German Luftwaffe Warplanes, 1939-1945: Messerschmitt

German Warplanes flown by the Luftwaffe 1939-1945, Messerschmitt

During and after the end of the Second War a number of German Warplanes were captured and evaluated by the Allied forces.  Most of these aircraft were later scrapped and therefore only a handful have survived.  This is a partial list of aircraft that were known to have been flown by the Luftwaffe.

Während und nach dem Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs wurden eine Reihe deutscher Kampfflugzeuge von den Alliierten erbeutet und ausgewertet.  Die meisten dieser Flugzeuge wurden später verschrottet und daher haben nur eine Handvoll überlebt. Dies ist eine unvollständige Liste von Flugzeugen, von denen bekannt war, dass sie von der Luftwaffe geflogen wu

Deutsche Kampfflugzeuge der Luftwaffe 1939-1945, Messerschmitt

(USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Bf 108B-1 Taifun, (Wk. Nr. 8378), trainer and light transport, USA FE-4610, later T2-4610 in the USA post war.  This aircraft is now with the Planes of Fame Museum, Chino, California.

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109F three flight formation in Luftwaffe service.

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6, coded "White 2+1", in Luftwaffe service.  

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4/Trop, coded "Black 8", JG 27, operating from Libya, 1941.

Messerschmitt Bf 109

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a Luftwaffe single-seat fighter manufactured by Bayerische FlugzeugWerk. This aircraft was flown by the majority of Luftwaffe air aces and was used to score more kills than any other Axis aircraft. More than 30,000 Bf 109 were produced and at least a dozen major variants were developed during and after the war.

Post war, in addition to the Spanish and Czechoslovakian Air Forces, both Finland and Switzerland continued to use the Bf 109 operationally until the late 1950s.  The then-new nation of Israel purchased 25 Avia S-199s (23 delivered) when, due to being embargoed, it was unable to acquire aircraft from other sources. The Israel Air Force retired its aircraft in early 1949.

Between 1945 & 1948, most Bf 109s were scrapped or destroyed.  Some examples were kept for use as war trophies or technical examples for further studies.  For the next 23 years, these were the first generation of Bf 109 survivors.

In 1967, the producers of the movie Battle of Britain wanted a large and accurate group of aircraft for use onscreen. Fortunately, the Spanish Air Force was starting to retire its HA-1112s and an agreement was reached to use these aircraft. The Confederate Air Force (later renamed the Commemorative Air Force), had also just purchased numerous examples of the HA-1112. These aircraft were also leased for the production of this movie. For the next 35 years, these Spanish Bf 109s were the mainstay for numerous Second World War aviation movies and television work, including Hanover Street, Memphis Belle, The Tuskegee Airmen and Piece of Cake just to name a few.

Starting in late 1988, Bf 109s were among numerous crashed examples of Second World War aircraft still extant in Russia that were being recovered for restoration. Other examples of the early models of the Bf 109 have been found in crash sites in France and Italy (as well as several aircraft recovered where they had been buried in Germany). These aircraft with known combat histories are the foundation of the current wave of recovered/restored Bf 109s with further discoveries anticipated.

About twenty of the surviving Bf 109s that have survived served at one time with the Luftwaffe fighter wing Jagdgeschwader 5, more than with any other Axis military aviation unit that existed in the Second World War.

Bf 109 B-0/V-10a, (Wk. Nr. 1010). During excavation works at Oberschleißheim/Munich in 1989, a number of buried aircraft wrecks were discovered. One was a rarity from 1937, a Bf 109 B/V-10a. This aircraft is the oldest existing Bf 109, and is owned by the Bayerische Flugzeug Historiker, Reg. No. D-IAKO.   The aircraft is being restored under the patronage of the Bayerischen Flugzeug Historiker e.V. Identification of the wreck had been difficult, but it was found to be 80% complete. Because of the damage to the aircraft’s Jumo 210 engine, it was given to the Deutsches Museum, while the restorers search for a more intact Jumo 210. The aircraft will likely be restored to static condition for display.

(Arun Sarup Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109E-1, (Wk. Nr. 790), coded "6-106", JG2/88, Condor Legion, Spanish Air Force C4E-106, <-+-, AJ+YM, 2804, is preserved in the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany. This aircraft was originally built as an E-1, and may be the oldest surviving Bf 109, as it was produced in 1939. It was flown by the 2./J88 in Spain with the Condor Legion, carrying the code 6 o 106. 790 remained in Spain after the Spanish Civil War, and was used by the Spanish Air Force, serving with a number of fighter squadrons until 1954. Spain transferred the aircraft to the Deutsches Museum at the request of Willy Messerschmitt in 1960 wearing the colours of JG 26, and was repainted with the code AJ+YH. In 1974, the aircraft was again repainted, and currently wears the markings of a Bf 109, flown by Werner Mölders during his time with the JG 51.

Messerschmitt Bf 109E-1, (Wk. Nr. 854), Charleston Aviation Services, Colchester, England.

(NJR ZA Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3, (Wk. Nr. 1289), ex-SH + FA, ex-2/JG 26 (Schlageter), coded  "Red 2", was delivered to JG 26 in 1939, coded as SH + EA, coded "Black 2".  The aircraft crash-landed at Udimor, England and the unrestored remains are preserved in the South African Museum of Military History, Johannesburg, South Africa.  Bf 109E-3, (Wk. Nr. 1342), "Yellow 8", 6/JG51, G-BYDS, N342FH.  This aircraft flown by Eduard Hemmerling crashed 29 July 1940. It has been extensively rebuilt and is under restoration in England by Charleston Aviation Services for the Flying Heritage Collection, Seattle, Washington. It was previously with the Alpine Deer Group, Wanaka, New Zealand.

(RAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3, (Wk. Nr. 1304), coded "White 1" before being painted with RAF roundels and designated AE479.

(Hugh Llewelyn Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf-109E-4/B, (Wk. Nr. 4101), coded "Black 12", operated by I/JG51.  This aircraft force landed at Manston, Kent, on 27 Nov 1940.  It was repaired and flown as RAF DG200 at Hucknall.  Later on. it appeared in the Battle of Britain film before being displayed at the Royal Air Force Museum at RAF St Athan (1969-1978).  It is currently on display in the RAF Museum at Hendon, England.

(Clemens Vasters Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4/N, (Wk. Nr. 1190) coded "White 4", 4/JG26 originally built as an E-3, is in the Imperial War Museum, London. In September 1940, 1190 was based at Marquise-Est and belonged to 4/JG 26, coded White 4, when it was shot down above Beachy Head.  The pilot, Horst Perez, managed to belly-land his airplane and survived. (Wk. Nr. 1190) was initially transferred to Farnborough, but was later exhibited in Canada and the USA. The aircraft returned to Britain in 1968 in fairly dilapidated condition. Privately it was partly restored and since 2000 has been displayed in a crash-landing scene at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford.

