Crew: 1
Max Speed: 406 mph
Service Ceiling: 42,000 ft
Range: 528 miles
Wingspan: 32 ft, 6 in
Length: 29 ft
Height: 8ft, 2 in
Engine: Daimler-Benz DB 605A-1 12 cylinder V liquid-cooled
Horsepower: 1,475
Armaments: 2 machine guns, 1 x 20 mm cannon
- German plane which was conceived in 1934 in order to replace the aging Heinkel He. 51 and the Arado Ar. 68 planes.
- Widely considered the best fighter plane in the world from when the time of its conception until around 1940.
- The Bf 109 series was built to serve as the primary adversary of the British Royal Air Force during WWII and to compete with the new Supermarine Spitfire. However, in the 1940 Battle of Britain, their counterpart Spitfires outperformed the Bf 109s and thus defeated Germany in its goals to defeat Britain and conquer Europe.
- The Bf 109G (nicknamed "Gustav") was widely considered by both pilots and students as the most prolific Bf 109 plane.
- Around 35,000 Bf 109s were built from 1935 until the end of WWII.
Angelucci, Enzo. The Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft: 1914-1980. 1983: The Military Press.
"Bf 109." World War 2 Planes: The Advent of Modern Aviation. http://www.world-war-2-planes.com/bf_109.html. (August 2012).
"Messerschmitt Bf 109." The Aviation History Online Museum. http://www.aviation-history.com/messerschmitt/bf109.html. (Accessed August 2012).
"Messerschmitt Bf 109 Multi-Role Fighter." Military Factory-Military Aircraft. http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=83. (Accessed August 2012).
