Messerspit - The Frankenstein Fighter

Thanks to Curiosity Stream for sponsoring today’s video. Go to curiositystream.thld.co/markf... and use code MARKFELTON to save 25% off today, that’s only $14.99 a year.
What happens when you mate a captured Spitfire with a Messerschmitt 109? You get a "Messerspit", a WW2 Frankenstein fighter.
Dr. Mark Felton is a well-known British historian, the author of 22 non-fiction books, including bestsellers 'Zero Night' and 'Castle of the Eagles', both currently being developed into movies in Hollywood. In addition to writing, Mark also appears regularly in television documentaries around the world, including on The History Channel, Netflix, National Geographic, Quest, American Heroes Channel and RMC Decouverte. His books have formed the background to several TV and radio documentaries. More information about Mark can be found at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Fe...
Visit my audio book channel 'War Stories with Mark Felton': • One Thousand Miles to ...
Help support my channel:
www.paypal.me/markfeltonprodu...
/ markfeltonproductions
Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Mark Felton Productions. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Mark Felton Productions does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.
Credits: US National Archives; Lspace; Airwolfhound; Htm; Google Maps
Thumbnail colorised by Murica4ever

[@va3xj]

You never cease to amaze with these rare and obscure stories from WWII.

[@greyone40]

And with a bonus "well whadoya know!" that the pilot took part in the Great Escape.

[@timmyjones1921]

100% Agreed va3xj > Thank Heaven For Dr. Mark Felton.

[@21mozzie]

Amen

[@philipbrowne7620]

Incredible. Great research!

[@JimLahey21]

Don't forget to call him doctor.. he gets offended if you don't

[@smithraymond09029]

If a Spitfire and a Messerschmitt had a love child......."awe, look honey,. He has your nose."

[@poppedweasel]

Poor kid, his parents were always fighting. "And vot are you saying about mein nose!!" DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA

[@Aengus42]

Haha! When a Spitfire & a Messerschmitt love each other very much they have a special cuddle that... 😆

[@matthewlok3020]

I wonder how the Spanish 109s fare in a mix of German frame with a British engine

[@phil3114]

@@matthewlok3020 bad. They are abnominations and flew accordingly.

[@poppedweasel]

and meanwhile, the shiny yank planes come over and have their way with the lonely british planes in need of nylons.

[@Itsjustme-Justme]

While the engine was a DB 605 A as had been used in Bf 109 G's, the cowling actually was not from a 109 but from a 110, because it's shape matched the Spitfire fuselage square section almost perfectly and therefore reduced the amount of work needed. During the conversion, the whole electrical system and all of the electrical cockpit instrumentation, radio system and so on was changed to German devices. This was needed because the Daimler engine control ran on 24 V, while the Spitfire was set up at 12 V. Changing the whole system was easier than installing a 24 V system besides the 12 V and for German pilots and technicians the German technology was more familiar and easier to use. Not only the performance of the converted Spitfire was increased. The flying characteristics also got even better. That was because the changed thrust line coincidentally worked better with the airframe than the original thrustline. An interesting fact that Daimler figured out during testing is, the Spitfire cooling system was superior to the Messerschmitt cooling system. The Spitfire cooling system needed a smaller frontal surface for the same heat sinking capability. It easily cooled the bigger, more powerful DB 605 A. Daimler's explanation was that the Spitfire coolers were placed in a better position under the wing and got less disturbed airflow, making them more effective.

[@hazed1009]

I didnt know that, thank you for info.

[@dronespace]

Very interesting thanks

[@charlesangell_bulmtl]

This episode brings to mind a story of German aircraft the Israelis used fitted with bomber props, supposedly a beast to handle...

[@paulcampbell1148]

Who are you voerkink for? Dankershoen.

[@petervollheim5703]

Wow - much thanks for that added information. 👍

[@TheLeadSled]

The Great Escape in itself is a fascinating story. Those men deserve to be remembered not just for their heroics during the war, but for their love of freedom during captivity.

[@rhannay39]

"Exemplary Justice" is a book about the hunt for the perpertraters of the murders and is a brilliant read.

[@locutus155]

@@rhannay39 Paul Brickhall's book on the Great Escape contains a lot of information on the aftermath as well.

[@jameswebb4593]

Providing you throw the Hollywood film " The Great Escape " in the bin . B.S. from start to finish.

[@roguespearsf]

@@jameswebb4593 you mean, Soviet propaganda from start to end

[@jameswebb4593]

@@roguespearsf You've lost me.

[@joe7431]

Gaijin: “write that down! Write that down!”

[@pjayx7320]

if only..

[@LazyLifeIFreak]

Here comes another premium craft! Time to club some more seals and stomp noobs in an OP pay2win aircraft!

[@xGoodOldSmurfehx]

Wargaming: "write it down first! write it down first! WE are THE non-sensical vehicles game!"

