The Bayerische Flugzeugwerke 109 (Bf 109), often called Me 109 after its designer Willy Messerschmitt, was Nazi Germany’s most important fighter aircraft, regarding operational importance and production numbers. Designed in response to a 1934 Luftwaffe specification for a high-performance single-seat fighter, the Bf 109 was the smallest airframe that could contain the most powerful in-line aero engine available while still carrying useful armament. The Jumo-powered Bf 109B, equipped with four 0.3-inch machine guns, went into service in 1937 and was immediately tested during the Spanish Civil War. The final mass-produced version of the Bf 109, the K model, entered service in the autumn of 1944 and had a top speed of 452 miles per hour and a ceiling of 41,000 feet. Some 35,000 Bf 109s were manufactured, more than double any other Axis aircraft.

When and where was the Bf 109 first used?

The Bf 109, designed by the Bavarian Airplane Company, was Nazi Germany’s most important fighter aircraft. The Jumo-powered Bf 109B, equipped with four 7.92-mm machine guns, first entered service in 1937 and was immediately tested in combat during the Spanish Civil War . There, it successfully engaged Soviet I-16 monoplanes and I-15 biplane fighters, partly due to the Luftwaffe’s innovative use of interplane radio for controlling formations in air-to-air combat.

What made the Bf 109 an important aircraft during World War II?

The Bf 109, also known as Me 109, was Nazi Germany’s most important fighter aircraft during World War II, both in terms of operational importance and production numbers. Designed by the Bavarian Airplane Company, it was created in response to a 1934 Luftwaffe specification for a high-performance, single-seat fighter. The Bf 109 saw action during the Spanish Civil War, where it successfully engaged Soviet I-16 monoplanes and I-15 biplane fighters. This success was partly attributed to the Luftwaffe's innovative use of interplane radio for controlling formations in air combat. The Bf 109E, a primary German fighter from the invasion of Poland through the Battle of Britain, had a top speed of 350 miles per hour and a ceiling of 36,000 feet. Approximately 35,000 Bf 109s were manufactured, which is more than double the number of any other Axis aircraft.

What were some key features or specifications of the Bf 109?

The Bf 109 , also known as the Me 109, was Nazi Germany’s most important fighter aircraft. Designed by the Bavarian Airplane Company, the Bf 109 was created in response to a 1934 Luftwaffe specification for a high-performance single-seat fighter. Entering service in 1937, the Jumo-powered Bf 109B featured four 0.3-inch machine guns and was tested in the Spanish Civil War. The Bf 109E, which was the main German fighter from the invasion of Poland in 1939 through the Battle of Britain, had a top speed of 350 miles per hour and a ceiling of 36,000 feet. It was armed with two 0.8-inch automatic cannons and two machine guns in the engine cowling. The final mass-produced model, the K model, had a maximum speed of 452 miles per hour and a ceiling of 41,000 feet.

How did the Bf 109 compare to other fighter planes of its time?

The Bf 109 , or Me 109, was Nazi Germany’s most important fighter aircraft. The Bf 109E, a principal German fighter, had a top speed of 350 miles per hour and a ceiling of 36,000 feet. It was superior to Allied fighters at low and medium altitudes but was outperformed by the British Spitfire above 15,000 feet. The Bf 109 was faster in a dive than the Spitfire and the Hurricane and, except for the Spitfire at high altitudes, could outclimb both. The Hurricane could outturn the Bf 109, as could the Spitfire with a skilled pilot. Other notable fighters of the early war years were the Zero, the Hawker Hurricane, and the Grumman F4F Wildcat.

Bf 109

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In full:: Bayerische Flugzeugwerke 109

Also called:: Me 109

Key People:: Gerhard Fieseler

Related Topics:: fighter aircraft; jet aircraft

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Bf 109

aircraft

Also known as: Bayerische Flugzeugwerke 109, Me 109, Messerschmitt 109, Messerschmitt Bf 109(Show More)

Written by

John F. Guilmartin

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

History

Top Questions

What is the Bf 109?
The Bayerische Flugzeugwerke 109 (Bf 109), often called Me 109 after its designer Willy Messerschmitt, was Nazi Germany’s most important fighter aircraft, regarding operational importance and production numbers. Designed in response to a 1934 Luftwaffe specification for a high-performance single-seat fighter, the Bf 109 was the smallest airframe that could contain the most powerful in-line aero engine available while still carrying useful armament.

