Bf 109 - The Luftwaffe's Revolution
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 เม.ย. 2021
- Once World War I ended, Germany was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles, which forbade the nation from maintaining an air force. But when Hitler rose to power in the early 1930s, he began to rebuild the Germanic air force from scratch.
One of the earliest aircraft that the German military secretly tested was Willy Messerschmitt's famous Bf 109. It quickly became one of the most advanced fighters of its time.
The Bf 109 was first flown during the Spanish Civil War as part of the Condor Legion that helped General Franco.
By the time the Luftwaffe regained power before the outbreak of World War II, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the backbone of the German air force. It would also become the most produced and used aircraft in history.
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was broadly used in all fronts. It flew over western and eastern Europe, Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Atlantic with various combat configurations.
Its tremendous versatility made it able to perform well as a fighter, bomber, escort, and support aircraft. It was no coincidence that by the time World War 2 was over, the most highly decorated German pilots flew exclusively aboard customized Bf 109s.
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Eric Hartmann had score of 352 confirmed kills and his first combat sortie was at 5. November 1942... This means he was only 2,5 years in combat.
His planes were specially painted - The enemy pilots who recognized it avoided the fight and fled, so he switched to standard paintwork.
Mind blowing.
At the beginning, I noticed Adolf Galland's ME-109 with his Mickey Mouse logo. I met Galland, as well as other German aces, at the Gathering of Eagles Symposium in Las Vegas back in 1985. Absolutely incredible to hear their stories in person from them. I will never forget that experience.
That sounds great, and you're a lucky man to have met them. I would guess that they were in their 60's at that time....
still prime time for most of them.
@@brinx8634 , '85 I was at the fifth grade of the elementary, and remember my classmates asking me if that man (my grandfather, who also was a fighter pilot in WW2) was my father! Salute from Bulgaria to the memory of all the brave men who flew during those romantic times of propelled planes and chivalry! *:)
I have a copy of his book. Definitely an interesting guy to meet. A real legend.
I collect Dolpho's artifacts.
@Blazer Firewood That's funny! Actually met him when I was 19. Also met Gunther Rall and Johannes Steinhoff, also two very famous Luftwaffe Pilots.
If you ever get the chance to view a bf109 in real life you will be amazed how small it is it's like a F1 car with wings on it
I was a line boy in high school and got a couple back seat rides in P-51s. When I finally saw a 109 in a museum I was amazed at its size. Yeah, a hot rod.
I don’t think the video mentions it, but the Bf 109 has the “Bf” prefix instead of the “Me” prefix of other Messerschmitt aircraft (like the Me 410 or Me 262) because the designation was first assigned while Willy Messerschmitt still worked for Bayerische Flugzeugwerke. He later left the company to create Messerschmitt AG, and took the 109 with him. However, during the war, both the Germans and Allies used the terms Bf 109 and Me 109 interchangeably.
Messerschmitt also interchangeably used both Me and Bf in their own testing documents, sometimes in the same report.
Thanks for posting this info, I always wondered
Messhersmit bf109, thats how u say it
@@STRYKER_b14 You can but as stated it was interchangeably used with Me 109. It's irritating it was like this but is a fact.
The Bayerische Flugzeugwerke became the Messerschmitt AG (in Augsburg), when Willy Messerschmitt became the main stockholder (apart from already being the chief designer).
The 4 seat plane mentioned was actually the BF 108. The 108 was a popular civil plane that looked somewhat like the 109. and used several of the design features later used in the 109.
Strangely the Bf 108 features in many WWii films as a so-called Bf 109, hilarious to see.
@@bongodrumzz I've flown one; it's what the Bonanza should have been. And it basically IS a 109- just wider with trike gear and an air-cooled
Argus inverted V engine instead of the DB.
@@craigwall9536
I think that any pilot who actually flew a Bf-108 would know that it's a tail dragger.
@Vintovka Yes, the clip mixes up these two different planes. Bf 108 is a sports aircraft that first flew in 1934 and thus predates the Bf 109. Also the "200 hp" mentioned at the beginning of the clip was the motorization of the Bf 108 - the Luftwaffe's request for a fighter aircraft was already for a plane with a 20 l / 650 hp engine.
@@brinx8634 Took the words right out of my mouth. And to say that it "basically IS a 109" is absurd.
Yessss finally, a German masterpiece.
He didn't even mention the Minengeschoß round
Focke Wulf is better
This plane shreds in War Thunder
@@carlosandleon mmm no the fw190 was a very heavy fighter with incredible roll but poor turn the fw was meant to kill bomber rapidly and the 109 were there to kill bombers and also protect the f190 because it was piss poor in dogfight against the more agile and fast p51 and the wayyy the hell more agile spitfire
@@voidgaming3700 in a way the me 109 had its advantages but most pilots like the FW 190. Had more armor harder to shoot down more powerful engine and more armament and more versatile. It can attack bombers ground attack higher crime rate. Everyone has a different flavor though but from all the years of reading about world war II aviation most pilots wanted to get into a 190 if they could they just started to run out of them. Also the 109 has a crazy stall characteristic and a right turn for some reason. I've seen this in some engineering videos and in a fighter pilot training video from world war II if there's a 109 on your tail turn right. It can't turn right for some reason. I think it had a similar issue with the spitfire and negative g's the carburetor would stop giving fuel to the engine and cut out but there was some sort of aerodynamic thing where it low speeds if you got a 109 to turn right it would just drop out of the sky in a stall
*The irony of life. Legendary German fighter that also helped to defend the independence of Israel. The first Israeli Air Force's aerial victory was achieved by Bf-109 (S-199)*
But made in Czechoslovakia after war and fitted with Jumo engine..... and there is a joke that Israeli pilots were calling "Achtung Spitfire"
Yeah...and they generally hated them, though I'm not sure why.
