Messerschmitt Bf 109 in Action, Part 1

Squadron/Signal Aircraft in Action #1044

by John R. Beaman, Jerry L. Campbell, Don Greer (Illustrator)

Issued on 15 February 1934, the request by the new Reichsluftfahrtsministerium (RLM/Air Ministry) for a single-seat daytime air combat fighter with a top speed of 400 km/h, brought a new lease of life to the financially strapped Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG (BFW). BFW began work on the plane, its first military aircraft, that December, and in May 1935 the Bf 109 V1 prototype took to the air - 10 months before the flight of the first Spitfire - launching the career of an iconic fighter plane whose numerous versions would serve the Reich until the end of the Second World War.

Genres: History

49 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1980

Reviews

[KOMET · Rating 5 out of 5]

This handy, concise book describes the development and deployment of Germany's legendary Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter, from its baptism of fire in the Spanish Civil War to its widespread use in the Luftwaffe's fighter arm from the invasion of Poland in 1939, through the Blitzkrieg campaign in the Spring of 1940, the Battle of Britain, the Balkans and North African campaigns, and on through to the early stages of the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. The B to the E variants of the Bf 109 are analyzed. And for the general reader, there are plenty of photos and illustrations throughout the text.