Messerschmitt Bf-109G-6/R2 Gustav

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

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: 7

Maneuverability: 6

Firepower: 4

Climb Rate: 7

Ground Attack: 3

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	336	356	370	393	393@ 19685'	180 mph	1:06	2:58	5:59
mph WEP	350	370	382	405	405@ 19685'
kph	540	573	596	632	632@ 6000m	290 kph
kph WEP	563	595	615	651	651@ 6000m

Historical Statistics

Service Date: July 1943

Primary Guns: 2x MG131 13mm machine guns with 300 rpg in cowl

Secondary Guns: 1x MG151/20 20mm cannon with 150 rpg in hub

Ordnance: 1x 551 lb (250 kg) bomb or 1x 475 lb (215 kg) drop tank under fuselage, or 2x 245 lb (111 kg) WGr.21 rockets under wings

Engine(s): 1x Daimler-Benz DB-605A in-line rated for 1,475 hp at sea level (1,800 hp with WEP)

Int Fuel Capacity: 634 lbs (287 kg)

Ext Fuel Capacity: 475 lbs (215 kg)

Maximum Speeds: 349 mph (562 kph) at sea level, 404 mph (650 kph) at 19,685 ft (6,000 m)

Ceiling: 37,890 ft (11,550 m)

Loaded Weight: 6,940 lbs (3,148 kg)

Wing Area: 174.4 sq ft (16.2 sq m)

Wing Loading: 39.8 lbs/sq ft (194.3 kg/sq m)

Strengths

Climb Rate: Though top speed suffered somewhat, the climb rate was slightly improved over that of the Franz.

Weaknesses

Firepower: Even with the addition of 13mm machine guns in place of the 7.92mm models, the firepower is still below that of the standard fighter of the day.

Maneuvering: Although it could still roll well, the ever-increasing weight of the 109 had by now eliminated much of its horizontal maneuvering ability.

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

History

To get better performance out of their basic engine design, Daimler-Benz created the DB-605A engine by maximizing the bore size of the DB-601 without changing the bore-center locations. This resulted in a normal take-off output of 1,475 hp. However, the compression ratio was also increased, which necessitated the return to 96 octane fuel. Because of the larger size and heavier weight of the 605 engine, the Gustav series was produced with heavier engine supports and a redesigned cowling. While the armament remained the same as that of the Franz, the Gustav series was outfitted to use the GM-1 nitrous injection system as standard equipment.

The G-1 utilized a pressurized cabin while the simultaneously produced G-2 deleted the pressurization equipment to save weight. Delivered to front-line units at about the same time as the G-1 and G-2, the G-3 and G-4 differed mainly in the installation of an upgraded radio and larger wheels, necessitating bulges in the upper surface of the wing to accommodate them.

Experience with the 20mm MG-151 cannon in North Africa revealed that it could overheat and jam, leaving the pilot with only a pair of 7.9mm guns, which was hardly adequate for anything except strafing soft targets. The G-1/Trop was intended to rectify this problem by replacing the rifle caliber machine guns with larger 13mm models. This required the addition of bulges in the cowling to cover the larger breeches and pilots promptly dubbed it Beule (Bump).

The G-5 incorporated the larger guns into a pressurized G-3 with some examples utilizing the DB-605AS engine, which used the larger supercharger from the DB-603. The pressurization however was found to be fairly useless and the G-6 abandoned the feature to save weight.

The GM-1 nitrous system could be replaced with the far more useful MW50 methanol system, which boosted takeoff power from 1,475 to 1,800 hp. MW50 could be used for 10 minutes at a time, but required 5 minutes between uses. However, this increased fuel consumption by almost 40%, severely reducing range.

The G-6 was the first version intended from the outset to employ a variety of Rüstätz field conversion kits. The /R2 kit installed a pair of Wfr.Gr.21 rocket tubes under the wing for busting up American bomber formations.

The G-model was first encountered by the RAF in May 1942. According to allied ace Pierre Closterman ‘usually the Spitfire V could not catch the Me 109 G, but if the German pilot thought that the Spitfire was gaining he would use GM 1 and leave his opponent standing.’

By the late summer of 1942, of the approximately 900 Bf 109 fighters on strength, 2/3 were G-series aircraft. In 43 and 44, the G began to appear in service with Germany’s allies, namely the Finns (in service until 1954), Hungary, Rumania (who used them against the Germans in the late summer of 44), Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Slovakia, in addition some were delivered to Spain and Switzerland. In Aug 43 the first Wilde Sau (Wild Sow, unfettered night pursuit) evaluation unit was equipped with Bf 109 G-6s. When, on 1 Jan 1945, the Luftwaffe undertook its last offensive action of WW2, Operation Bodenplatte, 12 groups were equipped with Gs and 5 groups with Ks. On 7 April 45 110 out of 120 Bf 109 Gs were destroyed during a suicide ramming attack against US bombers over the Steinhuder Meer.

After the defeat of Germany the Czech Avia concern continued building two types as the C-10 (Bf 109G-14) and the C-110 (G-12). The Czech Air Force flew them as S.99 and CS.99 respectively. These were bought by a number of airforces, including Israel, Spain and some Latin American countries.

The HA-1112 'Buchon' was a Spanish-built version of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 G. With no German engines available after 1945, early postwar versions were powered by the Hispano-Suiza engines. Later versions used the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Alltogether there were nine different Spanish variants using either of the two engines. Production ceased in the spring of 1961.

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