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| Circa 1940: The German Messerschmitt Me 209 V4 (D-IRND, later CE+BW) with fake military markings that had been applied for propaganda purposes. The Me 209 V4 was a failed attempt to introduce to service a new and improved fighter aircraft that would potentially replace the Bf 109. It was not requested by the RLM but was instead Messerschmitt’s own private venture. |
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 what was originally designated P.1059 commenced in 1937; the Me 209 was a completely original aircraft whose sole purpose was to set new international speed records. As originally built, it has a relatively compact airframe, incorporated a steam cooling system, a unique cross-shaped tail section, and lacked any armaments. On 1 August 1938, Me 209 V1 conducted its maiden flight; a further three prototypes would be completed by May 1939. On 26 April 1939, this same aircraft established a new international 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. 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.
Throughout much of the 1930s, various high-ranking officials within Germany advocated for the demonstration of supposed German superiority, particularly in the aviation sector, which benefited greatly from state backing in the form of numerous development and production contracts. Some of these contracts were aimed at boosting national prestige as well as advancing Germany's aeronautical capabilities, such as the establishment of new international aviation records. It was within these active trends that the aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt embarked on the P.1059, a clean-sheet aircraft designed solely to perform high speed flights with the specific object of setting a new absolute speed record.
During 1937, design work formally commenced, headed by the German aeronautical engineer Willy Messerschmitt. Prior to the year's end, the construction of three prototypes had commenced, by which point the aircraft had been officially designated as the Me 209.
In terms of its basic configuration, the Me 209 was a compact low-wing monoplane that was designed around a specially-produced model of the Daimler-Benz DB 601 inline engine (early flights were performed with conventional models of the DB 601). While this engine produced up to 1,800 hp under most circumstances, it could be temporarily boosted to 2,300 hp in limited bursts for additional acceleration. While the Me 209 did share a few elements, such as the DB 601 engine, with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter aircraft, it was a completely separate aircraft and had many differences. One of the more atypical feature of the Me 209 was its use of a steam cooling system, which facilitated the elimination of traditional radiator-based cooling and the resulting aerodynamic drag incurred. This system involved stored water being piped through the engine, where it absorbed heat, after which it traveled to the wings where it was cooled down before being circulated around again. Due to the constant loss of water (between 4.5 liters and 7 liters per minute), the engine could only be ran for up to 30 minutes at a time.
Considerable efforts were made into minimizing the equipment fitted as well as having the airframe be as small as was feasibly possible. The cockpit of the Me 209 was positioned relatively rearwards in relation to the fuselage, just forward of its unique cross-shaped tail section. Both the tailplane and elevators had a relatively small area while the fin featured a substantial ventral section. The wing's design, which aimed to minimize the wing area, resulted in relatively high wing loading of the era. While these aspects favored the Me 209's speed capabilities, they also increased the pilot's difficulty in flying it.
Unlike the Bf 109, the Me 209 featured a wide track, inwardly-retracting undercarriage that was mounted in the wing section. There was seemingly little consideration given towards its potential use in combat.
On 1 August 1938, the first prototype, Me 209 V1, performed its maiden flight, piloted by chief test pilot J. H. Wurster. Early observations included the flight controls being heavy and unwieldy, the aircraft's general instability, and an undesirable tendency for it to nose down without warning or provocation. Another negative flight characteristic was its relatively high sink rate during landing approaches, contributing to a typically heavy landing, during with the aircraft could easily and inadvertently swerve. Me 209 V2 made its first flight on 8 February 1939, but was lost in a non-fatal accident two months later that was attributed to a seized engine.
The Me 209 achieved its primary purpose when, on 26 April 1939, a new world speed record of almost 756 km/h (469 mph) was set by the first aircraft, bearing the German civil registration D-INJR and flown by test pilot Fritz Wendel. 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, The absolute speed record set by the Me 209 V1 stood until October 1941, at which point it was broken by another Messerschmitt aircraft, the Me 163A V4 rocket fighter prototype, flown by Heini Dittmar, which attained a speed of 1,004 km/h (624 mph).
