WW2 German Luftwaffe Battle of Britain fighter aircraft
During the Battle of Britain the German Luftwaffe was required to operate as an offensive strategic force, prior to the battle the German Air Force had been operating as air support to the German Army, now the Luftwaffe fought continuously over enemy territory against a modern fighter force.

 

 
The German Luftwaffe "Battle of Britain" Messerschmitt 109 fighter history
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a compact single seat all metal monocoque construction monoplane fighter designed by Willy Messerschmitt in the early 1930's for the German Air Force and entered Luftwaffe service in 1937. Although the Messerschmitt 109 was used by the "Condor Legion" during the Spanish Civil War, and also produced and operated throughout WW2, the version used primarily during the Battle of Britain was the Messerschmitt Bf 109E (Emil). The Messerschmitt Bf 109E was powered by the more powerful 1,100 PS Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine, this resulted in a notable performance improvement over the older versions, coupled with improved offensive weaponry made the Messerschmitt Bf 109 one of the best fighters in existence at the time of the Battle of Britain. A very small number of the new and improved Messerschmitt Bf 109F were operated by the Luftwaffe in the last weeks of the Battle of Britain but they were too few and two late to have a significant impact on the Battle's outcome, they did however replace the Messerschmitt Bf 109E the following year.
 


The Messerschmitt Bf 109E was less manoeuvrable than the British Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire both of which could out-turn it in a dog fight. Both the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire fighters used carburettors and in a negative "G" power dive their engines would loose power due to petrol starvation, the Luftwaffe's Messerschmitt Bf 109E was fuel injected and was particularly fast in a power dive and could rely on a power dive to get out of trouble in a dog fight, the British fighters would execute a sharp turn in the same situation.

It is of note that a total of 33,984 Messerschmitt Bf 109E fighters had been produced by they end of WW2. Post-war 109 variants served in the Spanish Air Force until 1965 and provided the Luftwaffe 109 fighters in the film "Battle of Britain", ironically these 109 fighters were powered by Rolls Royce Merlin engines.

Click here for specifications and pictures of the German Luftwaffe's Messerschmitt Bf 109E fighter

 

The German Luftwaffe "Battle of Britain" Messerschmitt 110 "Zerstörer" fighter history
The Messerschmitt Bf 110 "Zerstörer" was designed in the early 1930's by Willy Messerschmitt as a twin engined long range heavy escort fighter. Intoduced into Luftwaffe service in 1937 the Messerschmitt 110 proved successful in the Spanish Civil War and WW2, this changed in the Battle of Britain.

Hermann Göring was particularly fond of the Messerschmitt Bf 110 and referred to the fighter as his "Eisenseiten" (Ironsides), and his nephew, Hans-Joachim Göring was a Luftwaffe Zerstörer pilot (he was killed on the 11th July 1940 when his 110 was shot down by Hurricanes over Portland Harbour). The Messerschmitt Bf 110 proved to be no match for the British Super Marine Spitfire or the Hawker Hurricane fighters, it presented a large target easily spotted and it's lack of manoeuvrability resulted in the Bf 110 "Zerstörer" being an easy target for the RAF's more agile fighters.

The rate of attrition of the Messerschmitt Bf 110 in the Battle of Britain proved so high that many units were withdrawn from daytime operations and used as night fighters, the Luftwaffe entered the Battle of Britain with 237 Messerschmitt Bf 110 Zerstörer fighters, at the end of the Battle they had lost 223,. Later in WW2 the Bf 110 night fighters were fitted with radar to increase their effectiveness..

Click here for specifications and pictures of the German Luftwaffe's  Messerschmitt Bf 110 "Zerstörer" fighter

 

The German Luftwaffe "Battle of Britain" Junkers 88 fighter bomber history
The Junkers Ju 88 was a successful twin engined multi-role aircraft designed by a team led by Ernst Zindel, the design utilised an all metal stressed skin construction, as Junkers had no experience in stressed skin construction they employed American engineers W. H. Evers and Alfred Gassner. The Junkers Ju 88 was introduced into Luftwaffe service in 1939. The Junkers Ju 88 one of the most versatile and effective German aircraft of WW2, it served as a bomber, dive bomber, torpedo bomber, heavy fighter and night fighter (with or without radar).

During the Battle of Britain theJunkers Ju 88  was primarily used as a bomber and heavy fighter. It was twenty Junkers Ju 88 bombers that successfully bombed the Chain Home radar station,  RAF Ventnor, on the Isle of Wight on the 12th of August 1940 with the loss of only two aircraft.

Click here for specifications and pictures of the Luftwaffe's Junkers 88 fighter bomber
 
 
  • Who were known as "the few" in the Battle of Britain?
  • How Long did the Battle of France last for and how did it end?
  • When was the Battle of Britain and how long did it last for?
  • What was "Chain Home" and why did it help win the Battle of Britain?
  • What RAF fighters fought in The Battle of Britain and how good were they?
  • What Luftwaffe fighters and bombers took part in the Battle of Britain?
  • Who were the famous fighter aces of the battle of Britain?
  • What did a fighter pilot wear into battle in WW2 and the battle of Britain?
  • How many aircraft were lost in the Battle of Britain by the RAF?
  • How many Luftwaffe Fighters and Bombers were lost in the Battle of Britain?
  • How many RAF pilots and aircrew lost there lives in the Battle of Britain?
  • How many Luftwaffe aircrew and pilots were lost in the Battle of Britain?
  • Which cities were specifically targeted in the Blitz in the the Battle of Britain?

RAF Battle of Britain Fighter

"The Battle of Britain"

Battle of Britain Spitfire Fighter

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Timeline of the WW2 Battle of Britain - German Battle of Britain WW2 Air-force - Battle of Britain Luftwaffe fighters and Battle of Britain Luftwaffe bombers including the Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighter bomber, Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter, Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bomber, Heinkel He 111 bomber, Junkers Ju 88 bomber and the Dornier Do 17 bomber of WWII - Battle of Britain World War Two RAF fighters like the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane - Famous WWII RAF Battle of Britain fighter pilot aces - Famous WW2 Battle of Britain German Luftwaffe fighter aces - Famous WW2 Battle of Britain leaders like Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Führer Adolf Hitler - Battle of Britain Military air commanders like Field Marshal Herman Goring, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, Air Vice-Marshal Leigh-Mallory and Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park - The Wold War Two Battle of Britain Blitz terror bombing of British cities - WW2 Battle of Britain Chain Home Radar stations - WW2 Battle of Britain Air Raid Wardens and Fire Watchers - WW2 Battle of Britain air raid shelters and the Anderson shelter - Evacuation of children from British cities during WW2 and the Battle of Britain - The issue of gas masks to the British civilian population in prereration for the WW2 Battle of Britain.

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