It must be mentioned as well, Otto Skorzeny trained the nascent Mossad organization and many other commando units after the war ended. He figured out how to stay alive and avoid capture long after the war was over.
@@robbieblackmore7272 That engine was heavy and not overly powerful. Aircraft performed worse than Me BF-109G. But those planes saved them.
*S 99 because the S 199 was the two seat trainer version although both used the Junkers Jumo 211F
Me listening to the narrator: "Slow down there buckaroo."
Slow the playback speed to 0.75
For TH-cam to consider it a PAYABLE content, it must be over 10 minutes... he had to push in all that "Little" content into 10 minutes (therefor 11 minute) into this clip so that he could get paid for it.
Man, for me this channel is almost unwatchable because of the constant word-tornado. I'm wondering though, isn't this a voice robot instead of a human? AI is getting better and better, and this just does not sound like any human I've ever heard speak
you talk so fast, I put the video to 0.75x and it sounded like normal again :D
Same man, what is this guy doing?
@@hedzer7877 My guess would involve central stimulants - not that there's anything wrong with that as it might be prescription medication, but yeah this is not normal or appropriate for the format.
Disagree. I like his staccato briefing before an operation approach.
Rap God
I only listen to this guy at 1.5x instead of my usual 2 or 1.75x. Most TH-camrs talk so slow it drives me insane, this guy is close to tolerable
I recall being in awe of this aircraft for the 1st time in 6th grade. This sure brings back memories spending hours at various libraries with my friends studying world war two. Thanks!
My grandad served in the Pacific, and when I was growing up, he used to collect the serialised pocket sized graphic novels. On long summer Sundays when we would visit my grandparents (they lived in the next town) I used to occupy myself going through his collection. This is where I first learned the names and shapes of aircraft like BF 109, ME110, FW190, Hurricane, Mustang, Spitfire and more. That's how I developed my somewhat unusual passion for military history.
Sadly, after he died, all his books were discarded as rubbish. I was devastated, since he was such a quiet man, and this was one of the few connections I had with him.
Dude that windtunnel image is cool I never seen that one before
The plane is a Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3. The photo is from 1940. It's clearly a real plane and not a full size model. Why anyone would build it 1st, and test it afterwards, is not immediately obvious, but it seem to have been a common practice. See here -www.google.com/search?q=full%20size%20wind%20tunnels%20ww2&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CUDn-X2Mu4pwYSo6qeh30TvT&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CBsQuIIBahcKEwjY8vWa7ZHyAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQDA&biw=1407&bih=757#imgrc=EjNKIIH0WEiArM
This is my favorite aircraft of all time. I really enjoyed the video, thank you so much!!!!
A masterpiece of an aircraft, and yes the K series could stand up to any allied fighter of the war given a good pilot. It had a really fine motor, that db 605 with its supercharger design and cannon passing through its centerline was never appreciated as its main attribute, it gave the plane smooth power to get into its climbing ability as well as that fuel injection gave great response. and that 20/30 mm cannon! great hitting power, really underrated for its ability to tear enemy aircraft apart in mid air as they tried to get away, only a few hits would disable them, look at how Marseille used his 109F to instinctively aim and hit his opponents over North Africa, and made multiple kills while they couldn't even locate him! The aircraft, although somewhat difficult to land and having limited range still had enough dangerous attributes to overwhelm its foes until about 1944, when masses of allied aircraft broke the luftwaffe's back. But it was dangerous right to the very end with its G 14 and K series.
That's a lot of information. This fighter was truly a beast of a plane.
The K series was a beast. The climb and speed at high alt. was amazing. Great big monster engine, in a tiny airframe. The aerodynamic improvements, such as, a fully retractable, longer tail-wheel, the bulges on the cowling were gone, rudder trim tabs, and redesigned canopy with better visibility all improved performance of its counterparts.
400mph at only just over 5000 feet with an impressive climb as well around 4,500ft/min at sea-level, improving to 4,700ft/min, at 17K you still have 4,000ft/min with ware emergency power.
Combined with a 30mm Mk 108 cannon firing thru the nose and two cowl mounted 13mm Mk 131 guns, the firepower was all centered in a very narrow convergence that would disable anything it hit.
@@markjohnson8782 Yeah, the 13 mm machine guns combined with that 20mm minegeschoss getting hits with the rapid firing 51 cal machine guns plus the cannon hits will disable any airframe it goes through, and since that airframe is also greatly stressed at the moment of impact it will get quickly reconfigured into non flying junk. Imagine the impact of those 30mm cannon shells going into a finely tuned airframe, along with its pilot! The 109 gave Germany big advantages!
@@greykaufman1057 Yes, sir, very effective armament.
I wonder why the BF109 was never fitted with drop tanks.
It seems to me to be an obvious solution to the range problem.
I've never flown a 109 but I've sat in the cockpit of several over the years. It brought to mind the old saying that you didn't sit in a 109 so much as you wore it.
Yes, just like a swastika arm band
The same was said of the Spitfire, "You don't get into it, you put it on".