The Jumo-powered Bf 109B, equipped with four 0.3-inch machine guns, went into service in 1937 and was immediately tested during the Spanish Civil War. The final mass-produced version of the Bf 109, the K model, entered service in the autumn of 1944 and had a top speed of 452 miles per hour and a ceiling of 41,000 feet. Some 35,000 Bf 109s were manufactured, more than double any other Axis aircraft.
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2. 11 of the World’s Most Famous Warplanes: Bf 109 fighter (Germany)
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When and where was the Bf 109 first used?
The Bf 109, designed by the Bavarian Airplane Company, was Nazi Germany’s most important fighter aircraft. The Jumo-powered Bf 109B, equipped with four 7.92-mm machine guns, first entered service in 1937 and was immediately tested in combat during the Spanish Civil War. There, it successfully engaged Soviet I-16 monoplanes and I-15 biplane fighters, partly due to the Luftwaffe’s innovative use of interplane radio for controlling formations in air-to-air combat.
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2. Bf 109
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Who designed and built the Bf 109?
The Bf 109, also known as the Me 109, was Nazi Germany’s most important fighter aircraft. Willy Messerschmitt, a German aircraft engineer and designer, designed the aircraft for the Bavarian Airplane Company in response to a 1934 Luftwaffe specification for a high-performance single-seat fighter. In 1938, the Augsburg company became the Messerschmitt-Aktien-Gesellschaft. About 35,000 Bf 109s were manufactured.
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What made the Bf 109 an important aircraft during World War II?
The Bf 109, also known as Me 109, was Nazi Germany’s most important fighter aircraft during World War II, both in terms of operational importance and production numbers. Designed by the Bavarian Airplane Company, it was created in response to a 1934 Luftwaffe specification for a high-performance, single-seat fighter.

The Bf 109 saw action during the Spanish Civil War, where it successfully engaged Soviet I-16 monoplanes and I-15 biplane fighters. This success was partly attributed to the Luftwaffe's innovative use of interplane radio for controlling formations in air combat. The Bf 109E, a primary German fighter from the invasion of Poland through the Battle of Britain, had a top speed of 350 miles per hour and a ceiling of 36,000 feet. Approximately 35,000 Bf 109s were manufactured, which is more than double the number of any other Axis aircraft.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Bf 109
2. 11 of the World’s Most Famous Warplanes: Bf 109 fighter (Germany)
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What were some key features or specifications of the Bf 109?
The Bf 109, also known as the Me 109, was Nazi Germany’s most important fighter aircraft. Designed by the Bavarian Airplane Company, the Bf 109 was created in response to a 1934 Luftwaffe specification for a high-performance single-seat fighter.

Entering service in 1937, the Jumo-powered Bf 109B featured four 0.3-inch machine guns and was tested in the Spanish Civil War. The Bf 109E, which was the main German fighter from the invasion of Poland in 1939 through the Battle of Britain, had a top speed of 350 miles per hour and a ceiling of 36,000 feet. It was armed with two 0.8-inch automatic cannons and two machine guns in the engine cowling. The final mass-produced model, the K model, had a maximum speed of 452 miles per hour and a ceiling of 41,000 feet.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Bf 109
2. 11 of the World’s Most Famous Warplanes: Bf 109 fighter (Germany)
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How did the Bf 109 compare to other fighter planes of its time?
The Bf 109, or Me 109, was Nazi Germany’s most important fighter aircraft. The Bf 109E, a principal German fighter, had a top speed of 350 miles per hour and a ceiling of 36,000 feet. It was superior to Allied fighters at low and medium altitudes but was outperformed by the British Spitfire above 15,000 feet. The Bf 109 was faster in a dive than the Spitfire and the Hurricane and, except for the Spitfire at high altitudes, could outclimb both. The Hurricane could outturn the Bf 109, as could the Spitfire with a skilled pilot.