[@envygd4902]

I really do want this plane in game for operation winter ngl

[@anhvuphan1228]

5000 GE for this this jerk at least

[@adamestes5227]

Here’s some more information on the Hispano HA-1112 Buchón: the Spanish Civil War was the combat debut of the Bf 109, named the B-E variants of the aircraft. During WWII, the Germans gave the Spanish manufacturer Hispano Aviación a license to manufacture the Bf 109G, a contract that Messerschmitt referred as the Bf 109J. About 25 airframes were sent to Spain, along with the necessary plans for building the aircraft. However, these airframes were incomplete, being without engines. The Spanish solved this issue by testing a Hispano-Suiza 12Z engine on a Bf 109E leftover from the Civil War. By 1945, the first HA-1109 Tripala (three-bladed) was being test flown and more would soon follow. Though the 12Z was an upright V-12, it’s tight cowling gave it more of a passing resemblance to its German cousins. But by the 1950s, the limited supply of 12Zs was beginning to run out, and the Spanish, now allied with the West as an anti-communist regime, bought Rolls-Royce Merlin engines and Rotol propellers that had been used on Hurricanes and Spitfires during the war. The Merlin-powered aircraft was the HA-1112 Buchón (Pouter). The distinctive cowling for the Merlin reminded Spanish pilots of doves that can inflate their crops. Both the HA-1109 Tripalas and the HA-1112 Buchóns were armed with two wing-mounted 20mm Hispano cannons and unguided rockets. With the development of jet aircraft, they were often relegated to patrolling Spanish territories in North Africa. The last of the Buchóns were retired in 1965, just in time for filmmakers to employ them in films such as The Battle of Britain, Memphis Belle, and Dunkirk. However, the Tripalas also saw action in the West German film Der Stern von Afrika (The Star of Africa), which was based on the exploits of Luftwaffe ace Hans Joachim-Marseilles, who was known by that title. But the Bf 109 wasn’t the only German aircraft that the Spanish built after the war. The Spanish manufacturer Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA) got licenses to build the Junkers Ju 52 transport (which became the CASA 352) and the Heinkel He 111 bomber (the CASA 2.111), which were also used in several movies and air shows after they retired. CASA also built licensed examples of the Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann (CASA 1.131) and the Bücker Bü 133 Jungmeister (CASA 1.133) training aircraft.

[@Hopeless_and_Forlorn]

The plural of aircraft is aircraft.

[@adamestes5227]

@@Hopeless_and_Forlorn duly noted. Thank you for the correction.

[@martinjohnson9316]

I wonder if Spain has any surviving examples of these CASA aircraft in museums there now?

[@adamestes5227]

@@martinjohnson9316 yes they do. There are also several CASA aircraft in museums throughout Europe and America. Several of the Jungmanns and Jungmeisters are still flying in air shows or as private aircraft. The CASA 2.111s (which were also powered with Merlin engines do not have any active flying examples, but there at least a few in storage that could be made to fly again, as well as a few static examples in museums. Some of the CASA 352s were used by Lufthansa for a time as promotional/sightseeing aircraft painted to resemble those flown by Deutsche Luft Hansa, the forerunner to the modern Lufthansa.

[@diegoferreiro9478]

I couldn't have said better.

[@peat6773]

I live in Jersey and often drive by the field that he landed in, next to it is a well looked after memorial dedicated to piolt officer Scheidhauer, if you ever pass by stop for a moment and read the incription it's quite moving

[@coast2coast84]

The island or the state?

[@jord1214]

@@coast2coast84 what do you think?

[@flyguy11077]

@@coast2coast84 Yes he flew from France nonstop to New Jersey USA. Where he was of course then captured by the Germans.

[@wsg4847]

@@jord1214 He was joking.

[@wsg4847]

@@flyguy11077 Well, in 1938 Wrong Way Corrigan headed out from New York to California and ended up in Ireland. Navigation can be a tricky thing.

[@Brave_Sir_Robin]

Marks commenters are honestly some of the best on KZbin. Every single one is nothing but praise and history!

[@marcredmond]

Indeed, I have to agree. It's the best WW2 History channel on YT in my opinion.

[@rogertycholiz2218]

BraveSirRobin ~ I have to agree. Mark Felton is the best on KZbin.

[@Bored_Kaga]

well screw him then. really though he's also a very great youtuber and i did that just to provide a little contradiction, not actually meaning it.

[@TheBucketSkill]

@@Bored_Kaga Appreciated, the endless ass kissing gets old after 2 years. We get it, "wow how does find th-" yes we know, its on every single of his hundreds of videos. Discuss the content instead of ass kissing.

[@lukerobinson3983]

Brilliant and excellent timing as I had a few minutes spare to watch immediately today!

[@thomaswright7562]

Luke is cute

[@J4ckmaestro]

@@thomaswright7562 lol what?

[@oasis1282]

Hold on who is marfran

[@JostVanWair]

Why's his name now marfran productions?

[@rosswilliams2307]

@@nunab1864 I

[@BaronvonMoorland]

I literally just finished ‘Young Frankenstein’ last night. What timing.

[@Hi-vo9ku]

baron I was not expecting to see you here

[@BaronvonMoorland]

@@Hi-vo9ku I make my rounds Kaiser. 😅

[@arthurfrayn2652]

Abby Normal.

[@Hi-vo9ku]

@@BaronvonMoorland what?

[@BaronvonMoorland]

@@arthurfrayn2652 Hallo. Vould you like to have a roll in ze hay? It's fun! Roll, roll, roll in ze hay!

[@alexvibe9066]

Dr. Felton I find such amusement in your videos. My girlfriend who has no interest in history loves listening to the words you use. My father got liberated by the Canadians in Holland. Keep going these lessons and stories should be taught to all history classes. And your respect for all sides of the war. God bless.

