Warbird Walk-around: Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3 (Emil)

[@sgt13echo]

HAPPY to hear you have a new owner and the museum will reopen soon!

[@aldopolgeo73]

The E3 had two 20mm cannons, not three. Other than that, very good video

[@tusk70]

Feldwebel Eduard ,Edi‘ Hemmerling, died 28 years old. His father died 2. Oktober 1916 on board of Zeppelin L 31on an raid against London. L31 was shot down, the crew of 19 men died, one of them was Obermaschinenmaat Claus Hemmerling (30 years old). He was buried at Cannock Chase/Staffordshire. The body of his son was never found.

[@charliebowman785]

Hey, thank you for the excellent video. Please keep up the great work.

[@dietmarschellschmidt9712]

Thank you very much for this video ... I think this Bf 109 Emil is perfect restored - well done

[@ottovonbismarck2443]

Didn't know Gerard Butler did videos on WW2 aircraft. :-)

[@Neiot]

Hey, this is Danielle Reed, a former volunteer at the FHCAM. I miss you guys. Thanks for being there for us.

[@PNolandS]

I don’t suppose you know anything about what’s happening, do you? Last I heard was that they had to close because of COVID, but its been over a year without a word.

[@Neiot]

@@PNolandS You are correct, they are currently closed and a date to reopen has not yet been decided as far as I know. I am completely out of the loop, unfortunately. I wish it weren't so, but the pandemic doesn't make it easier.

[@PNolandS]

@@Neiot Darn, well thank you for replying!

[@pakurilecz]

"BFW was reconstituted as "Messerschmitt AG" on July 11, 1938, with Willy Messerschmitt as chairman and managing director. The renaming of BFW resulted in the company's RLM designation prefix changing from "Bf" to "Me" for all newer designs that were accepted by the RLM after the acquisition date. Existing types, such as the Bf 109 and 110, retained their earlier designation in official documents, although sometimes the newer designations were used as well, most often by subcontractors, such as Erla Maschinenwerk of Leipzig.[citation needed] In practice, all BFW/Messerschmitt aircraft from the Bf 108 four-seat touring monoplane, to the Bf 163 light observation aircraft (which competed unsuccessfully for the government contract won by the rival Fieseler Fi 156 design) were prefixed "Bf", all later types with "Me". World War II" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt#Reestablishment

[@TRabbit1970]

Very, very cool. These walk-around vids are an outstanding series.

[@izumi6704]

It's just so nice to see an expert explaining all the detail of an aircraft I have seen in real life, keep doing it please!

[@anels9]

jason standing next to the aircraft gives quite a good reference to its size. its no surprise it had awesome performance coupled with the powerful DB engine

[@theoldstationhand]

If I ever got that close to a ME109 or a Spitfire, I'd be in that much awe I'd never be able bring myself to touch one!

[@SGusky]

Great video but I think the center 20 mm cannon was removed in the E3 Restored beautifully I might add

[@eyalcr500]

you're sure right , man !!! so sad that even those considered "specialists" are not so specialists....

[@SGusky]

@@eyalcr500 yip

[@mr.thiemo1406]

none of the e series had motor cannons

[@Killsnapz]

not removed, never made it into production on the E model due to jamming issues. The F model was the first to have a nose cannon in the production

[@Niels_Dn]

This is a very beautifully restored 109! Very nice!

[@surlycrosscheck1]

It is on my bucket list to visit your museum. I WILL get there at some point. I can’t wait to see the Stuka finished up as well. I’d probably study that 109 for at least an hour as it is. The Stuka........half a day easy. Haha Keep up the great work.

[@f1matt]

Your restorations are stunning

[@PaddyPatrone]

Great video, keep it up guys!

[@TheFunkhouser]

WOW amazing history on that... didnt know that, and its still flying! Priceless!