@@silasfatchett7380 Yes, sat in a Spitfire cockpit at the Reno Air Races a few years ago, I'm 6ft, average build, and it was very cramped, must have been tough on long missions.
@@Gamble661 most pilots weren’t 6ft lol
@@TinyBearTim haha yes, especially in the 1940s. Everyone was tiny back then because of malnutrition from the Great Depression.
I bet a civilian BF109 that had shed all the armaments and attachment points and combat releated equipment would fly like a bat out of hell.
It prob won’t be that much lighter only removing guns and armour
Always enjoy your videos, thank you so much.
A full engine replacement could be carried out on a 109 in an hour whereas with a Spitfire it took a full days work.
And a new transmission could be bolted on a Sherman tank in an hour whereas a Panzer 3 required the whole turret be removed for a similar job. Ease of maintaining a vehicle is important and underrated.
@@kyle857 also a panther took a full day, unlike the tiger
In revenge, they've given us, the modern BMW, and Mercedes.
a fat lot of good it did those Nazi pigs - first they lost the air war, then the whole war
@@ericvonsiebenburg548 bruh, stop dumping hate on em. U should be hating usa and britain first. They didnt let germany build their home defense for years. Imagine if germany got attacked then and liberated by another nation, usa and britain wouldnt give a shit
Awesome content! Thank you!
My grandfather flew the G(ustav) variant, defending Bulgarian skyes from the flying fortresses bombings..and the "lightnings"- at a very high cost. Was not an easy task at all.
I would like to thank him for his service even if he was on that side of the war
And flying against the Germans in the same aircraft when Bulgaria changed sides? There were some Romanian and Hungarian former aces living in Australia who flew similar models.
@@damienmaynard8892 I now..!What a beginning for the next glorious *:) 45 yrs.!
Churchill says- "for Bulgaria never learned their lesson from the Great War, and fight alongside Germany again, now that they capitulate we shall level their towns!"
As long as I know- he (grandpa- cavalier of the Iron Cross) never flew against the Germans. I'm not 100% sure, but I don't recall hearing anything about Bulgarian pilots (unlike troop soldiers) taking part in the final faze of the ll W War.
Wait you mean the p38s or the p47s i know the nick for p38s is lightnings but you put it in quotes so idk
@@shottyman6013 I kindo' tried to highlight it for a name and not a natural fenomeno *:) Agreed, it looks sketchy..
More than 300 kills HOLY SH*T ....thats insane in any moment in time
Remember, the pilots flew until they were killed. Some of these guys flew from the beginning of the war against airforces that were no match for them. As a result, they racked up enormous scores. But they were not rotated out of combat like allied pilots. They stayed until they died or were injured and unable to fly.
@@nonamesplease6288 its crazy how these NUMBERS were racked up ...they possess skills that very few air warriors have today
Don’t forget that some of these aces had flown and fought in WWI, and were allowed to carry their old kill tallies with them.
most of the kills were soviet bi-planes.............probably pretty easy
@@bobbys4327 actually it's not true. Eric Hartman beat first rate aircraft.
I find it really interesting what amount of power they were able to squeeze out of Engines in WW2. They were able to squeeze 2000 hp out of the db 605, almost 3000 hp out of the dB 603, a planned replacement for the Jumo 213 found in FW 190s and 2400hp out of the 801 Radials which powered the Fw 190 in the early war. The Allies were able to extract this obscene amount of power only after the War.
I wouldn't say "Squeezing" to get 2000hp from a 35 litre engine! These days they say a well designed and tuned engine should be able to produce 100hp per litre normally aspirated. The CC and fuel consumption of these huge engines was immense! (Obviously in a car, the moment California emissions control equipment goes on you're lucky to get 50hp per litre! lol!).
According to wiki, the DB605 (BF109G) and RR Griffon (Spitfire Mk.XIV), both V12, both round 35 litres, both saw combat, the Griffon produced over 2000hp (55hp/litre) the DB605 produced 1800hp. (51hp/litre)
Later Griffons went on to produce over 2400hp (66hp/litre), with still over 2000hp at 6000m.
German engines were crippled by the lack of high octane fuel which was available to the allies, which meant they could not run anywhere near the level of supercharger boost the allies could use.
They introduced complicated systems of methanol and water injection systems to try to combat this, but relying on those for more than a quick burst was dodgy. If it fails when you're using high boost your engine goes boom.
The DB 603N you mention was a prototype capable of 3000hp, requiring C3 fuel. it was a 44.5 litre engine, really not squeezing any more power out of the engine, just making it much much bigger! 67hp/litre, better than the 605, and on-par with the later Griffon, but used a fuel that was harder to obtain in Germany. Towards the end of the war German aircraft engines were tending towards being able to use the lower grade B4 fuel, so the efficiency of engines they actually flew (hp per cc) was in reality less at the end of the war than in 41/42.
The 801 Radial is a similar story. A 42 litre engine. 2000hp (47hp/litre). The 801F was a prototype which managed 2400hp (57hp/litre), sorry, no details on the fuel it required, and it never went into production, and a late production Griffon could produce that power from 36 litres.
TL;DR:
In summary. Both sides could get 66hp/litre from an aero engine at the end of the war with high octane fuel, but only the allies had the reliable fuel source and flew these engines. Germany spent a lot of effort working on synthetic fuel, C3 was a synthetic, from 1942 rated at 150 octane, and the allies spent a lot of effort ruining the German fuel supply chain, which became a problem for Germany later in the war.
