3
MESSERSCHMITT BF 109 E-3
SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE F.MK.VC
Amazingly, the FHC’s rare Bf 109 E-3 was brought back from the dead. After it was lost during the Battle of Britain, it was painstakingly rebuilt for years by expert restorers.
Before World War II, the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Vickers Supermarine
Spitfire were two of the world’s fastest, most capable fighter aircraft. Both were products of the first wave of monoplane fighter development in the mid-1930s and both were
exceptional designs. Undoubtedly most famous for their clashes during the Battle of
Britain, the two rivals remained in a seesaw battle for superiority during much of the war.
The pair had much in common while being quite different. The Spitfire and Bf 109
were both the result of great leaps in aero engine technology coupled with corresponding improvements in airframe design, which allowed fighters’ structure to handle this massive jump in horsepower. The introduction of these aircraft, along with the Hawker Hurricane, made it clear that the days of the biplane fighter were definitively over. Tight turning and intricate maneuvers were no longer the things that won air battles. Now, it was blistering speed combined with brutal firepower.
The two planes were built as compact, spry interceptors. As much as a frontline
warplane can be called a defensive weapon, these fighters fit the bill. They did not carry much fuel or have roomy cockpits for long escort flights. They were meant to hotrod into the skies at a moment’s notice to meet an oncoming threat. As the war progressed and
roles changed, designers in both Germany and Great Britain worked to keep these fighters
effective by rolling out different and improved versions of these trusty machines.
A keen observer will notice one extra addition to the FHC’s Bf 109—the cable near the tail wheel holds the controls for a tail wheel lock. In order to safely operate this ultra-rare fighter, pilots lock the tail wheel into position on takeoff and landing.
Let’s first look at the development of the German fighter. Amazingly, the famous Bf
109 was the first combat aircraft from Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (Bavarian Aircraft Company and hence the Bf moniker). Willy Messerschmitt was at odds with some of
Germany’s top military brass, so the 109 had to prove itself time and again in order to make it to the production stage.
Interestingly, the promised and powerful German aero engines were not available when
the airframe was ready in 1935, so the first Bf 109 flew with an English-built Rolls-Royce Kestrel V-12. However, most production versions flew with Daimler-Benz 601 and 605
inverted V-12 supercharged engines.
The construction of this fighter was quite different from the contemporary Hawker
Hurricane, in that the plane had very little fabric or wood incorporated into the fuselage or wings. The Bf 109 was an all-metal aircraft with monocoque construction. Instead of a
steel or wooden frame at its core, the 109 had light metal structural members held in place by the outer shell of its stressed skin.
The aircraft was a cantilever, low-wing monoplane with retractable landing gear and an enclosed canopy. The one vestige of earlier times and construction styles was the
supporting strut under each horizontal tail plane on early versions of the plane up through the E-model.
The Bf 109’s wings were small, which meant the aircraft had high wing loading. Wing
loading is a function of weight divided by wing area, and this was a trait that gave many veteran German pilots, being ex-biplane flyers, pause. Messerschmitt ignored the German Air Ministry’s recommendations on wing loading and went small. Consequently, the Bf
109 performed best at high speeds and high altitudes.
A wartime era drawing shows the Allies’ impression of the inner workings of their deadliest foe. This drawing helped American and British pilots identify the infamous Bf 109 in the air.
One attribute that helped the Bf 109 at the other end of the performance spectrum was
its leading edge slats. At high angles of attack and/or slow maneuvering speeds, the slats deployed automatically, which changed the flow of air over the top of the wing and
delayed a stall. This was cutting edge technology for fighters in the mid-1930s.
By the late 1930s, the Bf 109 was really the only significant fighter in the Luftwaffe.
Not only was it a stellar performer in the air, the plane could be built fairly simply and inexpensively by semi-skilled labor. The Messerschmitt Bf 109 remains the most-produced fighter aircraft of all time, with over 34,800 built.
The Spanish Civil war gave the Luftwaffe the first chance to test the Bf 109 in combat.
The German Condor Legion supported the Nationalist faction in Spain and it was here that the Bf 109 first encountered the Soviet-built I-16 “Rata” flown by Republican forces.
Even back then, it was hardly a fair fight. The Messerschmitt fighter simply outclassed the I-16.
The war in Spain allowed designers to perfect the finer points of the Bf 109 fighter. The conflict also allowed a core group of German flyers to gain valuable combat experience.
This “practice” was needed because the 109 was never an easy plane to master and fly
effectively. One outstanding danger came from the plane’s narrow-track main landing
gear. A significant percentage of the Bf 109s lost in wartime came from failed landings and takeoffs, not from bullets or bombs. The 109’s torque-prone engine and slippery tail wheel gave novice flyers fits and a moment’s inattention could be fatal.