By the end of May 1939, both Me 209 V3 and Me 209 V4 entered flight testing. Largely due to the upcoming outbreak of the Second World War, any thought of international speed records had been set aside in favor of their use as experimental aircraft. The fourth prototype has been alleged to be involved in efforts to convert Me 209 into a fighter aircraft.
The idea of adapting the Me 209 to perform 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. Key changes made to the aircraft included the installation of a standard DB 601 engine, a new wing and automatic leading edge slots; efforts were made to improve the Me 209's challenging flight and landing characteristics. Armaments were envisioned to be installed in several locations, including the wing, upper nose, and within the propeller shaft.
Despite the efforts made, the Me 209 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. In light of this disappointing performance, the conversion project was promptly abandoned in favor of other efforts.
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.
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. 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.
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.
Bibliography
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.
Matthews, Birch (2001). Race with the Wind: How Air Racing Advanced Aviation. Zenith Imprint.
Nowarra, Heinz J. (1993). Die Deutsche Luftrüstung 1933–1945: Band 3 Flugzeugtypen Henschel - Messerschmitt (in German). Bonn, Germany: Bernard & Graefe Verlag.
Smith, John Richard; Kay, Antony L. (1972). German Aircraft of the Second World War. London, UK: Putnam.
Stüwe, Botho (1999). Peenemünde West (in German). Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany: Bechtermünz Verlag.
Further Reading
Feist, Uwe (1993). The Fighting Me 109. London, UK: Arms and Armour Press.
Jackson, Robert (2005). Infamous Aircraft: Dangerous Designs and their Vices. Barnsley, Yorkshire, UK: Pen and Sword Aviation.
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.
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.
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| Messerschmitt Me 209 V1. |
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| Messerschmitt Me 209 V1. |
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| Messerschmitt Me 209 V4. |
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| Messerschmitt Me 209 V1 serial number 1185 civil registration D-INJR. |
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| Messerschmitt Me 209 1:2 scale model in the Luftfahrt Museum in Hannover. |
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| Messerschmitt Me 209 V1 at the Polish Aviation Museum. As far as significant airframes go, this machine is near the top of the list. It is the record-breaking Messerschmitt Me 209 V-1 (c/n 1185), which held the world air speed record from 1939 till 1941, and for a piston engined aircraft from 1939 till 1969. During the war it became part of Hermann Göring's personal collection. The fuselage is now displayed in a building full of unrestored relics at the Muzeum Lotnictwa Polskiego. Krakow, Poland. Photo taken 23 August 2013. |
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| Messerschmitt 209 [Bf 109R] aircraft setting the World's Speed Record on April 26, 1939: 468.9 m.p.h. Pilot: Flug Kapitan Fritz Wendel. |
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| Willy Messerschmitt (left) congratulates Flugkapitñ Fritz Wendel (Messerschmitt's chief test pilot) as he climbs from the cockpit of Messerschmitt Me 209 V1 (D-INJR) after Wendel set an absolute speed record of 469.22 mph (755.138 km/hr), Germany, April 26, 1939. |
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| The Me 209 mock-up in its early development stage. Most evident is the unusually rear-positioned pilot cockpit. |
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| The Me 209 cockpit canopy opens outwards to the right (seen on the V3). This design had a flaw as it could not be left open during takeoff or landing. In an emergency, the canopy could be jettisoned. |
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| The Me 209 was to be powered by a DB 601ARJ engine which used a Messerschmitt P8 three-bladed propeller. |
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| The Me 209V1 just prior to being allocated to the Berlin Air Museum in April 1940. The pilot is Fritz Wendler, and next to him it is Willy Messerschmitt. |
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| Messerschmitt Me 209. |
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| Messerschmitt Me 209 V4. |
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| The Me 209 mock-up in its early development stage. Most evident is the unusually rear-positioned pilot cockpit. |
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| Messerschmitt Me 209 V2 with civilian registration D-IWAH. |
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| Messerschmitt Me 209 V4 with civilian registration D-IRND. |
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| Messerschmitt Me 209 V4 with civilian registration D-IRND. |
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| Messerschmitt Me 209 V4 with civilian registration D-IRND. On the left is a view of the engine compartment with the two machine guns mounted. On the right is a view of the pilot's cockpit. |
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| Messerschmitt Me 209 V4 with fake military markings. |
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| Messerschmitt Me 209 V1. |