This is probably why you see the CC of late war German design engines far in excess of the allied engines. Attempting to match the power with lower quality fuel (and higher fuel consumption).
@@juststeve5542 Great information, cheers 👍
1. high octane fuel. 2. Power adders like supercharging, water alcohol injection, and nitrous systems.
Very high output engine programs existed In Britain and America but simply weren’t needed...and by 1944 it was clear that turbojets were the future for fighter aircraft.
@@jamesanderton344 Lol like today in american cars .... 6l engines for 400hp , they still don't need it . 😅
Such a beautiful and classic plane!
Not at all beautiful...more like utilitarian...work like...
@@charlesharper2357 this is a beauty! how dare you say this!
@@vvsvideos7927
Nowhere near as beautiful as a Spitfire or P51.
Angular, clipped off, and just plain utilitarian.
@@vvsvideos7927 Because i bet he likes jaguar,rolls,bentley shitty cars that allways broke down like all that england built before it was bought by china and germany lol
@@charlesharper2357 Function has a form all its own.
Thank you for a accurate review with no propaganda.
The most brilliant factor of the 109 was its mass production construction build techniques. More 109s could built in the same time and for the less money than many of fighter of the war. Also the most mast produced warplanes in History was IL-2
Wow I saw that exact 109 in a museum near Mannheim Germany when I was stationed there while in the army
Do the IL2 Sturmovik. So little info out there about this prolific soviet aircraft
2nd most produced aircraft of all time, behind the Cessna 172 Skyhawk, but ahead of the Messerschmitt Bf 109.
6th most customized aircraft of all time, behind the Boeing Bollocks, but ahead of the Tupolev Taint.
@@lsudx479 Customized? Really? wow.. What with like chrome wheeld landing gears and like.. 1200watt amps so they can bump some ATC? cuz that shts banger yo.
@@lsudx479 It's amazing how catchy those names are
World's most mass-produced aircraft
Great video with some real nice footage of the 109 flying and fighting! However it would have been good to discuss the lettered variants precisely (i.e A->K). Also covering the armament configurations for each a little more precisely would have been good (e.g the E generally with 2 in wing 20mm and 2 nose 7.9mm, whereas the F with 1 thru engine V 15 mm or 20mm, 2 nose 7.9mm and optional under wing 20mm kits etc). I realize that pretty soon you get to the plethora of modifications and variations that happened with most of them (esp the Gs) and it is probably not possible to cover, or find them all. Might be a good follow up vid perhaps?
Keep up the good work guys your videos are awesome!!!!! I love all the channels dark skies dark docs they're all good great job!!!!
I used to work with an old 109 pilot
in all the talks we had he never called
the 109 a BF he always called it the
ME109
It was built by Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, hence Bf (for BFW). Messerschmitt designed the 109 while working at BFW. Messerschmitt took over BFW just before WWII but this aircraft was still known as the Bf109 although now built by Messerschmitt AG. Hope this explains😊
@@timgosling3076 i know why it was called the BF109 i was merely saying the old Luftwaffe ME109 pilot i worked with never called it a BF always the ME
At 6:45 you included FW190s taking off. Nice
FW’s appeared several times. I was wondering if anybody else noticed.
@@ralikdiver it's pretty standard for this channel... [insert random stock footage here]
Whoever is in charge of composing the footage really isn't a plane nut.
@@juststeve5542 I’ve noticed that before. Distracting when you know enough to tell the difference.
I'm pretty sure there was a P-40 Warhawk, or as the British called them Kittyhawks in one shot also. It had RAF markings on it, that's why I mention the Kittyhawk part.
@@travisbunce7334 if it's at 7:30 they are Spitfire VCs of 417 Sqn RCAF. They were based in North Africa and fitted with large desert dust filters under the nose.
I’m learning history and raving, perfect.
Very interesting, great work as always 👍👍👍
Excellent video as usual. Thank you.
May I, just as an aside, say that if you think the Versailles treaty was tough take a look at the treaty the Germans forced on France after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.
Bf109 is aesthetically a beautiful aircraft.
It looks like what a warbird should look like.
On the other hand, I always considered the Spitfire to be effeminate.
Haha very true Spitfire is a feminine looking plane.
I don't know what that's supposed to mean.
Jeffrey Quill, test pilot and the second man to fly the Spitfire prototype, thought it was "a real lady". The great RAF ace Bob Stanford-Tuck, said "if it comes to war, this is the girl for me." Sailor Malan, arguably the best RAF squadron leader of the BoB, said "The Spitfire had style and was obviously a killer...Moreover she was a perfect lady. She had no vices. She was beautifully positive. You could dive till your eyes were popping out of your head....She would still answer to a touch."
In contrast the Bf109 was a perfect b*tch which killed many novice pilots because it was not a very sophisticated design. The most powerful engine possible in the smallest possible airframe, which predictably led to numerous landing and take-off accidents. Bob Doe, the BoB Spitfire ace thought the Bf109 was inherently unstable. It rewarded the good pilots as a result, those who learned how to handle it properly in a fight.
But the RAF fighters in the BoB had stronger airframes. Spitfires rarely broke up due to being overstressed. A lot of Bf109 pilots died because they were afraid to fly the plane to its limits, and got shot down often by Hurricanes, which had inferior performance but gave pilots confidence due to feeling as solid as a rock in a dogfight. Bf109 wings could break off, and the tail was so puny the horizontal stabilisers had struts to hold them on.