(Ricardo Reis Photos)

(Ra Boe Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4, (Wk. Nr. 1407), 14/JG77, coded "Red 5", previously "Black 2", 5/JG77.  Originally built as an E-3 by Erla Maschinenwerke GmbH Leipzig and was delivered to the Luftwaffe on 28 November 1939 to II./JG 77, operating in Norway. 1407 was shot down in air combat on 17 July 1941 in the vicinity of Murmansk, on the Kola peninsula, although the pilot was able to make an emergency landing on a lake and survived. The aircraft sank when the ice melted and remained in the water until the wreck was salvaged in 1993.  After its recovery, a red “5” was found on the right side of the fuselage, but also a Black 2 was coded on the left side, indicating the aircraft was used by more than one unit. The aircraft was registered as "Red 5" when flown with II/JG 77,until she was damaged during a forced landing at Hiltra airfield near Drontheim, Norway on 27 October 1940. The plane was repaired and put back in service as ‘Black 2’ with the II/ JG 77 until shot down in 1941.  The Bf 109 was restored in Hungary and is now on display in the new aviation hall of Deutsches Technik Museum in Berlin.

(Clemens Vasters Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3, (Wk. Nr. 1342) 6./JG51, coded "Yellow 8".  This aircraft flown by Eduard Hemmerling was shot down on 29 June 1940.  It was discovered in 1988 off Cape Blanc Nez, Normandy, France, and restored at Charlston Aircraft.  It is on display with the Flying Heritage Collection, Paine Field, Everett, Washington, Reg. No. N342FH.  

(Jacobst Photo)

Bf 109E-7, (Wk. Nr. 3579) coded "White 14", (J)/JG-2, ex-"White 7", 4/JG77, Reg. No. CF-EML, was privately owned by the Russell Group based at St Catherines, Ontario.  Originally built as an E-1 and later modified to E-7, this aircraft is airworthy.  Wk. Nr. 3579 may be the oldest flying Bf 109.  Previously owned by David Price, the director of Museum of Flying in Santa Monica, this aircraft was produced by Arado.  During the war, it was initially flown by Lehrgeschwader 2, operating with JG 77, and at least one unconfirmed report claims it was flown by Hans-Joachim Marseille.  Wk. Nr. 3579 was lost on 2 September 1940, but was repaired and transferred to the Eastern Front, where it was again shot down.  In 1991 the wreckage was recovered and transported to the UK, along with other wreckage.  Wk. Nr. 3579 is painted in the same markings it carried during its first crash in September 1940, coded "White 14".  The Canadians acquired it at the end of 2003.  Bf 109 E-7, (Wk. Nr. 3579)  has been sold to a collector in England.

(RAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109F-2, (Wk. Nr. 12764), from 2./JG26, was shot down near St Margaret’s Bay, Dover, after combat with Supermarine Spitfires on 10 July 1941.  Designated RAF ES906, this aircraft was repaired and test flown at Farnborough.  It crashed on 20 Oct 1941 and was struck off charge (SoC).

Messerschmitt Bf 109F

The Messerschmitt Bf 109F was powered by a Daimler-Benz 601E liquid cooled inverted V12 with 1,300-hp. It had a wing span of 32’6½”, a length of 29’½”, and a height of 8’6”. It weighed 4,330 lbs empty and 6,054 lbs with maximum load. It had maximum speed of 390-mph at 22,000’; a maximum rate of climb of 3,320 feet per minute; a range of 440 miles; and a service ceiling of 37,000’. It was armed with one 15-mm MG 151 mounted between cylinder heads and firing through the propeller hub with 200 rpg; and two 7.9-mm MG 17 mounted above the engine with 500 rpg.

 (NJR ZA Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109F-2/Trop, (Wk. Nr. 31010), coded "White 6", JG27, South African National Museum of Military History, Johannesburg, South Africa.

(Author Photos)

Messerschmitt Bf 109F-4/Z, (Wk. Nr. 10132), coded "CD+LZ", 2./JG 5, Stab II./JG 54, is on display in the Canada Air and Space Museum, Ottawa, Ontario.  This aircraft incorporates parts of (Wk. Nr. 26129).  (Wk. Nr. 10132) was allocated to JG 5 in May/June 1942, where it was assigned to Hauptmann Horst Carganico, an air ace with 15 victories serving with 6. /JG 5.  On 8 August 1942, his aircraft was hit in the fuselage, wings and the oil cooler by gunfire during an air battle above the Arctic port of Murmansk in the former Soviet Union, causing him to make an emergency landing on enemy territory.  Carganico was rescued by a crew flying a Fieseler Fi 156 Storch.  The Soviets recovered (Wk. Nr.10132), and sent it to the “Museum of the North” in Severomorsk.  In 1995, the Russians sold the plane to Aero Vintage Ltd. in England, where it was restored in its original colours.  The restoration team made the decision to preserve the aircraft’s historical integrity, and thus the original bullet holes were not repaired and remain visible.  One of the bullet hits is visible on one of the propeller blades for example.  On 9 June 1999, the plane was transferred to Canada by Canadian Forces aircraft and delivered to the Canada Aviation Museum in Ottawa, where it was reassembled and put on display.  CASM.

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2 “Gustav”, (Wk. Nr. 14329 or 14629), coded "Black 14" from 2(H)14 before it was painted in USAAF markings X8-7 and the name “Irmgard” painted in Germanic lettering on the side.  This aircraft was captured by airmen of the 87th FS, 79th Fighter Group, and shipped to the USA where it was used for structural tests before being scrapped.   (USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2/Trop, (Wk. Nr. 10639), coded "Black 6", captured by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in Libya, later coded CV-V, RAF RN228.   (RAAF Photo)

(Mike Freer, Touchdown-aviation Photos)

(Dapi89 Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2/Trop, (Wk. Nr. 10639), coded "Black 6" from III./JG77, RAF RN228, is with the RAF Museum, Hendon. 10639, was produced in September or October 1942 at Erla in Leipzig, and entered service with the Luftwaffe on 13 October 1942, coded as PG + QJ.  Eight days later it was transferred to 8./JG 27, coded as "Black 6".  During air combat over the African desert, 10639 was damaged by a Curtis P-40E Warhawk. The Bf 109’s pilot, Heinz Lüdermann, landed at Gambut, where the plane was captured by the RAAF and coded CV-V by Flying Officer McCrae on 13 November 1942. 10639 was shipped to Liverpool one year later, and was test flown from February 1944 and November 1945.  It was stored until 1953, then briefly displayed. In 1961 an initial restoration was attempted but later cancelled. A second restoration began in 1972 and with the support of a number of European companies, the project was successfully completed in the 1990s.  Black 6 performed in a number of air shows before suffering heavy damage in a crash at Duxford on 21 October 1997. Although the fighter was restored to airworthy condition, the fighter will not be flown again, and on 9 March 2000 it was presented to the RAF Museum at Hendon.

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6/U2, (Wk. Nr. 412951), coded "White 16" of I./JG 301, RAF TP814.  This aircraft was captured when its pilot, Lt. Horst Prenzel, Staffelkapitan of JG 301, landed at RAF Manston by mistake, following a Wilde Sau (Wild Boar) sortie over the invasion area against night bombers on 21 July 1944.  Another Bf 109 also attempted to land with him, but crashed.  (RAF Photo)

(Renato Spilimbergo Carvalho Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2, (Wk. Nr. 14256), coded "Yellow 14", a new build airframe with original wings of an unknown airframe.  It is on display in the Museu Asas de um Sonho, (Wings of a Dream Museum), São Carlos, Brazil.

