Book Review of
Messerschmitt Bf-109-F-G
Camouflage & Decals Series No. 5
Series Editor: Damian Majsak
Kagero Publishing
ISBN: 978-83-66673-39-7
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $27.95
ISBN: 978-83-66673-39-7
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $27.95
HISTORY:
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War and was still in service at the dawn of the jet age at the end of World War II in 1945.
It was one of the most advanced fighters when it first appeared, with an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. It was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine. It was called the Me 109 by Allied aircrew and some German aces, even though this was not the official German designation.
It was designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser who worked at Bayerische Flugzeugwerke during the early to mid-1930s. It was conceived as an interceptor, although later models were developed to fulfill multiple tasks, serving as bomber escort, fighter-bomber, day-, night-, all-weather fighter, ground-attack aircraft, and reconnaissance aircraft.
It was supplied to several states during World War II and served with several countries for many years after the war. The Bf 109 is the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 airframes produced from 1936 to April 1945. Some of the Bf 109 production took place in Nazi concentration camps through slave labor.
The Bf 109 was flown by the three top-scoring fighter aces of all time, who claimed 928 victories among them while flying with Jagdgeschwader 52, mainly on the Eastern Front. The highest-scoring, Erich Hartmann, was credited with 352 victories. The aircraft was also flown by Hans-Joachim Marseille, the highest-scoring ace in the North African Campaign who shot down 158 enemy aircraft (in about a third of the time).
It was also flown by many aces from other countries fighting with Germany, notably the Finn Ilmari Juutilainen, the highest-scoring non-German ace. Pilots from Italy, Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Hungary also flew the Bf 109. Through constant development, the Bf 109 remained competitive with the latest Allied fighter aircraft until the end of the war.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter
Manufacturer: Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW),Messerschmitt AG
Designer: Willy Messerschmitt, Robert Lusser
First flight: 29 May 1935
Introduction to service: February 1937
Retired: 9 May 1945, Luftwaffe 27 December 1965, Spanish Air Force
Primary users: Luftwaffe, Hungarian Air Force, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana. Royal Romanian Air Force
Number built: 33,984, +603 Avia S-199, +239 HA-1112
Variants: Avia S-99/S-199, Hispano Aviación HA-1112
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War and was still in service at the dawn of the jet age at the end of World War II in 1945.
It was one of the most advanced fighters when it first appeared, with an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. It was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine. It was called the Me 109 by Allied aircrew and some German aces, even though this was not the official German designation.
It was designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser who worked at Bayerische Flugzeugwerke during the early to mid-1930s. It was conceived as an interceptor, although later models were developed to fulfill multiple tasks, serving as bomber escort, fighter-bomber, day-, night-, all-weather fighter, ground-attack aircraft, and reconnaissance aircraft.
It was supplied to several states during World War II and served with several countries for many years after the war. The Bf 109 is the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 airframes produced from 1936 to April 1945. Some of the Bf 109 production took place in Nazi concentration camps through slave labor.
The Bf 109 was flown by the three top-scoring fighter aces of all time, who claimed 928 victories among them while flying with Jagdgeschwader 52, mainly on the Eastern Front. The highest-scoring, Erich Hartmann, was credited with 352 victories. The aircraft was also flown by Hans-Joachim Marseille, the highest-scoring ace in the North African Campaign who shot down 158 enemy aircraft (in about a third of the time).
It was also flown by many aces from other countries fighting with Germany, notably the Finn Ilmari Juutilainen, the highest-scoring non-German ace. Pilots from Italy, Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Hungary also flew the Bf 109. Through constant development, the Bf 109 remained competitive with the latest Allied fighter aircraft until the end of the war.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter
Manufacturer: Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW),Messerschmitt AG
Designer: Willy Messerschmitt, Robert Lusser
First flight: 29 May 1935
Introduction to service: February 1937
Retired: 9 May 1945, Luftwaffe 27 December 1965, Spanish Air Force
Primary users: Luftwaffe, Hungarian Air Force, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana. Royal Romanian Air Force
Number built: 33,984, +603 Avia S-199, +239 HA-1112
Variants: Avia S-99/S-199, Hispano Aviación HA-1112
THE BOOK:
Kagero Publishers is based in Lublin, Poland.
This book is soft-cover of 40 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format. It comes in a clear self-sealing cello envelope and includes a decal sheet inserted into it. It is in Polish and English.
The cover art shows a Bf-109 that is shooting down a Fokker D.XII that is going down in flames. The Bf-109 has a 2 shade of green splinter camouflage above medium-grey undercarriage. It has a yellow nose and rudder flap. Fuselage code is a double chevron + bar in black outlined in white. It has a white diamond with a black ace of spades on it outlined in black on the side of its nose.
The book begins with two small color top-views of the Bf-109.
The color profiles shown include:
3 with solid yellow noses and 9 with yellow panels under the nose.
6 with yellow rudders. One with white wing tips. One with a yellow spinner, 9 with the spinner divided into half black and half white, 8 with solid black spinners, one with a white spinner, one with a yellow spinner with a black spiral, 5 with spinners with black and white spirals.