The Spitfire is overrated for sure, but the most overrated plane of WW2 is the Bf109. It probably killed more German pilots than Spitfires did.
@@neilpemberton5523 I don't dispute any of that. My comment refers to the aesthetics of the plane.
However, it is significant that you refer to the Spitfire as "she". So it would seem that you agree with me.
When I look at a Spitfire, I always think it would look pretty in pink with a few flowers painted on.
Always loved looking at its lines.. ofcourse as a teen I painted my 109 models with yellow tail and fuselage stripes and hand painted spiral spinner cone😁 thanks for the video
Amazing video !!!
It wasn't just the angle that caused crashes, they were very close together and tended to tip. It was also a ton of crashes, not just a few.
also the aircraft had a tendency to be affected by engine torque on take off and landing, and the narrow landing gear made this much worse. Because of this they lost more ME109s to accidents than to enemy action.
The BoB was not part of Operation Sealion. Even the Germans knew that with or without air superiority that Sealion would have failed such was RN dominance vs the KM, especially after Norway
He got several things wrong in the video.
@@michaelmckinnon1591 Always do.
the amount of gaffes this channel makes is insane, I question their writers' knowledge
To be fair , we only have whatever archival knowledge he has access to , and interpretation
@@leefithian3704Operation Sealion was the planned but never implemented invasion of the UK by Germany in WWII, full records were published 100s if not 1000s of times since WWII
Excellent video
Your resources are amazing and full of information... you might focus them on the German Haunebu 1 and 2
There are a handful of aircraft I've always dreamed of flying. The Bf109 is near the top of that list.
Ironically I was just playing my bf109G-6 in war thunder when I got the notification.
ayyy thats my 2nd favorite
you happened to be flying a Bf-109 in WT when the notification hit; what you experienced was coincidence, not irony.
@@morganb6717 True, now I come to think of it your right. poor choice of words on my side.
Bf109s were made for aerial superiority. But we🙂 stupid idiots still dont know how to fly it
You snuck some shots of FW-190s in there!!! (6:44)
PLANES ARE PLANES!!!!!!!!
not that there is any shortage of ME-109 footage...
Thanks
Eyyy I thought I'd find you here.
"Bubi" Hartmann , best BF-109 Pilot ever .... Thank you for your service Kamerad !
I am a simple german. If i see BF109 in the title of a video, i click the thumb up button automatically
Sie ist eine Schönheit einfache kurven von unermesslicher Eleganz.
German pilots had such high kills because they flew until they died in combat
Yes and no. Sure that played a role but they were typically in the position of being in a target rich environment. Which could of easily seen them die off easily as opposed to select few earning high kills.
A lot of the high scores came against inferior aircraft as well, the 109 pilots on the Russian front wracked up some incredible numbers because they were flying against vastly inferior aircraft. That in no way subtracts from their skill or bravery, it's just fact.
Also the Russian flight tactics and doctrines meant they flew in formation n did not break off even when attacked. This would lead to shooting fish in a barrel type scenarios during the early part of the eastern front. This doctrine would eventually change, after painful losses and the general rise of the next gen of officers in the soviet ranks.
@@MrScythe1981 Sure, but how do you explain the rising kill count of some of the German aces on more experienced Soviet pilots, flying better planes as the war progressed? If you look at the kill counts of some of the high scoring German aces on the Eastern front, their rate of kills actually increases as the Soviets get better experienced and better planes. This occurred right up until the end of the war for them.
Of course their high kill counts also has to do with the fact that the German pilots are getting loads of experience with their aircraft, but even they (the German aces) have admitted that they had a target rich environment. It also doesn't hurt that they flew until either dead or incapacitated to the point that they couldn't fly anymore, so they were flying a lot of sorties.
German Ace Gunther Rall said "You flew and were rewarded with an Iron Cross or wooden cross..."
Awesome video
Pronunciation alert: The ei in Heinkel (111) is pronounced not as if it were written Hinkel, but like in the word 'mine' - or as in Heineken.
Nice presentation...looking forward to seeing one on the famous FW 190
FW - a real rude boy in the sky! *:)
@@bodamyan_bg The FW 190 D-11 /13 were one of the best German plane variants of the war, but came to late to make a difference, like the ME 262.
Thank You!
Your videos on ww2 aircrafts are great! Could you do a video on the Fairey Barracuda and the Dornier Do 215 and 217?
As well as "other European" countries they significantly served in the early IDF with distinction and high regard by Israeli pilots.
Ironic
Operation Sealion was canceled (quietly after an initial postponment) Due to RAF victory over a Numerically Superior Luftwaffe ( The Bf 109's short range being a big factor in its effectiveness beyond central London) Post Battle of Brittain the Hurricane was used more and more in Ground attack missions. Thou being critical on other fronts. The Later Hawkers the Bf 109's clashed with was the Typhoon & Tempest.
Then the RAF found out that they were suffering the "short legs" problem over the continent that the Luftwaffe had over Britain. So the dilemma: A short-ranged, but superior performance interceptor or a long(er)-ranged escort fighter that wasn't a top-tuned interceptor.
Lyndon,the British tempest was the first prop fighter to shoot down a mig 15 in korea.