[@virtualinfinity6280]

There are so many videos on the internet, that get the armament of the BF109-E series wrong and unfortunately, this is another one. There was never a production version of the E-Series with a 20mm motorkanone (cannon fireing through the propeller hub). There was an attempt with the E-2, but that failed. At maximum, the E-Series had 2*7.92mm MG-17 above the engine and 2*20mm MG-FF outside the propeller in the wings. The "Motorkanone" fireing through the propeller hub was introduced with the F-variant, which had an extended nose anyway to accomodate the bigger DB-601E engine.

[@hakapeszimaki8369]

it depends on the E variant. motorkanone was added with the DB601A engine after they changed the jumo210 engine. E2 variant had DB 601A engine with motorkanone installed. So the hole in the propeller hub showhs that the motorkanone is installed. Jumo engine has a propeller hub covered and no hole in the middle (no motorkanone). Early E variants had Jumo engine and 4 machine guns intsalled (2 on top of the engine and 1-1 in the wings), later they added 2x20 mm cannon to the wings next to the motorkanone and kept the 2 MG-s on the engine top.

[@Juno58]

@@hakapeszimaki8369 bf 109 with Jumo engine was the D variant. E 2 with Motorkanone was never in serial production. It's right to say 109 E never had a motorkanone, no matter if there's a hole in the propeller spinner or not.

[@hakapeszimaki8369]

@@Juno58 “In late 1938, the Bf 109E entered production. To improve on the performance afforded by the 441-515 kW (600-700 PS) Jumo 210, the larger, longer Daimler-Benz DB 601A engine was used, yielding an extra 223 kW (300 PS)” from this variant on the DB engine variants were used.

[@garyseeseverything8615]

You don’t know what your saying the db601 was made specifically for a cannon to be mounted through the hub and the e4 and e7 had less vibration problems.

[@andreastimper9848]

@@garyseeseverything8615 The provision for an engine mounted gun was there, but no production version of the E series ever had it fitted. There must have been some problems that prevented it.

[@googlinstuff8910]

Great job explaining that! Thank you.

[@mikepette4422]

Very nice descriptions and history

[@blatherskite9601]

109 E has a trimmable horizontal tail surface - the whole thing tilted, like a 737 nowadays.

[@dr.wilfriedhitzler1885]

And wing-geometrie of our ME 262 was a trend-setter for all airliners flying till now.

[@JohnWallinLiberto_art]

Awesome! would love to see walkarounds of the the FW 190's too :D (or..All planes, ALL planes!)

[@M1GarandMan3005]

Can we get an update on that Stuka project?

[@MrTuftynut]

Its a very rare, early Me (or Bf) 109e and with the rarer Battle of Britain combat record as well. Whilst there are lately a few later F& G variants restored and flying, I think there are only two 'e' variants flying, this one and another in the UK at Biggin Hill aerodrome. That plane also has Battle of France/Britain period combat experience and was flown by Helmut Wick, a top German ace.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

+@MrTuftynut There are three Bf-109E with the completion of D-FEML for an owner in Germany. kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJSvnad7oqafjqc. A fourth is making good progress and will be a rare Bf-109E-1 Condor Legion. And number five is coming along as well, still under construction. The example kept at Biggin Hill also has documented flight time with Hans-Joachim Marseille scoring his first and maybe second victories in it before he had a forced landing.

[@DerSchleier]

Ausgezeichnet! Danke!

[@arsenal-slr9552]

Super cool! Hope you guys get back to business soon!

[@KernowekTim]

Thank you for a great journey around this iconic German fighter. That cramped cock-pit and canopy design looks like it would have been the death-trap of many a pilot attempting a quick bail-out once the machine became severely damaged, or worse still had caught on fire during ariel combat. For me, I'd've preferred the Mustang bubble canopy; far less confining, and much safer in all departments.

[@hajoos.8360]

Yes, Hans-Joachim Marseille, the star of Africa, never beaten in combat, died due to an accident of a motor-failure of his new BF-109. Turning the aircraft on top to bail out with gravity, it seems that his head was hit by the tail and he became immediatly unconscious, so he did not open his parachute.

