Messerschmitt Bf 109 (Germany)
| Length | 885cm / 348in |
| Wingspan | 992cm / 390in |
| Crew | 1 |
| Armament | Two 7.92mm machine guns in upper forward fuselage Two Oerlikon 20mm cannons in wings Optional external bomb load of 250kg / 551lb |
| Ceiling | 11,550m / 37,893ft |
| Range | 1,000km / 621m |
| Top speed | 621km/h / 386mph at 23,000ft |
The Bf 109 is easily recognisable with its bright yellow propeller hub and common dappled camouflage paintwork across the top of the fuselage. A stalwart mainstay of the German fighter force, many of the crews that flew the planes were veterans of the Spanish Civil War. The Bf designation betrays the aircraft’s manufacturing base at Bayerische Flugzeugwerke in Bavaria.
The clever design provided light wings and an extremely strong fuselage. The heavy armament, consisting of a 20mm or 30mm canon, was mounted through the actual engine block, so that it could deliver its fire directly through the nosecone of the propeller. Additional machine guns were mounted above the engine in front of the pilot.
As soon as up-rated Spitfires appeared on the scene the Bf109 was once more redesigned so that it could house huge canons in the wings as well. Of all the variants, the E4 version became the Axis mainstay fighter in the Battle of Britain.