@@Otokichi786 That escort fighter being the Mustang, originally developed to an RAF specification, although by the time it became available, the RAF had switched to night operations.
If you look how D Day went, it becomes obvious that Operation Sealion was always a dead duck using what the Germans had available. No landing craft, only river barges, no way to move tanks and artillery, difficulties in using warships for artillery support, no portable harbours.
@@markpaul8178 The Tempest II that evolved into the Sea Fury, that got a Kill against a MIG-15 in Korea. The Sea Fury was seen by many as the Zenith of Propeller-driven fighter development.
Interesting film ( repeated twice in the video) of what I think is a pre-war Hurricane with the non-rounded nose? Great video Dark Skies, and, I for one, very much enjoy your commentary style ( slghtly breathless--slight staccato-clipped). If anyone complains tell them to rack off and go to BBC channel or even that other excellent channel, Mark Felton. Mark does a great British accent. ( probably because he IS a Brit) Cheers!
It was a very good design, that allowed so many modifications to keep it up to date.
i have been waiting for this!!! now the fw 190 plzzzz
I saw the radial engine of the Fw190 twice in this video...
@@Mute_Nostril_Agony i mean a video devoted to the fw 190.
That music at the start had me vibing some 109 magic in warthunder lol
Trying to find that retro track
@@limescaleonetwo3131 Let me know what it is when you do please! :)
@@limescaleonetwo3131 i'd like to know the name once you find it too!
So cool thank you so much I play war this set and have for 8 years since it started I love these videos. I’m literally going go fly as a 109 and al the types I have right now because of this. Thanks please make more like this the il2 for sure if you can thanks again
War thunder *
*Thank you*
You forgot Günther Rall, with 275 kills ;-)
Another missing name was Adolf Galland, didn't he get a few aerial victories here n there?
Dark ____ is known for ridiculous errors
@@BikingVikingHH feel free to post your content then.
WTF G. Rall? Between Rall and Hartmann is Gerhard Barkhorn with over 300 Kills too, hes 2nd best Fighterace after Bubi Hartmann.
My Favorite is Heinz Bär he was a Specialist for four Mot Bombers flying 190A and late war a Me262 his planes marked with the Number Red 13.
Hartmann was an ambusher many of his victims never saw him coming, he only opend fire when he was extrem near to his victim, the real fighter specialist was H.J Marseille he was a Sniper in aircombat, he never wasted ammo only a short and lethal burst.
@@WALTERBROADDUS What the f are you even talking about, doofus? Your whole “don’t watch it” etc response is pathetic. I am sorry that you are so personally threatened by me pointing out the inescapable and factually correct statement that this channel and it’s associated ones are rife with technical errors, conceptual mischaracterizations, and an overall tenuous grasp of the subject matter at hand. Why does that upset you? Are you operating on a kindergarten level operating system: if you don’t have anything nice to say, you shouldn’t say anything nice at all? I guess that’s probably the result of you growing up without a father 😂
Great video! A couple corrections, the 190E variants that fought in the Battle of Britain didn't have a 20mm nose/engine mounted cannon yet, their 20mm wing cannons also weren't MG151, they were MGFF 20mm, and only had 60 rounds per gun. Later models had an MG151 nose mounted, and SOME variants had the Mg151 underwing mounted gondolas, to give 3x20mm and 2 cowl mounted MG (7.9 but later much larger 13mm guns) to give a larger armament for killing bombers. The fighter 109s typically still had just the 3 guns, the 2 cowl MG and one nose mounted canon, the MG151 20mm and later the MK108 30mm with its crappy trajectory and low velocity (but huge damage, single hits would destroy most Allied fighters).
Also another important point about the Battle of Britain and the 109E vs the Spit/Hurricane - the 109s had a fuel injected engine while the British still had carburators, which meant any negative G sustained for more than a couple seconds would start to stall the Spit and Hurri engines, while the 109 didn't have this limitation. This mean in order to dive quickly, a 109 could just push over quickly for a bit, while to follow the Spit and Hurricane pilots needed to roll inverted in order to pull positive G towards the ground. It was a huge disadvantage for the British.
@@apis_aculei Yes, while the E1 to E3, and later E7 models were around, the E4 was the model that fought in the BoB primarily, and had the 2 wing mounted MG FF/M which had explosive contact fused 20mm rounds, where as the E3 was armed with the MG FF which did not.
@@Gman-109 What about the early F models that saw combat at the end of BoB? They were in very limited number, but some of the best LW pilots did receive them.
@@WHJeffB The early F models used at the tail end of the BoB probably had the single MG151 nose mounted 20mm and the 2 7.9 pea shooter MGs in the synchronized cowl positions. The entire F range of 109s were great fighters, many L/W and WW2 historians consider the 109F4 to be the best overall 109 in terms of what it matched up against during its height of service in the early 1940s. The Star of Africa is a great example of your "Best LW pilots", albeit not in the BoB, but you get my drift.
@@Gman-109 Yeah... Molders and his unit in BoB received the early F's from what I'd read. Marseille loved his F from what I understand and was reluctant to move into the G2, for good reason I suppose, it killed him in the end.
It would have been interesting to see what the F configuration would have had for capabilities with the higher horsepower engine of the G10/K4, as well as the taller tail/rudder of the same. Though I'm not sure if the air frame of the F's could have coped with the added stress of the higher horsepower and stress associated with higher air speeds.