Still, in the air, the 109 was nearly unbeatable in the hands of a skilled pilot. In Spain, then Poland, then France, Luftwaffe flyers steamrolled any aircraft they encountered. It would be the same over Russia later in the war. In fact, the only aircraft that was a match for the 109 early in the war was Great Britain’s Supermarine Spitfire.
The FHC’s Bf 109 actually tangled with Spitfires during the Battle of Britain and lost.
The plane was built, as one of a block of 484 aircraft, at Erla Maschinenwerk GmbH. near Leipzig, Germany between August 1939 and May 1940.
After construction, it was released to the Luftwaffe. Very few records have been
discovered on this aircraft and it is quite possible that the plane was assigned to numerous flying groups before its loss.
The Messerschmitt 109’s narrow landing gear stance made it very tricky to control on takeoff and landing. Some reports state that over one third of Bf 109 losses in combat theaters came from accidents, not enemy action.
The emblem of JG 54 during the Battle of Britain was a cartoon crow, mocking British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. The slogan translates, “God punish England.”
By the summer of 1940, the 109 had been allocated to Staffel (“squadron”) 6 in Jagdgeschwader (“fighter wing”) 51. The plane was assigned to Eduard Hemmerling, a twenty-seven-year-old pilot who had transferred to JG 51 from Ergänzungs-JagdgruppeMerseburg in October 1939.
Hemmerling was a veteran flyer by July 1940. He was older than most in his unit and
had flown with JG 51 through the French campaign. His first victory came on July 7,
1940, while escorting Do 17 bombers near Dover: he was credited with shooting down a
Spitfire. Just two days later, Hemmerling attacked and destroyed a 40 Squadron Bristol Blenheim light bomber near Cap Gris Nez on the northern coast of France.
This overhead shot shows the Bf 109’s two wing-mounted 20mm MG FF cannon and its pair of nose-mounted 7.9mm MG 17
machine guns synchronized to fire through its spinning propeller.
FUEL AND FIRES
The Supermarine Spitfire and the Bf 109 both had fuel tanks directly in front of the
cockpit. This positioning was great for weight and balance issues but not so good in
combat. Fire from a shot-up fighter streamed directly back onto a pilot as he tried to jump out of his stricken craft. Many pilots escaped from flaming fighters with
severely burned faces and hands, a condition RAF doctors called “Airman’s Burn.”
Men like Dr. Archibald McIndoe worked for years to perfect reconstructive surgery
techniques to help these flyers get on with their lives after their brush with death.
The BF 109’s exhaust stacks and valve covers are at the bottom, while the crankshaft is located at the top of the engine block. Though an inverted V engine seems odd to many, the arrangement had certain advantages—it kept the engine’s center of gravity low and allowed for better visibility over the nose of the fighter.
In the early hours of July 29, 1940, a group of about 130 German aircraft headed across the English Channel to attack a convoy of ships near Dover. Around forty-eight Stuka dive-bombers were escorted by a large complement of Bf 109s from various fighter units.
Spitfires from 41 and 64 Squadrons, as well as Hurricanes from 501 and 56 Squadrons,
were scrambled to meet the oncoming attackers.
In the fight, Hemmerling, in the FHC’s aircraft, was observed to shoot down a British
fighter, most likely a Spitfire. The number of aircraft lost in this engagement varies widely by source, though both sides sustained many losses—aircraft damaged, bailouts, and crash landings. Many believe Hemmerling was attacked by Flight Leader “Johnny” Webster of
41 Squadron in a Spitfire.
Two US fighter pilots inspect a late model Messerschmitt shot down in combat. The circular shape near the bottom of the image is the plane’s vertically-mounted supercharger.
The FHC’s Bf 109 E-3 is powered by a Daimler-Benz DB 601 Aa engine, generating 1,150 horsepower. The diminutive fighter could reach speeds of 357 mph at 12,300 feet.
The Bf 109’s cramped cockpit was topped by faceted, flat-paned Perspex (clear plastic). The flat surfaces were much easier to produce quickly and limited distortion was seen in curved canopies.
This grainy image was taken from a frame of a film shot during Germany’s aerial attacks on Britain. The emblem on the nose is the “horrible Tatzelwurm,”—a mythical creature from the Alps.
It changes the shape of the wing and allows the Messerschmitt to handle better at the bottom end of its performance envelope.