[@sergiogregorat1830]

Hello Alex (not that of Clockwork Orange, i hope), your girlfriend must be quite advanced in years, or you are an enviable super macho? Lucky you... In any case, it is time for you to get married.

[@abestm8]

I was in the RAF from 1970 to 80 as ground crew. I went on to work for Bae for 17 years at Filton, Bristol. Then I ended up marrying a Yank and doing 20 years in USA. I have a reasonable knowledge of aircraft and their history. Or should I say, I thought I did lol. I absolutely love your channel as its unbiased brilliant content. Your constantly amazing us all with things we had no clue ever happened. We were darned lucky we had some of the best Designers on our side back then. Fate could have easily played it different. Thank you for the best research on all that you do.

[@gregoryemmanuel9168]

How interesting! You never disappoint Mark, thank you.

[@Aengus42]

What guts that guy had! If only he'd made it back after "The Great Escape!" I bet the Messerspit could fly inverted too as that early a model of the Merlin wouldn't've had the benefit of Miss Shilling's orifice in it's carburettors, the Messerschmitt had a fuel injection system. It must've been one helluva plane!

[@warpartyattheoutpost4987]

Good point!

[@rbilleaud]

I was going to say the same thing. A Spitfire that could fly inverted would have been cool.

[@youthere7327]

@@rbilleaud it was fixed enough to get the job done

[@Flofutz]

Let's hope some multi million Aero head is watching this, and starts to build his own.... :)

[@Aengus42]

@@Flofutz Agreed! I have enough for, erm... let's just count up my... 10, 20, 30, 5, 6, 7.22. About half a tail wheel tyre! Bugger 😳

[@Doubleelforbes]

"....was actually superior to both the Spitfire AND the 109... " Historic proof that even when conflicting ideologies come together, they are worth far more than the sum of their parts. I sure hope this ancient idea eventually catches on, lest we start repeating Mark's videos.

[@jnhumble]

"Du choc des idées jaillit la lumière" - Nicolas Boileau

[@antipodesman]

An amazing story with a sad ending for the pilot connected to the Great Escape. Thanks Mark.

[@ziepex7009]

Mark you are an absolute legend, you have taught thousands!

[@bigblue6917]

As he has over 1.48 million subscribers I think we would both agree that thousands may well be an underestimate.

[@ziepex7009]

@@bigblue6917 Could be, thousands can mean many things

[@bigblue6917]

@@ziepex7009 True

[@rockstopsthetraffic]

Helloer you absolurte LEGENDS...

[@at1970]

80 years on, small remarkable stories of that conflict remain to be discovered and told. Thank you doctor.

[@truthsRsung]

A T.....I have a CONFLICT with cucumbers, they give me gas. I believe your word choice is less accurate than your math. You do get points for being polite, tho.

[@at1970]

@@truthsRsung Your comment has me conflicted.

[@truthsRsung]

@@at1970 ....Works for me.

[@theblackhand6485]

Herr Doctor. It is herr Doktor :)

[@edpablo2635]

There's a reason Mr Felton has 1.48 million subscribers, and its because he pumps out quality bits of history we could've never known about had it not been for him and his history channel!

[@davo2003hd]

"I did not know this!" But I say this every time I view one of Mark Felton's videos. Thank you sir.

[@QuantumMechanic_88]

Another typically fascinating history lesson from Dr. Felton . Thank You .

[@oasis1282]

Who is marfran

[@frankgesuele6298]

The go to site for incredible true stories😀

[@greycatturtle7132]

Ye

[@spankflaps1365]

- Those Fockers bombed me granny’s chip shop! - You mean Focke-Wulfs? - No, these Fockers were flying Messerschmitts!

[@d3al3rplays68]

Ad to it did the Dutch bomb the shop? Fokker made dutch planes.

[@letoubib21]

@@d3al3rplays68 You should really think about that again, fella *. . . ;-)*

[@d3al3rplays68]

@@letoubib21 don't think i do.

[@letoubib21]

@@d3al3rplays68 You happen to know the old, Swiss joke about the _S/schlä/echter Ficker_ ? It's nearly the same (R-rated) wordplay *. . .*

[@tonypetts6663]

@@d3al3rplays68 Famous incident on British TV in the sixties.On the live show This Is Your Life a Polish fighter pilot named Charlie Polanski was talking about his exploits in WWII. At one point he explained to the host Eamon Andrews in his heavy Polish accent what sounded like"there were fockers to the left of me and fockers to the right of me." Eamon immediately jumped in to try and cover the fact Charlie had actually said fuckers on live peak time TV by saying something along the lines of "I'd just like to explain to the viewers that Fokkers were German aircraft." Charlie then replied "yes but these Fokkers were flying Messerschmitts" ...

[@gailcrowe727]

In the early 1960’s my parents went on holiday to Majorca and met a german couple, he was a messerschmidt pilot and my father was a spitfire pilot and apparently they spent a lot of time arguing about which was the better plane!

[@michaelward9880]

As fighter pilots should. I imagine it was a stimulating debate but in good fun.

[@dusankocisevic6823]

Awesome.🙃🙃

[@gailcrowe727]

@@michaelward9880 Well, I don’t think they came to blows after all they were on holiday!

[@michaelward9880]

I don't think they did either. Like I said, it was probably a spirited conversation, in good fun! Fistfights are not fun.

[@BodywiseMustard]

1960s ** You may be thinking of the apostrophe in '60s.