[@ReallyFarFarAway]

👍 Cool : this museum seem to be a really interesting museum ... !!! 👍

[@stonehenges5722]

The most beautiful plane.

[@Duckless23]

I miss the FHCAM so much that I drive down to the Boeing museum of flight earlier this week. Life is not the same without you guys.

[@garysmith4423]

great vid used it as reference for my model 109e horrido!

[@GUISNIP]

Beautiful plane!

[@MiKeMiDNiTe-77]

What a beautiful example 💚

[@steveaustin6467]

would of been nice to see inside the cockpit too

[@Uliio]

Awesome video. Would love to see one about the Dora :)

[@arnhemseptember2009]

Good talk, thanks!

[@jeffwalther3935]

I was delighted to learn of Wily Messerschmidt's "aileron droop" trick. When I finally understood it, I whooped with delight at his craft here. What his trick involved nothing more than an adjustment with flap and aileron installation to make happen, but 1.5 inches of aileron droop in BOTH flaps allows the ailerons to act as additional mini-flaps - making the rare-for-fighters, but invaluable, capable of slow-flight like NO OTHER comparable fighters JUST with this one, cheap trick in design. It is no wonder at all to me that the more I learn about the 109 and the 190, the deadliness of these two fighters keeps emerging; it's German spartan design is absolutely nothing but fighter interceptor, nothing more, not a bit, and nothing less; he doesn't miss a trick. These things were hell on earth for their targets. I learned that early on watching 'Twelve O'Clock High' on TV, every episode as a boy - these aircraft for me then were the boogey man who flew! and spit terrible fire, . . . came outta nowhere at superspeed and closing rates, every angle but almost impossible to see at all, much less hit with a machine gun in time . . . They're terribly beautiful to this second-generation pilot, son of a US bomber pilot, but so awful too. Those German aces were getting their phenomenal scores from shooting down phenomenal numbers of opposing bombers, so their skills are overrated and sickening self-congratulatory totals. How many fighters did these guys engage and beat? The Germans slaughtered US aircrews for years to amass those high totals, not Messerschmidt's magic.

[@Juno58]

You're wrong, most of the german aces victorys were against enemy fighters, not bombers!

[@Juno58]

...and the slaughtered bomber crews slaughter civil people on the ground. That's war. Sad but true. Kind regards from Germany 👋🏻

[@jeffwalther3935]

@@Juno58 No sir. The high numbers of relatively defenseless enemy bomber aircraft is/are the differences in the German numbers and all other nations' fighter pilots. Its a statistical fluke, nothing more.

[@jeffwalther3935]

@@Juno58 The winning Allied war strategy was to offensively lead the war offensively at first through strategic bombing, not land nor sea invasions as was traditional, expected by the Axis and prepared as such, but not anticipating the equal potential and rapidly developing capabilities as capture , control and USE of strategic airspace. Sooooo, to avoid the slaughterhouse of entrenched WW1-style traps, we painstakingly focused on aerial warfare exclusively in continental Europe until D-Day and capturing virtually all European airspace was assured. Thus we sent in 45,000 aircrew to German slaughter in the process of developing the hard-earned, -learned, and -bought ways and means of the 15th and 8th AAF brand new in every way at the time. Such relatively high numbers of aircraft airborne presented 4-5 times as many opportunities to shootdown aircraft that count as "kills": pf enemy aircraft that couldn't either evade or fight back as could fighter vs fighter. THAT is entirely the reason for these German pilots' extraordinary numbers, I'm sure.

[@jeffwalther3935]

@@Juno58 Equivocation is a form of lying. Your reply or comment is quite falsely, misleading and wildly equating fascists and antifascists in WW 2 AND acting like you know so much better, would have done differently, etc. which is OUTRAGEOUS too. Are you doing it unpurpose or what is your intention with such preposterous noise? Are you German? If not, what ARE you going on about? Please elaborate further on what you mean.