Other notable fighters of the early war years were the Zero, the Hawker Hurricane, and the Grumman F4F Wildcat.
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Bf 109, Nazi Germany’s most important fighter aircraft, both in operational importance and in numbers produced. It was commonly referred to as the Me 109 after its designer, Willy Messerschmitt.

Designed by the Bavarian Airplane Company in response to a 1934 Luftwaffe specification for a high-performance single-seat fighter, the Bf 109 was, in essence, the smallest airframe that could be wrapped around the most powerful in-line aero engine available and still carry useful armament. Because Germany’s aviation industry had started from scratch following Adolf Hitler’s recent abrogation of the Treaty of Versailles prohibition on aircraft production, the only engine available in 1934 was a Junkers Jumo of only 210 horsepower (though Daimler-Benz had far-more-powerful engines on the drawing board). The resulting design was a small, angular low-wing monoplane with closely set main landing gear that retracted outward into the wings. The first prototype flew in October 1935—powered by a British Rolls-Royce engine, since even the Jumo was not yet available. The Jumo-powered Bf 109B, armed with four 7.92-mm (0.3-inch) machine guns, entered service in 1937 and was immediately tested in combat in the Spanish Civil War. There it fought with success against Soviet I-16 monoplanes and I-15 biplane fighters, in part because of the Luftwaffe’s pioneering use of interplane radio to control formations in air-to-air combat.

Meanwhile, fuel-injected Daimler-Benz DB601 engines in the 1,000-horsepower range had become available, resulting in the Bf 109E, armed with two wing-mounted 20-mm (0.8-inch) automatic cannons and two machine guns in the engine cowling. (An additional cannon was to fire through the propeller hub, but this was not immediately successful.) The Bf 109E, the principal German fighter from the invasion of Poland in 1939 through the Battle of Britain (1940–41), had a top speed of 350 miles (570 km) per hour and a ceiling of 36,000 feet (11,000 metres). It was superior to anything the Allies could muster at low and medium altitudes, but it was outperformed by the British Spitfire at altitudes above 15,000 feet (4,600 metres). It was faster in a dive than both the Spitfire and the Hurricane and, except for the Spitfire at high altitudes, could also outclimb both. The Hurricane was considerably slower, but it could outturn the Messerschmitt, as could the Spitfire in the hands of a skilled pilot. In addition, the Messerschmitt’s range was severely limited by its small fuel capacity, and its closely set landing gear was prone to ground looping and collapse on muddy fields—a deficiency that cost the Luftwaffe dearly.

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By 1941 improved models of the Spitfire had outclassed DB601-powered Bf 109s, and the latter had given way to the Bf 109G, powered by the 1,400-horsepower DB605. The Bf 109G was produced in greater numbers than any other model and served on all fronts. It was armed with a pair of 0.5-inch (12.7-mm) machine guns in the engine cowling and a 0.8-inch cannon firing through the propeller hub; an additional pair of cannons or launching tubes for 8.3-inch (210-mm) rockets could be mounted beneath the wings for shooting down U.S. heavy bombers such as the B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator. The plane’s combat range and loiter time were extended by jettisonable external fuel tanks, but, because of aluminum shortages, pilots were strictly enjoined not to jettison them except in the direst of emergencies—thus negating many of their advantages. When U.S. fighters such as the P-51 Mustang began to operate deep inside Germany with the aid of external fuel tanks in early 1944, the Bf 109’s underwing armament was abandoned in order to retain the performance essential for survival in air-to-air combat. U.S. bomber losses declined accordingly.

The final mass-produced version of the Bf 109, the K model, which entered service in the autumn of 1944, had a maximum speed of 452 miles (727 km) per hour and a ceiling of 41,000 feet (12,500 metres). The later models of the Bf 109 had excellent diving and climbing performance, but they were less maneuverable and more difficult to fly than earlier versions. Some 35,000 Bf 109s were manufactured in all, more than double the number of any other Axis aircraft. The Spanish Air Force used Messerschmitts refitted with Rolls-Royce Merlin engines well into the 1960s, and the Bf 109 continued in production in Czechoslovakia after the war as the Avia 199. Avia 199s were among the first fighters acquired by the nascent Israeli Air Force in 1948.

John F. Guilmartin

Bf 109

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