S-199|Avia S-99/S-199]]
*[[Messerschmitt Me 309]]
|similar aircraft=
*[[Bell P-39 Airacobra]]
*[[Dewoitine D.520]]
*[[Fiat G.55]] 
*[[Hawker Hurricane]]
*[[Heinkel He 100]]
*[[Kawasaki Ki-61]] 
*[[Lavochkin LaGG-3]]
*[[Macchi C.202]] 
*[[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3]]
*[[Morane-Saulnier MS.406]]
*[[North American P-51 Mustang]]
*[[Rogožarski IK-3]]
*[[Supermarine Spitfire]]
*[[Yakovlev Yak-1]]
|lists=
* [[List of military aircraft of Germany]]
* [[List of aircraft of World War II]]
* [[List of World War II military aircraft of Germany|List of aircraft of Germany in World War II]]
}}

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist|group=nb|30em}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite book |last1=Bartrop |first1=Paul R. |last2=Dickerman |first2=Michael |title=The Holocaust: An Encyclopedia and Document Collection [4 volumes] |date=2017 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9781440840845 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u4I2DwAAQBAJ |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Beaman |first1=John R. Jr. |last2=Campbell |first2=Jerry L. |year=1980 |title=Messerschmitt Bf 109 in action, Part 1 |location=Carrollton, Texas |publisher=Squadron/Signal Publications |language=en |isbn=978-0-89747-106-0}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bergström |first=Christer |year=2007 |title=Barbarossa - The Air Battle: July–December 1941 |location=London, UK |publisher=Chevron/Ian Allan |language=en |isbn=978-1-85780-270-2}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Boeckl-Klamper |first1=Elisabeth |last2=Mang |first2=Thomas |last3=Neugebauer |first3=Wolfgang |year=2018 |title=Gestapo-Leitstelle Wien 1938–1945 |language=de |location=Vienna, Austria |publisher=Edition Steinbauer |isbn=978-3-902494-83-2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Boyne |first=Walter J. |year=1994 |title=Clash of Wings |location=New York, US |publisher=Simon & Schuster |language=en |isbn=978-0-684-83915-8}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Brotzu |first1=Emilio |last2=Casò |first2=Michele |last3=Caruana |first3=Richard E |last4=Cosolo |first4=Gherardo |year=1972 |title=Dimensione Cielo – Aerei italiani nella 2° guerra mondiale: Caccia Assalto 3 |language=it |location=Roma, Italy |publisher=Edizioni Bizzarri |oclc=955559938}}
* {{Cite book |last=Broucek |first=Peter |year=2008 |title=Die österreichische Identität im Widerstand 1938–1945 |language=de |publisher= Edition Steinbauer |isbn=978-3-902494-74-0}}
* {{Cite book |last=Caidin |first=Martin |year=1968 |title=Me 109 – Willy Messerschmitt's Peerless Fighter |series=Ballantine's illustrated history of World War II. Weapons book no. 4 |location=New York, US |publisher=[[Ballantine Books]] |language=en |isbn=978-0-345-01691-1}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Cross |first1=Roy |last2=Scarborough |first2=Gerald |year=1976 |title=Messerschmitt Bf 109, Versions B-E |location=London, UK |publisher=Patrick Stevens |language=en |isbn=978-0-85059-106-4}}
* {{Cite book |last=Deighton |first=Len |author-link=Len Deighton |year=1977 |title=[[Fighter: The True Story of the Battle of Britain]] |location=London, UK |language=en |publisher=Jonathan Cape |isbn=978-0-7126-7423-2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Drabkin |first=Artem |year=2007 |title=The Red Air Force at War: Barbarossa and the Retreat to Moscow – Recollections of Fighter Pilots on the Eastern Front |location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK |language=en |publisher=Pen & Sword Military |isbn=978-1-84415-563-7}}
* {{cite book |last1=Ebert |first1=Hans A. |first2=Johann |last2=B. Kaiser |first3=Klaus |last3=Peters |title=Willy Messerschmitt: Pioneer of Aviation (The History of German Aviation Design) |publisher=Schiffer Books |location=Atglen, Pennsylvania |year=2000 |language=en |isbn=0-7643-0727-4}}
* {{cite book |last1=Ebert |first1=Hans |last2=Kaiser |first2=Johann |last3=Peters |first3=Klaus |year=1992 |title=Willy Messerschmitt, Pionier der Luftfahrt und des Leichtbaues : eine Biographie |language=de |location=Bonn |publisher=Bernard & Graefe |isbn=978-3-7637-6103-6}}