[@Lemma01]

One of your finest "snippets", Mark: almost a film in this one. Many thanks!

[@march3769]

I absolutely LOVE your presentations! There are some that I have gone back and watched several times!

[@gemini_1085]

Calling this thing the “Mess” from now on. Thanks Mark!

[@truthsRsung]

Why not SpittSchmitt or Spitt-109? Why do you give Messerschmitt top billing? Would a law firm make the same mistake?

[@GoodVideos4]

It wasn't a Mess - it was better than the Spitfire and Messerschmitt. :-)

[@sidefx996]

What an amazing story. As a lifelong enthusiast of WWII history (aviation in particular) the information (much of which I've never heard before) and accuracy presented in your videos and the lengths you must go through to create them are simply unmatched and never cease to amaze me. Thank you. Sad ending to the story.

[@EIBBOR2654]

As I remember reading back when I was in high school, many years ago, Goring had some problems with pilots and losses of aircraft. As in the film "The Battle of Briton" he had asked if there was anything they needed or that he could get them to help them in their air combat. One pilot asked him for some Spitfires. In several publications, it was stated that the German's managed to either capture some or rebuild them from damaged Spitfires that the pilots bellied in or ditched close to shore during the war. How many they managed to put in flying condition varies. Both the Allies and the Germans managed to capture aircraft or were able to find enough parts from damaged aircraft that they could repair and fly them. The Germans, had gotten not only Spitfires but also managed to capture, P-38's, P-47's, P-51's B-17's, B-24's and a number of other aircraft from countries they occupied during the war and flew them with the Covert KG-200 Squadron on secret missions. I remember reading about one such B-17 that the pilot landed in a field but one of the main landing gear collapsed damaging the propeller on the outboard engine. Try as they could, the Germans were never able to find an undamaged prop to replace it. So they used one of their own that had a slightly smaller diameter that did not cause any problems. Toward the end of the war, many of these aircraft were shot down by German antiaircraft gun crews as the aircraft were being moved to a new location or by the Allied fighters. The information is hard to find, but it is out there.

[@aleksazunjic9672]

Italians actually tinkered with German engines and various elliptical wings late in the war . Re.2005, Macchi C.205, Fiat G.55 ... All of these were ostensibly better than Bf-109 G, but were produced in low quantity because they required more man-hours than Bf-109, and Germans did not want to disrupt mass production of their famous fighter.

[@georgeingram9157]

Both sides flew captured and repaired aircraft from their opponents. This was to evaluate them, see if there were ideas to pilfer but mostly to develop tactics to counter them.

[@jwhiskey242]

Reportedly the exchange was between Goering and Adolf Galland. "Give us Spitfires" Galland reportedly said. What they really needed was to know that Britain had cracked ENIGMA and the RAF knew very target before the Germans took off.

[@EIBBOR2654]

@@jwhiskey242 Yes, but fortunately the Allies were very careful about how they used that information and acted on it. There were cases where they knew what was about to happen down to the date and time, but never passed on that information or acted to stop the Germans. Other times an aircraft would fly over to make it look like their surprise attack or a delivery of supplies was spotted so that they wouldn't realize that the Enigma code was broken. The standard Enigma code device was a 3 wheel setting along with wires plugged in to ports in a prearranged setting so that they could cipher the message before sending and decipher after receiving. By the end of the war, the German high Command did suspect the code might be broken and the Enigma machines developed with up to 6 wheel settings for the High Commanders. But by that time it was to late as the allies had developed Colossus, the first electronic computer and were able to read coded messages in real time. Long before the people in the field could decipher them. It didn't help that a Luftwaffe weather station in the Attic was helping the Allies by starting out a message with the same wording throughout the war. That enabled the Allies to brake the new codes quicker. In fact the last surrender of a German force was the weather station Operation Haudegen. They surrendered in September of 1945, four months after the war ended.

[@aleksazunjic9672]

​@@jwhiskey242 No, RAF did not what was targeted because LW did not use radio to transfer coordinates. They did have radar, but Germans often fooled them. Overall, it was bloody battle of attrition with neither side having definitive advantage.

[@58fins]

As a WW2 aviation buff for the past 50 years (since I was 8 years old!) I only heard about this hybrid aircraft in recent years, thanks to the internet. Very fascinating! I'm glad Mark gave us the inside scoop on this amazing bird!

[@simonholley4110]

Was the loss of weight from the missing guns a factor in the improved performance, or did the Luftwaffe add ballast to compensate?

[@dmg4415]

I do not know, but if it was flown a lot by fighter pilots, it probably had some kind of guns installed, maybe just a pair of 8x57 MG in the wings outside the prop. The better performance may have been from better aerodynamics when the engine was mounted much lower, that should be easily checked in software today. And/or the engines line of force was more effective for that body and wings. To my knowledge the Bucon was slightly faster than the spit with the Merlin of about 1580bhp and the Bucon with a 1600bhp Merlin. So to really know we must take a stock Spit with the engine of the same power range that the DB has make a lot of tests, rebuild the spit with a DB and rerun the tests. Looks like a very fun but EXPENSIVE endeavor.

[@MrDino1953]

Glad you asked this question, I had exactly the same thoughts. Lower weight is at least consistent with the observed performance improvements, but not enough info to be quantitatively sure.