 (Petr Kadlec Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-4, (Wk. Nr. 19310), BH + XN, ex 4./JG 52, coded "White 3", "Nesthäkchen".  This aircraft is in the Technik Museum, Speyer, Germany.  (Wk. Nr. 19310) is the only known surviving Bf 109G-4.  It was built late in February or early March 1943 at Wiener Neustadt. BH + XN is the original marking in which it was delivered to 4./JG 52, where it was registered as White 2, painted with a red heart and given the nickname “Nesthäkchen”.  On 20 March 1943, Oberleutnant von Coester was forced to ditch on the Black Sea due to a damaged engine on the Black Sea.  He died in the crash, and the aircraft sank.  19310 was recovered in 1977 and stored outdoors until the 1990s, when it was purchased by a Canadian.  The aircraft was moved to Milan, Italy, where restoration was completed using parts from other aircraft. On 9 October 1999, “Nesthäkchen” was put on display.  The Traditionsgemeinschaft JG 52 borrowed the aircraft for one year and placed it on display at Speyer.  The Museum and the Traditionsgemeinschaft raised the funds to purchase 19310, thus keeping it in Germany, which took place in late 2003.

(Alan Wilson Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6, Wk. Nr. 411768), ex-FN+RX, ex-RW+ZI, ex-II./JG 5, coded "Black 1", rebuilt from a crash site. This aircraft is displayed in the Vadim Zadorozhny Technical Museum, Arkangelskoye, Moscow, Russia.

(Kogo Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10, (Wk. Nr. 151591), coded "Red 2+~", 1st Staffel, Nachtjagergeschwader 11, Reg. No. D-FDME,  reconstructed with original Bf 109 parts and wings from a Spanish-built HA-112-M1, with the Messerschmitt Foundation in Germany.

(350z33 Photo)

( Concord Photos)

Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6, (Wk. Nr. 160163), coded 2+1, USA FE-496, on display in the National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.

Bf 109G-6/R3, (Wk. Nr. 160756) originally coded "Yellow 4", 3/JG4, KT+LL, is in the NASM in the USA, painted as White 2, III./JG27 (Wk. Nr. 160163).  During a transfer flight, leading from Maniago to Gedi in Italy, the pilot, Unteroffizier Rene Darbois, left his formation and landed at Santa Maria, where he handed over his aircraft to the Allied forces. Considerable restoration work was conducted on this aircraft between 1972 and 1974, but its true identification (documents and the type-plate) was not discovered until 1997.  The NASM’s Bf 109G-6 is one of 21,000 of this model which were completed by the end of 1944.  Known as “Gustav,” the museum’s Bf 109G fighter was shipped to the United States with a number of other Luftwaffe aircraft near the end of the war for evaluation. It was stripped of all its unit markings and camouflage; even its serial number was eradicated. The FE-496 number assigned to it by the Air Technical Intelligence Command while operating at Wright and Freeman Field was its only identity. The Messerschmitt was transferred from the Air Force to the NASM in 1948 along with a group of other the Second World War aircraft which were stored at O’Hare Field, Illinois. Later, the collection was moved to the museum’s storage facility at Silver Hill, Maryland, near Washington, D.C. As of April 1974 the aircraft had been totally restored inside and out, carrying the selected camouflage and markings of ship number 2 of the 7th Squadron. 3rd Group, 27th Wing that operated in the Eastern Mediterranean in late 1943. As an escort fighter, it carries the two-tone grey camouflage pattern design. This Bf 109G-6 is one of the best preserved and most completely and accurately restored Messerschmitt fighters in the world today.

(Diego bf109 Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6, (Wk. Nr. 163306), coded RQ + DR, coded “Red 3”, ex JGr. West, crashed into a lake near of Gebbert (today Jaworz) airbase during a transfer flight on 28 May 1944, causing the death of its pilot Feldwebel Ernst Pleines. The aircraft belonged to Jagdgruppe West. 163306 was recovered from Lake Trzebun near Danzig in June 1999 by the Polish aviation foundation “Polish Eagles.”   It is now located at Fundacja Polskie Orly, sometimes displayed in the Muzeum Lotnictwa, Polskiego, Krakow, Poland.

(Australian War Memorial Photo,  P05491 001)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6/U4, (Wk. Nr. 163824), NF+FY.  No Air Ministry number was allocated to this aircraft.  This Bf 109 was built as a G-6 with standard canopy in autumn 1943 by Messerschmitt in Regensburg, in March 1944 it was converted into a G-6/AS with ERLA-canopy and, after battle damage, rebuilt as a G-6/U4 in late 1944.  It is now on display in the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia.

(AWM Photo)

(Brendan Cowan Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6/U4, (Wk. Nr. 163824), NF+FY.  This aircraft was captured by the allied forces towards the end of the Second World War and in 1946 it was located at an RAF Maintenance Unit, in Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom.  This aircraft (and a Messerschmitt 163 Komet) were sent to Australia not long after the war as a gift from Britain in recognition of Australia's contribution to the air war in Europe during the Second World War.  A small painted inscription below the canopy indicates that it was refurbished in December 1944 (possibly at Munster) with the starboard wing and the fuselage stern frame being replaced.  Non standard fuselage cowls possibly indicate a change of engine type.  It is believed to be the most complete example of the dozen or so still in existence around the world.  It is probably the only surviving example still wearing the original paintwork which was applied by the Luftwaffe in 1944.  It is currently on display in the Australian War Museum, Canberra, Australia.

Bf 109G-6/U4, (Wk. Nr. 163824) coded NF+FY, G-SMIT, was produced at Regensburg in 1944, within the last batch of the G-6 series. It was tested at Puchhof airfield and was damaged in the same year. It is unknown what unit used this Messerschmitt. During December 1944, the plane was refurbished at “Ludwig Hansen & Co.” repair facilities, according to an inscription found on the aircraft “M.C.Y. 31.12.1944”, receiving a new starboard wing, a new stern section and a changed engine cowl.  After the war the British captured 163824 at Eggebek airfield. The aircraft was transferred to England and in 1946 it was crated and shipped to Australia, together with a Messerschmitt Me 163, as a gift to the Australian Government.  The two aircraft were stored until 1954, when they were transferred to the Australian War Memorial.  (Wk. Nr. 163824) was sold several times, before being returned to the Australian War Memorial in 1987, with the provision that the Memorial “ensure the restoration and preservation of the aircraft..and that the aircraft will be maintained for the general public.” Restoration work began in 2002.  Except for missing armament the plane is complete in all respects.  163824 is the only Bf 109 wearing its original camouflage and markings, a 1944 day-fighter scheme, with variations resulting from service repairs and replacements.

(USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10, (Wk. Nr. 770269), coded 5F+12, 2. NAGr 14, captured at Fürth, May 1945, with a North American P-51D Mustang in the background.