* {{Cite book |last=Feist |first=Uwe |year=1993 |title=The Fighting Me 109 |location=London, UK |publisher=Arms and Armour Press |language=en |isbn=978-1-85409-209-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Fernández-Sommerau |first=Marco |title=Messerschmitt Bf 109 Recognition Manual |publisher=Classic Publications |location=Hersham, Surrey, UK |year=2004 |language=en |isbn=1-903223-27-X}}
* {{cite book |last=Forsgren |first=Jan |year=2017 |title=Messerschmitt Bf 109: The Design and Operational History |publisher=Fonthill Media |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KzMqDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT41 |language=en |isbn=978-1-78155-586-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Glancey |first=Jonathan |title=Spitfire: The Illustrated Biography |publisher=Atlantic Books |location=London, UK |year=2006 |language=en |isbn=978-1-84354-528-6}}
* {{Cite book |last=Green |first=William |year=1980 |title=Messerschmitt Bf 109: The Augsburg Eagle; A Documentary History |location=London, UK |publisher=Macdonald and Jane's Publishing Group Ltd. |language=en |isbn=978-0-7106-0005-9}}
* {{cite book |last1=Green |first1=William |last2=Swanborough |first2=Gordon |year=2001 |title=The Great Book of Fighters |publisher=MBI Publishing |language=en |isbn=978-0-7603-1194-3}}
* {{cite book |last=Griehl |first=Manfred |title=Das geheime Typenbuch der deutschen Luftwaffe: Geheime Kommandosache 8531/44 gKdos |language=German |publisher=Podzun-Pallas Verlag |location=Friedberg, Germany |year=2004 |isbn=978-3-7909-0775-9}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hahn |first=Fritz |year=1963 |title=Deutsche Geheimwaffen, 1939–1945 |trans-title=German Secret Weapons, 1939–1945 |language=de |location=Heidenheim, Germany |publisher=E. Hoffmann |oclc=2219140}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hitchcock |first=Thomas H. |year=1976 |title=Gustav: Messerschmitt 109G part 1 |location=Boylston, Massachusetts |publisher=Monogram Aviation Publications |language=en |isbn=978-0-914144-06-9}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Kobel |first1=Franz |last2=Mathmann |first2=Jakob Maria |year=1997 |title=Bf 109 |location=Atglen, Pennsylvania |publisher=[[Schiffer Publishing]] |language=en |isbn=978-0-88740-919-6}}
* {{cite book |last = Lawrence |first = Joseph |title = The Observer's Book Of Airplanes |location = London, UK and New York, US |publisher = Frederick Warne & Co |language=en |year = 1945}}
* {{Cite book |last=Mermet |first=Jean-Claude |year=1994 |title=Les Messerschmitt Bf 109, G-1 à K-4, et leurs moteurs |trans-title=Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-1 through K-4. Engines and Fittings |language=fr |location=Marnaz, France |publisher=Jean Claude Mermet SA |oclc=463935941}}
* {{Cite book |title=Messerschmitt Bf 109G; technisch Kompendium, Handbücher, Ersatztelliste, Bewaffnung Bedienungsvorschrift/Fl, Bordfunkanlage, Lehrbildreihe; 1942/1944. |series=[Elektronische Resource] |edition=Reprint |location=Ludwigsburg, Germany |publisher=Luftfahrt-Archiv |year=2006 |language=de |isbn=3-939847-13-5 |ref={{sfnRef|Messerschmitt Bf 109G|2006}} }}
* {{Cite book |title=Messerschmitt Bf 109K; technisch Kompendium, Handbüch, Ersatztelliste, Rep.-Answeisung, Bewaffnung Bedienungsvorschrift; 1943–1944. |series=[Elektronische Resource] |edition=Reprint |location=Ludwigsburg, Germany |publisher=Luftfahrt-Archiv |year=2006 |language=de |isbn=3-939847-14-3 |ref={{sfnRef|Messerschmitt Bf 109K|2006}} }}
* {{cite book |last1=Morgan |first1=Eric B. |last2=Shacklady |first2=Edward |title=Spitfire: The History |publisher=Key Books Ltd |location=Stamford, UK |year=2000 |language=en |isbn=0-946219-48-6}}
* {{Cite book |last=Neulen |first=Hans Werner |year=2000 |title=In the Skies of Europe |location=Ramsbury, Marlborough, UK |publisher=The Crowood Press |language=en |isbn=978-1-86126-799-3}}