[@jwenting]

lower weight is nice, but if the balance of the aircraft is disturbed (as it would be) that can lead to serious control problems. As the pilots seemed to like the aircraft, those were probably not present, suggesting that either ballast was installed or the different weight of the engine and cowlings compensated.

[@user-do5zk6jh1k]

@@jwenting Weight removed from the front of the wings would have little to no effect on center of gravity

[@dmg4415]

@@jwenting How much was the difference in weight, and how much change was it in the length of front and were was the CG change? As we know the Spit could be upgraded to the bigger Griffon engine rather easily, so it may be that the overall construction of the Spit and the Messer was forgetful for changes in CG, the Bucon was easily converted to the Merlin.

[@matthewmitchell8941]

Unbelievable! I'm like a child on Christmas morning when I see new Felton vids...

[@truthsRsung]

Unbelievable! It was like Christmas in April for the Germans on Jersey, too!

[@stumccabe]

What a fascinating snippet of history! Thanks Dr Felton.

[@jeremykent1671]

I grew up in Westhampnett and the airfield was a great place to explore . The first time I heard a Spitfire overhead I was about 10 years old and can still recall the amazing sound and visuals . Thanks for great video .

[@splendid9910]

Mark, keep doing these, owning obscure information about history is of great value to anyone that comes upon it.

[@shearwave7885]

You sir are my absolute favorite historian!! Always the most interesting and under told stories!!! Thanks again for another well told piece of history!

[@roryvonbrutt7302]

Absolutely astounding storyline as always mark felton and the absolute "ICON" ‼️®™️

[@kampfgruppepeiper501]

Mark Felton is everything right with historians. Thank you for this video!

[@haitolawrence5986]

@@knuthamsun6106 Yep. I unsubscribed when he went full TDS. 😏

[@TRHARTAmericanArtist]

Love your videos, especially those that deal with the technologies of bygone eras. Thanks Dr. Felton.

[@isthereanybodyoutthere9397]

Another gem of history that I knew nothing about. Thank you Mark and continue your excellent work. Your standing on YT is thoroughly deserved.

[@slyaspie4934]

Love little known stories like this, and this channel is packed with them. Thank you professor Felton

[@shieldwallofdragons]

Another outstanding Video sir!...the Germans had so many "irons in the fire" at one time it's a wonder they could keep track of all the projects they had going on...but I guess this does speak to the German love of invention and engineering.

[@nerdyali4154]

They didn't manage to keep track. Their management of engine development was shockingly bad compared to Britain's and they suffered terribly from it. Their management issues were compounded by lack of important metals to create needed alloys. Some of their engines were incendiary devices. We hear so much about German efficiency but aspects of the German war machine were really bad. The Nazi''s socialist instincts and centralised control badly hampered logistics to the extent that the Eastern Front was in trouble even without the US and UK/Commonwealth air offensive draining resources.

[@Ulfcytel]

@@nerdyali4154 It was directly the opposite of centralised control. Too many disparate projects run by different agencies with even Speer's later-War attempts at rationalisation undermined by more powerful colleagues (e.g. Himmler) or people going over his head direct to Hitler.

[@toatatoa]

@@nerdyali4154and here we can whitness a Brit giving the Germans a run for their alleged lack of humour, envy and feeling of inferiority.

[@THE-HammerMan]

All their various projects added to the hundreds of independent manufacturers of parts(especially tank parts) helped the Allies tremendously.

[@user-qf7lq5ym4o]

Another fantastic episode. I'm quickly watching everything on this channel! Well done, Mark.

[@alxis-ty5fw]

Crazy how you continue to come up with amazing videos. Keep up the amazing work Mark !

[@robertphillips6296]

Thank you for posting.

[@MoteofVolition]

In twenty years, these planes are 100 years old, or damn close to it. That's something to think about! Thanks for digging out these little known treasures, Mr Felton.

[@amacca2085]

In 30 years they’ll be a 110 years old ! Something to think about 😂

[@MoteofVolition]

@@amacca2085 If you're going to troll/be dumb, at least spell things correctly. 👌🏻

[@amacca2085]

@@MoteofVolition where’s my reply gone 😂 🤡

[@amptechron]

An endless series of amazing stories! Thank you

[@stevenhershman2660]

Another brilliant and interesting video. I never knew this story and GLAD I checked for new videos here. I wish I had history teachers/ professors like Mark in high school and College. It would have made learning fun and interesting.

[@robertchubb1518]

Another really interesting and very well edited edition to Dr Feltons continuing library of hitherto unheard of historical episodes. Always look forward to seeing these....

[@Sorrywhytescaresu]

I always learn something new from Mark Felton! Thanks for what you do, no one does this format better than you.

[@jannebananberg551]

Been a follower of your channel for a long time. Recently shared your channel with my dad and he's been binge watching it! Thanks for sharing these interesting stories we never knew we needed!

[@0ArthurDent00]

Watching carefully to he pictures of the Messerspit, comes clearly at the eyes that the coupling was not from a ME109 (BF109), but from a ME110 (BF110), the upper part of the ME109 (BF109) cowling is straight, being round under, il the pics you can see that the Messerspit has a bulged upper side and an almost straight underside that is still not a ME109 (BF109) updown cowling. Even the propeller cone is still not the one from a ME109 (BF109) but a ME110 (BF110) instead. Anyway I find your video beautiful Mark and your voice fits perfectly wit the images of the WWII time.

[@truthsRsung]

You have a way with words yourself. It's not my way, but it's a way.

