Messerschmitt Me 209
| Me 209/Bf 109R | |
|---|---|
 Messerschmitt Me 209 V4 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Propaganda, Technology demonstration |
| Manufacturer | Messerschmitt |
| Designer | |
| Number built | 4 |
| History | |
| First flight | 1 August 1938 |
The first Messerschmitt Me 209 was a single-engine racing aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt. It successfully established several new speed records.
The design work on the Me 209 commenced in 1937; it was a completely original aircraft whose sole purpose was to break speed records. As originally built, it was relatively compact, incorporated a steam cooling system, a unique cross-shaped tail section, and lacked any armaments. On 1 August 1938, the Me 209 V1 conducted its maiden flight. On 26 April 1939, this same aircraft established a new world speed record of almost 756 km/h (469 mph); this record was not officially broken by another piston-engined aircraft until 16 August 1969.
In addition to the Me 209 designation, the type was also assigned the Me 109R designation for propaganda purposes as part of an effort to conflate the aircraft with the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Luftwaffe's primary fighter throughout the Second World War; it was hoped that the Me 109R designation would cause its accomplishments to be associated or confused with the Bf 109.[1] Despite using the same Daimler-Benz DB 601 inline engine, the Me 209 and Bf 109 had little in common with one another. Messerschmitt undertook some work to adapt the Me 209 into a combat-capable fighter, but it proved to be inferior to the existing Bf 109 in this role, and this was never produced in quantity. The Me 209 designation was subsequently reused for a wholly separate aircraft that was the proposed successor to the Bf 109.
Design and development
[edit]The designation Me 209 was used for two separate projects during the Second World War. The first was a record-setting single-engined race aircraft, for which little or no consideration was given to adaptation for combat. The second Me 209 was a proposal for a follow-up to the highly successful Messerschmitt Bf 109 which served as the Luftwaffe's primary fighter throughout the Second World War.[1]
Design work commenced in 1937, the Me 209 was specifically and solely designed to break speed records. While it was a completely separate aircraft from the Bf 109, it did share a few elements, such as its Daimler-Benz DB 601 inline engine, although the Me 209 was equipped with a steam cooling system instead.[2] Designed by the German aeronautical engineer Willy Messerschmitt, it was a compact aircraft that had its cockpit placed relatively rearwards along the fuselage, just forward of its unique cross-shaped tail section. Unlike the Bf 109, the Me 209 featured a wide track, inwardly-retracting undercarriage mounted in the wing section.[3]
Flight testing
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The Me 209 achieved its purpose when, on 26 April 1939, a new world speed record of almost 756 km/h (469 mph) was set by one aircraft, bearing the German civil registration D-INJR and flown by test pilot Fritz Wendel.[4] This record was not officially broken by another piston-engined aircraft until 16 August 1969 by Darryl Greenamyer's highly modified Conquest I F8F Bearcat,[5][6] The absolute speed record set by the Me 209 V1 stood until October 1941, at which point it was broken by another Messerschmitt aircraft design, the Me 163A V4 rocket fighter prototype, flown by Heini Dittmar, which attained a speed of 1,004 km/h (624 mph).[7]
The idea of adapting the Me 209 high speed aircraft to the fighter role gained momentum when, during the Battle of Britain, the Bf 109 failed to gain superiority over the Royal Air Force's fighters, such as the Supermarine Spitfire.[citation needed] The little record-setter, however, was not up to the task of aerial combat. Its wings were almost completely occupied by the engine's liquid cooling system and therefore prohibited the conventional installation of armament. The aircraft also proved to be relatively difficult to fly and extremely hard to control while on the ground. Nevertheless, Messerschmitt's design team made several attempts to improve the aircraft's performance, such as through the adoption of longer wings, a taller vertical stabilizer, and installing a pair of synchronized 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine guns in the engine cowling. Its various modifications, however, added so much weight that the Me 209 ended up slower than the contemporary Bf 109E.[4] This first Me 209 project was soon cancelled.
Propaganda use
[edit]The Me 209's designation was used by Messerschmitt as a propaganda tool. Although the aircraft was a "single purpose" high-speed experimental prototype, it was hoped that its designation would associate it and its world-beating performance with the Bf 109 already in combat service.[3]
During 1939, the speed record achievement of the Me 209 was used for a propaganda disinformation campaign, wherein the aircraft (possibly from its post-July 1938 first flight date) was given the designation Me 109R, with the later prefix, never used for wartime Bf 109 fighters.[8] This disinformation was naturally designed to give an aura of invincibility to the Bf 109, which was not dispelled until the conclusion of the Battle of Britain.[citation needed]
Surviving aircraft
[edit]
The fuselage of the Me 209 V1 is currently on display, at the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków, Poland and was once a part of Hermann Göring's personal collection.
Specifications (Me 209 V1)
[edit]Data from Die Deutsche Luftrüstung 1933–1945[9]
General characteristics
- Crew: one
- Length: 7.24 m (23 ft 9 in)
- Wingspan: 7.8 m (25 ft 7 in)
- Height: 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
- Powerplant: 1 × Daimler-Benz DB 601ARJ inverted V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 1,324 kW (1,775 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 755 km/h (469 mph, 408 kn)
See also
[edit]
Related development
Related lists
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ a b Lepage 2009, p. 220.
- ^ Matthews 2001, p. 45.
- ^ a b Green 1960, p. 160.
- ^ a b Green 1960, p. 161.
- ^ "Conquest I". Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ "Grumman F8F-2, Bearcat, "Conquest I"". National Air and Space Museum. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
- ^ Stüwe 1999, pp. 207, 211–213.
- ^ Wagner and Nowarra 1971, p. 229.
- ^ Nowarra 1993, pp. 215–218.
Bibliography
[edit]- Green, William (1960). War Planes of the Second World War, Fighters, vol. I. London, UK: Hanover House.
- Lepage, Jean-Denis G.G. (2009). Aircraft of the Luftwaffe, 1935-1945: An Illustrated Guide. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-3937-9.
- Matthews, Birch (2001). Race with the Wind: How Air Racing Advanced Aviation. Zenith Imprint. ISBN 0-7603-0729-6.
- Nowarra, Heinz J. (1993). Die Deutsche Luftrüstung 1933–1945: Band 3 Flugzeugtypen Henschel - Messerschmitt (in German). Bonn, Germany: Bernard & Graefe Verlag. ISBN 3-7637-5467-9.
- Stüwe, Botho (1999). Peenemünde West (in German). Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany: Bechtermünz Verlag. ISBN 3-8289-0294-4.
Further reading
[edit]- Feist, Uwe (1993). The Fighting Me 109. London, UK: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1-85409-209-X.
- Jackson, Robert (2005). Infamous Aircraft: Dangerous Designs and their Vices. Barnsley, Yorkshire, UK: Pen and Sword Aviation. ISBN 1-84415-172-7.
- Kulikov, Victor (March 2000). "Des occasions en or pour Staline, ou les avions allemands en URSS" [Golden Opportunities for Stalin, or German Aircraft in the USSR]. Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (84): 16–23. ISSN 1243-8650.
- Kulikov, Victor (April 2000). "Des occasions en or pour Staline, ou les avions allemands en URSS". Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (85): 44–49. ISSN 1243-8650.
External links
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