* {{Cite book |last=Nowarra |first=Heinz |year=1993 |title=Die Deutsche Luftrüstung 1933–1945, Band 3: Flugzeugtypen Henschel-Messerschmitt |location=Koblenz, Germany |publisher=Bernard & Graefe |language=de |isbn=978-3-7637-5467-0}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Prien |first1=Jochen |last2=Rodeike |first2=Peter |year=1995 |title=Messerschmitt Bf 109 F, G & K Series: An Illustrated Study |location=Atglen, Pennsylvania |publisher=[[Schiffer Publishing]] |language=en |isbn=978-0-88740-424-5}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Radinger |first1=Willy |last2=Otto |first2=Wolfgang |year=1999 |title=Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-K – Development, testing, production |location=Atglen, Pennsylvania |publisher=[[Schiffer Publishing]] |language=en |isbn=978-0-7643-1023-2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Ritger |first=Lynn |year=2006 |title=Messerschmitt Bf 109 Prototype to 'E' Variants |location=Bedford, UK |publisher=SAM Publications |language=en |isbn=978-0-9551858-0-9}}
* {{cite book |last1=Savic |first1=D. |last2=Ciglic |first2=B. |title=Croatian Aces of World War II (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 49) |publisher=Osprey |location=Oxford, UK |year=2002 |language=en |isbn=1-84176-435-3}}
* {{Cite book |last=Schafranek |first=Hans |year=2017 |title=Widerstand und Verrat: Gestapospitzel im antifaschistischen Untergrund |language=de |location=Vienna, Austria |publisher=Czernin Verlag |isbn=978-3-7076-0622-5}}
* {{cite book |last = Sinnhuber |first = Karl |title = Salzburg To Stalingrad |location =  UK |publisher = Milton Keynes |year = 2012 |isbn = 9781471702228}}
* {{cite news |last = Stehle |first = Hansjakob |title = Die Spione aus dem Pfarrhaus |trans-title = The spy from the rectory |language = de |work = [[Die Zeit]] |date = 5 January 1996 |url = https://www.zeit.de/1996/02/Die_Spione_aus_dem_Pfarrhaus/seite-2 |access-date = 21 November 2022}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Toliver |first1=Raymond F. |last2=Constable |first2=Trevor J. |author-link2=Trevor James Constable |year=1965 |title=Fighter Aces |location=New York, US |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers]] |language=en |oclc=500583122}}
* {{cite book |last1=Uziel |first1=Daniel |author-link = Daniel Uziel |title=Arming the Luftwaffe: The German Aviation Industry in World War II |date=2011 |publisher=McFarland |location=Jefferson, US |isbn=9780786488797 |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last1=Vajda |first1=Ferenc A. |last2=Dancey |first2=Peter |title=German Aircraft Industry and Production, 1933–1945 |date=1998 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9781853108648 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Elfmh6eJFrMC |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Valtonen |first=Hannu |year=1999 |title=Messerschmitt Bf 109 ja saksan sotatalous |trans-title=Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the German War Economy |language=fi |location=Helsinki, Finland |publisher=Keski-Suomen Ilmailumuseo (Central Finnish Aviation Museum) |isbn=978-951-95688-7-4}}
* {{cite book |last1=Wagner |first1=Ray |last2=Nowarra |first2=Heinz |title=German Combat Planes: A Comprehensive Survey and History of the Development of German Military Aircraft from 1914 to 1945 |date=1971 |publisher=Doubleday |location=New York, US |language=en |oclc=918039674}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wolf |first=Manuel |year=2009 |title=Luftkrieg über Europa 1939–1945, die Angst im Nacken |language=de |location=Stuttgart, Germany |publisher=Motorbuch-Verlag |isbn=978-3-613-03084-8}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal |last1=Andreev |first1=J. |last2=Boshniakov |first2=S. |name-list-style=amp |title=Les Messerschmitt 109 bulgares (fin) |journal=Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire |date=December 1998 |issue=69 |pages=24–30 |trans-title=Bulgarian Messerschmitt 109s |language=French |issn=1243-8650 |ref=none}}
* {{cite journal |last=Avila Cruz |first=Gonzalo |title=Bipalas, Tripalas and Knapsacks: Messerschmitt Bf 109s in Spanish Service |journal=Air Enthusiast |volume=87 |date=May–June 2000 |language=en |pages=62–71 |issn=0143-5450}}
* {{cite book |last1=Beale |first1=Nick |last2=D'Amico |first2=Ferdinando |last3=Valentini |first3=Gabriele |title=Air War Italy: Axis Air Forces from Liberation of Rome to the Surrender |publisher=Airlife |location=Shrewsbury, UK |year=1996 |language=en |isbn=1-85310-252-0}}
* {{cite book |last1=Bergström |first1=Christer |first2=Martin |last2=Pegg |title=Jagdwaffe: The War in Russia, January–October 1942 |series=Luftwaffe Colours |volume=3 |publisher=Classic Colours Publications |location=London, UK |year=2003 |language=en |isbn=1-903223-23-7}}