Presumably, Hemmerling’s damaged aircraft staggered away from the fight and back
toward France. What happened to Hemmerling remains a mystery. His aircraft was found
many years later, though there is no record of his rescue or burial. One of the most likely scenarios is that Hemmerling’s plane came down in the English Channel, quite near the
French coast, and the young pilot, perhaps wounded, may have died of hypothermia in the water. He may have been knocked out, or been injured in his attempt to ditch the damaged fighter.
The loss of Hemmerling was the end of the story for more than forty-five years.
However, in 1988, a Frenchman discovered something in the sand while walking along the beach near Cap Blanc Nez, not far from Calais, France. It was after a strong storm, and as sometimes happens, the contours of the beach had shifted, revealing something that had been buried there for years.
What started out as a wingtip jutting from the sand, soon became most of a relatively
intact German fighter plane. The plane has been described by some as whole except for a
“burnt out engine,” and by others, including one of the first owners, a European warbird enthusiast and wreck-chaser named Christiaan Vanhee, as only partially complete with
both wings, main landing gear, and sections of the fuselage.
The airframe was briefly displayed in France before being transported to the United
Kingdom for eventual restoration. By this time, the owner of the aircraft was New
Zealander Sir Tim Wallis but the restoration of the Bf 109 was to be performed by Craig Charleston of Charleston Aviation Services based in Essex, England. It was only then that the plane’s history came to light. Restorers discovered the Werke Nummer, 1342, stamped
into a part on the undercarriage assembly, leading to revelations about JG 51 and
Hemmerling.
Charleston’s work is reputed to be some of the best—with painstaking attention to
detail and the use of period hardware and equipment. Because the aircraft was going to be made flyable, the work is often called, in the press, “restoration and remanufacture.”
The FHC acquired the Bf 109 as part of a four-aircraft deal with the Alpine Deer Group of New Zealand in August 1998. The aircraft was mated with the restored Daimler-Benz
DB 601 Aa engine overhauled by Mike Nixon of Vintage V-12s Inc. of Tehachapi,
California, in the last part of 2004. In January of 2005, the aircraft underwent taxi and engine tests at Wattisham, Suffolk.
The FHC’s Supermarine Spitfire is a fan favorite on Battle of Britain Day at the FHC. Several pilots who flew Spitfires in combat have brought their families to Everett to watch “their” aircraft zoom through the skies.
The plane was subsequently shipped to the United States and was stored at Arlington,
Washington, along with other aircraft in the collection. Leading up to the move of aircraft to the new Everett facility, the Bf 109 was brought back to flying condition and flown for the first time since July 29, 1940. With Craig Charleston on hand to assist in the maiden flight, warbird pilot Steve Hinton took the plane to the skies on March 22, 2008.
Today, the reborn fighter participates in the FHC’s free Fly Days including, of course, Battle of Britain Day. Often, the Bf 109’s main rival and nemesis flies in those
performances, too.
The Supermarine Spitfire first flew slightly less than a year after the Bf 109.
Aesthetically, the fighters are complete opposites. While the Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a somber mix of angles and flat planes, the Spitfire is an eye-popping spectacle of curves
and sleek lines. Flyers say that “if a plane looks good, it flies good.” The Spitfire was like a movie star—not only dazzling, but instantly famous too.
The Spitfire fighter was born from the Supermarine racing floatplanes of the 1920s. At the last Schneider Trophy event in 1931, the Supermarine S.6B—a six-ton floatplane—
topped 340 mph. While the design of the Spitfire’s airframe was a completely new
creation, many of the lessons learned from the sleek, high-horsepower racers went into the soul of the new fighter plane.
Supermarine Aviation Works’ chief designer R. J. Mitchell was integral to the birth of the Spitfire. Mitchell created the S.6B racer and the Type 300, the plane that would
become the Spitfire. In the racing world, aerodynamics and efficiency were the keys to speed (along with, perhaps, a generous helping of horsepower). Mitchell refined the
curves of his fighter over and over again, smoothing corners and perfecting lines.
Another racing trick: steal any advantage you can get, from any source. The Spitfire
received a fraction of its energy from the shape and angle of its supercharged Merlin V-12
engine exhaust stacks and an additional push from hot gases escaping from a cleverly-
designed radiator scoop. Some say harnessing this parasitic power was worth seventy
horsepower at 300 mph.
The FHC’s Spitfire VC is a combat veteran, damaged during a fighter mission with the RAF’s No. 312 Squadron over the English Channel.
Many Americans flew Spitfires as well. Joseph Kelly flew “Little Joe” as a member of the RAF’s “Eagle Squadron”—flyers from the United States fighting for Great Britain.