[@jkorshak]

ME was added after Messerschmitt became chairman and managing director of Bayern Flugzeugwerks (Bavaria Aircraft Company) but same aircraft. BF and ME are essentially interchangeable.

[@haruspex9662]

Hope to be able to come visit the museum again soon! I hold the memories of coming here with my grandpa as a kid dearly!

[@tomfey6020]

Thanks for that.

[@MrSteeleye]

I noted there was no mention of the air foil shaped fin to help counteract engine torque!

[@libra9381]

love watching you explain every detail of the BF 109. War Thunder should take note about the aileron droop thou bcs they have made the flaps just like it should and might as well put attention to another little capability that the plane has, but does the later version has it too though?

[@superjuca55]

Wasn't the Polikarpov I-16 the 1st mass produced modern fighter? Monoplane, no external bracings or wires, retractable landing gear, enclosed cockpit (later removed due to being cramped and pilot's preferences).

[@JosipRadnik1]

yes

[@conservativemike3768]

As an engineer and former aviator, I’ve always wanted to see optimized WWII designs with carbon fiber structures, turboprop engines, glass cockpits, and more advanced wind tunnel testing. Resulting performance would be insane with cool points fully intact.

[@ondrejdobrota7344]

Prefix Bf was used allong with Me, so both are equally correct, but Willi Messerschmitt personally stated on paper, that official appelation was Me 109 and sign it :-)

[@grumpyvaultboy]

That the Emil had a propeller cannon is totally new to me. I thought it came first with the F-series.

[@Blackstarr223]

They usually didn't fly with the nose cannon. Pilots/Mechanics would remove them due to vibration issues. They came from the factory with a nose cannon and wing machine guns, but this would be swapped for the latter of wing cannons and upper nose machine guns.

[@plasticflighthobbies6909]

Only 2, de Emil have 2 x 20mm

[@momotheelder7124]

I believe the aircraft had been designed from the beginning to have one, you will have noticed even early 109s have that hole in the spinner. As I recall there were jamming issues with the nose gun that needed to be resolved.

[@hjm4364]

Very nice walk-around and beautiful restoration, thanks for sharing. Question on the tabs: Were they usually colored in red like the one on the rudder?

[@mgbrv8]

I thought the e3 had a full surface trim via a jack screw at the leading edge center in the fuselage so you could trim with less drag Dave H

[@Keevas2123]

I think you can trim the elevators. The flaps and elavator wheel sits together in the left part of the cockpit

[@andreastimper9848]

@@Keevas2123 Actually, you trim the whole stabilizer, the elevators just move with it.

[@gregbradshaw8441]

Great work. Perhaps in the description of your videos and in the on camera narration say where you are located. I know you're here in Washington state, but others might not.

[@paddybaker8707]

Great video. Well done. I didnt know the Emil had aileron droop. One more question, how did they get the cannon shells out from the central cannon?

[@paoloviti6156]

You mean the spent casings? Anyway the ammo is fed from the left wing and the spent casing is collected on the right...

[@troysmith5144]

This is wrong, the E did not have a engine cannon firing through the spinner. The first model with an engine mounted cannon was the F, the on ly pre-F model with a nose gun were some B model in Spain that had an MG17 firing through the spinner.

[@paoloviti6156]

This Bf 109E-3 is magnificently restored almost better then when it come out of the factory more than 70 years ago! Very interesting 👍👍👍

[@delta999999]

@Flying heritage & combat Armor Museum is there more information on the discovery and restoration? How much of the plane was left when it was recovered?

[@fredgarv79]

I live near the museum, this plane was found on the beach in france buried under the sand so it was well preserved. they think the pilot was returning from britian and crashed on the coast of france. go to their website they have all the information on every plane they have, where it was found and it's history of restoration

[@farminky]

Hopefully there will be some newer videos?

[@964cuplove]

Nice video thx….

[@mr.thiemo1406]

6:22 just noticed the 37mm wing cannon of a stuka in the back dang that thing is big. but i think all of the E series didn’t have motor cannons.