* {{cite book |last=Burke |first=Stephen |title=Without Wings: The Story of Hitler's Aircraft Carrier |publisher=Trafford Publishing |location=Oxford, UK |year=2007 |language=en |isbn=978-1-4251-2216-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Caldwell |first=Donald L. |title=JG 26: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe |publisher=Ballantine Books |location=New York, US |year=1991 |language=en |isbn=0-8041-1050-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Craig |first=James F. |title=The Messerschmitt Bf.109 |publisher=Arco Publishing Company |location=New York, US |year=1968 |language=en}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Grasset |first1=Philippe |title=Encore un "Gustave" tout neuf!: Le Messerschmitt Bf 109G du National Air and Space Museum des USA à Washington |journal=Le Fana de l'Aviation |date=May 1976 |issue=78 |pages=32–35 |issn=0757-4169 |language=fr |trans-title=Return of a Brand New "Gustav": The Messerschmitt Bf 109G of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Hitchcock |first=Thomas H. |title=Messerschmitt 'O-Nine' Gallery |publisher=Monogram Aviation Publications |location=Chicago, US |year=1973 |language=en |isbn=978-0-914144-00-7}}
* {{cite book |last=Holmes |first=Tony |title=Spitfire vs Bf 109: Battle of Britain |publisher=Osprey |location=Oxford, UK/New York |year=2007 |language=en |isbn=978-1-84603-190-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Hooton |first=Edward R. |title=Blitzkrieg in the West, 1939–1940 (Luftwaffe at War: 2) |publisher=Midland Publishing |location=Hersham, Surrey, UK |year=2007 |language=en |isbn=978-1-85780-272-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Jackson |first=Robert |title=Aircraft of World War II: Development, Weaponry, Specifications |publisher=Chartwell Books |location=Edison, New Jersey |year=2003 |language=en |isbn=0-7858-1696-8}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Kulikov |first1=Victor |title=Des occasions en or pour Staline, ou les avions allemands en URSS |journal=Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire |date=March 2000 |issue=84 |pages=16–23 |trans-title= Golden Opportunities for Stalin, or German Aircraft in the USSR |language=fr |issn=1243-8650 |ref=none}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Kulikov |first1=Victor |title=Des occasions en or pour Staline, ou les avions allemands en URSS |journal=Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire |date=April 2000 |issue=85 |pages=44–49 |language=fr |issn=1243-8650 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last1=Mankau |first1=Heinz |first2=Peter |last2=Petrick |title=Messerschmitt Bf 110, Me 210, Me 410 |publisher=Aviatic Verlag |location=Raumfahrt, Germany |year=2001 |language=en |isbn=3-925505-62-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Marshall |first=Francis L. |title=Messerschmitt Bf 109T "Die Jäger der Graf Zeppelin" |publisher=Marshall-Verlag |location=Gilching, Germany |year=2002 |language=de |isbn=3-00-008220-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Marshall |first=Francis L. |title=Sea Eagles: The Messerschmitt Bf 109T |publisher=Air Research Publications |location=Walton on Thames, Surrey, UK |year=1994 |language=en |isbn=1-871187-23-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Mason |first=Francis K. |title=Messerschmitt Bf 109B, C, D, E in Luftwaffe & Foreign service |publisher=Osprey Publishing Limited |location=London, UK |year=1973 |language=en |isbn=0-85045-152-3}}
* {{cite book |last=Massimello |first=Giovanni |author2=Giorgio Apostolo |title=Italian Aces of World War Two |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=Oxford/New York |year=2000 |language=en |isbn=978-1-84176-078-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Osché |first=Philippe |author2=Patrick Laureau |title=The Messerschmitt Bf 109 in Swiss Service |publisher=Lela Presse |location=Boulogne sur Mer, France |year=1996 |language=fr |isbn=2-914017-31-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Price |first=Alfred |title=Spitfire Mk. I/II Aces (Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces) |publisher=Osprey |location=London, UK |year=1996 |language=en |isbn=84-8372-207-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Punka |first=György |title="Messer" : the Messerschmitt 109 in the Royal Hungarian "Honvéd" Air Force |publisher=OMIKK |location=Budapest, Hungary |year=1995 |language=en |isbn=9789635932160}}