@@WHJeffB Agreed regarding the G2/Marseille. The rest, that's out of my area of knowledge by a mile ( airframe data), but I'd like to know/read more about this, for sure, if you have any sources you can recommend. I love all things 109, ever since my uncle built a 1/4 scale RC 109 from scratch in the mid 80s and won "best home built scale model" for that year in a couple of the largest RC modeler magazines. I have some great pics of it posted online. That plus every WW2 flight sim that has anything to do with 109s, I've spent thousands of hours flying, from the early PC games in the early 90s, to Warbirds, Aces High, IL2, DCS, etc.
A slight correction: there was no 'updated Hurricane' towards the end of the war that proved a match for 109s. In 1940, the Hurricane Mk I in the hands of a decent enough pilot could give a good account of itself against Emils but after that it was outclassed, which is why it was relegated to ground attack duties.
That thing looks badass man
Can you make a video about the Fw 190 next
0:39 Small inaccuracy here. Saying am aircraft is the most used aircraft is difficult as accurately counting the accumulated flight hours across all aircraft is nearly impossible, especially during WWII. However saying it is the most produced aircraft is simply wrong. The most produced aircraft is the Cesna 172 Skyhawk, with approximately 46 000 aircraft made. The most prodjced military aircraft is the Ilyushin IL-2 Shturmovik with approximately 37 000 aicraft made. It is however the most produced fighter aircraft ever.
great aircraft... narration is well...
What a Gorgeous Fighter..
Bubi Hartman's book is a good read.
Indeed!
Whats the title?
352 confirmed kills.
I have a copy of the book signed by Hartmann to the American flying boat designer Grover Loenig. It’s a good read.
It's a shame he spent so long as a POW. The Soviets were vindictive bunch. Holding people 10 years after the war is just cruel.
damn i EVERYTIME THINK the video is on double speed
Nice video and planes
Nice camo!
well as uusal a ton of wrong info but the usual valiant effort
You noticed. When he said "four seat" I was sure he was going to mention the Me-108, but no....
There are still a hand full still in flying condition, they fly them in Germany called "hangar 10" they got an Emil, G2, G4, G6, G10, G12(twoseat trainer) and a buchon. They also got the me262, a FW190 A and some allied fighters. I wish they had a 109F but they where made in very few numbers. Most produced version was the G6
Actually, the Buchon was a post war License built version built by CASA in Spain which used the British Rolls Royce Merlin engine. About a dozen of those Buchon's were used as stand-ins for the BF 109's in the movie "The Battle of Britain" and I believe about three of them still exist and are for sale in various stages of disassembly, one in Texas and two in Switzerland.
@@dougscott8161 i know, its a 109 airframe, licensebuilt with the merlin engine since BMW didn't ma the DB605 engines anymore, it was still a downgrade in performance
Actually the messerschmitt's you mentioned belong to the flightmuseum messerschmitt located at the area of Airbus Defence and Space near manching. They just work with hangar 10 and I think sold them one or two planes.
@@paul7654 oh, i did not know that, i only know what they have listed on there site :) but thanks for the info :)
The nra add was awesome
We need to see a video of the Focke-wulfe FW 190. It’s beautiful plane and has a mean-sounding radial engine.
Four valves head, direct fuel injection, double sparkplugs, turbo and water-methanol for more power in combat. All that 70 years ago
Supercharger, turbos took up far more space, so they were rare in fighters
@@mo07r1 turbo is just the german word for supercharger. Means the same in this case. Turboprop is different
2:49 dude is totally pretending to swing that hammer lmao
lol it must be propoganda video
Can we appreciate that he said Luftwaffe correctly
The BF109E was the first variant armed with 2 MG FF 20mm cannon in each wing with 60 rounds of ammo per gun. The 109F1 had 1 prop mounted MG FF 20mm (60 rounds), while the F2 had the MG151 (200 rounds) 20mm. The F4 and later variants added the ability to add 2 more MG151s in pods under the wings. They kept the nose mounted 7.92mm until the G5/G6, which switched to the heavier 13.2mm MG131 heavy machine guns. The 109 is the highest scoring fighter in history, and created more aces than any other aircraft. Hartmann, 352 kills. Gerhard Barkhorn had 302, Gunter Rall had 275. Kinda crazy, those 3 dudes combined shot down over 900 enemy aircraft.
I would like to know about the customizations done by the aces. And I would imagine the Aces would get special treatment etc.
Common options were wire wheels, dual ashtrays, tinted windows, and mood lighting, but there were more practical ones.
Illuminated gauges, fog lamps, all season radials, power steering, and 24 hour roadside assistance were quite useful.
@@brinx8634 🤣🤣🤣🤙
@@brinx8634 pimp My airplane....
He speaks so quickly it sounds like he is rushing to get to the end of his commentary, but still a good video.
I think another different between the Spitfire and the BF109, was that BF109 had fuel injected engines, and the Spitfire had carburettors fed engines. which affected their climb and dive characteristics?
Yes.
But later versions of the Merlin were fitted with pressure carburetor systems, so those Merlin variants did not suffer from . It works very similarly to fuel injection systems actually. The Griffon engines fitted on late-war Spitfires also used this system, and there were true fuel-injected variants of both engines.
@@ryanjonathanmartin3933
I believe you, as enhancements do take place with further designs, but at the time, Spitfires didn't have these improvements, so I guess that was the only flaw back then?
@@Trillock-hy1cf I guess so yeah. Spitfires never had fuel-injected variants of the Merlin or Griffon, you're right.
