Messerschmitt Me 209

Not to be confused with Messerschmitt Me 209 (1943).

Me 209/Bf 109R
Messerschmitt Me 209 V4
General information
Type	Propaganda, Technology demonstration
Manufacturer	Messerschmitt
Designer	Willy Messerschmitt
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 what was originally designated P.1059 commenced in 1937; the Me 209 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. 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

Background and design

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 benefitted 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...

Considerable efforts were made into minimising 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 minimise the wing area, resulted in relatively high wing loading of the era. While these aspects favoured 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.

Flight testing

Display model of the aircraft showing its World War II configuration

Messerschmitt Me 209 V1 showing its colors and markings

On 1 August, 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.

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. 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 design, the Me 163A V4 rocket fighter prototype, flown by Heini Dittmar, which attained a speed of 1,004 km/h (624 mph).

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. 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. This first Me 209 project was soon cancelled.

Propaganda use

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.

Surviving aircraft

Me 209 fuselage at the Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków.

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)

Data from Die Deutsche Luftrüstung 1933–1945

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

Three-view of the Me 209 V4

Related development

• Bf 109
• Me 209-II
• Me 309
• Me 409
• Me 509
• Me 609

Related lists

• List of military aircraft of Germany
• List of World War II military aircraft of Germany

References

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. 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.
• Smith, John Richard; Kay, Antony L. (1972). German Aircraft of the Second World War. London, UK: Putnam. ISBN 978-0-370-00024-4.
• Stüwe, Botho (1999). Peenemünde West (in German). Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany: Bechtermünz Verlag. ISBN 3-8289-0294-4.

Further reading

• 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

• Famous Record-Breaking and Racing Aircraft: Messerschmitt Me 209 V1