[@Killsnapz]

the provisions were there to install the nose cannon but they had issues with the gun jamming and this problem was not solved until the F model went into production. It was a vibration problem that was causing the cannon to jam. They had given up on it for the E model to the extent that the E-7 variant had a solid spinner with no hole in the center.

[@LordOfCinder85]

The E3 has four guns not five. It has two 7,92mm MG-17 over the engine and two 20mm MG FF in the wings.

[@BlackKnight344]

And one through the prop boss/spinner.

[@LordOfCinder85]

@@BlackKnight344 No the E3 has no gun firing through the propeller hub.

[@69jmcc]

Can we have an update on your ju87...

[@Idahoguy10157]

The Luftwaffe kept buying the Bf 109 because it could be upgraded. The Luftwaffe needed as many fighters as could be produced. So the FW190 never replaced it

[@siviter]

The BF109 and FW190 used different engines, which is the main reason both continued all the way to the end. They had the tooling and needed fighters. If they had the luxury of being able to do so, they would have made complete replacement for the 109 in around 1942.

[@paulbyrne6532]

I worked with an ex Luftwaffe pilot he flew the 109 and not once did he ever call it a BF when he spoke about flying 1 he always called it the ME109

[@andreastimper9848]

Yes, even back in the day, it was often referred to as Me 109, but the official correct denomination is Bf 109.

[@2000_bms]

Is there any update on your Me 262 and restoration to air worthiness? Hope you are doing well

[@josephstabile9154]

Re the tail: the entire tailplane IS adjustable for trim purposes from the cockpit. BTW, WHAT is the status of your Ju-87B Stuka? It's been something like 2-3 yrs without any updates...

[@umute1653]

Any update on this community and or it’s inventory?

[@kamilkarwacki4258]

Bf 109 E-3 had only 2 x 20mm MG-FF cannons. E-3 version didn't have a cannon shooting through the propeller. Thought you should know that and correct mistake. Cheers!

[@antartis73]

It was the intention was that the centreline motor MGFF 20mm be installed but it never has been documented that it was in the end due to vibration issues, so that piece of information on the video is incorrect. According to further research the aileron drooping mechanism could only be actuated when the flaps were fully lowered ie. in landing configuration only as if it was used in combat with flaps partially lowered it would have made the aircraft too stable and slow to maneuver. Apparently the drooping feature was only used in the E series and not beyond

[@jwhoward182]

Is this museum ever going to reopen?

[@abbynormabrain6664]

You can call it an ME-109! Even Messerschmitt referred to the aircraft as a ME-109 is servers documents! Although yes in general BF-109 would be the correct name.

[@AdmiralQuality]

Maybe you guys can finally give me an answer for this question I've been asking for a long time. I see when you push the slats in, they stay. I always assumed there was some degree of spring force keeping them out that are overcome when airspeed is sufficient. They don't seem to be spring-loaded though, so, assuming you start your takeoff roll with them pushed in, what force makes them come out before the plane reaches flying speed on takeoff? Is there some air duct, maybe?

[@Ala13ManOWar]

Nope, there aren't. And I don't know why you assume they'll come out before Vr, no matters their position at roll start they'll be in whenever it's airworthy, so who cares their previous position on ground.

[@AdmiralQuality]

@@Ala13ManOWar That was entirely unhelpful, thanks.

[@andreastimper9848]

Normally they are spring loaded, but those springs can easily be detached, which is probably the case here, I guess.

[@AdmiralQuality]

@@andreastimper9848 So you think she's just not rigged for flying then? I feel like I've seen this on a flying one too but I can't remember where. Anyway, thanks!

[@andreastimper9848]

@@AdmiralQuality yes, that would be my guess. Normally the springs kick them out when the pressure of the air stream is not big enough. At about 250 kph they get pressed in by the air pressure, at too high an AOA or when the speed drops below that threshold, they come out again

[@stewartgrant9832]

The tail plane DID have adjustable trim. The whole tail plane moved not just the elevator. You were stood right next to a big gap that enables it to travel in the fin! Dude your supposed to know this stuff!

