Walk Around the Messerschmitt BF 109 at the RAF Museum

Have you ever looked around a Messerschmitt that was actually shot-down by a Spitfire during the Battle of Britain?

The Messerschmitt Bf109 is a single seat fighter that first flew in 1935 and entered service with the Luftwaffe in 1937, the same year the Hawker Hurricane entered service. Alongside the Focke Wulf FW190, the 109 was to become one of the Luftwaffe’s main fighter aircraft and over 34,000 aircraft were built.

The 109 first saw action during the Spanish Civil War and was seen as the most-advanced fighter aircraft in operation at the time. The aircraft was fitted with rather thin undercarriage which, when paired with the powerful Jumo engine did lead to a number of accidents, when pilots opened the throttle too quickly on the ground.

It was armed with either a single 20 mm cannon that fired through the prop spinner and could be fitted with 7.92 mm machine guns which were either fitted in the wings or in the engine cowling.

This particular 109 is the E model, which was known by the Germans as the Emil. It was flown by Leutnant Wolfgang Teumer, who was shot-down by a 66 squadron Spitfire and had to force land at RAF Manston near Ramsgate, in November 1940. The aircraft was then repaired using parts from other salvaged, shot-down 109s and then test flown by the British to find-out more about the aircraft’s limitations.