There are several profiles shown of Bf-109’s with victory markings on their rudder flaps, in the quantities of: 15, 87, 25 under a wreath with 169 on it, one Bf-109 with 9 victories over ships over 39 aerial victories on its rudder flap, one with 67 victory markings under a wreath with 40 on it and an iron-cross, one with 40 victories, one with 11 and one with 27. A lot of aces for sure!!
One aircraft has its gun bulges on the sides of its nose painted yellow with eyes on them.
Insignias include: 4 aircraft with a white diamond with a black ace of spade on it on their noses, outlined in black, one with a rooster’s head on its nose, Mickey Mouse holding a blunderbuss pistol and an axe on its nose. (This one flown by ace Adolf Galland. He is shown standing next to the plane). A white shield with black wolf’s head on its nose, a shield that is divided into two halves (The left side is yellow with half of a black eagle on it. The right side has red and white diagonal stripes on it). One with a wreath with a silver eagle at the top and a knight’s cross at the bottom and no. 100 in center. An orange diamond outlined in white with a hunter carrying a rifle on it. One with a white shield with a winged red letter “U” outlined in red. One with a black circle with a white diamond onit that has a red eagle on it outlined in white.
Colors of the profiles are:
2 with a top of 2 shades of green splinter camouflage over medium-grey undercarriage.
One with a wave pattern of tan, green and red brown over medium-grey undercarriage.
One that is overall dark green with a medium-grey undercarriage.
10 in a base of medium-grey with green mottle.
One that is covered in white wash, that served on the Russian front.
One that is in a base of medium-grey with waves of 2 shades of green and red brown over a medium-grey undercarriage.
One that is in a base of medium-grey with green mottling.
One with 2 shades of green splinter camouflage over medium grey sides and undercarriage.
One that is overall grey.
The decal sheet has solid and skeletal type Luftwaffe crosses on it and swastikas that are cut in two, in both 1/72nd and 1/48th scales. The swastika has to be reassembled. It is cut in two to make it acceptable in countries where the swastika is prohibited to display.
Kagero Publishers is based in Lublin, Poland.
This book is soft-cover of 40 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format. It comes in a clear self-sealing cello envelope and includes a decal sheet inserted into it. It is in Polish and English.
The cover art shows a Bf-109 that is shooting down a Fokker D.XII that is going down in flames. The Bf-109 has a 2 shade of green splinter camouflage above medium-grey undercarriage. It has a yellow nose and rudder flap. Fuselage code is a double chevron + bar in black outlined in white. It has a white diamond with a black ace of spades on it outlined in black on the side of its nose.
The book begins with two small color top-views of the Bf-109.
The color profiles shown include:
3 with solid yellow noses and 9 with yellow panels under the nose.
6 with yellow rudders. One with white wing tips. One with a yellow spinner, 9 with the spinner divided into half black and half white, 8 with solid black spinners, one with a white spinner, one with a yellow spinner with a black spiral, 5 with spinners with black and white spirals.
There are several profiles shown of Bf-109’s with victory markings on their rudder flaps, in the quantities of: 15, 87, 25 under a wreath with 169 on it, one Bf-109 with 9 victories over ships over 39 aerial victories on its rudder flap, one with 67 victory markings under a wreath with 40 on it and an iron-cross, one with 40 victories, one with 11 and one with 27. A lot of aces for sure!!
One aircraft has its gun bulges on the sides of its nose painted yellow with eyes on them.
Insignias include: 4 aircraft with a white diamond with a black ace of spade on it on their noses, outlined in black, one with a rooster’s head on its nose, Mickey Mouse holding a blunderbuss pistol and an axe on its nose. (This one flown by ace Adolf Galland. He is shown standing next to the plane). A white shield with black wolf’s head on its nose, a shield that is divided into two halves (The left side is yellow with half of a black eagle on it. The right side has red and white diagonal stripes on it). One with a wreath with a silver eagle at the top and a knight’s cross at the bottom and no. 100 in center. An orange diamond outlined in white with a hunter carrying a rifle on it. One with a white shield with a winged red letter “U” outlined in red. One with a black circle with a white diamond onit that has a red eagle on it outlined in white.
Colors of the profiles are:
2 with a top of 2 shades of green splinter camouflage over medium-grey undercarriage.
One with a wave pattern of tan, green and red brown over medium-grey undercarriage.
One that is overall dark green with a medium-grey undercarriage.
10 in a base of medium-grey with green mottle.
One that is covered in white wash, that served on the Russian front.
One that is in a base of medium-grey with waves of 2 shades of green and red brown over a medium-grey undercarriage.
One that is in a base of medium-grey with green mottling.
One with 2 shades of green splinter camouflage over medium grey sides and undercarriage.
One that is overall grey.
The decal sheet has solid and skeletal type Luftwaffe crosses on it and swastikas that are cut in two, in both 1/72nd and 1/48th scales. The swastika has to be reassembled. It is cut in two to make it acceptable in countries where the swastika is prohibited to display.
This is a neat picture album of Bf-109’s. It will be of great interest to modelers planning on building a kit of one and of interest to aviation historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Kagero books and all Kagero titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the N. American distributor of Kagero books and all Kagero titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.