[@melburns4378]

I get deja-vu self hate for every 109 model I spent week or months building then see that pitot tube trolling me under the left wing whilst decals are soaking.

[@markjamison9677]

Is that a restore or replicare . Good work but when something dead let it lay .

[@ZacYates]

I miss you guys, I hope it’s not long until we have news and updates.

[@evo5349]

This is a early one as the struts on the tail.

[@zanegrey4720]

Nice aircraft the bf109.

[@plasticflighthobbies6909]

Hi, 2 x 20mm cannon only...

[@M1GarandMan3005]

We need the Stuka airborne soon!! Get us some fresh clean new digital sound references of the JU-87 Jericho Air Siren so we don't have to listen to that redundant 1939 recording anymore.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

+@M1GarandMan3005 The museum was closed after Paul Allen's death. A new wealthy owner has bought the entire museum and will reopen soon, and hopefully resuming work on the current projects.

[@scottphillips8265]

How many Me109 are left in the world?

[@mgbrv8]

Hello?!?! You guys still there?

[@TheLincolnshireFlyer]

Was this aircraft restored at Watisham, England around 2005?

[@FiveCentsPlease]

+@TheLincolnshireFlyer Every Bf-109E that is flyable has come from Charleston Aviation in Essex. This one flew for the first time in 2008. Two more Bf-109E are in restoration in Germany.

[@sureshbhat69]

Where is this museum.

[@exospaceman8209]

It’s been a year and they haven’t uploaded a video ever since

[@heyho2752]

show us recentrly restored fw-190 F-8 with bmw801 engine

[@FiveCentsPlease]

+@hey ho The museum has a Fw-190A-5/U3 variant in JG54 colors, not an F-8.

[@fight2flyphoto]

And now the museum has been sold, thanks to Jody Allen. A single owner, who will be moving the entire thing "cross country".

[@paulwestenskow7302]

That whole plain was found under water and intacted?

[@FiveCentsPlease]

+@paulwestenskow7302 The underwater Bf-109E is a different wreck that has not been restored yet.

[@asahishot1667]

but very nice video:)

[@domingocolussi7762]

Hello, I think it is not an E3...the canopy looks like an E4..Rgds.

[@ChristianNelsonn]

Whether to call it Bf-109 or Me-109 has little to do with people knowing it was designed by Willy Messerschmitt. German Air Ministry regulations required the manufacturers' designation be in the aircraft model name, hence -for example- the Bf- and Fw- prefixes, for Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW) and Focke Wulf respectively. Later, in 1944, the Air Ministry decided that the designers' name be in the designation for all new models, hence the Me- and Ta- prefixes, for Willy Messerschmitt and Kurt Tank respectively, amongst others. Though it makes little difference nowadays.

[@devilshermannmatern6380]

To make things more complicated one should mention that by 1938 BFW was already bought by Messerschmidt and renamed to Messerschmidt AG. Bf was just in the name bcs of the name of the company at the time the designs were handed in.

[@asahishot1667]

The E Version off the Bf-109 dont have nose gun

[@devilshermannmatern6380]

@MRGRUMPY53 They tried to fit the centreline cannon on the E-2 and it didnt work, again, thats why there was no E-2 in service and E-3 didnt carry it, not even from factory, it just had two wing cannons. The whole centerline cannon project was so hopeless they closed the hole in the spinner on the E-7 model. They could make it work later using the MG151 instead the awful MG FF.

[@muellerm9768]

he is totalery all right.

[@edwardgrabot798]

I don't believe any Bf-109E's had the center canon setup. Bf-109 F's were the first to incorporate it in production aircraft.

