Messerschmitt Bf-109E-4/B Emil

From The Air Combat Wiki

Contents 1 Fighter Ace Screenshots 2 Fighter Ace Ratings 3 Fighter Ace Performance 4 Historical Statistics 5 Strengths 6 Weaknesses 7 History 8 Sources 9 See Also

Fighter Ace Screenshots

Screenshot by JG51_Nevermiss	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ
Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ

Fighter Ace Ratings

Durability: 2

Speed: 6

Maneuverability: 7

Firepower: 2

Climb Rate: 5

Ground Attack: 2

Fighter Ace Performance

Top Speeds						Climb Rates
	Sea Level	4921' 1500m	9843' 3000m	19685' 6000m	Best Speed	Best IAS	to 1000m	to 3000m	to 6000m
mph	291	313	333	338	348@ 14764'	168 mph	1:25	3:41	7:19
kph	468	504	535	544	560@ 4500m	270 kph

Historical Statistics

Service Date: January 1940

Primary Guns: 2x MG17 7.9mm machine guns with 1000 rpg in cowl

Secondary Guns: 2x MG-FF/M 20mm cannon with 60 rpg in wings

Ordnance: 1x 551 lb (250 kg) bomb or 1x 475 lb (215 kg) drop tank

Engine(s): 1x Daimler-Benz DB-601Aa in-line rated for 1,175 hp at sea level

Int Fuel Capacity: 634 lbs (287 kg)

Ext Fuel Capacity: 475 lbs (215 kg)

Maximum Speeds: 293 mph (472 kph) at sea level, 348 mph (560 kph) at 14,560 ft (4,438 m)

Ceiling: 34,450 ft (10,500 m)

Loaded Weight: 5,875 lbs (2,665 kg)

Wing Area: 176.5 sq ft (16.4 sq m)

Wing Loading: 33.3 lbs/sq ft (162.5 kg/sq m)

Strengths

Speed: The top speed of 348 mph is very good for an early war fighter.

Climb Rate: The Bf-109s all had superior climb rate over their competition up to 20,000 feet.

Weaknesses

Ammo Load: Although the firepower is greatly increased by addition of the MG-FF/M cannon, their ammo load of only 60 rpg is used up in less than 10 seconds of fire time, leaving just a pair of 7.9mm machine guns.

Durability: The 109 was a small plane and not capable of absorbing much combat damage.

History

A more heavily armed Bf 109 version, the E-3, with a pair of 20mm MG-FF cannon in wings in place of the MG-17s, began to reach front-line units in the fall of 1939. In addition to the upgraded armament, the 1,175 hp DB-601Aa was installed, boosting top speed from 334 to 348 mph.

The Bf 109 E-3 took little part in Operation Weserübung (the invasion of Denmark and Norway in April 40), but the Allies had an opportunity to evaluate the fighter when an E-3 was forced down undamaged at Amiens on 2 May 1940. Mock combats were flown between the Messerschmitt, the Hurricane and the Spitfire I at Farnborough which revealed the Bf 109s superiority over both (the Spit by then was still equipped with two-pitch airscrews, it performed better with the constant-speed propellers that were on order).

At the start of the Westoffensive, the Luftwaffe had 1 016 out of 1 346 Bf 109s assigned for the onslaught. Actual combat losses were not particularly heavy, 147 109s being lost during May (this figure including losses in Norway). June saw the loss of only 88 109s in combat. But during the French campaign several lessons were learned and the E-4 model was intended to incorporate these improvements. In addition to increasing the pilot's armor protection by about 75 lbs., the new MG-FF/M cannon, which employed a more powerful "mine" shell, were mounted in place of the older models.

The shortcomings in the range of the Bf 109 had been foreseen by the Luftwaffenführungsstab, and a jettisonable 250 l fuel tank for use by the fighter had been developed and, in fact, manufactured in some numbers prior to the offensive in the West. Produced from moulded plywood, it was found to leak badly after exposure to the elements for any length of time. Furthermore, the fighter pilots considered it to posess an incendiary proclivity, and it therefore saw no immediate service.

Another approach that reached the test stage during the summer of 1940 was the idea of bombers towing their own fighter escort which could cast off from their tugs on approaching the British coastline. Trials were performed at Augsburg with a Bf 109 E equipped with a fully-feathering airscrew and an attachment point for a towline in the hollow airscrew spinner. The Bf 109 was attached to a Bf 110, both aircraft taking off under their own power, and after cruise altitude was attained the engine of the Bf 109 was cut and the airscrew feathered. Although the tests were considered successful the scheme was not adopted.

For the Battle of Britain, a total of 893 Bf 109 fighters were available in July. The Bf 109 had to take over the close escort role from the unsuccessful Bf 110, it could no longer use its speed to advantage, and the fact that it could be out-turned by both the Spitfire and the Hurricane proved a serious disadvantage. By Oct the Luftwaffe had lost 610 Bf 109s. In that month the fighter-bomber (Jagdbomber, abbr. Jabo) variant of the Bf 109 E-4, the E-4/B, made its appearence over the British isles. About 250 aircraft had been converted to carry a 250 kg bomb. These aircraft flew at 7 500 - 10 000 m, an altitude hard to reach for the Hurricane and at which the Spitfire had inferior performance. Thus these Jabos were almost invincible, but the damage they caused was negligible.

During 1940 5 Bf 109 E-3s were delivered to the SU for evaluation in exchange for raw materials, as were 73 Bf 109s to Yugoslavia. 80 Es were exported to Switzerland, these aircraft remained in Swiss service until late 1949.

The E-4 was the first variant to be "tropicalized" for use in the Western Desert. The conversion consisted of adding a dust filter to the supercharger air intake and installing an emergency desert survival kit in the cargo space of the fuselage, which even included a carbine for personal protection.

The E-5 and E-6 models were reconnaissance versions of the E-4, but the E-7 was a fighter variant which incorporated the bomb and drop tank carrying capacity of the E-4/B into the main production run, thus giving all planes the same capability.

During operation Merita, German Bf 109s fought Yugoslavian Bf 109s over Belgrade. By mid-41 the Bf 109 E had been replaced by the F-model, but Es were still exported, 3 E-4s to Japan in 41, and in 1942 69 E-4s to Rumania, 19 to Bulgaria, 14 E-7s to Slovakia, about the same number to Croatia and some to the Spanish contingent in Russia, the Escuadron Azul.

Sources

Beaman Jr., John R. and Campbell, Jerry L.; Messerschmitt Bf 109 In Action, Part One; Squadron/Signal Publications, Carrollton, TX; 1980.

Green, William; Warplanes of the Third Reich; Doubleday and Company, Garden City, NY; 1970.

See Also

Fighter Ace Planes Inventory

Messerschmitt A.G.

Aircraft Manufacturers During World War II