The Bf.109 was the Luftwaffe's benchmark fighter throughout WWII. It first flew in 1937, saw combat during the Spanish Civil War, and some variants remained in service until the end of the war in 1945.
With a skilled pilot at the controls, the Bf.109 is a deadly adversary and can hold its own in most situations. It has good acceleration in a dive, but is somewhat slower than American contemporaries. Early model 109's are slightly faster than early model Spitfires, but over the years the 109 became heavier and slower while the Spitfire became faster. During the Battle of Britain, Luftwaffe pilots often escaped enemy Spitfires by pushing negative G and diving away. The early-model Spitfire's carburetor-fed engines will cut out under negative G; the 109's fuel-injected engines will not.
The 109 has an excellent climb rate, and a "climbing spiral" turn can sometimes be used to lure unwary opponents into a stall. With reasonable turning performance, the 109 can hold its own in a dogfight, assuming the pilot practices careful energy management. The Bf.109E-4 clearly outperformed the Spitfire I above 20,000 feet. At lower altitudes, the Spitfire (especially later models) will usually best a 109 in a sustained turning fight. The Bf.109E-4 is the lightest and best turning of the 109 variants.
109-E STATS
Wingspan: 32 ft. 4 in.
Length: 28 ft. 4 in.
Height: 11 ft. 2 in.
Wing Area: 174 sq. ft.
Engine: Daimler-Benz DB601A rated at 1,100 hp.
Fuel: 106 gal. internal
Loaded Weight: 5,520 lb.
Wing Loading: 32 lb./sq. ft.
Maximum Speed: 354 mph.
Service Ceiling: 36,100 ft.
Rate of Climb: 3,280 ft./min.
Combat Radius: 125 miles
Armaments: 2 x 20mm MG-FF cannons , 2 x 7.92mm MG-17 machine guns
Ammunition: 60 rds/gun (20mm), 1000 rds/gun (13mm)
MESSERSCHMITT BF.110C-4
The Bf110 was originally designed as a strategic fighter, intended to escort bombers to their targets and back. When it first flew in 1936, it was considerably faster than single-engined contemporaries, but suffered from poor maneuverability and acceleration. The 110 earned a favorable reputation over Poland, but fared poorly during the Battle of Britain. Using high-speed hit-and-run tactics initiated from above 21,000 feet, the Bf110C could hold its own against the Hurricane Mk I and Spitfire Mk I. In a slow speed fight (typically during medium-altitude bomber escort sorties), however, the British fighters literally shredded the 110C to pieces.
As learned during the Battle of Britain, the Bf110's only hope of survival is to keep airspeed high, execute hit-and-run attacks from high altitude, and avoid lengthy turning battles with single-engine fighters. In a classic turning fight, the Spitfire Mk I will easily emerge victorious. The Bf110G is similarly outclassed by its contemporaries, and is best used as a bomber interceptor at night or against unescorted bomber formations. As evidenced in 1939, 1940 and again in 1943, the Bf110 is little more than cannon fodder in the one-versus-one fight.
110C-4 STATS
Wingspan: 53 ft. 5 in.
Length: 39 ft. 9 in.
Height: 11 ft. 6 in.
Wing Area: 413 sq. ft.
Engine: 2 x Daimler-Benz DB601A rated at 1,100 hp.
Fuel: 335 gal. internal
Loaded Weight: 14,884 lb.
Wing Loading: 36 lb./sq. ft.
Maximum Speed: 349 mph.
Service Ceiling: 32,800 ft.
Rate of Climb: 2,200 ft./min
Combat Radius: 180 miles
Armaments: 2 x 20mm MG-FF cannons, 4 x 7.92mm MG-17 machine guns, plus 1 x 7.92mm MG-15 machine gun in rear cockpit
Ammunition: 180 rds/gun (20mm), 1000 rds/gun (forward 7.92mm), 750 rds (rear 7.92mm)
HEINKEL HE.111H-2
One of the political consequences of the Treaty of Versailles, which ended the First World War, was the imposition of severe restrictions on Germany's military/industrial complex. As a result, much of the research and development that went into the He111 was conducted under the guise of civilian aviation. The project began at the behest of the Air Ministry well before the existence of the Luftwaffe was ever officially admitted. The He111 was theoretically developed as a fast commercial transport, but eventually it became one of the mainstays of the German bomber force early in the war.
The He111 adopted the Junkers Jumo engine in 1939 and fully 400 of the early variants of this airframe were in service in time for the invasion of Poland. The Heinkel is certainly not as famous as the Ju87 Stuka dive bomber from this campaign, but it caused considerable damage nonetheless. The He111 played a significant role in the conquest of France as well, but in each instance the bomber operated in an environment of almost complete German air superiority. This would not be the case in the Battle of Britain, and the shortcomings of the He111 soon became painfully apparent against RAF Hurricanes and Spitfires.