[@alaingadbois2276]

You are correct in saying the new engine cowls originate from a Bf 110, rather than a Bf 109. They essentially only removed the radiator on the underside. The engine itself, powered both the Bf 109 and Bf 110. Both aircraft actually shared the same spinner, except the gun opening was closed off on the Bf 110.

[@georgeingram9157]

Yes, the engine and nose came from a crashed ME110.

[@0ArthurDent00]

@@truthsRsung you mean the errors made from my Italian automatic corrector that I didn’t re-correct and my not pure mothertongue English? 😆 well, you’re absolutely right! 🖖

[@truthsRsung]

@@0ArthurDent00 ....I suggest you either learn how to use your phone or English instead of making excuses for your mistakes.

[@johnlewan1114]

My first time on your channel, and I'm glad I clicked. Almost 80 years after WW2, and I keep finding stories like this that I've never heard of. This kind of history must be preserved and passed on. Thanks for posting, you have a new subscriber.

[@danielwood1894]

One of the neatest and coolest "War stories" I've ever heard!!

[@gregpacka8720]

Mark Felton pumping out the content. Keep it up big man, never fails to dissapoint 👊

[@raymondduck6492]

um.... never fails to NOT disappoint ???

[@ArcturanMegadonkey]

Another brilliant video Mark, I never knew about these two, brilliant.

[@deepwoods_dave7368]

As always, I enjoy your great and high quality content, especially in an aircraft that is almost entirely unheard of.

[@johnjuarez8005]

The Messerschmitt superior engine was also fuel injected which prevented engine failure during diving or high G maneuvers. The Spitfires had carburated engines.

[@philhughes3882]

The same fuel injection system "invented" by Bendix in 1955 for use in cars.

[@bigblue6917]

That's the early Merlin's. The later ones were changed.

[@johnjuarez8005]

@@bigblue6917 To fuel injection?

[@nickdanger3802]

@@johnjuarez8005 "More permanent solutions involved moving the fuel outlet from the bottom of the carburettor to half way up and the use of fuel injection using a Stromberg pressure carburettor and finally an SU injection carburettor." Spitfire Society Merlin page Basically what is called throttle body fuel injection, as I understand it.

[@davidgreen5099]

@@nickdanger3802 Nick Danger. Thanks for the memory.

[@ToddSauve]

That is why everyone loved the Spitfire Mark 9 when it came out. It could easily compete with all the German fighters except the Me262--and the latter's small numbers rendered it a non-threat. Its updated Merlin engine greatly increased performance at higher altitudes over the Mark V and served until the end of the war. And then there was the Spitfire Mark 14, with its Griffon engine and clipped wings that was a terror for the Luftwaffe.

[@roguespearsf]

Lol not at all, what propaganda are you reading? The Luftwaffe was feared until the war ended, anyone who says otherwise probably believes Hitler committed suicide, too

[@brigaw4807]

@@roguespearsf if hitler did not commit suicide, where did he go?

[@mr31337]

@@brigaw4807 he was the pilot on MH370 when he and Elvis flew to the moon, duh.

[@LarS1963]

@@roguespearsf :D :D :D We ~all~ know he returned to the Far Side of the Moon, where he now rules over all the space*azis, right?

[@ToddSauve]

@@roguespearsf Ready for the rubber room, are you? 🙄

[@Vorlain]

Just wanna say I love thr history, so much unique and juicy content not found anywhere else. I also don't think I've gone a day in about 8 months without listening to a documentary from you to go to sleep, keep up the amazing content!

[@chriskingston4270]

Thank you, Mr. Felton for this fascinating bit of history. I had never heard this story before.

[@Ndqar]

The Spit operated with a high pressure cooling system that allowed it to operate with half the radiator area of the 109.

[@terryjaenke238]

Awesome, really loved this one. Thanks Mark, learning something new quite often!

[@petervollheim5703]

As always, an outstanding video!

[@AtheAetheling]

Rule of thumb regarding the engines always seemed to be that the DB and the Merlin jockeyed back and forth during the war for which was the better engine at any one time; but most would say the DB was better at low altitudes, they see-sawed depending on their powerband and model at medium altitudes, and the Merlin was better at high altitudes. The Merlin 45 was just about to be replaced by the Merlin 60 at this point in time, too.

[@Pesmog]

A couple of technical publications that I have read said that Germany never had access to the same 100 plus octane fuel like the RAF had that was formulated using the French-American pre-war Houdry process that was later further enhanced by BP specifically for the Merlin. Running with standard lower 89 Octane German fuel would have materially reduced performance of the captured Spitfire/Merlin at altitude when the Germans tested it as they would have had to reduce the ignition advance to avoid detonation. The Messerspit is a fascinating 'what if' though. The later Merlin 66 engine ran an even higher octane fuel towards the end of the war which allowed even higher supercharger boost and further improved performance at altitude.

[@hypergolic8468]

@@Pesmog The other secret was Nottinghamshire oil. It is a very, very high quality oil, discovered in the mid 30's and only just exploited just before the outbreak of the war, and whilst we were getting shipments from the US of 100 Octane fuel, the Nottinghamshire oil output helped too and fed the Derby 100 Octane production factory.