(NMUSAF Photos)

(Goshimini Photo)

(Martin McGuire Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10/U4 Gustav (Serial No. 61-0824), C/N 610824, coded "Blue 4". This aircraft was captured at Neubiberg, near Munich, Germany in May 1945.  It was shipped to the USA on HMS Reaper and tested as USA FE-124, later T2-124, at Freeman Field, Indiana.  This aircraft is currently preserved in the National Museum of the USAF, Dayton, Ohio.  It is painted as (Wk. Nr. 610824), “Blue 4” of JG 300, “Wild Sau.”

(Valder137 Photo)

(Clemens Vasters Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10/U4, (Wk. Nr. 610937), airworthy.  This aircraft is on display in the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon.

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109E pair in flight.

(Dustin May Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109E hulk undergoing restoration at the Planes of Fame Museum, Chino, California.

(USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10/U-4, (Wk. Nr. 611943), 11/JG52, coded "Yellow 13", USA FE-122, later TE-122, now in the Planes of Fame Museum.  

(Author Photos)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10/U-4, (Wk. Nr. 611943) 11/JG52, coded "Yellow 13", USA FE-122, later TE-122, now in the Planes of Fame Museum, Valle, near the Grand Canyon, Arizona.  This aircraft was found in the area of Munich by US troops, and later transported to Cherbourg, France, where it was loaded on HMS Reaper and transferred to the USA.  Yellow 13 was test flown with the registration numbers USA FE-122 and later T2-122, then loaned to a high school before being purchased privately.  It was sold to Ed Maloney in 1959, who added the aircraft to his “Planes of Fame” Museum collection.  It has had a number of colour schemes over the years.

(USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10, (Wk. Nr. unknown), captured at Neubiberg and restored at Freeman Field and shown here on static display at Petterson AFB, Ohio, coded "Black 7", USA FE-123, later T2-123.  Last seen in the 1950s, fate unknown.

(Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-487-3066-04)

Messerschmitt  Bf 109 G-6, coded "Black 12+-".  This "Kanonenvogel" is equipped with the Rüstsatz VI underwing gondola cannon kit.

(USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt  Bf 109 G-6 Kanonenvogel equipped with the Rüstsatz VI underwing gondola cannon kit, USAAF.

(Rottweiler Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-14, (Wk. Nr. 784993), ex IV./JG53, coded "White 13", in the Aviaticum, Wiener Neustadt, Germany, a new build Bf 109G-6 which has the original wings and the markings of (Wk. Nr. 784993).  This JG 53 fighter was shot down on 1 Jan 1945 during Operation Bodenplatte, while being flown by Uffz Herbert Maxis.  White 13 is now preserved in the Museum of Aviation in Kosice, Slovakia.  

(Luftwaffe Photos)

Like the Fw 190, the Bf 109 was mounted on top of a Junkers Ju 88H-1 bomber as part of a Mistel combination.  The composite comprised a small piloted control aircraft mounted above a large explosives-carrying drone, the Mistel, and as a whole was referred to as the Huckepack ("Piggyback"), also known as the Beethoven-Gerät ("Beethoven Device") and Vati und Sohn ("Daddy and Son").  The most successful of these used a modified Junkers Ju 88 bomber as the Mistel, with the entire nose-located crew compartment replaced by a specially designed nose filled with a large load of explosives, formed into a shaped charge.  The upper component was a fighter like the Bf 109, joined to the Mistel by struts.  The combination would be flown to its target by a pilot in the fighter; then the unmanned bomber was released to hit its target and explode, leaving the fighter free to return to base.  The first such composite aircraft flew in July 1943 and was promising enough to begin a programme by Luftwaffe test unit KG 200, code-named "Beethoven", eventually entering operational service.  Other Mistel composites included the Ta 154/Fw 190, Ar 234/Fi 103, Do 217K/DFS 288 and Si 204/Lippisch D-1.

(Luftwaffe Photos)

Other Messerschmitt Bf 109 variants included the Bf 109K-4 which was developed from the G-10, powered by one Daimler-Benz 605 liquid cooled inverted V12 with 1,550-hp.  It had a wing span of 32’6½”, a length of 29’4” and a height of 8’6”. It had a maximum loaded weight of 7,438 lbs.  It had a maximum speed of 452-mph at 19,685’, a maximum rate of climb of 4,823 feet per minute; a range of 365 miles; and a service ceiling of 41,000’.  It was armed with one 30-mm Mk 108 or Mk 103 mounted between the cylinder heads and firing through the propeller hub, and two 15mm MG 151 mounted above the engine.

(Bergfalke2 Photo)

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 209V1.  One Messerschmitt Me 209V1, (Wk. Nr. 1185) coded D-INJR, is with the Muzeum Lotnictwa I Astronautyki, Krakow, Poland.  Only the fuselage and major parts, no wings.  This aircraft was a high-speed prototype developed to set speed records.

(Hungarian Air Force Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109F, Hungarian Air Force.

(Romanian Air Force Photos)

Messerschmitt Bf 109E, Royal Romanian Air Force.

The Bf 109 was licence-produced by IAR at Brasov in Romania, and by Avia in Czechoslovakia after the war as the Avia CS-199.  Three of these aircraft still exist:

(Czech Air Force Photo)

Avia CS-199, Czech Air Force, post war.

(AlfvanBeem Photo)

Avia CS-199, (Wk. Nr. 199565) coded UC-26, with the Vojenske Muzeum, Kbely Air Base, Prague, Czech Republic.

 (AlfvanBeem Photo)

Avia S-199, (Wk. Nr. 199178) "UC-25È, Vojenske Muzeum, Kbely Air Base, Prague, Czech Republic.

(Bukvoed Photo)

Avia S-199, (Wk. Nr. 782358), D 112, coded 1207 is in the Israeli Air Force Museum, Hazerim Air Force Base, Israel.  Israel purchased 25 Avia S-199s (23 delivered) when, due to being embargoed, it was unable to acquire aircraft from other sources. The Israel Air Force retired its aircraft in early 1949.  The Czech-built “Mezec” was flown by Israel against the Egyptian Air Force in 1948.

Spain undertook licence-assembly of the Bf 109 during and after the war using Hispano-Suiza 12-Z-89 and 12-Z-17 engines in German-supplied airframes and later Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. These aircraft (nicknamed “Buchón”) were designated Hispano Aviación HAS 1109-J1L, HA-K1L (two-seater) and HA 1112-K1L and remained in service until the 1960s. There are at least 38 Buchóns preserved around the world.

 (Dirk1981 Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2.  This aircraft is a Spanish-built Hispano Aviación HA-1109-K1L C.4J rebuilt as a Bf 109G-2 with DB605 engine., on display in the Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr - Flugplatz Berlin-Gatow (Bundeswehr Museum of Military History - Berlin-Gatow Airfield), Germany.