Germany fielded more than ten variants of this airframe over the course of the war, and produced 7450 planes for frontline service, but none of them were capable of successful combat operations independent of heavy fighter escort in contested airspace. The reasons for this are numerous. First and foremost, the top end speed of the fully loaded bomber was barely over 200 mph. and it took 50 minutes to climb to a cruising altitude of 4500 meters (approximately 15,000 feet). Because enemy fighters enjoyed a 50-100% speed advantage, their pilots could engage, break off and reposition for the next attack fairly rapidly. Also, since the fighter's relative speed in relation to the He111 was so high, it was difficult for the bomber's gunners to line up a successful deflection shot.
HE.111H-2 STATS
Wingspan: 74 ft. 1 in.
Length: 53 ft. 9 in.
Height: 13 ft. 1 in.
Engine: 2 x Junkers Jumo 211A-3 rated 1,100 hp.
Loaded Weight: 30,860 lb.
Maximum Speed: 252 mph.
Service Ceiling: 26,300 ft.
Combat Radius: 640 miles
Armaments: 4,000 lbs. of bombs, 6 x 7.92mm machine guns
Defensive Fire Arc:
JUNKERS JU.87B-2 STUKA
The first production models of the Ju87 served with the Legion Kondor in the Spanish Civil War from 1936-1939 in support of the Nationalists. The Ju87b, the second production model, evolved from lessons learned in that conflict. The major improvement was the installation of the Jumo 211A engine, which was rated at 1,100hp versus the paltry 680hp of its predecessor. Other improvements included redesigned landing struts, which reduced the drag of the aircraft, a larger radiator which reduced overheating problems and the installation of an automatic pull out device safety feature. The latter was designed to keep pilots who blacked out during the steep dives from following their bomb payload into the ground. Finally, in addition to the 7.92mm MG 15 facing aft, it was equipped with two 7.92mm MG 17 machine guns in the wings.
Ju87b's served admirably in support of the Blitzkrieg attacks in Poland and France, but like their He111 cousins, found themselves quite a bit more vulnerable in the Battle of Britain. Thereafter, they were primarily used in North Africa and on the Eastern Front
JU.87B-2 STATS
Wingspan: 45 ft. 3 in.
Length: 36 ft. 5 in.
Height: 13 ft. 2 in.
Engine: Junkers Jumo 211D rated 1,200 hp.
Loaded Weight: 9,560 lb.
Maximum Speed: 238 mph.
Service Ceiling: 26,250 ft.
Combat Radius: 245 miles
Armaments: 2,000 lbs. of bombs, 2 x 7.9mm MG-17 machine guns, 1 x 7.9mm MG-15 machine gun in rear cockpit
Defensive Fire Arc:
JU.88
Second in total production only to the Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 14,980 Ju88's were placed in service during the war and used extensively in every theater of operations. Although the bomb capacity of the Ju88 was only slightly more than the Fw-190 at 1000 kilograms, the plane was very reliable and all of the kinks had been worked out of the assembly line process when the war began. As such, Germany kept turning out Ju88's at a remarkable rate consistent with its efforts to refine and upgrade the fighter construction programs throughout the war. Consequently, Ju88's were used in many capacities during the war including transport for freight and paratroops, light strategic bombing, tactical bombing and even as a night interceptor against Allied bombing raids.
The Ju88a was powered by twin Junkers Jumo 211-B liquid cooled, 12 cylinder engines and had a top speed of 280mph. The Ju88c, the heavy fighter version, was powered by twin Jumo 211-J engines, rated at 1340 horsepower each, boosting the top end speed to 310 mph. Further, Ju88c's had solid noses fitted with three 20mm cannon and three 7.92mm machine guns.
JUNKERS JU88A-4 STATS
Wingspan: 60 ft. 3 in.
Length: 47 ft. 1 in.
Height: 17 ft. 6 in.
Engine: 2 x Junkers Jumo 211B rated 1,200 hp.
Loaded Weight: 22,840 lb.
Maximum Speed: 280 mph.
Service Ceiling: 26,200 ft.
Combat Radius: 520 miles
Armaments: 4,000 lbs. of bombs, 5 x 7.92mm machine guns
Defensive Fire Arc:
JUNKERS JU88C-6 STATS
Wingspan: 65 ft. 8 in.
Length: 47 ft. 6 in.
Height: 15 ft. 11 in.
Engine: 2 x Junkers Jumo 211J rated 1,400 hp.
Loaded Weight: 25,230 lb.
Maximum Speed: 310 mph.
Service Ceiling: 29,040 ft.
Combat Radius: 610 miles
Armaments: 1 x 20mm MG-151 cannon, 2 x 20mm MG-FFM cannons, 3 x 7.92mm MG-17 machine guns, 2 x 7.92mm MG-81J machine guns in rear cockpit, 1,100 lbs. of bombs
Defensive Fire Arc:
