Messerschmitt Bf 109, Things You Might Not Know About The WW2 Nazi Aircraft | Eric 'Winkle' Brown

Things you might now know about the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Includes a rare interview with legendary British test pilot Eric "Winkle" Brown, followed by a documentary about his amazing life, and a short documentary about the Messerschmitt Me 262 and other aircraft, such as the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet.

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War and was still in service at the end of World War II in 1945. It was one of the most advanced fighters when it first appeared, with an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. It was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine. It was called the Me 109 by Allied aircrew and some German aces, even though this was not the official German designation.

It was designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser who worked at Bayerische Flugzeugwerke during the early to mid-1930s. It was conceived as an interceptor, although later models were developed to fulfill multiple tasks, serving as bomber escort, fighter-bomber, day-, night-, all-weather fighter, ground-attack aircraft, and reconnaissance aircraft. It was supplied to several states during World War II and served with several countries for many years after the war. The Bf 109 is the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 34,248 airframes produced from 1936 to April 1945. Some of the Bf 109 production took place in Nazi concentration camps through slave labor.

The Bf 109 was flown by the three top-scoring fighter aces of all time, who claimed 928 victories among them while flying with Jagdgeschwader 52, mainly on the Eastern Front. The highest-scoring, Erich Hartmann, was credited with 352 victories. The aircraft was also flown by Hans-Joachim Marseille, the highest-scoring ace in the North African Campaign who shot down 158 enemy aircraft (in about a third of the time). It was also flown by many aces from other countries fighting with Germany, notably the Finn Ilmari Juutilainen, the highest-scoring non-German ace. Pilots from Italy, Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Hungary also flew the Bf 109. Through constant development, the Bf 109 remained competitive with the latest Allied fighter aircraft until the end of the war.

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 8.95 m (29 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 9.925 m (32 ft 7 in)
Height: 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in)
Wing area: 16.05 m2 (172.8 sq ft)
Airfoil: NACA 2R1 14.2; tip: NACA 2R1 11.35[86]
Empty weight: 2,247 kg (4,954 lb)
Gross weight: 3,148 kg (6,940 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 3,400 kg (7,496 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Daimler-Benz DB 605A-1 V-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engine 1,475 PS (1,455 hp; 1,085 kW)
Propellers: 3-bladed VDM 9-12087, 3 m (9 ft 10 in) diameter light-alloy constant-speed propeller
Performance

Maximum speed: 520 km/h (320 mph, 280 kn) at sea level
588 km/h (365 mph; 317 kn) at 4,000 m (13,123 ft)
642 km/h (399 mph; 347 kn) at 6,300 m (20,669 ft)
622 km/h (386 mph; 336 kn) at 8,000 m (26,247 ft)
Cruise speed: 590 km/h (370 mph, 320 kn) at 6,000 m (19,685 ft)
Range: 880–1,144 km (547–711 mi, 475–618 nmi)
Combat range: 440–572 km (273–355 mi, 238–309 nmi) 440-572 km to the front and back home
Ferry range: 1,144–1,994 km (711–1,239 mi, 618–1,077 nmi) 1144 without and 1994 with droptank
Service ceiling: 12,000 m (39,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 20.1 m/s (3,960 ft/min)
Wing loading: 196 kg/m2 (40 lb/sq ft)
Power/mass: 0.344 kW/kg (0.209 hp/lb)
Armament
Guns:
2 × 13 mm (.51 in) synchronized MG 131 machine guns with 300 rpg
1 × 20 mm (.78 in) MG 151/20 cannon as centerline Motorkanone with 200 rpg or
1 x 30 mm (1.18 in) MK 108 cannon as centerline Motorkanone with 65 rpg (G-6/U4 variant)
2 × 20 mm MG 151/20 underwing cannon pods with 135 rpg (optional kit—Rüstsatz VI)
Rockets: 2 × 21 cm (8 in) Wfr. Gr. 21 rockets (G-6 with BR21)
Bombs: 1 × 250 kg (551 lb) bomb or 4 × 50 kg (110 lb) bombs or 1 × 300-litre (79 US gal) drop tank
Avionics
FuG 16Z radio

00:00:00 Messerschmitt Bf 109
00:10:05 Eric Winkle Brown. Documentary
01:28:32 Messerschmitt Me 262
01:42:05 Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet Testing
01:52:03 Watch More Aircraft Videos

#airplane #messerschmitt #bf109

[sameagle]

Anything with Eric Brown gets a thumbs up.

[PalaceofPlacentia]

what an amazing man, you could listen to him for hours upon hours. sadly he passed away on 21st February 2016 - may he rest in peace. thanks to this channel his stories and his memories live on

[mustangfan]

Without any doubt, this is the most captivating video I've watched on YT, . Eric Brown was an incredible man, also without malice.

[dsslimone]

An absolutely class act. One person when he talks you are captivated to listen.

[gerhardgotzmann]

What an incredible life Eric Brown had...very impressed by his fair assessment of German aircraft and people he met - did not know he flew with Udet!

[alexandrepiffard]

This gentleman, veteran combat and test pilot, has such a charisma of whom could lead through dire times and challenges. He has witnessed so many events and situations in aviation. Thrilling and captivating… many thanks Sir !

[darrendavies]

He still hold the world record of flying most air crafts 👍 the man was a legend. He be very missed.

[normansindana]

Eric Brown was an interesting engaging leader from listening to him. Passionate and focussed throughout 🎉🎉🎉

[xchrisxx]

I love coming back to his stories every few years. It's like listening for the first time.

[NWSquatch]

Dude is a HERO!!! Fought in a world War, flew everything that had wings and made historic decisions thank God for Eric Brown!!!!

[LeopardIL]

R.I.P. Eric, what a Gentleman and technical pilot.

[marksellers]

The man is a national treasure. It's incredible that a single fellow achieved and experience so much.

[markcook]

Mr Eric Brown is the most intelligent human i ever heard taking about Ww2 aircraft I’m learning more.

[migram]

Superb gentleman Mr Brown is!! Amazing documentary! Really captured the brilliance and sharpness of his mind. Well done!

[togsikmale]

I love his modesty and understatement as well as his self-deprecating wit.

[jjcastleberry]

What an AMAZING man Captain Brown was!!!! Salute!!!

[peterparsons]

The more I learn about this guy, the more amazing he is to me.
What a man !

[flyfishfun]

They should make a movie about his life, what a hero, amazing man and life story

[Vtwin]

Amazing interview with Eric Brown. It's unreal how they went from friends with a common interest to flying against and killing one another. What a sad time in European history

[davidpalmer]

Begins as an introduction to the Me 109 then suddenly flicks into an interview with one of the greatest pilots of all. It's a priceless interview with a man who led a remarkable life. Inspiring if you love flying and with a lot of clues about how to be a good pilot.