(Clemens Vasters Photo)

Hispano Aviación HA-1109-K1L Buchón C/N unknown, C.4J, restored as a Bf 109G-2 for the Airbus Group, Musée Aerocopia, Allée André Turcat, 31700 Blagnac, France.  It flew with the Spanish Air Force as C.4 K-21.  It crashed on May 26, 1958 during takeoff.  It was used in a children's playground until 1968, when it was refurbished for static use in the movie "Battle of Britain".  It was restored to a G-2 status with a DB 605 A engine.

(Airwolfhound Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G, Reg. No. D-FWME, "Red 7" (Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L Buchón), the Messerschmitt Foundation, Germany.

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L Buchón C/N 139, coded C.4K-75, D-FWME, N3109, was produced in 1950 at Hispano in Spain, although did not enter service with the Spanish Air Force until eight years later. In 1965 the plane was withdrawn from service and parked at the airbase in Tablada, where it stood for three years, until it was purchased for the movie Battle of Britain and optically converted into a Bf 109 E-4. While being flown for another movie, the aircraft crashed on takeoff and was severely damaged in 1968. Later, this “Buchón” went to England, before it was shipped to the USA, where it was restored and repaired up to 1986. During the first test-flight, the plane again crashed and was again heavily damaged. Afterwards this it was converted into a Bf 109 for static display. In 1994/95 the plane was shipped to France and later to Augsburg, Germany, where it was put up for sale. In 1997, the aircraft was purchased and later rebuilt with a DB605 engine as converted to a Bf 109G-4 in Germany in 2004. The rebuilt aircraft was flight tested on 23 August 2004 by Walter Eichhorn, who also flies the Bf 109 G-6 and G-10 of the Messerschmitt Foundation. The aircraft was officially unveiled on 8 October 2004 at Albstadt-Degerfeld, coded as Red 7. The aircraft suffered damage following a one-wheel landing on 16 July 2005, but may be repaired. HA 1112 M.1L, C/N 139 (converted to Bf 109G-4), now belongs to the Messerschmitt Foundation at Manching, Germany.

 (Articseahorse Photo)

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L C/N 186, coded C.4K-122, Yellow 7, <<+I, has been rebuilt as a Bf 109E-4 with DB 601 engine by using an original engine hood. Registered as G-AWHL in 1968 it played a role in the movie Battle of Britain. In 1976 the aircraft went to Günzburg, Germany, where it was restored to airworthy status. It was registered as N109J, but never flown before being transferred to the Champlin Fighter Museum. This aircraft is now in the Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washington.

(Hugh Llewlyn Photo)

Hispano Aviación HA-1112-M1L C/N 228 coded C.4K-170, Reg. No. N170BG, painted as Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 (with Erle Haube canopy), “Yellow 4”.  This aircraft was used by the Spanish Air Force until 1966, and was later flown in the movies Battle of Britain and Patton. In 1969 it was moved to the Technical University of Aachen, where it was rebuilt into a Bf 109G-6. The institute owned a matching DB 605 engine, which was installed into the airframe. The aircraft was painted as Yellow 4 of Staffel 6, Jagdgruppe II, Jagdgeschwader 53 'Pik As' ('Ace of Spades') in a camouflage scheme of RLM74/75/76, as it would have appeared in 1943. The left side remained unrestored and is cut open to show the interior of the aircraft. Yellow 4 has been on display in the Auto und Technik Museum, Sinsheim, Germany, since 1984.

(Luftwaffe Photos)

Messerschmitt Bf 110, heavy fighter/night-fighter.

(RAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 110 C-5, (Wk. Nr. 2177), coded 5F+CM, flew with Luftwaffe reconnaissance unit 4(F)/14.  It force-landed at Goodwood Racecourse, Sussex, after being hit by gunfire, on 21 July 1940.  RAF AX772.

(RAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 110G-4/R6, (Wk. Nr. 730301) with FuG220 radar, captured at Grove, Denmark.  Designated RAF AM34, this aircraft is preserved in the RAF Museum, Hendon.

(John Parr Photo)

 (Calgaco Photo)

(Kogo Photo)

(Kogo Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 110G-4/R6, (Wk. Nr. 730301) with FuG220 radar, captured at Grove, Denmark in May 1945.  Designated RAF AM34, this aircraft is displayed in the RAF Museum, Hendon.

(RAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 110, (Wk. Nr. 3869), remains from the wreck of the Flight of Rudolf Hess To Britain 1941, H955.  A British officer inspects the wreckage of Hess' Messerchmitt Bf 110 after it had been removed to an RAF depot, Scotland, 13 May 1941.

(Alan Wilson Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 110, (Wk. Nr. 3869), remains of the fusleage of the aircraft flown by Rudolf Hess in the IWM, London.

(Ra Boe Photo)

(Klaus Nahr Photo)

(Ricardo Reis Photo)

(MisterBee1966 Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 110G-4, (Wk. Nr. 5052), on display in the Deutsches Tecknik Museum, Berlin, Germany.

(USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 110 wreckage examined by American forces, Bad-Abling, Germany, May 1945.

(USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Bf 110, (Wk. Nr. 730085) being used as the background for a USAAF pilot discussion.

Messerschmitt Bf 162, bomber (prototype).

Messerschmitt Bf 163, STOL reconnaissance aircraft (prototype).

(Luftwaffe Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, rocket interceptor.

Messerschmitt Me 163 Komets captured at Husum, Nordfriesland Schleswig, Germany, the home base of JG 400, were allocated RAF Air Ministry numbers AM200 to AM222 and shipped to England.  Other Me 163s collected at Husum were shipped to the USA and two were alloted to France.  Two additional Me 163s for France were shipped from the storage depot at Kiel Holenau.

Luftwaffe Photo)

(RAF Photo)

(RAF Photo)

(RAF Photo)

(Dapi89 Photo)

(Rept0n1X Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191614), captured at Husum, Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.  Designated RAF AM207, it is shown here wearing two different paint schemes, on display in the RAF Museum, Cosford, England.  This aircraft last flew on 22 April 1945, when it shot down an RAF Lancaster.

(Softeis Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191316), (Wk. Nr. 120370),"Yellow 6", of JG 400, captured at Husum, Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.  Designated RAF AM210, this aircraft has been on display in the Science Museum, London, England since 1964 with the Walter motor removed for separate display.  A second Walter motor and a  take-off dolly are part of the museum's reserve collection and are not generally on display to the public.   It is now displayed at the Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany.

(NMUSAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 163B Komet rocket-propelled fighter (Wk Nr. 191095), with the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton, Ohio.  (NMUSAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191095), also belonged to JG 400.  It was surrendered at Husum and shipped to the RAE where it was designated RAF AM 211.  It was despatched from Farnborough to No. 6 MU, Brize Norton, on 25 July 1945.  AM 211 was sent to No. 47 MU, Sealand on 26 June and crafted for shipment to Canada, leaving Salford Docks on board the SS Manchester Commerce on 28 August, and arriving at Montréal on 9 September 1945.  Subsequently, it was used as a gate guardian at RCAF Station St Jean, Québec, until it was taken over by the Canadian War Museum (CWM) in Ottawa. This aircraft passed to the Canadian National Aeronautical Collection (CNAC), now the CASM, at Rockcliffe, near Ottawa, Ontario, in 1964.  AM 211 was restored to display standard in the CNAC workshops and loaned to the NMUSAF from 1978-1985.  It was a gift from the CASM jto the NMUSAF in 1999.  During the aircraft's restoration in Canada it was discovered that the aircraft had been assembled by French “forced labourers” who had deliberately sabotaged it by placing stones between the rocket's fuel tanks and its supporting straps.  There are also indications that the wing was assembled with contaminated glue.  Patriotic French writing was found inside the fuselage.[4]

(Articseahorse Photo)
Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191660), "Yellow 3", captured at Husum, Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Designated RAF AM214, this aircraft was sold to the USA in 2005.  It is owned by the Flying Heritage Collection, Paine Field, Everett, Washington.  Between 1961 and 1976, this aircraft was displayed at the Imperial War Museum in London.  In 1976, it was moved to the Imperial War Museum, RAF Duxford.  It underwent a lengthy restoration, beginning in 1997, that was frequently halted as the restorers were diverted to more pressing projects . In May 2005, it was sold, reportedly for £800,000, to raise money for the purchase of a de Havilland/Airco DH.9 as the Duxford museum had no examples of a First World War bomber in its collection.  Permission for export was granted by the British government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport as three other Komets were held in British museums.

(Ad Meskens Photo)

(Guinog Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191659), "Yellow 15".  Designated RAF AM215, this aircraft is on display in the National Museum of Flight in East Fortune, East Lothian, Scotland.  Captured at Husum, Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany at the end of the war, this Komet went to the College of Aeronautics at Cranfield in 1947.  In 1976 it was refurbished and loaned to the Royal Scottish Museum.  In 2007 it was donated to the museum by Cranfield University.

(Baku13 Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191904), "Yellow 25", belonging to JG 400.  This aircraft was captured by the RAF at Husum, Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany in 1945. It was sent to England, arriving first at Farnborough, receiving the designation RAF AM219.  It is now on display in the Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr - Flugplatz Berlin-Gatow (Bundeswehr Museum of Military History - Berlin-Gatow Airfield), Germany.

(Author Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 163B (Werk Nummer 191916) or (Wk. Nr. 191914), designated RAF AM 220, belonged to JG 400.  It was surrendered at Husum and shipped to the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough and from there went to No. 6 MU, Brize Norton, on 1 August 1945.  Recorded at No.6 MU in the Census of 21 March 1946 and despatched to No. 47 MU, Sealand, on 17 June 1945.  It was crated at Sealand for shipment to Canada and left Salford Docks aboard the SS Manchester Commerce on 28 August 1946, arriving at Montréal on 9 September.  It was stored in various locations until arriving at Rockcliffe where it is currently preserved in the Canada Aviation and Space Museum (CASM), Ottawa, Ontario; coded "Yellow 26".  There is some doubt about the accuracy of the Werk-Nummer of this aircraft, which has also been reported both as (Wk. Nr. 191913), and (Wk. Nr. 191916).

(RAF Photo)

(Nick-D Photo)

Messserschmitt Me 163B Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191907), served with JG 400.  This aircraft was captured at Husum, Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and shipped to the RAE at Farnborough.  It was designated RAF AM222 and was dispatched from Farnborough to No. 6 MU, Brize Norton, on 8 August 1945.  On 21 March 1946, it was recorded in the Census of No. 6 MU, and allocated to No. 76 MU (Wroughton) on 30 April 1946 for shipment to Australia.  It is shown here on display in the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia.

France received 417 aircraft through a cooperative agreement with the UK and USA.  These included 88 Arado Ar 96B (including 28 cannibalised hulks); one Arado Ar 396; 154 Bücker Bü 181 (including 19 cannibalised hulks); 64 Fieseler Fi 156 Storch; 39 Siebel Si 204; 36 Junkers Ju 52 (including 9 floatplanes); 17 Messerschmitt Bf 108; three Junkers Ju 88G-6; seven Heinkel He 162; four Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet; two Messerschmitt Me 262; and two Arado Ar 234.  France also received 2,772 aircraft engines (spare), 3,071 aircraft cannon and machine-guns, more than two million rounds of various ammunition and 3,000 tons of other material.

(USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191301) before being designated USA FE-500, later T2-500, at Freeman Field, Indiana, post war.  This aircraft has survived and is on display in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Centre, Chantilly, Virginia.

(USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191301), USA FE-500, later USAAF T2-500, at Freeman Field, Indiana, post war.

(USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191301), USAAF T2-500 being readied for a towed test flight at the USAAF's Muroc dry lake facility in Californian in 1946.

(Deano Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191301), USA FE-500, later T2-500, on display in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, Virginia.  (Deano Photo)

Me 163B-1a Komet, (Wk. Nr. 191301), was airfreighted by a Douglas C-54 to Freeman Field, Indiana, in 1946, where it received the foreign equipment number FE-500, later T2-500.  On 12 April 1946, it was flown aboard a cargo aircraft to the USAAF facility at Muroc dry lake in California for flight testing.  Testing began on 3 May 1946 in the presence of Dr. Alexander Lippisch and involved towing the unfueled Komet behind a B-29 to an altitude of 9,000–10,500 m (30,000–34,400 ft) before it was released for a glide back to earth under the control of test pilot Major Gus Lundquist.  Deterioration of the wooden wing structure led to flight testing being abandoned. The aircraft was stored at Norton Air Force Base in California before being shipped to Silver Hill in 1954, and more recently to "The Mighty Eighth" Museum in Savannah, Georgia.  This aircraft was been returned to the Smithsonian and is on display unrestored at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington D.C.

(Dustin May Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 163B replica, (Wk. Nr. 191626), "White 11", Planes of Fame Museum, Chino, California.

(Soviet Air Force Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 163S two-seat trainer version, No. 94, captured by the USSR in Soviet service.

Messerschmitt Me 209, speed-record aircraft developed into fighter (prototype).

Messerschmitt Me 20-II, fighter (completely different from Me 209) (prototype).

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 210 in Luftwaffe service.

(USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 261, long-range reconnaissance (prototype) twin engine aircraft being examined by Americans.

Messerschmitt Me 262 Sturmvogel

(Swiss Air Force Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a, (Wk. Nr. 500071) coded "White 3", III/JG7.  This aircraft made an emergency landing due to lack of fuel at Dübendorf, Switzerland on 25 April 1945.  Flown by Hans Guido Mutke while a pilot of 9. Staffel/JG 7, "White 3" was confiscated by Swiss authorities on 25 April 1945 after Mutke made an emergency landing in Switzerland due to lack of fuel.  Although it was taken over by the Swiss, it was not flown by them.  After many years of storage at Dübendorf, the aircraft was given to the Deutsches Museum at Munich on 30 August 1957, where it is currently on display.

(Softeis Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a, (Wk. Nr. 500071) coded "White 3", III/JG7 made an emergency landing due to lack of fuel at Dübendorf, Switzerland on 25 April 1945.  This aircraft, flown by Hans Guido Mutke while a pilot of 9. Staffel/JG 7, was confiscated by Swiss authorities on 25 April 1945 after Mutke made an emergency landing in Switzerland due to lack of fuel.  Although it was taken over by the Swiss, it was not flown by them.  After many years of storage at Dübendorf, the aircraft was given to the Deutsches Museum at Munich on 30 August 1957, where it is currently on display.