[@josephmassaro]

"There's hardly an MP that knows anything about any countries. Show them a map of the world and most of them have a job finding the Isle of Wight." - Sir Humphrey Appleby

[@philipambler3825]

Of course the RAF did have a bomber in 1940, that could fight like a fighter also.. the Mosquito. This battle of Britain winner, was shot down in conference/discussion/dogma, by being too good, at two things, being a fighter and a bomber. Fighter Command thought it inappropriate, and Bomber Command thought it lacked defensive armament! It was far faster than a Spitfire, and could take 4,000lbs of bombs to a target speedily unattended by fighters. As Herman Goering admitted: Ah yes, your two engine fighter worked!

[@gerrycoogan6544]

@@philipambler3825 The Mosquito played no part in the Battle of Britain. The first fighter version of the Mossie didn't fly until May, 1941. Perhaps you're getting mixed up with the magnificent Bristol Beaufighter, another twin-engined fighter. It did contribute in the Battle of Britain with great distinction as a night-fighter.

[@motorTranz]

Thank you for these amazing stories Dr. Felton!

[@2854Navman]

That was incredibly interesting. Learn something new about WW2 all the time from Mark. Thanks man!

[@stevenpolkinghorn4747]

I'm glad you mentioned Sheidhauer's participation in"The Great Escape." I recognize that The Great Escape story has been "done to death" but I still think you should do an episode or episodes on it sometime. Either that or the many escape attempts and few successes of Colditz, of which I am sure you are familiar. I enjoy your presentation method and I think your videos would do very well. I for one would be able to show friends and family so they can understand how incredible and ingenuous these escapes and escape attempts were.

[@Satchmojones]

Thanks for the curiosity stream heads up mark, quality documentaries are hard to find on most popular streaming services.

[@kalvds9345]

Mark, your channel is simply fantastic! Thank you very much for all the fascinating content!

[@bikenavbm1229]

as always superbly done and facinating too, thanks just noticed too 1.5m subs, congratulations well deserved.

[@hammyh1165]

Amazing story. I knew the Germans and Allied forces both had examples of each others planes ,but this hybrid I never knew about , thanks Mark.

[@carlbrown9082]

Again you bring us an unique and compelling segment of World War 2 history. Thanks, Dr Felton.

[@frederickbaake4397]

Extremely interesting as always

[@tedchips8671]

I've spent a few decades reading and watching shows on ww2 and I thought I've heard about every oddity out there and then you stumble upon something like this. I love it!

[@MoparMissileDivision]

In 1942 or early '43, the MesserSpit would definitely have been one of the best fighters in the European theater, maybe the best, with a performance advantage over almost anything else in the sky at that time. Once the MK IX Spit was introduced and the P-51 with a Merlin instead of the Allison engine powered variant, and the P-47 Thunderbolt, or "Jug" as it was fondly referred to, the air war was much different, with the allies dominating the skies over Europe. Some was due to better performance aircraft and some was due to the majority of experienced Luftwaffe fighter pilots being shot down by 1943-'44. I really like the content of your videos and just subscribed to your channel. I am a WWII "buff" being born only nine years after the end of the war and having many family members who fought in the war. Your videos never cease to amaze me for the fact that even though I have read every book I have ever been able to find (hundreds) about the war, you are still able to find information that I knew absolutely nothing about or had never heard of! The air war has always been my favorite aspect of the war, especially the fighters of the era, but I had never heard of the MesserSpit! Keep up the good work, I look forward to more interesting stories like this!

[@chasemarshall3487]

facts bro

[@TheArgieH]

Could be, but the Mk VIII Spitfire would have been better. It introduced the two stage Merlin and a number of aerodynamic improvements including a cut down fuselage, a larger pointed rudder (because of the fuselage changes), a retractable tail wheel etc. By that time the carburetor problem had been sorted (courtesy of Bendix et al). However, there was a pressing need to mass produce something in a hurry to counter the FW 190. The solution was to marry the Mk V airframe, for which jigs and production lines were set up, with the two stage Merlin - the product of that marriage was the Mk IX. In one of my books they described RAE et al trying a Spit with a Daimler engine and a Bf 109 with a Merlin. This would have been quite late on. As they summarised the result of the Spit conversion as disappointing and the Bf 109 as an improvement I am guessing it must have been at least a two stage Merlin. I wonder if they could have shoehorned in a Griffon, though the increased torque might have presented a few problems.

[@vtbmwbiker]

Sucks what happened to the pilot. "The Great Escape" was one of my first "adult" books I read about World War Two and the atrocity of shooting and then cremating the victims horrifies me as much today as it did when I first read it. And, yes, B-17's/B-24's certainly did ruin a lot of fun during their raids!

[@davidwood1923]

Great Video as always... Keep Up the Great Work... Thanks for Sharing

[@stevenbreach2561]

Another eye-opener!keep them coming!

[@AreaZeroLab]

Blows my mind this was real. Back when I played Microsoft's Comat Flight Sim III, this was an available mod to add to the game and was an absolute riot to fly. Thanks for another fascinating story!

[@MavicAir1]

Microsoft Combat Flight sim was my absolute fav.. It was very well done...then came IL-2

[@magdelen1123]

I would love to see some of this footage colorized someday. The color scheme seems so interesting.

[@simonlorand6777]

I could watch these videos all day long. Every day! Thank you for your amazing work!

[@motelluver945]

Thanks a ton for the new content. I shall enjoy it 😌

[@davidbeattie4294]

Fascinating story. It is a tribute to the inherent qualities of the Spit that so many unfamiliar pilots flew it successfully. Too bad it was for the wrong cause.