The Spitfire’s semi-elliptical wings accomplished two things at once. They had the
characteristics and aerodynamic performance of a long span wing with many of the
structural attributes normally seen in a short, stubby wing. The Spitfire had lower wing loading than the Bf 109 and excelled at lower speeds and lower altitudes than the
Messerschmitt. Compared to the Hurricane, the Spitfire’s wings were quite thin—just big enough to hold guns and landing gear fully enclosed in its airfoil shape.
Though the Spitfire was a great performer in the air, producing it in the factory was a nightmare. Many of the first Spitfires were almost hand-built pieces of art. The curvy body and semi-elliptical wings, along with semi-monocoque stressed skin construction
made each plane much harder to build than a “homely Hurricane.” The Spitfire would
become the most-produced British fighter of all time in more than forty different versions, but at the dawn of the Battle of Britain, there were many more Hurricanes on hand than Spitfires.
When the Bf 109 and Spitfire met in the skies over southern England, the pair was
often quite evenly matched. Bf 109s carried 20mm cannons. At the time, Spitfires flew
with only .303-caliber guns. In the swirling chaos of a dogfight, a fraction of a second in someone’s sights, that single hit, could be the deciding factor. The heavier projectile did more damage when it struck home.
The Daimler-Benz engine of the Messerschmitt had fuel injection; the Spitfire’s Merlin had a carburetor. It allowed Bf 109s to complete inverted and negative-g maneuvers that made the Spitfire’s engine cut out.
The Bf 109 pilots usually had more combat experience than RAF flyers, however the
nature and location of the fight often favored the RAF pilots. Naturally, dogfights
degenerated into lower altitude, lower speed engagements—giving the advantage to a
Spitfire pilot. And, Messerschmitt flyers had less time to fight before their fuel ran out and they had to return to France.
The FHC’s Spitfire is a product of improvements made on Battle of Britain-era aircraft.
AR614 was one of 2,158 built at the Westland Aircraft Ltd. factory in Yeovil, Somerset.
The Mk.V variant, with over 6,500 built, became the most-produced version of the
Spitfire. The Mk.V had more powerful cannon, a better engine, and a new carburetor
design to prevent engine cutout during negative-G maneuvers. The FHC Mk.VC was built
with the Merlin 46 engine, a high altitude version of the Merlin 45.
AR614 was delivered from the factory to No. 39 Maintenance Unit (MU) at Colerne on
August 24, 1942. From there, in September, the aircraft went to No. 312 Squadron at
Harrowbeer, Devon, which was made up of Czechoslovakian pilots who had made their
way to England to continue the fight against Germany.
On November 7, 1942, after barely two months in combat service, AR614 was
involved in a Category Ac accident when the port tire burst approximately one third of the way down the runway at Churchstanton. This damage was repairable onsite by another
unit and the aircraft was reported back in service the day after.
The Spitfire’s windscreen was made from bulletproof glass while the side panels were Perspex. Above is the Spitfire’s rear view mirror—critical for spotting an attacker moving up from behind the plane.
At sunset, the FHC’s Spitfire stands with its cowls off during an annual inspection. The aircraft in the collection undergo a strict inspection and maintenance regimen to keep them in top flying shape.
The FHC’s Spitfire carries a trio of unsightly scoops on its underside. In the center is the carburetor air inlet. The big box under the starboard wing holds the radiator. The long cylindrical scoop under the port wing houses the plane’s oil cooler.
The Spitfire was small and compact—a trait liked by most pilots who flew it. The plane’s disadvantage came from its diminutive size as well: The plane could carry only so much fuel, giving it a limited range.
Part of the Spitfire’s aesthetic appeal comes from its elliptical wings, which taper dramatically near the wingtips. Not only does it look spectacular, the wing shape minimizes induced drag, making the fighter more efficient.
Yugoslavian partisans help keep RAF Spitfires up and running in Italy during combat operations. The planes in the photo are equipped with elongated chins that contain tropical filters to keep sand and dust out of the engine.
The Spitfire’s Rolls-Royce Merlin engine was the heart of the speedy fighter. The FHC exhibits an example of the 1,500
horsepower Merlin next to the collection’s Spitfire, Hurricane, or P-51 Mustang. This version of the engine came from a de Havilland Mosquito fighter.
The Spitfire’s designer, R. J. Mitchell, wanted his plane to be named the Supermarine Shrew. When the company picked Spitfire—an old English term for someone with a strong or fiery character—Mitchell stated that he thought the moniker was
“bloody silly.”
The final mission for AR614 came on May 14, 1943, when Thomas Vybiral led the
squadron together with No. 313 Squadron in an attack on St. Peter Port harbor, Guernsey (one of the Channel Islands near the coast of Lower Normandy, France). The operation,
called “Roadstead 2,” found twelve German E-boats and other small warships and
merchantmen in harbor, but was met by intense flak. AR614, Vybiral’s aircraft, was hit just behind the cockpit where the radio and IFF unit were knocked out. Vybiral was,
however, able to lead the squadron back to base.