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a (multiple Wk. Nrs.), reconstructed from parts of crashed and uncompleted Me 262s, is on display in the Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr - Flugplatz Berlin-Gatow (Bundeswehr Museum of Military History - Berlin-Gatow Airfield), Germany.

(MisterBee1966 Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe, (Wk. Nr. unknown), with R4M underwing rockets on display at the Technikmuseum Speyer, Germany.

(USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a, (Wk. Nr. 110604), Lechfeld, 1945.

(USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a "Schwalbe" (Wk. Nr. 111711).  This new airframe had been surrendered on 31 March 1945 by Messerschmitt test pilot Hans Fay who defected during a functional check flight rather than fly it to an operational unit, landing at Rhein-Main, Frankfurt.  It was the first Me 262 to fall into Allied hands.  The Me 262 was taken to Thornville, France, and shipped separately to USA on the Manawaska Victory.  It was not one of Watson's Whizzers.  The Me 262 was allocated Foreign Equipment number FE-107, and later T2-711.  It was test flown by Russell E. Schleeh shortly after its capture.  This aircraft was flown by Test Pilot Walter J. McAuley Jr. of the Flight Performance Section, Flight Test Division, Wright Field, Ohio, in a test flight for comparison with a Lockheed P-80.  During the flight both engines of the Me 262 caught fire.  McAuley, Jr., successfully parachuted to safety, surviving as the aircraft crashed on 20 Aug 1945 ~two miles South of Xenia, Ohio near Route 68.

(Andrew T. Hill Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a/U4 Schwalbe, (Wk. Nr. 170083), "V083", "Pulkzerstörer", armed with one 50-mm Mauser Mk. 214 cannon.   USAAF "Feudin 54" A.D Sq was painted on the port side of the nose of all the refurbished Me 262s, later painted over before leaving Lager Lechfeld Flugplatz and being shipped to the USA on HMS Reaper.  This aircraft became Watson's Whizzers No. 000, with the name "Wilma Jeanne" on the starboard side of the nose, later the "Happy Hunter II".  This aircraft crashed on a flight from Lechfield, Germany to Cherbourg.

(USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a/U4, (Wk. Nr. unknown), "Pulkzerstörer", bomber destroyer version armed with one 50-mm Mauser Mk. 214 cannon.

(USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a "Schwalbe" (Wk. Nr. 501232), "Yellow 5", 3./KG(J)6, with homeland defence checkerboard pattern on the rear fuselage.  This aircraft was designated Watson's Whizzers No. 111, and was painted as "Beverly Anne", later "Screamin Meemie".  "Yellow 5" was shipped to the USA on HMS Reaper, with inventory control No. 20.  This aircraft was sent to the USN Armament Test Division at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland in Dec 1945 where it was designated USN BuNo. 121442 and test flown.  It is now on display in the National Museum of the USAF.

(National Museum of the USAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a "Schwalbe" (Wk. Nr. 501232), coded "Yellow 5", 3./KG(J)6, designated Watson's Whizzers No. 111, on display in the National Museum of the USAF.

(Gregg Heilmann Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262B-1a (Wk. Nr. 110639), "White 35", currently on display at Willow Grove NAS in eastern Pennsylvania.  (PearlJamNoCode Photo)

(USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a "Schwalbe" (Wk. Nr. 110836).  Watson's Whizzers No. 777, this aircraft was initially named "Doris" and later "Jabo Bait". Shipped to the USA on HMS Reaper, it was designated FE-110, later T2-110.  

(USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1b (Wk. Nr. 500491), "Yellow 7", 11./JG 7, surrendered to Allied forces on 8 May 1945 at Lechfeld.  In service with Jagdgeschwader 7, the victory markings found on this aircraft included one P-51, one P-47 and five B-17s.  The aircraft has original under wing racks for 24 R4M unguided rockets.  Karl Baur test flew this aircraft for some 20 minutes on the 12th of May; well before the arrival of Watson's team.  Watsons Whizzers No. 888, Staff Sergeant Eugene Freiburger of the 54th Air Disarmament Squadron named the plane "Dennis", after his son.  These markings remained on the jet until it arrived in Melun, France, where Lt James (Ken) Holt re-christened it "Ginny H".  named "Dennis", and then "Ginny H", it was flown by Lt James K. Holt.  "Yellow 7" was shipped to the USA on HMS Reaper, with inventory control No. 29.  "Yellow 7" arrived at Wright Field in August 1945, and was subsequently moved to Freeman Field, Indiana, where it remained until May 1946.  At Freeman Field it was allocated Foreign Equipment number FE-111, and later T-2-111.  As Watson's Whizzers No. 444 was being prepared for a series of classified flight tests, it's reconnaissance-modified nose section was exchanged for No. 888's more streamlined fighter version.  This modification took place before the plane was moved to the 803rd Special Depot storage facility at Park Ridge, Illinois in July 1946, when the jet entered long-term storage.  In 1950, it was moved again, this time to the National Air Museum facility (now the Garber Facility) at Silver Hill, Maryland.  In 1978, the plane was brought out of storage and fully restored, with the modified nose section returned to its original A-1 fighter configuration.  "Yellow 7" is now on display in the National Air & Space Museum (NASM), on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

(Author Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1b (Wk. Nr. 500491), "Yellow 7", 11./JG 7, on display in the National Air & Space Museum (NASM), on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

(USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 262B-1a/U1 (Wk. Nr.  110306), "Red 6", 10./NJGJ11, two-seat trainer converted into a provisional night fighter version equipped with FuG 218 Neptun radar and Hirschgeweih (stag antler) eight-dipole antenna array.  Seven of these aircraft were used by 10/NJG.II in the defence of Berlin in April 1945.  "Red 6" was surrendered to the RAF at Schleswig-Jagel, Germany.  It was transferred to the USAAF and became Watson's Whizzers 999.  It was shipped to the USA on HMS Reaper and then allocated FE-610, later T2-610.  Later named "Ole Fruit Cake", and "der Schwalbe".  FE-610 was scrapped at Freeman Field, Indiana, circa 1950.

(RAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 262B-1a/U1 (Wk. Nr. 110165), uncoded, possibly 10./NJG11, two-seat trainer surrendered to the RAF at Schleswig-Jagel, Germany, in May 1945, designated USA 3 by the RAF, "What was it?".  Transferred to the USAAF, Watson's Whizzers 101.  Shipped to the USA on HMS Reaper, where it was allocated Foreign Equipment number FE-109.  This aircraft went to the USN Armament Test Division at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland in Dec 1945 where it was designated USN BuNo. 121441 and test flown.  It was scrapped at NAS Anacostia, Nov 1946.

(Luftwaffe Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a Schwalbe, "White 10", 3./ EG2, flown by Kurt Bell over Germany, ca 1945.

