Introduction

Summary

When the Messerschmitt design team began work in 1934 on a new fighter for the Luftwaffe it resulted in an aircraft that gained the same fame as the British Spitfire. It was probably Robert Lusser, the “father” of the M-37, alias Bf 108 Taifun who was responsible for most of the basic design work, rather than Walter Rethel as suggested in some sources. The new fighter type became known as the Bf 109 (where Bf abbreviated the original name Bayerische Flugzeugwerke or Bavarian Aircraft Factory) and its production from 1937 continued until the end of the war, although the last Bf 109 variants had little in common with the first versions. The two versions in production until the end of the war were the Bf 109 G and the much improved final version the Bf 109 K. It was the Bf 109 G that was built in greater numbers than any other 109 variants and the type that was encountered -and feared- by the American day bomber groups.

Birth of a champion

Willy Messerschmitt was the managing director of the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke A.G.. The company, which was based at Augsburg, built various aircraft types mostly of single-engine design. In the economic crisis of the thirties, also Messerschmitt’s company ran into financial difficulties which in 1931 resulted in bankruptcy. Messerschmitt still owned Messerschmitt Flugzeugbau as a dormant company holding all his technical patents. New working capital was borrowed and on 27 April the Regional Court of Augsburg issued a verdict that gave Messerschmitt the opportunity to re-open his factory gates with 85 employees. He received an order from Romania to build a small series of light passenger aircraft but the German Ministry of Aviation RLM (Reichsluftfahrtministerium) refused permission to build them.

The RLM was of opinion that the new development and production capacity had to be strictly used for Germany.

In compensation Willy Messerschmitt received a contract for the development and construction of a single engine aircraft to compete in a fighter contest between the various aircraft manufacturers. This opportunity would have far-reaching consequences! Although Messerschmitt had no practical experiences in designing fighters, he had a sound basis with the all-metal Messerschmitt Bf 108 4-seat light plane. This was of modern light-alloy monocoque construction with a fully retractable main undercarriage.