Afterward, AR614 participated in the “Wings for Victory” fund-raising efforts in
Taunton in May 1943 before being taken for repair at an Air Service Training unit in June.
In the meantime, the damage had been recoded from Category Ac to Category B (beyond
repair on-site). The aircraft was sent to No. 6 Maintenance Unit at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire in September 1943.
AR614 was then passed to No. 610 (County of Chester) Squadron, No. 130 (Punjab)
Squadron, then No. 222 (Natal) Squadron at Catterick, Yorkshire. There, the plane
suffered another Category Ac accident during flying operations on February 21, 1944, and was repaired onsite by March.
The plane returned to No. 222 Squadron, but was transferred to No. 3501 (SU)
Servicing Unit in May, and then became a pilot trainer with No. 53 (OTU) Operational
Training Unit at Caistor, Lincolnshire.
Barely two weeks later, AR614 suffered another Category Ac accident. It was returned
to No. 53 OTU on October 13, 1944. The plane’s flying career came to an end in June
1945 when it was transferred to No. 33 MU at Lyneham, Wiltshire. At this point, No. 33
MU was acting as an Aircraft Storage Unit and “by late 1946 the MU held nearly 750
aircraft … so a lot of the aircraft were stored tipped up onto their noses in the hangars.”
In July 1945, AR614 was transferred to St. Athan, Glamorgan, Wales, and was
probably used by No. 4 School of Technical Training as an instructional aircraft. During the 1950s and early 1960s, the Spitfire served as a display aircraft or gate guard at RAF
Padgate, RAF West Kirby, RAF Hednesford, and RAF Bridgnorth.
In 1963, the plane was moved to RAF Dishforth as scrap and then sold to the Air
Museum in Calgary, Canada, in 1964. The plane remained in storage until the museum
sold it to Donald Campbell in 1970. A report from the time quoted Campbell (Lt. P. D.
Campbell, Chief Instructor of No. 647 Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets) as
saying, “This may sound a little foolish, but when we heard of a ‘Spitfire Mark V’ that was up for grabs last fall we obtained it as well.” He stored the aircraft in Kapuskasing, Ontario, until beginning restoration in late 1985.
Campbell registered the fighter in Canada as C-FDUY in 1986. The “DUY” refers to
the No. 312 squadron/aircraft code letters. Campbell must have believed these to be
accurate at the time the plane was registered, but he subsequently learned from the Free Czechoslovak Air Force Association that AR614 carried the code letters DU-Z.
The Old Flying Machine Company purchased the aircraft in October 1992 and moved
it to Duxford for further restoration. The plane was sold to the Alpine Fighter Collection in New Zealand in May 1994. Sir Tim Wallis of Alpine Fighter Collection commissioned
Historic Flying of Audley End to rebuild the aircraft, and it first flew in October 1996.
The FHC acquired the Spitfire from Alpine Deer Group in August of 1998. The
collection commissioned Hawker Restorations, Ltd., to complete the restoration work.
Once in the United States, the rebuilt Spitfire was registered as N614VC.
After the Battle of Britain, both the Bf 109 and Spitfire designs continued to be improved as the war continued. More range, more speed, and varied weaponry kept the aircraft
potent as the seesaw battle for the preeminent fighter raged on. Messerschmitt almost
completely reinvented their aircraft with the arrival of the Bf 109 F—often judged to be the best version of the 109. The last operational version of the Bf 109 was a K-4. Soon after, the Third Reich was defeated and all combat aircraft production came to an end in Germany.
Marks of Spitfires continued to come off assembly lines throughout World War II and
beyond—V, then IX, up to Rolls-Royce Griffon-powered Spitfire Mk.24 and additional,
more advanced naval versions of the fighter. The Spitfire outlasted the Messerschmitt, in the air and in the factories as well. The last Spitfire fighter was built in 1948 (the last
Seafire, in 1949). Flying alongside jet fighters, the last of the Spitfires were retired from RAF service in 1954.
Battle-worn Spitfires undergo heavy maintenance at a facility in England. When phased from service, many outdated fighters, including the FHC’s aircraft, became training tools.
A rocker switch mounted on the control stick fired the Spitfire’s guns. Pilots came up with a simple solution to memorize the tricky switch: BBC, which stood for Brownings, Both, Cannon. If a flyer hit the top of the switch, he would get machine guns only (Brownings), press the middle and all guns fired, and the bottom part of the switch activated the cannons alone.