@@ryanjonathanmartin3933
Thanks, and I admit you know far more about this than I do....:)
the 109 was a highly specialised design developed for highly specialised pilots & highly specialised tactics.
My favorite variants of that plane are the E-3, the K-4, Z (zwilling, "twin"), and the TL (jet-powered version as back up for 262)
My favorite plane was the FW 190 though that landing gear thing that the 109 had I think it was more problematic than a benefit.
That's nothing. Try landing with landing gears made from cold iron used by Ki-84 of Japanese Army Air Corp. Those were 1945 batches but still...
Spitfire next!!!! Great work🤣
nooooo we werhaboos here!
Spitfire overrated by the uneducated.
Approx @5:50:
The first wing mounted cannons were not in pods but directly integrated in the wings. The pods (Rüstsatz R6) came later in the war..
That was badass --->10:38
Those WW2 Germans were light years ahead of the rest, in everything.
Nope - allied planes were generally better. And they were shit at bombers - Tanks tho, they were good at tanks, but just tried to get too clever with everything in the end out of desperation. Americans - cover them in Shermans. Brits destroy Tigers with Rocket Typhoons.
"Teutonic efficiency. "
"Teutonic efficiency. "
"Teutonic efficiency. "
How the Germans lost the war mystifies me 😳
When the bully tries to fight every kid in the playground at once and all the kids get all their mates to help...
Bad planning. We have a proverb in Kannada. "Thousand portraits spoiled by just one pot of ink."
Fighting the Soviet Union and the USA at the same time was kinda the reason. Actually considering seven/eighths of all combat engagements by the German Army were on the Soviet Front, maybe the Soviets would have beaten Germany all on their own, just later than 1945.
the Era of the most beautiful planes in history
Nose cannon , such cool concept
Not sure what this updated late war Hurricane that you mentioned is.... but good video nonetheless.
My thinking exactly. After the Battle of Britain most Hurricanes went to Noth Africa as tank busters and some were used in the Atlantic off catapults. Don't think any would have been in service as fighters at the end of the war.
Typhoons or tempests?
I think it was the hurri 2c they put 4 x20 mm cannons and were trying to put 6x303 mg in each wing but the pilots complained about the vibration of the 12 mg's
@@bluegirl77777777 The hurricane mkII was never a late war fighter. It was operational in 1941 and quickly relegated to fighter-bombers roles. 12 303s were pretty useless compared to 4 20 mm cannon That’s why it was replaced.
Hurricanes did serve much later in other theatres, though not really as front line fighters. Some Hurricane Mk.I were out in the far east defending Singapore and Ceylon but were outclassed by the Japanese Zero. Sea Hurricanes began to appear on British carriers in 1941 since they were rugged and had tough landing gear that could be adapted for use at sea, they would later be replaced by Seafires or American types like the WIldcat and later still Hellcat and Corsair. Hurricanes saw great use in North Africa as fighter bombers and tank busters through 1941 and 1942. They were largely replaced by the likes of the P-40 Kittyhawk by 1943. However they were still being used as fighter bombers out in India and Burma into 1944.
I totally noticed a few glaring errors in this video however, I doubt the Bf109 was the "most produced combat aircraft in history" I think the IL2 Sturmovik and P-51 probably battle for that accolade. Too much to condense into an 11 min video.
I feel a sense of sadness that Germany went down the road it did and eventually deprived the world of a European Aerospace giant post-war. I guess you could say their ingenuity went into the Russian and US space programmes ultimately.
"The winner takes all."
Like how they slide in footage of the FW190. The greatest fighter of all.
Was wondering when we'd see an episode on the 109
Many don’t know this, but the BF-109 had a nickname, it was apparently known on both sides as the “messer”, which is the German word for “knife”
"Messer"schmitt
@@sinisterthoughts2896
According to my source, thats actually part of the reason it’s called that, mostly for the allies though,
You should do a video of the Schneider trophy air races😊 love your videos Mark
English is not my first language, and i still have some words i have trouble enunciating, but i can comprehend the voice over very well without issue.
TH-cam has a playback speed option. Use it!
Either way he should consider hiring a good reader. Delivering a good script is critical for a channel
@@toiletpapermerchant9310 i say have them keep the voice over dude. It's a trademark of the channel. It's as unique as David Attenborough's style.
Too many people want to change a channel's style, once they do change, they usually lose subs and watch hours.
His voice is very robotic, and speaks too fast.
at 10:41 you mention that in 1945 the Bf-109 was surpassed by the Mustang, Spitfire, and Hurricane. The Hurricane was largely obsolete by 1945, the Hawker Tempest, however, was a superb fighter in 1945
Just a side note of little importance, but it’s interesting nonetheless; The 109’s prefix designation of “BF” was apparently officially switched to “ME” sometime in 1938.
The switch was due to a contractual agreement that took effect when Willy Messerschmitt purchased the financial controlling interest in the German aeronautics firm Bayerische Flugzeugwerke.
I have no idea if the early 109’s built prior to this 1938 re-designation requirement were all retroactively rebranded with the newer ME prefix. (...Changing all the paperwork associated with an individual aircraft?, I think not...)
But I understand either two-letter designation, BF or ME, has been, and continues to be, completely proper when referring to any 109 fighter airplane.
Anyway, this is what I’ve learned on the prefix subject.
If anyone knows different, please let me know....