[@larstragl146]

There must be hundreds of videos about D-day, Stalingrad and so on, some good ones, lots of crap. But the stories Mark comes up with are unique gems and presented in a very pleasing way.

[@dpedd12]

Quite pleased to get another video today.

[@daybertimagni4841]

Great video, as always! Thank you.

[@thEannoyingE]

This is absolutely fascinating, it’s a shame the Messherspit no longer exists today. Thank you for such an interning story, Mark.

[@Klaaism]

This is why I enjoy this channel. Was a major WW2 plane fan growing up, and afaik nothing had information about this fascinating plane.

[@TurboSeth]

let’s build a new one

[@keithmoore5306]

wouldn't be that hard to build one all you'd need is a spit and a BMW 601B and the bucks to do it!!

[@threadworm437]

@@keithmoore5306 BMW 601B? You mean Daimler-Benz DB605A?

[@keithmoore5306]

@@threadworm437 the ME 109 at least started out with the BMW 601 series engine and that's all i've ever heard it using until the tide turned on Germany!! by the time this happened i;m not sure what mill it used though so i went with the only one i was sure of!

[@jamestaylor7710]

Ah something to cheer me up whilst sick in bed , thank you Mr Felton .

[@britishamerican4321]

Get well soon!

[@Fuckthathoe]

Great video mark!! You never cease to amaze with the video subjects you come up with!! Keep them coming!!!

[@libertyvilleguy2903]

Fascinating as always, Dr. Felton.

[@andrewfanner2245]

So if you did it the other way about would you have had a Schmidtfire?

[@selfdo]

As Felton explains later in this video, that's what the Spaniards did after WWII with their copy of the Bf 109, by using Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. Likely RR had leftover engines or there were perfectly usable ones from UK propeller aircraft (not only Spitfires, but Lancaster bombers, for example) recently retired. Also, it might have been possible to use Packard-built versions of the Merlin used in P51 Mustangs, but IDK of any Spanish Air Force propeller-driven aircraft thus modified.

[@truthsRsung]

Nope, the aircraft in this video should be named SpittSchmitt or Spitt-109 because the airframe should get TOP priority. Conversely, Bf-fire could be used to describe a Messerschmitt airframe with a Merlin engine. Why mix the manufacturer in with the model name? You don't do it for the Spitfire. Edit: Schmitt, not Schmidt

[@andybelcher1767]

@@truthsRsung It is the sound of the name, and that it can be misread; it is a sort of pun, which is a form of humour loved by British people. It amused me to see the comments above regarding the Polish pilot/Stan Boardman joke - the spelling of Focker is phonetic so as to give the correct sound of what was being said, not to actually identify an aeroplane, and that sound is the pun. The joke was spoken, but choosing a real name makes the joke when it is written down. It loses a whole lot when you have to explain it....

[@truthsRsung]

@@andybelcher1767 ....Especially not funny when you don't do a good job of explaining it AND you attach national pride to a certain type of humor. You Andys can giggle along in your own lil world.

[@andybelcher1767]

@@truthsRsung ?

[@mattyman1241]

I had to read that title twice. "awh, the 109 wasn't an ugly plane! How dare he" "WAIT THE MESSERWHATNOW?!"

[@larrybomber83]

Now that is something I would have never heard about if you hadn't told me. Thank You so Much.

[@BROKEN-PILOT]

I love Dr. Mark's intro rhythm - Dit, dit, dit, dit, dit, dit,duh, dau, dum, dum - it rings in my head, all, day, long 🙃

[@seafodder6129]

Wonder how much improvement to performance (over the "stock" Spit and the Bf109) was due to the removal of the weapons and ammo? That would be a significant weight reduction... Edit: Spelling is hard.

[@MarkFeltonProductions]

Good point.

[@MrBabylon]

@@MarkFeltonProductions I dont think such an obvious advantage would have been overlooked by the German Engineers during testing. Also I wouldn't image it was a big hassle to remove the armament of a Bf109, afterall it was a machine of war and as such would need to be simple to maintain, or as simplified as possible.

[@AtheAetheling]

@@MrBabylon Apparently the armaments were indeed removed and it was only tested without them, which explains the higher clime rate. The higher ceiling is due to the Germans and the British defining the ceiling differently (ceiling in the Luftwaffe was max altitude whereas in RAF it was altitude at which climb rate fell bellow 100 ft per minute) this is according to one comment here who has read an interview with one of the German test pilots, from way back in the 60s. Still fascinating though.

[@burntorange70]

That is true and maybe the weight helped performance. But maybe not as that could of offset the fact that the Germans were probably using 87 octane fuel and not 100 that the allies had.

[@keithmoore5306]

all planes were tested unarmed back then!!!

[@Caldera01]

Therapist: "Don't worry, the Messerspit isn't real, it can't hurt you." Me watching MF Productions: *Confused screaming*

[@truthsRsung]

Me reacting to your comment:. Change therapists.

[@danny.55]

Great video as always Dr.Felton! Keep up the good work.

[@oncall21]

Another fascinating gem from history. Thanks for sharing Dr Felton!

[@derin111]

Ah! That finally explains why I always thought the 109s in the film The Battle of Britain ‘looked wrong’ at the front end…they’re Buchons!

[@Rusty_Gold85]

as someone else pointed out its got the cowling of Me110 !