(Noop1958 Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262A/B-1c Schwalbe, (Wk. Nr. 501244), new-build replica, "Red 13", Reg. No. D-IMTT, Messerschmitt Foundation at Manching, Berlin, Germany.

(Tascam3458 Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262B-1c Schwalbe, (Wk. Nr. 501241), new-build replica, Reg. No. N262AZ, Collings Foundation, Stow, Massachusetts.  (Tascam3458 Photo)

(Clemens Vasters Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe, jet fighter/bomber, new-build (non-flying) replica, on display in the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon.  It’s marked as "Yellow 5", an aircraft of Jadgeshwader 7 (11/JG-7)  based at Brandenburg-Briest,  flown by Leutnant Alfred Ambs in early 1945.

(Luftwaffe Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 263 prototype.

(Luftwaffe Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 264 Amerika Bomber heavy bomber (prototype) in Luftwaffe service.

(Luftwaffe Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 309, fighter (prototype).

Messerschmitt Me 321 Gigant, transport glider

(Luftwaffe Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant, transport in Luftwaffe service.

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 328, pulse jet fighter (prototype).

(Luftwaffe photos)

Messerschmitt Me 410A-3 Hornisse in Luftwaffe service.

(RAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 410A-3 Hornisse, (Wk. Nr. 10259), F6+OK from 2(F)./122, RAF TF209, No. 1426 (Enemy Aircraft) Flight at Collyweston, Northamptonshire (UK).  The crew, Fw. Hans Beyer and Uffz. Helmut Hein, got lost on the return leg to Perugia and landed by mistake at Monte Corvino, Italy, on 27 November 1943.  It arrived for testing at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, England, on 14 April 1944, and was also evaluated by the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment, Boscombe Down.  TF209 flew with the Fighter Interception Unit at Wittering from August 1944 until March 1946 when it was transferred to No. 6 Maintenance Unit at Brize Norton.  It was scrapped post war.

(Dapi99 Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 410A-1/U2 Hornisse, (Wk. Nr. 420430), captured at Vaerlose.  Designated RAF AM72, this aircraft is on display at RAF Cosford, England.

Messerschmitt Me 410A-1/U2 Hornisse, (Wk. Nr. 420439) captured at Kastrup.  Designated RAF AM39, this aircraft was likely scrapped at Kastrup.

 (USAAF Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse cannon-armed fighter diving away after an attack on a USAAF Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.

(USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 410A-2/U1 Hornisse, (Wk. Nr. 10018), F6+WK from 2(F)./122, USAAF EB-103, later FE-102, then FE-499, and then T2-499, on display at Freeman Field, Indiana post war.

(USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 410A-2/U1 Hornisse , (Wk. Nr. 10018), USA EB-103, later FE-102, then FE-499 and then T2-499, Freeman Field, Indiana, post war.  This aircraft is in storage with the NASM.  (USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me 609, heavy fighter/bomber (project).

(USAAF Photos)

Messerschmitt Me P.1101-V1 experimental swing-wing jet fighter.  This project did not fly.

Messerschmitt P.1101

The Messerschmitt P.1101 was a single-seat, single-jet fighter project developed in response to the 15 July 1944 Emergency Fighter Program, which sought the second generation of jet fighters for the Third Reich.  A characteristic feature of the P.1101 prototype was that the sweep of the wings could be changed before flight.

The Me P.1101 V1 was about 80% complete when the Oberammergau complex was discovered by American troops on 29 April 1945, a few days before the war's end.  The fuselage was constructed out of duralumin, with space providedbeneath the cockpit for the air duct. Located behind the cockpit and above the engine was the fuel supply of 1000 liters (220 gallons).   The rear fuselage tapered down to a cone, where the radio equipment, oxygen equipment, directional control and master compass were mounted.  The underside of the rear fuselage was covered over with sheet steel, for protection from the heat of the jet exhaust.  Although a Jumo 004B jet engine was planned for the first prototype, the more powerful  He S 011 could be added on later versions with a minimum of fuss.  The wing was basically the same as the Messerschmitt Me 262 wing from the engine (rib 7) to the end cap (rib 21), including the Me 262's aileron and leading edge slats. A second wing assembly was delivered in February 1945, in which the leading edge slots had been enlarged from 13% to 20% of the wing chord. The wing covered in plywood, and could be adjusted on the ground at 35, 40 or 45 degrees of sweepback. Both the vertical and horizontal tails were constructed of wood, and the rudder could be deflected 20 degrees. Also under design was a T-tail unit and a V-tail also. The undercarriage was of a tricycle arrangement. The nose wheel retracted to the rear and was steerable. The main gear retracted to the front, and included brakes. The cockpit was located in the nose, with a bubble canopy giving good vision all around. The canopy was kept clear by warm air which could be drawn from the engine. Cockpit pressurization was to be incorporated in the production model, as was either two or four MK 108 30mm cannon. The production model was also to fitted with cockpit armour, and up to four underwing X-4 air-to-air missiles could be carried.

The V1 prototype was approximately 80% complete.  A few days before the Allied Army was expected to appear, Messerschmitt had all the engineering drawings, calculations and design work placed on microfilm and packed in watertight containers. These containers were then hidden in four locations in surrounding villages. On Sunday, 29 April 1945, an American infantry unit entered the Oberammergau complex, seized a few documents, and destroyed much of what remained with axes.  The Me P.1101 V1 incomplete prototype was also found, and pulled out of a nearby tunnel where it was hidden.  The wings had not yet been attached and it would appear they had never had skinning applied to their undersides.  Within a few days of the German capitulation, American specialists had arrived to assess the significance of the seized Messerschmitt complex. After questioning some of the Messerschmitt employees, it was learned of the missing documents.  When the American team tried to recover these hidden microfilmed documents, they found that the French Army had already recovered some of the documents.

 After the aircraft had been shipped to the USA, there was some lobbying by Messerschmitt Chief Designer Woldemar Voigt and Robert J. Woods of Bell aircraft to have the P.1101 V1 completed by June 1945.  This was precluded by the destruction of some critical documents and the refusal of the French to release the remaining majority of the design documents (microfilmed and buried by the Germans), which they had obtained prior to the arrival of American units to the area.  The airframe meanwhile became a favorite prop for GI souvenir photos.

(Green4life80 Photo)

Messerschmitt Me P.1101 V1, post war USO Troupe, Oberammergau, Germany.

Shipped to USA, the aircraft was stored at Wright Field until it was repaired and fitted with an American Allison J-35 engine.  Unfortunately it was damaged in the only attempt to take off.   Further tests were abandoned in August 1948, and the prototype went to the Bell Company.  The P.1101 was used as ground test-bed for the Bell X-5, but damage ruled out any possibility for repair although some of the Me P.1101's design features were subsequently used by Bell.  Bell used the Me P.1101 as the basis for the X-5, during which individual parts of the P.1101 were used for static testing.  The Bell X-5 was the first aircraft capable of varying its wing geometry while in flight.  Sometime in the early 1950s, the remainder of the Messerschmitt Me P.1101 V1 was scrapped.

Messerschmitt Me P.1106, jet fighter (project).

Messerschmitt Me P.1112, jet fighter (project).

‍