* {{cite book |last=Radinger |first=Willy |author2=Walter Schick |title=Messerschmitt Me 109 (Alle Varianten: vion Bf (Me) 109A bis Me 109E) |publisher=Aviatic Verlag GmbH |location=Oberhaching, Germany |year=1997 |language=de |isbn=3-925505-32-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Rimmell |first=Ray |title=ME 109: Messerschmitt Bf 109E |publisher=Linewrights Ltd. |location=Chipping Ongar, Essex, UK |year=1986 |language=en |isbn=0-946958-18-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Scutts |first=Jerry |title=Bf 109 Aces of North Africa and the Mediterranean |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=Oxford, UK |year=1994 |language=en |isbn=978-1-85532-448-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Shores |author2=B. Cull |author3=N. Malizia |title=Air War for Yugoslavia, Greece & Crete – 1940–41 |publisher=Grub Street |location=London, UK |year=1987 |language=en |isbn=0-948817-07-0}}
* {{cite magazine |last=Starr |first=Chris |title=Developing Power: Daimler-Benz and the Messerschmitt Bf 109 |magazine=Aeroplane |volume=33 |issue=5 #385 |date=May 2005 |publisher=IPC Media Ltd |location=London, UK |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last1=Stenman |first1=Kari |author2=Kalevi Keskinen |title=Finnish Aces of World War 2 (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 23) |publisher=Osprey Publishing Limited |location=London, UK |year=1998 |language=en |isbn=1-85532-783-X}}
* {{cite book |last=Taylor |first=John W.R. |title=Messerschmitt Bf 109 |publisher=G.P. Putnam's Sons |location=New York, US |year=1969 |language=en |isbn=0-425-03633-2}}
* {{cite book |last=Thompson |first=J. Steve |author2=Peter C. Smith |title=Air Combat Manoeuvres |publisher=Ian Allan Publishing |location=Hersham, Surrey, UK |year=2008 |language=en |isbn=978-1-903223-98-7}}
* {{cite book |last=U.S. Army Air Force |title=German Aircraft and Armament: Informational Intelligence, Summary No. 44–32, October 1944 (Informational Intelligence Summary) |publisher=Brassey's Inc. |location=New York, US |year=2000 |language=en |isbn=1-57488-291-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Vogt |first=Harald |title=Messerschmitt Bf 109 G/K Rüstsatze. Flugzeug Profile 21 |publisher=Flugzeug Publikations GmbH |location=Illertissen, Germany |language=de}}
* {{cite book |last=Weal |first=John |title=Bf 109 Aces of the Russian Front |publisher=Osprey |location=Oxford, UK |year=2001 |language=en |isbn=978-1-84176-084-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Weal |first=John |title=BF 109D/E Aces 1939–41 |publisher=Osprey |location=Oxford, UK |year=1996 |language=en |isbn=978-1-85532-487-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Weal |first=John |title=Bf 109F/G/K Aces of the Western Front |publisher=Osprey |location=Oxford, UK |year=2000 |language=en |isbn=978-1-85532-905-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Winchester |first=Jim |title=Messerschmitt Bf 109 |publisher=Grange Books plc |location=Kent, UK |year=2004 |language=en |isbn=1-84013-639-1}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}

* [https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196264/messerschmitt-bf-109g-10/ Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10] – [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]]
* [https://aeronauticsmagazine.com/interwar-aviation/messerschmitt-bf-109 Messerschmitt Bf 109 – Specifications, Blueprints, Drawings & Plans]

{{Bf 109 family}}
{{Messerschmitt aircraft}}
{{RLM aircraft designations}}
{{Czech trainer aircraft}}
{{Spanish fighters}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Subject bar
| portal1=Aviation
| commons=y
}}

[[Category:Messerschmitt Bf 109| ]]
[[Category:Messerschmitt aircraft|Bf 109]]
[[Category:1930s German fighter aircraft]]
[[Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft]]
[[Category:Low-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1935]]
[[Category:Aircraft with retractable conventional landing gear]]
[[Category:Mauthausen concentration camp]]
[[Category:Flossenbürg concentration camp]]
[[Category:Buchenwald concentration camp]]
[[Category:Single-engined piston aircraft]]