[@hoodoo2001]

The BF-109E was a successful aircraft and should have been the last of the 109's, however, follow on 109's (which the Germans didn't really want but had to build) were compromise aircraft that compromised mission capability for moderate gains in performance. Sure it took a large toll of Soviet tactical aircraft including fighters, but it was more due to the capabilities of it's well trained pilots and tactics and the lack of same by the Soviets, but as pilot quality deteriorated as well as construction issues the plane was hard to keep in the air much less fight effectively. Challenging to take off and land, accidents by lesser capable pilots, resulted in a lot of unserviceability. Armament issues made the plane either clumsy in combat or incapable of taking out strategic fighters fielded by the United States. Comparative flight testing showed that allied pilots were able to get a lot more out of their planes due to inflight adjustments than the Germans.

[@puterboy2]

What about the Stuka?

[@fredgarv79]

the stuka is there and being restored. maybe it will be done by the end of this year. they also have a fully restored ME-262 jet that is currently undergoing it's possible first test flight in eastern washington. when I went to see the unveiling of the me-262, they had a Hienkel 111 bomber there waiting to be restored but they wouldn't talk about it

[@ab-cj2hd]

Shouldn’t the nose be painted yellow if it was in the Battle of Britain?

[@rockymac3565]

The yellow nose only became a common feature in late August 1940 and this particular example was shot down in July.

[@makam2089]

Holly shaky cam! Paul Greengrass would be proud.

[@justavideo6324]

the two person that disliked this video is probably a spitfire fanboy

[@jasonwinchester9350]

You asses better restore that god damn Stuka ASAP!

[@antartis73]

Aircraft don’t ‘get injured’ pilots do, aircraft usually get damaged in battle, nice restoration though

[@hammmodjabeer7278]

The best fighter in World War II

[@neilpemberton5523]

Absolutely not. The Bf109 never achieved air superiority over Western Europe. Determined Hurricane pilots shot down loads of them in 1940. To improve its performance after the RAF clearly won the Battle of Britain, Willy Messerschmitt took out the wing cannons so the Bf109F had only the one shooting through the propeller hub. That was fine for an experte pilot, but Spitfires had two wing cannons of their own by then. The only German fighter which clearly outmatched the Spitfire was the Fw190A, until a more powerful Merlin was installed in the Mk IX. The Fw190 was designed to take over from the Bf109. It had four cannons and didn't kill inexperienced pilots on take off and landing. Unfortunately for Hitler, his regime was too stupid and incompetent to transition to the Fw190. The Bf109 was a luxury the Luftwaffe couldn't afford. It's death knell should have been sounded when the RAF showed it was possible to get eight guns into its new fighters in the mid-30s. The size of the Bf109 was too small, in the final analysis. The best fighters were bigger, to carry enough guns, ammo and fuel to do the job. The huge losses of experienced fighter pilots in 1940 were never made up by the Luftwaffe for the rest of the war. The Bf109 was a great fighter, but it's limitations ultimately doomed the Luftwaffe to eventual defeat.

[@jd.3493]

Hahaha are you serious Hammmod? You obviously don’t follow WWII aircraft. 🤣

[@antartis73]

Best looking aircraft with beautiful paint schemes? Yes. Best aircraft?Certainly Not. I would fly in it as my favourite mount in any flight sim because of its many features but in later years it had very little in its favour apart from speed, climb and diving rate. Difficult to handle at high speeds, difficult to land on the best of days and yet I still love it. It’s the most iconic aircraft of ww2 for me. Better planes would have to be the Spitfire IX onwards, the P-51D, the Yak-3. The bf109G -K just could not compete on every aspect of a fight with them

[@itchy108]

Looks very small compared to American fighters

[@aceshigh6499]

What % is from the original aircraft and what % is completely fabricated? I can't see anything being usable after being in saltwater for 70 years.

[@white-wy6dg]

The data plate is all you need, but surprisingly some parts do survive in both steel and alloy .It seems the Germans anodized the alloy parts ,even the skins, which helps ,(although skins are always replaced.) They did use "elektron" here and there (or magnesium as I would call it ) and that just disappears over time.